Arcs of Life
We both love history and spend a lot of time seeking out and documenting forgotten old structures and cemeteries. As we wander around 200 year old cemeteries (for which we are likely the first visitors in many years) we find ourselves reflecting on the lives represented by crumbling headstones or no marker at all. Many years of these musings led to this song which we hope you enjoy. Comments are most welcome. Thanks to Peter and PG Music.

Janice: vocals, progression, melody & arrangement
Bud: lyric, photo & and the tech stuff
Peter: guitar solo/swells/fills & arrangement

Drums: RealDrums NashvilleEven8 (snare removed) > Waves CLA Drums

Snare: RealDrums N’villeEven8 audio file > Waves JJP-Drums > ChromaVerb

Bass: RealTrack 518 Electric, Pop HalfNotes Ev 085 > Waves Bass Rider

Piano: MIDI SuperTracks 1809 Rhythm
CountryBalladJohn Ev 065 > Logic Pro Grand Steinway > Waves CLA Unplugged

Mastering: Ozone EQ > Ozone Multi-band compressor > Ozone Imager > Ozone Limiter > Ozone Tonal Balance > Youlean Loudness Meter

Neutron 3 was used to balance the bass and kick drum.

Verse 1

hidden deep in the forest lies an abandoned cemetery
it’s crumbling walls hold the graves of those long deceased
they are barely seen beneath vines and fallen branches
do their souls rest in peace?

Refrain

like faded rainbows arcs of life hang above

they hold good, evil, hate and love

Verse 2

the few headstones offer little more than a name and two dates

stories of life between those years remain unknown

sometimes there’re brief sentiments that speak to character 

are they true even written in stone?

Refrain

like faded rainbows arcs of life hang above

they hold good, evil, hate and love

Bridge

gone and forgotten

gone and forgotten

Solo

Verse 3

many graves have no stone, no marker, no beginning, no ending

they are known only by a slight depression in the ground

ashes to ashes and dust to dust 

are they still eternity bound?

Refrain

like faded rainbows arcs of life hang above

they hold good, evil, hate and love

© 2022 All Rights Reserved J. Merritt, B. Merritt & P. Fulham

J/B
4T team strikes again.
wonderfull song and lyrics and vocals.
highly impressive and beautifull...seriously.
v good production.

best
om

That piano is strong and so are the lyrics. Both beautiful with feeling. Janice shines like no one else can, singing with feeling and soul, then adding the perfect harmony. Dang this is so good. Very creative. Peter's guitar is so tasteful --respectful even. What a wonderful song, folks.

Interesting subject.

History surrounds us and we often forget it's lessons.

Wonderful lyrics
Band sounds great.
Particularly love the harmony vocals.

Well done!

moto

Great song and a good topic.

Nice work on this from everyone involved.

Side bar: A guy I used to go to church with developed an interest in documenting these old forgotten cemeteries. He'd research, knock on doors and go into the woods and fields to find them. Then, he'd photograph and document them with GPS.

Side bar: My dog is a trained cadaver dog. We are often called out by law enforcement to, among other things, find old cold case graves. But taking it a step further, we have a tentative mission some time this year to assist an historical society that is documenting old slave burial grounds that have long since been forgotten. Often, slaves were buried in a different area and marked with wooden markers that got knocked down, or simply rotted away with time. Our dogs are able to still find those graves.

I enjoyed the song.

A lovely song about a paradoxically lovely topic. I like that chatty style of the lyrics.

I used to bicycle a lot around western Massachusetts and would always stop when I'd come upon a 17th-18th century cemetery. The stones often included a lot more text and information than is customary nowadays, and often made it clear that death was not anybody's preferred state of being.

Thanks OM. We’re glad it worked for you!

J&B

I like your stuff. You have a great sound. I recently found the grave of my great-great-great Grandfather in one of the cemeteries you're describing in a northern California ghost town. It's the furthest I've ever been able to trace a family member. The headstone was made of wood, the one next to him was marble and the one on the other side was unmarked. This song really took me back there, thanks.

What a beautiful song!
And the subject.... very special.
Great guitar work of Peter!
Janice sings fantastic, great harmonies!
A very special song!

Rob and Anne-Marie

An unlikely topic to strike connections to folk but it does.
I had to go to the door for a moment and put my head phones down...the melody is strong and carried across the room through that cans.
Everyone did their job extremely well...not a hair out of place but not groomed into a poodle either.
Lovely melody, thought provoking narrative, solid backing, beautiful harmonies and, as ever, a fab. guitar.

You always bring an immensely high standard to this board. So, to say that this song is really one of your best is, to me, high praise indeed ... for it really is.

