Uploaded August 2020 | Updated September 2026, 41 minutes ago
From the new album "A Dark Murmuration of Words" - out now: emilybarker.com/words
Directed, filmed & edited by Tom Jacob
Produced by Tom Jacob, Emily Barker
Original music & lyrics: Emily Barker
Story by Emily Barker, Tom Jacob
Cast:
The child - Rosalba Francis-Marlot
The mother - Emily Barker
The father - Lukas Drinkwater
Camera assistants: Kim Francis, Lukas Drinkwater
========
I live in Stroud, UK where there is a wealth of talented creatives. For this album, I wanted to collaborate with people in my local arts scene, in part because localism is one of the themes of the album, but also due to the limitations imposed by lockdown.
When it came to the video for Sparrows, I turned to Tom Jacob. I’ve known Tom for some years and seen him develop as a filmmaker through his music video work with local band Mesadorm. His talents extend to photography, scriptwriting and film/tv composition, but it was his musicianship that made me think he would be the perfect choice for this music video.
The lyrics for 'Where Have The Sparrows Gone?' tell the post apocalyptic tale of a mother and child fleeing a devastated London to find a safer place to be. Rather than trying to portray the whole story in a short video, we decided to focus in on one verse: "Ashes in my pocket / I'll scatter them when we stop / He loved to be by water / Down where the waves bow and buck”, which tells a story within a story. We don't know exactly what happened to the father, but we know he is no longer there. As they flee, the mother and child make a detour to the ocean to scatter his ashes.
Tom and I had numerous video calls over the course of lockdown to develop the plot and map it out against the song lyrics. There was just one problem with our storyline and that was that it involved not only a trip to the sea, but another character - two things that weren't permissible during lockdown. So we waited...and waited...and waited some more, until finally restrictions were eased enough to proceed.
Rosalba Francis-Marlot plays the child character. Rosa's a neighbour and good friend of Tom's who I'd met on numerous occasions and was always drawn to - she's one of those kids that seems wise beyond her years, often dropping something profound into casual conversation. She's also quite the film buff at just ten years old. She was thrilled to be asked and Kim, her mother, was also into the idea. Tom and I both knew she would do a brilliant job.
Lukas Drinkwater - my real-life husband - appears as the father in a flashback sequence. He also helped out as camera assistant, as did Kim, so our crew and cast totalled five people from just three households. We filmed at home in Stroud until late one Friday night, then got up in the early hours of the next morning and drove to Portishead where the beach scene was filmed - that exhausted look and the bags under my eyes are genuine!
Everyone did such an incredible job on this, especially Tom, who worked tirelessly and meticulously to achieve what feels more like a short film than a music video - which was exactly the outcome I was hoping for.
Thank you to Tom, Rosa, Kim and Lukas for putting your all into this.
========
LYRICS
Blow the dust off
Your grandma’s gas mask
Hide in the place we played
Where the woods were once
They closed the bridge again
They’re not letting us out
Though we told them years ago
They didn’t listen to us shout
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
We’re headed north
Which way were you going to go?
I heard there’s a truck that leaves
From the Old Kent Road
Wild fire, wild weather
The prophecies came true
We read about them years ago
No one to blame but me and you
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Took too much from the ocean
Took too much from the earth
We took more than we needed to
More than we could return
Ashes in my pocket
I’ll scatter them when we stop
He loved to be by water
Down where the waves bow and buck
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Blow the dust off
Your grandma’s gas mask
Hide in the place we played
Where the woods were once
They closed the bridge again
They’re not letting us out
Though we told them years ago
They didn’t listen to us shout
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
They’re where the woods were once
Where the woods were once
Where the woods were once
They’re where the woods were once
Where the woods were once
Where the woods were once
========
STAY IN TOUCH
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From the new album "A Dark Murmuration of Words" - out now: emilybarker.com/words
Directed, filmed & edited by Tom Jacob
Produced by Tom Jacob, Emily Barker
Original music & lyrics: Emily Barker
Story by Emily Barker, Tom Jacob
Cast:
The child - Rosalba Francis-Marlot
The mother - Emily Barker
The father - Lukas Drinkwater
Camera assistants: Kim Francis, Lukas Drinkwater
========
I live in Stroud, UK where there is a wealth of talented creatives. For this album, I wanted to collaborate with people in my local arts scene, in part because localism is one of the themes of the album, but also due to the limitations imposed by lockdown.
When it came to the video for Sparrows, I turned to Tom Jacob. I’ve known Tom for some years and seen him develop as a filmmaker through his music video work with local band Mesadorm. His talents extend to photography, scriptwriting and film/tv composition, but it was his musicianship that made me think he would be the perfect choice for this music video.
The lyrics for 'Where Have The Sparrows Gone?' tell the post apocalyptic tale of a mother and child fleeing a devastated London to find a safer place to be. Rather than trying to portray the whole story in a short video, we decided to focus in on one verse: "Ashes in my pocket / I'll scatter them when we stop / He loved to be by water / Down where the waves bow and buck”, which tells a story within a story. We don't know exactly what happened to the father, but we know he is no longer there. As they flee, the mother and child make a detour to the ocean to scatter his ashes.
Tom and I had numerous video calls over the course of lockdown to develop the plot and map it out against the song lyrics. There was just one problem with our storyline and that was that it involved not only a trip to the sea, but another character - two things that weren't permissible during lockdown. So we waited...and waited...and waited some more, until finally restrictions were eased enough to proceed.
Rosalba Francis-Marlot plays the child character. Rosa's a neighbour and good friend of Tom's who I'd met on numerous occasions and was always drawn to - she's one of those kids that seems wise beyond her years, often dropping something profound into casual conversation. She's also quite the film buff at just ten years old. She was thrilled to be asked and Kim, her mother, was also into the idea. Tom and I both knew she would do a brilliant job.
Lukas Drinkwater - my real-life husband - appears as the father in a flashback sequence. He also helped out as camera assistant, as did Kim, so our crew and cast totalled five people from just three households. We filmed at home in Stroud until late one Friday night, then got up in the early hours of the next morning and drove to Portishead where the beach scene was filmed - that exhausted look and the bags under my eyes are genuine!
Everyone did such an incredible job on this, especially Tom, who worked tirelessly and meticulously to achieve what feels more like a short film than a music video - which was exactly the outcome I was hoping for.
Thank you to Tom, Rosa, Kim and Lukas for putting your all into this.
========
LYRICS
Blow the dust off
Your grandma’s gas mask
Hide in the place we played
Where the woods were once
They closed the bridge again
They’re not letting us out
Though we told them years ago
They didn’t listen to us shout
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
We’re headed north
Which way were you going to go?
I heard there’s a truck that leaves
From the Old Kent Road
Wild fire, wild weather
The prophecies came true
We read about them years ago
No one to blame but me and you
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Took too much from the ocean
Took too much from the earth
We took more than we needed to
More than we could return
Ashes in my pocket
I’ll scatter them when we stop
He loved to be by water
Down where the waves bow and buck
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Blow the dust off
Your grandma’s gas mask
Hide in the place we played
Where the woods were once
They closed the bridge again
They’re not letting us out
Though we told them years ago
They didn’t listen to us shout
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
Where have the sparrows gone?
They’re where the woods were once
Where the woods were once
Where the woods were once
They’re where the woods were once
Where the woods were once
Where the woods were once
========
STAY IN TOUCH
Sign up to my newsletter: emilybarker.com/subscribe
emilybarker.com
facebook.com/emilybarkerhalo
twitter.com/emilybarkerhalo
instagram.com/emilybarkerhalo
