Dear Mama Video
The video consists of edited photos from various US government and state archives.
Dear Mama Audio
For audio only folks the lyric is at the bottom of the page.

On the evening before an anticipated dawn battle a young soldier writes home expressing his fear of what he portends will be the outcome...

We have a long standing interest in our local Civil War history and spent years researching the troop movements and engagements in our area. During General Sherman’s March To The Sea (November, 1864) thousands of his troops camped less than a mile from our home on a friend’s property (that has been owned by his family since the 1850’s). We have walked the fields and woods of nearby skirmishes and small battles (often unmarked and poorly documented) while pondering the thoughts/conversations of soldiers as they sat around camp fires awaiting the next day. Such musings lead to the writing of this song 25 years ago.

We originally posted it five years ago as our second BiaB production. Having never been pleased with the production we recently started from scratch with all new vocals, a different tempo, a different key, a tweaked lyric and new RT’s. And a new video.

We hope you will find the song of interest and we much appreciate your comments.

Many thanks to floyd for harmony/vocal arrangement ideas and to Tom for adding two acoustic guitar tracks.

Janice: Lead and harmony vocals / Nectar 2
floyd: harmony vocal / Nectar 2
Tom: finger picked acoustic guitar and acoustic guitar fills
2474:Bass, Acoustic, Held Ev 085 / Neutron
2028:Fiddle, Soloist CountryAndy Ev 065 / Neutron and EMT140 reverb
1593:Fiddle, Background Pop16ths Ev 065 / Neutron and EMT140 reverb
368:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 065 / Neutron and EMT140 reverb
1758:Banjo, Rhythm, Pop16ths Ev 085 / Neutron and EMT140 reverb
The bass track was comped from multiple 2474 generations. The fiddle track was comped from 2028 and 1593.
Mixed via Logic Pro X and mastered with Ozone 7 Advanced



dear mama
© 2017 Janice & Bud Merritt

dear mama, I take my pen
to write this letter to you
cause I’m so afraid of morning
and what they say we must do

chorus:
their camp flickers like fireflies,
all across the misty valley
the cap’n says we’ll charge at dawn
lord, i wish i was home with you and daddy
wish i was home with you and daddy

david got hit real bad
and slipped away just past noon
all he ever said to me
was he’d be seeing aunty sally soon

repeat chorus

i saw you and little sister
in my dreams last night
’n i wondered why you were cryin’
while your face glowed in candlelight

repeat chorus
wish i was home with you and daddy


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