Verse 2 really hit home.

So beautiful. A tinge of hushed respect and reverie, throughout. And the refrain ... so inspired. As I said, truly one of your best.

Any time the word soul is mentioned in a comment on Janice's singing she lights up with a BIG smile.

Thanks for everything!

J&B

Thanks Marty - not too many guitarists practicing the "respectful" genre - I might get a few calls......
Janice did a stellar job on this.

Peter

J&B and Peter:

Really engaging opening with that piano. Great vocals as usual—and really lovely harmonies (actually, beautifully mixed harmonies—nice touch there). Wonderful write capturing and compellingly conveying the thoughts of that cemetery wanderer. Lovely tune!

My best to you all,

Deej

I think what's hard in commenting on the work of the three of you is I find myself attempting to say the same thing I always think in a different way. I mean, it's excellent.

Every note choice, every delivery of that note choice, every lyric, every aspect of mixing and production. Would you consider put out a song here and there that has a few issues to it. I'll let you pick what and where. I just would like to be able to say ANYTHING different! I don't think Peter could pick a note or tone that would be the best choice though. If all of your instincts are correct...maybe do the opposite? Anyway, you get my point that I love the song AND the artwork. With Janice always looking so young it almost feels like a young girl wondering about a long lost descendent.

As are as the subject, it's a mixed bag for me. Not that I don't like it but there is a sadness in how time treats these now orphaned reminders of a person. A life was lived. What made that person laugh? What were some of the happiest days of their lives? What were their fears? What did they live through? Just so many questions. I know it's overly said, but between those numbers was someone's entire life. It makes me think. Sadly, how soon we are forgotten.

I did want to make special mention of the stacked vocals at 2:28. WOW! That was so cool in my book!

I was all over the place with this post, but the types of subjects tend to do that to me. Thanks for such a special song.

J&B+Peter

I read about your project before listening and have some understanding what it is about. I have deep respect for your dedication. This song is a wonderful reflection of your journey. Very spiritual. One of the best harmonies by Janice I have heard. Tasteful guitar passages by Peter. Well composed and mixed. Listen very well. Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

We often forget indeed.

Thanks for all and appreciate the lyric and harmony mention!

J&B

Really nice song y'all.

This is a really pretty song, with excellent vocals and harmonies to go with an excellent lyric.

Nice clear mix - everything is easy to hear and understand.

Subtle guitar solo.

I really like this!

An interesting topic, what a great idea for a song!

Janice sounds great as always, I especially enjoyed the harmonies. And Peter is at his tasteful best.

Love the mix, Bud, paid special attention to the snare after reading your notes. Sounds great! Piano sounds really good also.

Lovely song, well done all!

Thanks Herb. That is very interesting regarding the research and the ability of the dogs -- amazing they could sense something that old.. We've turned over our data to an organization that documents cemeteries and they've added ours to their descriptive list. We once found what was likely a slave cemetery that had 80 sunken graves and only a few field stones for markers....very sad...not a single name. And years later a timber crew spared both while clearcutting. Early settlers like the enslaved were mostly buried w/o markers in this area.

J&B

Thanks Mark, a lot of our discoveries have been found while mountain biking on very isolated single lane dirt roads. And sometimes while trail riding also.

Glad you liked it!

J&B

Again you have produced a masterpiece

Janice's soulful singing (I'll bet she is smiling), Peter's fantastic guitar chops, and Bud's production skills always produce winners.

Super job that is pro all the way.

PS - We visit my grandparents, they died in the 1920s, and some aunts and uncles graves that are in a very old cemetery. It is still somewhat kept up but we have never seen any other visitors there or signs that anyone was there. Very sad indeed.

Hi Janice and Bud,

Well, I enjoyed this song a lot, not only because of the theme (I like muzing on very old things. And gravestones always let you think of history. In some of our very old churches the churchfloor is paved with them, going back to 1600 (older are mostly onreadable because every visitor over the ages walked there).
It's even nicer in Turkey or Greece. Old Roman ruins and roads make you fantasize your whole holiday through!

But the nicest part stays Janices' singing. The harmonies are very well done. Love them!
You keep the standard high with your songs, dear J and B!
And I loved them a lot!

Hans

I forget exactly where I took this photograph, somewhere in Massachusetts. The inscription chokes me up BAD every time I read it. Don't mean to hijack your song but this feels like it wants to come out here for just a second...

