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about
Swann Song began as a portrait of my Grandmothers’ life. As this is the year of her 95th birthday, I am especially happy to release this new version. This song has evolved somewhat since I recorded it in 2006, and I like the ways in which this live recording differs from the original. Thanks to Julia and Jazer for helping me out on this one. I also like that this recording comes from a hometown, Northampton gig.
lyrics
SWANN SONG: Yeah, I could tell you lots of things. I grew up on the bay. I used to race my sisters up the fence-side to Mr. Medley’s place. Papa ran the general store and mama did everything and the waves and the waves and the sea. Time brought me here like a fishing boat at the whim of the Atlantic breeze. It was a good life, yeah it was a good life, I’d do it all again. I joined the Navy Nurses Corp., it was 1941 and I met my sailor in that fated harbor in the days before the bombs came…Hail Mary, I made it home, ‘til I was laughing as my ship went down, singing and bailing water right back to the shores of San Francisco town. It was a good life, yeah it was a good life, I’d do it all again. I was hitched out in Reno, I stayed at home and he went out to sweep the mines. I’ll never forget the day we heard it on the radio, it was the end of the war…and we laughed and cried and cheered and laughed again... yeah we cried and cheered like it would be the last one. Yeah sure, yeah sure I’ve wished for things, I wish I had been there the day that Nancy drowned. I wish I hadn’t seen them build a highway, a highway right through my backyard. But you just learn to love the little things, I’ve lived long enough to know. And I’m still waving from this front porch and this is still my swan song. It was a good life, it was a good life, I’d do it all again, I’d do it all again….
credits
from Chimera I,
released April 3, 2009
Recorded LIVE at the esteemed Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton, MA www.iheg.com – October 19th, 2008.
Special thanks to Eric Suher, Brendan Leith, and John Sanders.
Featuring: Jazer Giles (piano) and Julia Read (fiddle, vocals).
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