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Swing Low

from Watermelon Time by Ty Ford

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about

On Swing Low, I hired my friends to fill out a virtual band. I was at a song circle one night and read a piece of prose i wrote for my step-father. One of the member said she liked it except for the anger. There was no anger in the piece. It was a love poem for my step-father. I asked her where the anger was. The lines she indicated had the words death or dead in them.

From that, I guessed that she was projecting. We don't like to use those words in this country. We prefer euphemisms; passed on, crossed over, dirt nap; anything but dead or death. So, having had a near death experience, I decided to write a head-on song that anthropomorphises death.

To balance it out, I borrowed from the Bible (the valley of the shadow of death) and E. Y. Harburg (Somewhere Over The Rainbow) to create a more positive chorus.

So you get a dark/light/dark/light thing. The most surprising part of this project was that after recording most tracks, I kept hearing a part for a clarinet. Seth Kibel came in and literally blew me away with his work.

lyrics

I’m a work in progress. I’m spinning my wheels
Part A never fits in Part B
My thoughts are awry. I can’t think. I just cry.
I’m a clean up on aisle number three.

I’m a discontinued model, I’m out of order
I’m.temporarily out of stock
My lines are all busy. Please stand by.
My thoughts are all tied up in knots

Swing low sweet chariot
Take me past where the angels fear to tread
Fly me somewhere over the rainbow,
Right down through the valley of the shadow of death

And death’s stinking breath is on me
Each time he breaths I feel worse
He whispers smugly in my ear
some twisted joke about me and a hearse.

When I turn around to face him
he crawls down my throat.
I feel him deep inside me
Feasting on my hopes

Swing low sweet chariot
Take me past where the angels fear to tread
Fly me somewhere over the rainbow,
Right down through the valley of the shadow of death

So when you feel death walk behind you
Pick up your pace and move along
feel that rabbit run across your grave.
You can lose him in the chorus of this song.

Swing low sweet chariot
Take me past where the angels fear to tread
Fly me somewhere over the rainbow,
Right down through the valley of the shadow of death

credits

from Watermelon Time, released December 22, 2009
Claudia Sansoucie, Karyn Oliver and Randall Williams were my backup singers. Carey Zielger was the bassist. Laura Cerulli was the percussionist. Seth Kibel played clarinet. Ken Gutberlet played the mandolin. I played the guitar parts and did the lead vocal.

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about

Ty Ford Baltimore, Maryland

Sound, light and matter are all energy at different frequencies.

I was curious as to how the frequencies of the colors of the chakras could be converted into frequencies of sound.

I was amazed when everything began to fall into place. I hope these soundscapes work as strongly for you as they have for others.
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