In memory of
CATY MUNROE,
youngest child of Henry & Persis Cassells,
relict of Abraham Munroe Jun.,
who lies intered on her right, whom she
followed to the grave 2 years 1 month 10 days
after their marriage & 4 months 14 days after
his decease. Borne down with the accumu-
lated ills of a continual sickness of 2 years
and the loss of near & dear relatives, who
were fast falling around her,
DEATH
envious still of her felicity, divorced her
from her husband Dec. 15th 1800
and from this life April 27th 1801,
aged 22 years.

"Invidious grave, how dost though rend in sunder
Whom love had knit and sympathy made one?"

Glad you liked the song and found your ancestor’s site. My (Bud) g-g-grandfather’s burial site is a few chucks of broken marble in a plowed field.

Thanks for listening!

J&B

Thanks and the mention of the harmony is very special from you two!
We certainly love yours.

J&B

[quote][/quote]

…not a hair out of place but not groomed into a poodle either.

Gotta love that!

We’re happy you liked the unlikely topic as we had wondered if it might be too personal.

Thanks for the comments and your support.

J&B

PS Glad my drum shenanigans worked for you.

You are too kind. Thanks for everything you mentioned and especially the “tinge of hushed respect.” We had hoped to achieve that.

J&B

Out comes the J&B stamp.

Everything About This Is Perfect.

That says it all. Nonetheless, I'll ramble a bit...

Excellent lyric. Start to finish.
"
like faded rainbows arcs of life hang above

they hold good, evil, hate and love"
Oh. Yeah.

Cool story-telling-melody.

The snare is to-die-for.
Killer piano sound.

Peter's guitar is the definition of "tasteful".

Janice's vocals are, of course, Outstanding. Star.

Killer mix.

This might be one of your all-time best (that's a hard choice).

Stunning.

fj

Really enjoyed the vocal control and harmony combined with the piano..Well done

Thanks to all for the comments on my small part in this lovely composition.

The vocals are a standout to me (as they always are) and the piano was a well chosen accompaniment. Bud's treatment of the snare is excellent as are the poignant lyrics and the overall mix & melody.

Again it was a privilege to be asked to play on the song.

Peter

Thanks for the kind review and the mention of the harmony and the write. Glad you like the piano. Those MSTs are amazing.

We appreciate it all and best regards,

J&B

Those comments are so genuinely supportive - it’s hard to articulate how much they help us realize that a song this personal to us can be also be meaningful to others. We are planning the video so we continue to ponder those questions you raised about their lives.

Thanks for all and the mention of the vocal part and Peter’s excellent contribution.

We appreciate it!

J&B

Hi Janice & Bud,

I am never disappointed with your compositions. The doubled vocal is splendid. The sound of the piano too. And the perfect guitar solo. Well done. I appreciated.

Kindly regard
Derochette
alias JaniJackflash

That's a big wow! Wonderfully done.

Evocative word pictures. You have taken us for a walk.

Janice's harmony to herself is lush. So good.

The melody is pleasing. That's all you can ask for!

Thanks Misha. That pretty much covers everything we strived for and we appreciate your thoughts…very much.

J&B

Hello Janice, Bud and Peter
Great song
Excellent songwriting
And a fantastic singing Janice
Great solo Peter
Your song is a joy to listen to
Really good work
Many greetings
Andi ;-)

Thanks

J&B

Beautiful story with strong imagery, you have really created a timeless atmosphere, refreshing subject in the middle of subjects like wars and relationship troubles. Excellent vocals and backing vocals are a treat. Nice peaceful arrangement, mix and Peter's moody guitar respect the deceased elegantly.

Janne

Very nice.
This does a great job of telling a story and painting a picture.
Janice's vocal & harmonies shine with feeling and soul! Peter's guitar parts are very tasteful and the mix is good as well.

If I had one nitpick it would be the snare... I think it has a synthetic (electronic) tone that's not working for me, I guess I would prefer a more traditional snare sound. that being said, this is still some fine work!

Well Done!

Greg

Glad you like it and easy to hear and understand is always good. And thanks for mentioning the vocals and the lyric.

We appreciate it!

J&B

Hey You Three ...

What a fabulous song and delivery. With Janice's soulful vocals (that lady was God-gifted with an uncanny ability to sing the passion of the human soul), Peter's perfect guitar, and Bud' magical knob-twisting, there's no chance this wouldn't be a masterpiece. So well executed, my friends!

I, too, have a passion for American History. I've made many trips to southwestern Virginia, East Tennessee, Hardin County Kentucky, all of Southern Indiana and just about everywhere in Missouri doing family research. Have line back to 1506! But my David line ends in Lee County Virginia - completely disappears in 1794. Oh well, keep looking. But, it has allowed me to learn so much more of the local histories of those places. I'm guessing I've visited at least 150 cemeteries since I began my quest in 1989. Some headstones go back to the early 1700s.

