It’s two in the morning, I just wrote and orchestrated an entire song in my head, and I’m crying so hard my snerking can be heard in the next county.
Herewith ‘The Parting Gift’ a bluegrass song for Creede Lambard
Opens with banjo and the bass sneaks in, other instruments following, everyone’s playing and singing together on ‘and now the train is boarding’ to maximize harmonies and audio density
Your voice gone from the room
Your song is a recording
Not much to lift the gloom
And now the train is boarding
bass really booms, all the other instruments wire weave; the voices on top are angry and desperate
I’m glad, I’m glad
that the batteries are dead
the times we had
always better in always better in my head
Instrumental break, starting with the bass, then to mandolin, then to octave mandolin, then to banjo, then a polyphonic explosion as they all try to outshout each other.
Much sparser accompaniment and vocal arrangement, with the voices taking turns.
I lost my final home
Soon after you had left us
And now I’m doomed to roam
With the dark songs that you gave us
Only my voice I lift
My mandolin is gone
It is your parting gift
I remember you in song
Much longer and more subdued instrumental break, everybody calming down and being sad and politely taking turns.
I’m glad, I’m glad
that the batteries are dead
the times we had
always better in always better in my head
for banjo, mandolin, octave mandolin, upright bass and at least four voices, all tenors and altos but if there’s a true ‘black hole’ bass voice I’ll allow it.
