https://soundcloud.com/lawrence-olivier/songbird

2865 piano

2488 Bowed Bass

1815 Acu Gtr

3268 Cello


Songbird (9/26/2019)


My brother found a songbird, that does not sing for me
Though I may stroke her feathers, I hear no melody

I strain my ear to catch a sound, but she is silent when I'm around
My brother found a songbird

My brother fell in love, and raised a family
He built a home to keep them, a bond for all to see

I strain my eyes to peer inside, for all my effort I am blind
My brother found a songbird


A silent pipers tune, heard only on the moon
A jesters dance, this game of chance
A shadow of a man

My brother sailed away, like a gale upon the sea
his wake divides the water, and blessed may he be

I strain my tongue to say farewell, but I'm beholden to this spell
My brother found a songbird



My brother is the songbird, he lives in harmony
And in my silence wonder, does he sometimes think of me

I strain my heart to feel a beat, I pray the Lord my soul to keep

May I be my brothers songbird, May I be my brothers songbird

My brother found a songbird

A forlorn tale and one very well done.
Outsider tales appeal to me.
Three things struck me:
The pronunciation of "a" as "A" seemed to break the flow of a couple of lines
The level of the acoustic guitar means the string noises are louder and more apparent than the actual notes
&
Layering the bass & cello is hard work.

Ray, thank you for listening and for the feedback.

Great voice, very good song, created a strong mood with your words

'gruverider'...

Your song, Songbird, is striking, lyrically, musically, and in its perceived subtext.

The solo piano intro was immediate in its effect of clearing a quiet space in my head, as though I was observing someone standing alone in the midst of a jostling crowd. Right away, I wanted to know, “What is this man singing about in such a lonesome way?" I had to know what the song was about.

I really like the way the Real Track instruments were quietly introduced one after the other as the song progressed, building up drama and emotion. The sparse instrumentation kept me focused on the lyrics, which seem to describe a portrait of someone who is full of emotion that can’t be easily expressed.

Your vocal performance was like hearing someone in need calling out to the world. I am convinced that you were singing about a personal experience. Whether that’s true, or not, doesn’t matter, because it felt true to me.

Have you noticed the quotation that appears beneath my forum handle when I comment on a song? It reads, “Music is what feelings sound like.” Songbird is exactly, precisely the kind of song that defines the meaning of that statement.

Very sincerely,

- bluage -

Lawrence. This is an outstanding write and performance.

Thank you for listening and for the kind words.

bluage, thank you for your generous comments. The song is both personal and dream-like. As when Freud said "you are everyone in your dream". And yes I have read your quote, very well put.

Hello Joanne. Thank you very much.

HI Lawrence ...

This is such a wonderful listen. The opening line generates curiosity ... a pleasant curiosity. The several lines that follow stage a contrast between the subject of the song and his brother. the remainder of the song develops that concept in such a gentle manner. the drama of the lyric and the music tugs at the listener but does not bowl him over ... a perfect balance.

I truly enjoyed my listen. Your voice was the perfect vehicle for the delivery.. Such a great song ...

Alan

What an excellent presentation, Lawrence.

Sophisticated by means of the simple and gentle musical delivery.

Quite unique, with beautiful lyrics, and masterfully presented.

Lawrence,
so different from the other tunes you posted. Excellent composition and vocal delivery!
Beautiful piece.

Thank you for sharing!

Misha.

Lawrence

A lovely song, great build and a wonderful vocal performance.

Great to hear a new one from you and you don't disappoint.

Peter

BEAUTIFUL!!!! This is such a poetic, touching melancholy song, perfectly arranged and sung!!! A Masterpiece!!! Take care. Greg

this is a prime example of less is more, I really enjoyed my listen and I thought it was crisp and clear, still delivering a good all round full sound well done on this one.

Thanks

Alen, Thank you very much for your comments. Glad to hear you enjoyed it.

VideoTrack, very glad to hear you enjoyed it.