Anyway, I smiled all the way through this. Thanks for a fabulous listen! Best to both of you ...

Alan

Thanks for all you wrote Dave and I appreciate the mention of the snare. Glad you like the piano - those MSTs are great. Janice smiled big time when she read your harmony comment!

J&B

Another beautiful song. Janice's vocals and harmonies were excellent. Peters guitar was so delicate. Perfect for the song. Bus as usual your mastery at the console to the song to such a pro level, Well done.

Janice&Bud and Peter,

The intro piano is a great start to this song.
Janice's great vocals and harmonies are pulling this song really well throughout.
I think it's a very pop and good song.
Peter's guitar is very tasty.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Yep! You had her smiling. Thanks for the nice comments. It’s great to hear y’all visit that cemetery even if others don’t. Gone and not forgotten.

J&B

'Are they true even written in stone?' What a nice line - one of many. Exquisitely sung as always and the harmonies are wonderful. Tech stuff is masterful and Peter's guitar complements the song beautifully. Another gem to add to an already sparkling collection.
Regards,
Leon

Thank you Hans. I wished we'd done more traveling and had visited sites like you mentioned. Glad you like the harmony!

J&B

If that doesn’t move you then you perhaps lack a soul. Janice audio records epitaphs when we visit cemeteries. The saddest for us are when multiple children of the same family died within a year. We recently saw five.

J&B

Lovely song, great production and of course, great singing. It reminds me of the war graves here in Hong Kong. It was British, Canadian and Indian troops along with the Auxiliary Defence Units and Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps (HKVDC) that fought from 8–25 December 1941 to try to hold the British Colony from the Japanese. I just read it was the same day as Pearl Harbour and also a surprise attack. Many young Canadians buried here. Several injured troops and nurses slaughtered in the Stanley hospital among various other atrocities.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hong_Kong

Speechless. For a writer of your cred to offer those comments on the lyric makes it all more than worthwhile. The mention of the snare and piano is much appreciated. And the way Janice used harmony accent lines was learned from guess who We too felt Peter’s guitar well captured the feel.

A HUGE thanks!

J&B

Thanks!

J&B

Excellent song/arrangement.
Great idea for a a song... love the lyrics and vocal delivery.
Nice production too. Guitar playin' was extra fine...
Well done.

This is a such a thoughtfully written and thought provoking song.
Very pretty The three of you sure make a good team.

Josie

Thanks for listening and the nice comments!

J&B

Hi, Bud, Janice and Peter !


What a wonderful co-op !
Janice is as good as ever,
Peter´s guitar sounds great and Bud´s mix
shows what a pro combo this is !

You, know, me and my wife used to
do something akin to your graveyard
trips as we drove around in the
Northern countries searching for
old Viking graves and gravetips
as well as runestones etc. !

That was really long ago, but your
tune awoke those memories in me again !
What an adventurous time it was !

Thank you for your masterpiece
and interesting story !

Cheers
Dani

Janice, Bud & Peter,

A work of sonic art... Beautiful in every aspect.

Bob

And your kind words are all we can ask for.

Thank you!

J&B

Thanks Andi ... you are very kind to write that!

J&B

Thank you for such an eloquent response. Your time time to listen and write that is greatly appreciated!

J&B

Thank you Greg! We are glad you enjoyed it.

Regarding the snare it came from the Nashville RD that I used via cutting it from the respective audio file. I put a little tape sat on it and a room reverb. Nothing else. Ironically I was trying for only an enhanced version of the traditional RD snare. I’ll listen again particularly to the SC version to see if it sound different there. Thanks for the feedback.

J&B

Thank you Al for the every word you said about the song. And thanks for sharing your ancestry story. I (Bud) learned a lot about my fraternal line but later my DNA testing took it on another journey. Those dern “paternal events!”




Thanks Scott. It took a while to get the lyric but things came together quickly after that. We appreciate your support!

J&b

Thank you and special thanks for mentioning the piano!

J&B

Leon, thank you for the kind remarks. We much appreciate you mentioning the lyric especially given how much we admire your writes.

J&B



Glad you liked it!

We are always interested in history. Thanks for sharing and also for the link. We’ve read WWII history as both of our fathers served during it.

J&B




Thanks for the time to listen and write that … much appreciated!

J&B

Thank you Josie!!!

J&B



Thanks Dani, glad you liked it and that it evoked memories. BTW, Bud is of Viking ancestry according to DNA testing years ago. It was quite a surprise to find that most of his distant ancestors are Scandinavian!

Thanks again!

J&B





Thank you Bob!

J&B