Poetry For HealingSong Lyric Sunday – Wailin’ Jennys
Good morning! It is another Song Lyric Sunday and this week Jim has asked us to share a song that is by a singer or band that we have just discovered. I don’t think he meant someone brand new, but just new to us. I am going back to a folk group that I featured a few weeks ago called The Wailin’ Jennys. I am sharing my favorite song from them called ‘Deeper Well’. Their singing is fautless, but just listen to the musicians on this track. I thought it was an amazing sound. It was a live performance so no fancy studio enhancements were used. Overall an incredible performance by the Jennys and their musicians.
The second song is by another group called Fretless. I can also thank Pandora Radio for introducing me to them. I guess it was because I was listening to the WJs that they thought I might enjoy Fretless too. Well I did. Now I am so into Blue Grass music! I just love it. The Fretless group are also from Canada, like the Wailin’ Jennys. The song I picked is called ‘Waterbound’ which coincidently features Ruth Moody of the WJs as the singer.
I hope you enjoy my picks today.
https://youtu.be/tPShFdp44RI?si=yGFcTdhmRoVpyfsU
The Group – The Wailin’ Jennys
The Wailin’ Jennys are Nicky Mehta, Ruth Moody and Heather Masse — three distinct voices that together make an achingly perfect vocal sound.
Starting as a happy accident of solo singer/songwriters getting together for a one-time-only performance at a tiny guitar shop in Winnipeg, Manitoba, The Wailin’ Jennys have grown over the years into one of today’s most beloved international folk acts. Founding members Moody and Mehta along with Taos-based Masse continue to create some of the most exciting music on the folk-roots scene, stepping up their musical game with each critically lauded recording, and thrilling audiences with their renowned live performances.
In 2004, The Wailin’ Jennys released their first full-length album 40 Days to great critical acclaim, netting a 2005 Juno Award (Canadian Grammy) for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year. Bolstered by their frequent appearances on Garrison Keillor’s public radio show A Prairie Home Companion, The Jennys exploded onto the roots music scene, performing at packed venues across Canada, the U.S. and throughout the world.
The Jennys’ sophomore album, 2006’s Firecracker, served as a powerful follow-up to their career-making debut. Artistically, the record found The Jennys stepping out of the folk realm and into the world of alt-country, pop and rock. Garnering much attention, it was nominated for a Juno Award and won a 2007 Folk Alliance Award for Contemporary Release of the Year. Firecracker had legs, spending over 56 weeks on the Billboard charts.
The trio’s 2009 release, Live at Mauch Chunk Opera House, also spent over a year on the Billboard bluegrass charts. That landmark live album bottled the lightning of The Jennys’ live performances with show-stopping harmonies, impressive instrumental prowess, breathtaking songs and, of course, witty stage banter.
For 2011’s Juno-winning Bright Morning Stars, The Wailin’ Jennys joined the ranks of Lucinda Williams and Emmylou Harris and recorded with award-winning producer Mark Howard. Co-produced by frequent Jennys collaborator and Juno Award-nominated David Travers-Smith, the album combined fresh and innovative sounds with the band’s signature harmonies — a perfect mix of Americana, pop and traditional folk that has become a modern classic. Bright Morning Stars took home the Juno for Roots and Traditional album of the year in 2012.
In 2017, The Jennys turned 15 years old. To mark the occasion, the band took time away from the demands of motherhood to record and release a celebratory album for their fans: Fifteen. A carefully curated collection of some of their favourite songs, the new record was recorded true to their live show sound with their long time beloved side players, Richard Moody and Adam Dobres. Steeped in the artistry and elegance that has defined their career, the album presents the Jennys at their very best, highlighting their heartfelt vocals, otherworldly harmonies, and sophisticated arrangements. Fifteen was nominated for a Juno award in 2018 for Traditional Roots album of the year.
The Wailin’ Jennys are more than just impeccable bluegrass harmonizers; they’re also terrific bandleaders who give their traditional roots music a sense of real reverence.
