The band's name derives from banjoist Leonard Podolak's earlier band Scruj MacDuhk (pronounced Scrugg MachDuke). MacDuhk was a warrior chieftain who fought with William Wallace, resisting English occupation of Scotland, during the reign of King Edward I. The entire name is a wordplay on the Disney character Scrooge McDuck created by Carl Barks.
In March of 2007 lead singer and budding songwriter Jessee Havey left the band to pursue other interests. Singer Sarah Dugas joined the band in July of 2007 and is on the road with The Duhks.
In late 2007, percussionist Scott Senior left the band to spend more time with his family, as his partner, Tara Beckta, was expecting their second child. Christian Dugas, Sarah's brother and a former bandmate of Leonard Podolak, has since joined The Duhks. Other members are fiddler Tania Elizabeth and guitarist Jordan McConnell.
In October 2007 The Duhks Sustainability Project http://www.greenduhks.com was launched to raise awareness about ways to live a more economically-viable and ecologically-sustainable lifestyle. In April 2008, The Duhks performed a post Earth Day benefit in Nederland, Colorado.
In spring 2016, the band announced that they would no longer be touring. They have not released any new music since 2014.
http://www.duhks.com
Mists of Down Below
The Duhks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wild wind, take me home
To the mists of down below
I'll be flying come September day
With no borders in my way
You'll find me home until the May sun burns
The heavy mists of down below
Refrain:
I see the rivers flooding strong
And people wishing they belonged
Free for anywhere they want to go
When they pray they can look to the sky
And they'd see me as I pass by
Heading to the mists of down below
Without fields ripe from rain
There is no way to feed my pain
Until I fly to mists of down below
But down below is not my fate
There is no land from where I came
Not even mists of old Mexico
Refrain
So I looked hard at reasons for
The drifters going door to door
Dreaming of the mists of down below
But I'm sure they'd go anywhere they could
If wings became their neighborhoods
And there'd be nowhere they wouldn't know
The Duhks's song "Mists of Down Below" expresses a longing for freedom and escape to a place of magic and mystery. The opening line, "Wild wind, take me home," sets the tone for the song as the singer yearns to return to a place they feel is their true home- the mists of down below. This place is described as having no borders, suggesting a place free from societal constraints and limitations. The singer declares that they will be flying come September, which could suggest the singer is leaving or returning home at a particular time of year.
The second verse emphasizes the importance of nourishment and how it is tied to the singer's wellbeing. Without fields ripe from rain, the singer feels a sense of pain and emptiness. However, it is the mists of down below that provide solace and ease that pain. The final verse acknowledges the sense of wanderlust felt by the singer and others like them. The drifters going door to door are looking for a place they can belong, and according to the singer, anywhere could be that place if they had wings.
The refrain serves to highlight the collective longing of people to be free and belong to a place they can call home. The rivers flooding strong could be a metaphor for change and upheaval, and the singer sees those around them wishing they belonged. But for the singer, the mists of down below are their home, the place where they feel most complete.
Line by Line Meaning
Wild wind, take me home
I want to go home, and I'm relying on the wind to take me there.
To the mists of down below
I'm traveling to a mysterious place called 'down below' that's shrouded in mist and seems otherworldly.
I'll be flying come September day
I'll be going on this journey in September, and it feels like I'll be flying through the air.
With no borders in my way
There are no restrictions or obstacles preventing me from traveling to down below.
You'll find me home until the May sun burns
I'll be at home until May when the weather gets warmer.
The heavy mists of down below
I'm specifically traveling to the 'heavy mists' of this unknown place called down below.
I see the rivers flooding strong
I observe strong flooding in the rivers.
And people wishing they belonged
The people around me seem to be longing for somewhere, for something to belong to.
Free for anywhere they want to go
These people long to be free and go anywhere their hearts desire.
When they pray they can look to the sky
When these people pray, they look up to the sky.
And they'd see me as I pass by
If these people looked up at the right moment, they would see me flying by on my way to down below.
Heading to the mists of down below
I'm still traveling to this mysterious destination, down below.
Without fields ripe from rain
Without the necessary conditions for crops to grow, I cannot sustain myself.
There is no way to feed my pain
Without food, I'll suffer hunger and pain.
But down below is not my fate
Going to this mysterious place down below will not be my ultimate fate or destiny.
There is no land from where I came
My place of origin is unknown or doesn't exist anymore.
Not even mists of old Mexico
Even Mexico's famous mists and mysteries are not where I come from.
So I looked hard at reasons for
I've thought deeply about why people choose to wander and travel.
The drifters going door to door
I've observed people who go from door to door, never staying in one place for long.
Dreaming of the mists of down below
These drifters dream of a place like down below that's shrouded in mystery and maybe not fully understood.
But I'm sure they'd go anywhere they could
I'm convinced that these wanderers would travel anywhere if they had the chance.
If wings became their neighborhoods
If they could fly and had wings, they would consider the sky their home and explore endlessly.
And there'd be nowhere they wouldn't know
If they could fly, there would be no place they wouldn't be familiar with and no boundary they couldn't cross.
Contributed by Layla W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.