Heather Dale IF

Heather Dale has been many things in her life: a solder-jockey at a small electronics firm, a foley assistant in the film industry, a 5:00am morning manager at a downtown coffee shop, a press release writer for a department store, a tour guide at a city dump, and a university librarian. She is now (and has been for a while) a full-time touring musician who cheerfully writes songs inspired by fantasy, legend and history. Heather and her partner Ben Deschamps are likely to be spotted in the company of filkers across North America and Europe... they've performed at FilKONtario, OVFF, Confluence, Arisia, Con*Cept, Contata, FilkContinental, Ad Astra, World Fantasy Con, Worldcon/Anticipation and several house concerts with fans in the USA, Canada & England. Heather and Ben were thrilled to receive the 2009 Pegasus for Best Performer, and will be GOH's at VCon in Vancouver (Oct), and Cre2c3ndo in England (February 2011)! For sound clips and lots more info, check out www.HeatherDale.com, including Heather and Ben's brand new CD "The Green Knight" (at www.HeatherDale.com/music).

Representative work for the 2010 Pegasus Awards (Note: this song is NOT a Pegasus nominated song- it is a representative work for Best Performer and/or Best Writer/Composer categories):

Joan

by Heather Dale & Ben Deschamps
Copyright Amphisbaena Music, 2007 SOCAN- All Rights Reserved
Used by Permission

I am as God made me,
I have no desire for a mouth at my breast or a pot on the fire
I heed the high voices, I go where I'm sent
To mow down the men who refuse to repent
I'm a scythe in a field full of briars

They won't call me Mother or Sister or Wife
They will know me or not by the strength of my life
I will burn with a light of my own
They'll know me as Joan

The courage of Catherine, the flames of the forge
The sword of St. Michael, the blood of St. George
I take what I'm given, I follow my truth
I gladly abandon the bloom of my youth
I'm the lashing that falls from the scourge

They won't call me Mother or Sister or Wife
They will know me or not by the strength of my life
I will burn with a light of my own
They'll know me as Joan

Christem ducem / Poena fortis /
Et sanguinis effusio /
Corda terant / Ut te quaerant /
Ieso, nostra redemptio

I fight where God tells me, I never ask why
I've bloodied the Devil with steel from on high
I kill without consequence, heed no man's law
I sift out the righteous like grain from the straw
I am judgment and heaven is nigh

They won't call me Mother or Sister or Wife
They will know me or not by the strength of my life
I will burn with a light of my own
They'll know me as Joan