You can almost smell the cow pasture in this authentic country ballad, This week I present the lament of a lonesome cowboy. He's up in the cold, frosty north, working his ass off, but then when the night winds blow, he misses his gal so. This long distance, love song has a somber harmonica played by the incredible Mark Dowding. The fabric of his genius rips your soul asunder, but then Lea Sheldan sings sad, sorrowful harmonies that bring you to a sweet place with a warm embrace. (leasheldan.com) Written when I first came to B.C., this story speaks volumes of what life was like for me back then. Do you feel my pain?
Here are some of the things we have grown on our plantation in PoCo. This year it's been a struggle to keep up with the grapes - vigorous growers that they are! And now that the blueberries are ripening, it's at least an hour a day of picking to keep them from falling off the vine. 'Plantation' is a sweet track on Smokeywine's 'Two Of A Kind' album, recorded in 2007. (smokeywine.com) I wore silk shirts back then, had a big mustache and curly, blond hair. Oh how things have changed. Speaking of changes, the gate to our plantation is now protected by Venus Sexavia. She's cool, she's keen and she has inspired a poem out of me.
Angel Lips
Darkness seeps into the heart
The silent wall of wax
I ache for the dissonance
Of a lonesome sax
Here we are deep inside
The communion and the phone
We click and clack along the track
As we make our way back home
We are pounding on our androids
Trending like the news
Dancing in the stardust
To the rhythm of the blues
The sunrise in the winter
Has no warm or spice
Hovering high in frozen sky
A redden block of ice
I look into the future
In search of signs of hope
My life lies in the crosshairs
Of God's almighty scope
Skies glissand my patience
Clouds blow off regret
Scales of dreams lie in between
The maybe and the yet
Frost-glazed knives of ice bombs
Dangle overhead
Winter winds rage and howl
For the living and the dead
The distant Siren beckons
Your will - no longer free
Caught inside her mystic spell
Awash fragility
The brittle lips of Angels
Bleed honey from the stars
Breaking skin from deep within
Scraping at the scars
To touch the wafers of their wings
Would challenge the extreme
As I question my existence
I don't know what I mean
So I grasp my dusty grimoire
And my ancient mandolin
I step into the great beyond
Without and within
Oozing sap from pine guts
The forest doth proclaim
Rotted leaves on gentle breeze
She can breathe again
I break through another window
To steal another prayer
And drive across the universe
With waste winds in my hair
So, best you stay at home, my friend
For reasons, - wrong or right
A hungry gargoyle waits for you
By the gate tonight
written by Mark Sheldan
July 2019
Here she is: the subject of my wordsmithing. Thanks to all you avid readers out there who indulge in this wonderful blogging nonsence. We're grateful that somebody gets a kick out of it. I encourage you to snuggle up with this slow dance and feel free to join in the sing-along chorus that's a favourite around the campfire. We are all in it for the duration, so share the love and keep supporting homegrown music and local artists. Ciao for now, Mark Sheldan
#yearofthegreatrelease #lovelaughdance #listentothis #MarkSheldanBlog #singersongwriter #countrylovesong #mournfulharmonica #Smokeywine #Plantation #Gargoylemadness #campfiresong
To listen to 'Plantation' right now click here:
https://twistedgitarco.wixsite.com/marksheldan/my-songs
To hear Lea Sheldan's new release click here:
https://twistedgitarco.wixsite.com/leasheldan-1/songs
If you have Spotify please download and stream here:
https://open.spotify.com/album/74gjB3E3cEtVVmBA6sLtEK?si=nNaO0AVpTr-XlHdZC52zcw
Sing along with the lyrics below:
Plantation
The frost is clear on the old plantation
The frost is clear when the night winds blow
I know I’m here for the duration
But just the same, I love you so
My little mama you know I’m cryin’
I call your name when the night wind blows
The way I feel, I’m almost dyin’
My little mama, I need you so
The frost is clear on the old plantation
The frost is clear when the night winds blow
I know I’m here for the duration
But just the same, I love you so
Oh Lord to feel your arms around me
To hold you tight when the night winds blow
To let your hair rest on my shoulder
My little mama, I want you so
The frost is clear on the old plantation
The frost is clear when the night winds blow
I know I’m here for the duration
But just the same, I love you so
My little mama, I lo-------------ve you so.
written by Mark Sheldan
copyright 1985 Socan
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