Only Begin ( with Janice & Graham)

Lewis & Clark`s 1804-6 expedition across America.They are friends- one of them is troubled.
With thanks to Graham who plays accordion and offered good suggestions on instrumentation and to Janice for singing fine harmonies again.

Style is _CELTAIR.STY (Solo Acoustic Celtic Air Guitar )

RealTracks in style: 1814:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking CelticAir Ev 085
RealTracks in song: 1618 Fiddle,Background Allis
Celtic Harp
Bowed Bass



Only Begin

if wishes were rivers
they`d run both ways to the sea

Clark holds the compass
Lewis reads the time
there is peace in the numbers
remake the world line by line
this morning a sea of grass
under a robins egg sky
Missouri uncoils
from the Great Divide

Pierre saws the fiddle
band of brothers dance and sing
Lewis forgets he`s a song
with one loose string
like nights in Virginia
hunting by the stars
he`s a boy on a tramp
afraid he`s gone too far

only begin
your maps are unfurled
on the edge of the world
only begin

the hard part is over
they taste the salt tide
in Columbia`s torrent
Lewis braves the storm inside
Clark thinks of Judith
speeches and huzzahs
how to save his friend
from the old scars

there`s no call for angels
to stay his hand
Lewis knows Clark is coming
to Grinder`s Stand
with lead powder rifle
paper and quill
they`ll slip into the west
leave the glory the bills

only begin
your maps are unfurled
on the edge of the world
only begin

if wishes were rivers
they`d run both ways from the sea

© Robert Cordrey Nov. 2017

This is a super collaboration. Great vocals, super backing tracks and Graham's part fits perfectly.

You should be very proud of this one.

Two thumbs up.

Robert, Janice, Graham

The lyric reads like a classic poem. The song is w wonderful example of folk writing.
Lovely performance by the all the team as a whole (as you would expect).
A top quality collaboration.

Peter

Love the lyrics, well written and great story. Love the harmonies. Nice folk song!!

Another good group effort.

I agree with Peter - "The lyric reads like a classic poem."

A classic folk sound fits perfectly...

fj

What a cool folk song. Vocals and harmonies were just perfect. Awesome lyric Robert. Just loved Grahams sweet touch.

Hi Robert,

This is just so beautiful. All of you did a fantastic job on the great collab.

I'm originally from St. Charles, Missouri. Since lewis & Clark began their expedition their, the have significant stature in the area. I lived right on the Missouri River and just a few miles from the Mississippi River. This brought back some wonderful memories - some real nice ones!

I enjoyed this so much! Totally loved it!

Alan

Mario,
I`m glad you liked this. Been wanting to do a song with Graham since he brought his accordion to the forum-his playing here has a nice old time feel that fit what I was after.
Thanks for your kind comments.

Robert



Thank you Peter,
Its an abstract interpretation of the story but I`m very happy you
liked the lyrics.
Yes, I was priviledged to have Janice & Graham contributing so professionally.

Robert



I appreciate the positive review - thank you!

Robert

Nice collaboration! And as always, such a great lyric.

Enjoyed the listen!

What a beautiful group effort.

Masterful arrangement and vocals.

I think this is my favorite of yours so far. Just wonderful.

Great job all around.

Wow - what an incredible collaboration! Your voices meld together so perfectly on this. Also, the lyrics here are vivid and I love how abstract they sound. It really helps add a new dimension to the tune. It reminds me of Neutral Milk Hotel a little bit - they are an independent indie folk band that is highly praised, so that is most definitely a compliment

Great work, and thanks so much for sharing!

Nice effort by everyone! Robert you are an exceptional lyricist! I wish I could write lines like that! Thanks, Torrey

Great song in every part. Excellent feeling and melody.
One of your best.

Sergio

Thanks y’all. Gotta love the opportunity that this community gives to explore new music avenues. Fun!!

Janice

Hi, Robert, Janice & Graham !

This is outright stunning !
what beautiful voices singing
so beautiful a song ! i liked it
truly much !

Super collab ! Let me congrat
all involved !:))

Cheers
Dani

Thanks Floyd,
I only had the opening/closing lyrics written before working out the melody on this, but its good to know they read well by themselves.
Graham`s suggestions on the bass and harp really helped keep the sound simple and folky.

