11) Dear Friend [5:31]

BPM 84 ~ C Major ~ ISRC: CA7W42200011

This one is written with far-away friends in mind, that we've met over the years of moving cities and travelling for music. It felt especially pertinent during pandemic lockdowns, when even local friends felt far away. It's pretty simple lyrically, meant to be a letter with little updates and reflections, and tuning into the sense that we can feel close to our loved ones even when they're far away. It's amazing how we've never lived in the same town as some of our closest friends. We incorporated the sound of rain that friends in Rockport, Maine recorded as it fell upon their cabin-like rooftop. We tried a tea kettle too, though it turns out a whistling tea kettle is a little jarring! Still, this gives you an idea of the cozy atmosphere we were going for.  

-Sarah 

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LYRICS 

Dear friend, I'm thinking of you  

April showers are pouring down  

As I sit to write this letter  

Spring is coming round  

I’ve been keeping warm with ginger tea  

Trying to move the chill in the air  

I’ve been dreaming of weaving  

Maytime flowers in my baby's hair  

How've you been, how's your lady  

Are you writing good poems these days?  

I've always liked the one you gave me  

Of dead sunflowers in Spain  

How'd it go last night in Toronto?  

Did you pluck the heart of your cello?  

Did you see the woman crying  

In the shadows of the back row?  

Did you feel your heart beating?  

And the whole world breathing?  

Late last night I had a dream  

I was walking along in a forest  

In a clearing ahead there was endless summer  

And people singing in chorus  

Do you remember when we were kids  

Come November we’d greet the winter  

We had too much fun to feel the cold  

Or worry about getting old  

We felt our hearts beating  

And the whole world breathing  

Even though I'm far away  

And the hours get shorter every day  

I think of you often, it makes me smile  

And the space between us melts away for a while  

I feel our hearts beating  

And the whole world breathing  

**********  

CREDITS

Song written by Sarah Frank and Luke Fraser  

vocals, fiddle - Sarah Frank  

vocals, mandolin - Luke Fraser  

vocals, harp - Ellen Gibling  

cello - Catherine Little  

bass - Scott Kingsley  

recording, mixing - Graeme Campbell  

mastering - J. LaPointe  

album art - Bee Stanton and Linda Wei-Chun  

Rain sounds recorded by Geof Lyon in Rockport, MA  

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One-Stop, The Bombadils Music,  

music@thebombadils.com,  

1-904-495-1150,  

ISRC: CA7W42200011  

Instrumental version available,  

Female lead vocal with male harmonies,  

Fiddle/violin solo section, mandolin solo section,  

Harp, strings, bass  

Mid-tempo,  

Friendship, long distance friends, longtime friends, letter writing, human connection, nostalgic, reminiscent, childhood, RIYL Punch Brothers, Sarah Jarosz, Patty Griffin, Joni Mitchell, Alison Krauss  

Composed and published by Sarah Frank (SOCAN) 50% and Luke Fraser (SOCAN) 50%  

Master owned by The Bombadils Music (Sarah Frank and Luke Fraser)

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