Always love piano-based sing-songwriter pieces. This is simply one of the most original, honest, and emotionally moving songs I've heard anywhere in a long time. I'm glad I listened by myself. It would be hard to explain the wet on my face elsewise. Thanks.

Misha, yes as I was writing and arranging it, I felt like something about it was different but I just went with the song as it presented itself to me. Thank you for taking time to listen and comment.

Peter, thank you and glad you liked it.

Thank you, I wanted to leave it as a piano vocal only but my neighbor convinced that it needed just a bit more and I think she was right.

Greg, thank you very much for your generous words. So very glad you enjoyed it!

I think I've only done one or two piano based songs and though I have been wanting to write one, I wrote this on guitar and only as I worked on the arrangement in BIAB did I settle on this piano style. I was very happy with how that all fell together.

So very glad to hear that you enjoyed the results.

Wow - you really knocked this out of the park. It tugs at the heartstrings, and both your vocals and instrumentation and emotional and heartfelt. Gorgeous in it's simplicity, and a fine example of less is more.

You should be really proud of this one - thanks for sharing

Nothing to add and nothing to take away. The sweet spot.

You are a man of many voices...all done well.

For a sparse production you did an excellent job with the build.

"A silent pipers tune, heard only on the moon
A jesters dance, this game of chance
A shadow of a man"

Wonderful line of many.

It would be hard to pack more emotion into a vocal w/o over singing it. Well done.

Good to see you back around mr gruve

J&B

Loved everything about this, great writing, great vocal, great production.

Outstanding!

Deryk, thank you for the kind comments.

J&B, thank you for listening and for commenting. I'm glad that you enjoyed it.

Dave, thank you very much.

Lovely song Lawrence. Very cool lyric and vocal delivery. The piano was a very cool as well.

Lawrence,

A thoughtful, literary write... so personal. Nice arrangement. Good mix.

Nice use of the bowed bass and the pairing of cello.

A wonderful vocal performance.

fj

Hi Lawrence,

This is such a wonderful write and equally wonderful listen. It truly is inspired on so many levels. And your performance is outstanding.

For all the 5 minutes, I was there with you all the way. Not once did I feel distracted or that the journey was a long one. Quite the contrary in fact. When the song finished, I just sat there thinking and letting my memory of the song resonate in my mind.

The write, the arrangement, the choice of instruments, the mix, your singing... everything is first class.

What really grabbed my attention was how you used the bowed bass. I've tried to work with that Realtrack a few times and I've never managed to create anything that engages with as much musical 'soul' as this song of yours.

In a word... Superb!
Noel

Hey Lawrence, there is a lot to love here. As I have said many times before you are definitely one of my favorite vocalists on the forum. The thing I like the most about this is the open ended write which makes the listener participate in meaning of the words. I really enjoyed trying to figure out the story. Very well presented and produced. You are extremely talented, Tom

Thank you Scott.

Floyd, thank you very much.

Noel thank you for your generosity. The song is kind of a letter and like a dream. As when Freud said that we are all of the characters in our dreams. And it was indeed fun to work with the bowed bass and mixing in the other instruments.

Tom, thank you so very much.

Hi gruverider,

what a beautiful song that is! Great lyrics, fantastic choice of RealTracks. Very appealing melody and whwnwver I hear your voice it just gives me the shivers. Great sound, too.

Marvellous !!!!!

Cheers,

Stefan

Thank you so very Much Stefan!

This is really really good! I really like the way you started with a solo piano and brought in each instrument one at a time. Brilliant!

Your vocal is very strong and heartfelt.

Everything about this is super!

A good song with a strong vocal...
With many vivid lyrics...
I enjoyed listening to your lovely creation.

Lawrence,
Now that is the way to take a feeling and go deep with it in song, never losing the thread.
Simply stunning - one of the most moving songs I`ve heard in a very long time.

Robert

The lyrics are really poetic and I really enjoyed them. Thanks for sharing!

Mario, thank you very much.

Jim, thank you for listening and comments.

Robert, Thank you for your generous words.

Ember, thank you very much.