— NPR
Courtesy of Wailin’ Jennys website
The Lyrics – Deeper Well
The sun burned hot, it burned my eyesBurned so hot I thought I'd died
Thought I'd died and gone to hell
Lookin' for the water from a deeper well
I went to the river but the river was dry
I fell to my knees an I looked to the sky
I looked to the sky and the spring rain fell
I saw the water from a deeper well
Well...lookin for the water from a deeper well
Well...lookin for the water from a deeper well
I was ready for love I was ready for the money
Ready for the blood and ready for the honey
Ready for the winnin', ready for the bell
Lookin' for the water from a deeper well
I found some love and I found some money
Found that blood would drip from the honey
Found I had a thirst that I could not quell
Lookin' for the water from a deeper well
Well...lookin for the water from a deeper well
Well...lookin for the water from a deeper well
Well I did it for kicks and I did it for faith
I did it for lust and I did it for hate
I did it for need and I did it for love
Addiction stayed on tight like a glove
So I ran with the moon and I ran with the night
And the three of us were a terrible sight
Nipple to the bottle to the gun to the cell
To the bottom of a hole of a deeper well
Well...lookin for the water from a deeper well
Well...lookin for the water from a deeper well
I rocked with the cradle and I rolled with the rage
I shook those walls and I rattled that cage
I took my troubles down a dead-end trail
Reachin' out a hand for a holier grail
Hey there mama did you carry that load
Did you tell your baby 'bout the bend in the road
'Bout the rebel yell 'bout the one that fell
Lookin' for the water from a deeper well
Well...lookin for the water from a deeper well
Well...lookin for the water from a deeper well
"Deeper Well" was written by singer-songwriter David Olney. While famously covered by The Wailin' Jennys, the song was also recorded by Emmylou Harris. The song is often credited to David Olney, Daniel Lanois, and Emmylou Harris in various interpretations, but Olney is the primary songwriter.
https://youtu.be/jn8jqCP67lI?si=8UVfgFNB0yi5pTM6
The Group – Fretless
The Fretless is a renowned Canadian folk/roots string quartet known for transforming traditional fiddle tunes into intricate, genre-bending, and high-energy instrumental music. Consisting of three violins/violas and a cello, the Juno award-winning group (based in Toronto and BC) merges Irish, Celtic, and Canadian old-time influences with a contemporary, chamber music approach.
The group is traditionally composed of cellist Eric Wright and violinists/violists Trent Freeman, Karrnnel Sawitsky, and Ben Plotnick.
They have won multiple accolades, including Instrumental Album of the Year at the 2017 Juno Awards and multiple wins at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.
They are described as a “string supergroup” that brings a percussive, complex, and modern arrangement style to folk melodies.
In recent projects, they have collaborated with singer-songwriter Madeleine Roger, exploring new soundscapes.
Their albums often feature original compositions alongside traditional tunes, frequently earning critical acclaim for their technical mastery and inventive arrangements.
Background captured from AI
The Lyrics – Waterbound
I went out late one nightMoon and the stars were shining bright
Storm come up and the trees came down
Tell your boys i was waterbound
Waterbound on a strangers' shore
River's rising to my door
Carried my home to the field below
Waterbound nowhere to go
Carve my name on an old barn wall
Noone would know i was there at all
Stable's dry on a winter night
(you) turn your head you can see the night
Black ant crawling on an old box car
(it's) a rusty door and a fallen star
(ain't) got a dime in my nation sack
(i'm) waterbound and i can't get back
It's all gone and i won't be back
Don't believe me count my tracks
River's long and the river's wide
(i'll) meet you boys on the other side
(so) say my name and don't forget
The water still ain't got me yet
Nothing but i'm bound to roam
Waterbound and i can't get home
Written by Dirk Powell
#BluegrassMusic #CanadianFolkGroups #DavidOlney #DeeperWell #DirkPowell #Fretless #Poetry #SongLyricSunday #SongLyrics #WailinJennys #Waterbound
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