When it's good, Country Music has a knack for making the old new again.Take, for example, Kahlil Gibran's 1922 classic On Children, from The Prophet. Gibran was by no means a Nashville songwriter, but penned one of the most moving descriptions of what it is like to be a parent:
You are the bows from which your childrenIf he were a modern Nashville songwriter, he might have written this as When You Come Back Down. And in keeping with the old-made-new theme, Nickel Creek brings a Bluegrass style that not only perfectly suits the song, but seems to channel Gibran. Like him, they burned brightly - their 2000 self-titled album containing this song was produced by none other than Alison Krause. Like him, they achieved rapid success in their day. Like him, their production ended far too soon.
as living arrows are sent forth.
The Archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the Archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.
But it's a fabulous new take on an old idea, set to a new/old musical sound.
When You Come Back Down (Songwriters: Tim O'Brien, Danny O'Keefe)
You got to leave me now, you got to go alone
You got to chase a dream, one that's all your own
Before it slips away
When you're flyin' high, take my heart along
I'll be the harmony to every lonely song
That you learn to play
When you're soarin' through the air
I'll be your solid ground
Take every chance you dare
I'll still be there
When you come back down
When you come back down
I'll keep lookin' up awaitin' your return
My greatest fear will be that you will crash and burn
And I won't feel your fire
I'll be the other hand that always holds the line
Connectin' in between your sweet heart and mine
I'm strung out on that wire
And I'll be on the other end
To hear you when you call
Angel, you were born to fly
And if you get too high
I'll catch you when you fall
I'll catch you when you fall
Your memory's the sunshine every new day brings
I know the sky is calling
Angel, let me help you with your wings
When you're soarin' through the air
I'll be your solid ground
Take every chance you dare
I'll still be there
When you come back down
Take every chance you dare
I'll still be there
When you come back down
When you come back down
I just about wore their first CD out I liked it so much, and was disappointed when they fizzled out later on. I'm thinking alot of why I liked them so much initially was the influence from Alison Krause - who I love.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteI remember them when they first came out and my neighbor, banjo player for http://www.stringfeverband.com/
introduced them to me. It is tough living next door to a banjo player whiom often has many guests over and they are in the backyard pickin' and agrinnin'.
Check out Psalm 127. I believe it has a similar message.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post. Very fitting for my day today, because my daughter is taking her first step into freedom w/out Mom. What did I worry about during the night? if she will have fun, and if the ppl w her bring a notepad to write a note, and what if she gets lost. So, I guess I'm still a Mom worrying about that stuff, eh? :)
ReplyDeleteI love Gibran, from the Prophet, about Joy and Sorrow intersecting and how they are the same, that we can have them at the exact same time.
I don't listen to Nickel Creek that much, but I like what I've heard. I think I have This Side(? maybe?) downstairs by the Crosley somewhere.
ReplyDeleteFWIW, been listening to The Band a lot lately, and the Kinks, and Clifton Chenier. And my usual classical.