Sherman
© 2012 Kenny Leverett

2474: Bass, Acoustic, Held
1765: Guitar, High Strung, Acoustic, Fingerpicking
BrushesBoomChickEV16
2548: Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm, FolkSorrow
599: Mandolin,Rhythm, Bluegrass

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The songs of the mockingbirds carry
Through the sweet gum and the pines
As the sun brings another Georgia morning
And the heat of the summer time

When I was young and foolish
And anxious for this war
Left my loved ones safely far behind
But they ain’t safe no more

We’ll die trying to stop them
From taking everything
Fires in the distance
So we know the Devil’s near
Judgement Day is on us now
General Sherman’s here

Our regiment was shattered
And I tried to walk away
But this rich man’s war has followed me
And left me with no say

They came south from Chattanooga
One hundred thousand strong
John Bell Hood can’t hold em back
Not for very long

We’ll die trying to stop them
From taking everything
Seen the fires in the distance
So we know the Devil’s near
Judgement Day is on us now
General Sherman’s here
A bloody day of reckoning
General Sherman’s here

Good song, I really did enjoy the lyrics. Nice.

Really cool Kenny!! You have such a great style, musically and lyrically. This song brings home the suffering and destruction of war. I thought it was really interesting the way you changed the chords on the second time through-kind of unresolved emotion. Great stuff! Take care. Greg

Hi Kenny,

heartfelt vocals. Nice arrangement.
Enjoyed listening.

Guenter

Kenny
Nice understated backing with the focus on the lyric and vocal. Good song.

Kenny, nice image filled write, vocal and production. I like that
held bass -- something I did every now and then during my
bluegrass years.

It is a very well done story song that has it all. Vivid imagery,
sparse but effective backing tracks and a heartfelt vocal.

We like it!

J&B

PS FWIW, for decades I have researched, lectured, written
and appeared in educational TV productions about Sherman's
time in our area. I live in the antebellum capital of GA.
Elements of the 14th Corps camped all around our property.

Very cool lyric and vocal. Backtrack was excellent as well

Outstanding voice u have man ! Nice arrangement....Great song..

Kenny Leverett nice song, I love the vocals, especially the harmonies

Thanks Video Track, I appreciate the kind words always. I'm so glad that you commented, I was afraid that my little song with the odd title was gonna fall off page one without being noticed! and then what? thank goodness, the international crew came to my rescue, two Australians and a German. Thanks so much gentlemen, my faith is restored.

Kenny

Greg!!

Thanks man, hope you are well and writing something cool.

Kenny

Thanks Guenter,
That's greatly appreciated.

Kenny

Thanks so much for the kind words.

Kenny

Hey Bud and Janice,
You might have noticed that the song was written in 2012, I dug it out and kinda thought of you Bud and my Georgia roots, if you remember we touched on it briefly after I posted Macon Lights that I mentioned that my Dad was from there and I was born there and lived in GA. until my teens. I've always been kind of a history buff and this idea of what happened just a couple of generations before mine right here to civilians authorized by the American government to break the backbone of the South just felt very natural for me to write about. So, I dusted off an old piano arrangement and gave it a new better set of clothes to wear. I was very looking forward to your comments and I am not disappointed. If you guys ever come up to PA, would love to take you on Gettysburg tour.
Kenny

Thanks Scott for the very kind words.

Thanks Trygve,

Appreciate the kind words.

Thanks dga, and welcome to the forums!

Great stuff!
Very cool vocals and crystal-clear mix.

Rob & Anne-Marie

Kenny, I agree with what Greg said...l!m typing on a phone, so it's a bit hard....

Excellent write, just the right production. Love the vocal...

.fj

Absolutely outstanding Kenny! One of your best imo. The lyrics are super, your voice and the arrangement are terrific. One of the best civil war songs I've heard.

Love it!

Nice work.

The minor chords fit the mood of the song.

The section at 2:30 with the strange chords, I think, doesn't fit well. I see some other folks thought it was good...I disagree. I'd look at that section and figure out how to impart the emotion in a better way that stays more "in tune" with the song.

All in all, a good tune.

Good song and performance. I enjoyed my listen.

Thanks Rob and Anne!

Thanks fj, always appreciate your input and kind words.

Thanks,

Always appreciate your comments and kind words.

Thanks Herb,
I do appreciate your critical engineer/producer type ear and that you listen closely and take the time to point out what you find less than good. The song was written a few years ago on piano with a slightly different arrangement and the section you're referring to is a bridge that stood out with a different rhythmic feel and sounded just fine in the original.
I really liked this new version with BIAB but struggled with what to do with this section, it's just Dm to G no strange chords. I tried dropping instruments out and several other things, maybe my background vocals clutter it too much. I love the melody line of this section also, so I wouldn't change it by much. Please understand, I appreciate your input and comments as much as others and there is no anger from me, I want to do better, I want to make better songs, so keep bringing it and thanks for listening.

Charlie,

Always good to hear from you, thanks for the listen and kind words.

A really solid song. Solid as a rock. I really enjoyed it.

Kenny,

Add me to the list of those who enjoyed your song. As others have noted, there are some excellent images in the lyrics.

I liked setting that the minor ambience created.

Regards,
Noel

Thanks David, always appreciate your listening and commenting.

Thanks Noel for those kind words,

Kenny

Hi Kenny,

I like the song... funny how until Sherman is mentioned, most of what is said could apply to any war. In fact, I presumed it was a VietNam era war song until you made it clear to the contrary.

I tend to agree with Herb about that one section... not in terms of "right" or "wrong", because I feel like the artist gets to make his own rules as part of the creative rite of passage. I only mention it at all because you had successfully built a mood and sucked me into the magic spell of it, but that passage changed the mood for me. Again, not saying its right or wrong, just relating how that affected my listening experience. The artist is free to make the rules, and the listener is free to decide whether it appeals to his sensibilities.

anyway, that was a very small observation about a very big song!

Beyond the song, I like your style of presentation... I find it to be very natural and believable. You have a great voice for the songs you write, and your lyrics are interesting.

On a different note, where are you in Pennsylvania? I'm originally from there...

I agree.

What I did really like was your vocal, lyrics and backing tracks. Everything is perfectly clear and that is what a good mix is all about.

We've visited battlefields from Vicksburg to Petersburg but have not been to Gettysburg. I know it is a powerful experience. Hope we can make it up that way some time and take you up on the tour.

Definitively a good song ! The bluegrass mandolin fit very well with this rather slow tempo and the voice installs a true atmosphere.

Like Guitarhacker, I noticed this odd harmony at 2:34 and 2:45. But you have explained that yet and I respect your opinion cause it remains a very efficient achievement.

Cheers
Pascal