The cold hard lands

From Tolkien Gateway

"The cold hard lands" is a song composed by Gollum that he sings in "The Passage of the Marshes".

Text[edit | edit source]

The cold hard lands,
they bites our hands,
  they gnaws our feet.
The rocks and stones
are like old bones
  all bare of meat.
But stream and pool
is wet and cool:
  so nice for feet!
And now we wish —

At this point Gollum interrupted himself to allude to the riddle-game he and Bilbo Baggins partook in many decades before:

Alive without breath;
as cold as death;
never thirsting, ever drinking;
clad in mail, never clinking.
Drowns on dry land,
thinks an island
is a mountain;
thinks a fountain
is a puff of air.
So sleek, so fair!
  What a joy to meet!
We only wish
to catch a fish,
  so juicy-sweet!

Portrayal in adaptations[edit | edit source]

2002: Pán prsteňov (2001-2003 Slovak radio series):

Gollum (portrayed by Ibrahim Maiga) sings this ditty during an episode of the second series (season), based on The Two Towers. The song is accompanied by a nursery rhyme-like melody with some subtle percussions.

See also[edit | edit source]