Robert



Scott,
I`m pretty sure Janice did her vocal in one take; mine never are and I end up taking the best of many.
Yes,Graham`s playing is sweet!
Thanks for your positive review.


Robert



That`s very kind Al,
I loved history but back in those days in an English school we were steered away from American success stories... I`ve done lots of catchup in the last few years and read both the Lewis & Clark journals and historical fiction based on their lives.
I`m glad this song resonated with your history too!

Robert

Robert,

This is very beautiful... A very moving piece. Love the harmony Janice is singing here.

Wonderful!

Bob

Mr. Cordrey...

What's the word to describe this song of yours -- evocative? Yes, I think that's word, which means "bringing strong images, memories, or feelings to mind". Who would think that a song written and composed on the subject of a pair of historical figures who've been dead for approximately two-hundred years, could so completely mesmerize a listener such as myself?

Have you ever seen a film starring Robert Redford, and titled "Jeremiah Johnson"? Your song evokes the wintry, wistful sound and feel that the composers of the film's score, Tim McIntire and John Rubenstein, conjured up in the film.

And, once again, sir, your lyrics overwhelm the senses with mood and galleries of imagery that create a whole world, verse by verse, line by line, word-by-word.

Ms. Janice's harmonizing vocals added to your own solo vocal makes you two sound like a man and woman surviving on the very frontier explored by Messrs. Lewis and Clarke.

It's music to listen to by the light of a single candle.

Carried away,

LOREN

Thanks y'all. Bud and I have a lot of history interests and that made this all the more fun.

Janice

Dave,
Thanks for your listen and likes!



That`s very kind David; yes, a group effort - so cool to experience that again through this forum.

Robert



Deryk,
I always enjoy the bands you reference- this is another case where you`ve led me to some really different music I`ve never heard before!
Your positive comments are much appreciated.

Robert

Bob,
Thank you!
When I suggested to Janice that we try a unison vocal on the higher lines in the verses as well as harmony on the chorus, I didn`t know if it would fit... boy was I thrilled with what she sent me.
Really glad you enjoyed this.


Robert

Loren,
Ok, there`s no question; when I finish my masterpiece I`d like you to do the liner notes!
There are several things you say about our collaboration here that I`ll cherish...thank you for sharing your beautiful thoughts; some of them are going on my fridge.
I`m listening to the Jeremiah Johnson soundtrack now - very fine it is too!

Robert

Thanks for listening and commenting. I do appreciate it!

Janice

A sensitive take on historical events and beautifully done.

Cheers.

Robert,

This collab resulted in a very beautiful song.

Rob and Anne-Marie

Thanks for asking me Robert, enjoyed the challenge a lot. Looking forward to the next one

Rich,
I appreciate your listen and positive comments.

Robert

Rob & Anne-Marie,
Thank you for listening and commenting!

Robert

I have great respect for writers who tackle real world events and history as song subject matter.

the writing is descriptive and lyrical and the melody is original and engaging (I hear a bit of L. Cohen)

great song and collaboration!

Graham,
I`ll do my best to keep the folk songs coming your way- your radio show is a good one for new ideas!

Robert



I enjoy the subtext of reading history and hopefully coming at familiar stories from a different angle in song.
The idea for Janice to sing parts of the verses as a duet came from listening to L. Cohen`s Leaving Alexandra.
Thanks very much for your listen and comments.

Robert

Thank you Deryk for mentioning the harmony blend! Robert wrote a very nice song and was equally nice to invite me to sing on it.

Janice

Dani, Bob and Loren, thanks for mentioning my small part in this production. And Loren that was a wonderful description. Bud and I have watched many Lewis and Clark documentaries.

Janice.

I'm super late to this thread, but I'm glad I got a chance to hear this.

Not only is this really well done, but - as so many others pointed out - the form is more a spoken poem than standard song form, which is very cool.

Thanks for listening and liking!

Robert

Hello, Robert, Janice, Graham,

A super collaboration!
Melody is really beautiful as usual.
The vocals and harmonies of you and Janice are very comfortable.
Graham 's accordion is excellent.
It give this song amazing spices and accent.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Shigeki,
Thanks for finding your way to this and giving our efforts such a kind review.

Robert