Another voice is missing from the song

[kitanzi]

A surprising number of filkers know the outstanding music of Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer, mostly because spiritdance and her husband have been enthusiastic vectors for spreading that virus. I only met the folk duo once,when they performed earlier this year in New England, but they both impressed me as being wonderfully friendly, kind and interesting people, personally and professionally. They had been getting greater attention, had won considerable recognition, and as a singing partnership, they seemed poised just at the brink of everything paying off for them.
Two days ago Dave died in a hotel room of a heart attack, just shy of 50 years old from what I hear.
Any one who's heard and loved their music will know this is a tragedy. Any one who has met them will also grieve the death of someone who was just as extraordinary personally as professionally.
I used to do several of their songs pretty regularly at filks with my ex, but they've fallen out of my practice list by default over the past couple months. I need to get back to doing those, but last night Gafia listened to me stumble thruogh one of the very few filksongs I've written. In fact, I wrote it just about this time last year, and I like to think that if Dave Carter had written filk, it might be something like When We Go. Just for self indulgence, I think I'll post it. But I'll keep it behind the cut.


When We Go

(tto: When I Go, by Dave Carter)

Come, all my brothers, sisters and friends,
We will fly like a comet when we go.
Climbing a pillar of fire again,
We will rise to the heavens when we go.

We will bellow like Orion's wrath,
And though the stars we'll soar,
A lonely ark of mankind's hope
To leave this earthly shore.
We will sweep through endless vacuum
Towards a world we do not know,
And the stars will long recount the story,
Anguish, hope and glory when we go.

Sing in the starfields, long way from home,
We will sing of a home we do not know.
New songs for laughter, old songs for tears,
Lift our voices in triumph as we go.

We will travel in the vastness,
We will ride upon our songs,
We'll tell tales of hope and sorrow
And of mankind's hist'ry long.
We will sing a song of journey's end
And draw the chorus slow,
We'll raise an anthem to the stars
And hope that someone else is listening when we go.

Mourn not, my family, we'll stay in your hearts,
We will carry you with us when we go.
Old loves behind us, new loves ahead,
We will cherish our mem'ries when we go.

We will build a home out of our dreams
Upon a world we find,
Raise our yearning eyes at midnight
Towards our mother left behind.
Do not worry for our safety,
Do not sorrow for us so,
All your diamond tears will rise up and
Adorn the sky between us when we go.


Dave believed in angels. I hope he's singing with them now.

Comments

[bardling.livejournal.com]

Good words, much better ones than I could have found. Both in what you say about Dave and in your song. I hope to hear you sing this at Quinze... *Hugs*

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

This song is *beautiful*, as is what you've said.

A.

Re:

[kitanzi.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :) But I think you've actually heard this one, haven't you? Maybe not... but I did do it at least once at a MASSFILC and I thought you were there.