With the passing of Captain's grandmother, Francis, who lived during the dust bowl, Fae wanted to write a song weaving stories of folks and life during the 1930's. Francis, "Brano" as she was called, always had great stories to tell. Although the song didn't stem from the tales she told, it was inspired by her tough spirit and "Come what may" attitude.
lyrics
If It’d Rain
Oh, I know that life is how you live.
Go to church, work hard, do good, and forgive.
We had our house, our fields, and friends.
And you never know how life's gonna bend.
Oh, the drought was hard in '32
and our crops they dried and never grew.
And the storms of dust rolled in,
burned our eyes, stole the songs that we'd sing.
Chorus
If it’d rain, it’d wash away the tears.
If it’d rain, it’d mend this broken year.
And this dusty scene is a bad dream
that needs to blow away, if it’d only rain today.
We lost the cows and hogs in '33.
Those wind just came and stole the land wildly.
And some friends they moved away.
We wished them well, swept the dust, and we stayed.
And I wrung my hands in '34
as those dunes they gathered at my front door.
Every plate and spoon held gray
and I looked out with the baby on the way, praying.
Chorus
Oh, there was a cry in '35
and my baby came with a kick to survive.
How she felt like meadows green.
She gave us hope in a place of droughted dreams.
It was shirtsleeve warm on Palm Sunday,
not a lick of wind to get in our way.
But over yon came rolling wave,
o’er a mountain wide and midnight grave.
A thousand furies black and howling
tore at the earth and whipped it to the ground.
We ran so fast, our eyes and lungs burning.
And it stole the sun, rose the roof,
broke the glass, and shook our very souls.
Oh, we did survive that frightful day,
though many died, were left blind, they had nowhere to stay.
We helped ourselves and neighbors mend
by singing songs and harbouring friends.
And by '38 we knew the score,
either sink or swim in this dusty shore.
Our weathered hearts and hands held strong
for you never know how life will move along.
And it rained. It washed away the tears.
And it rained. It mend some broken years.
And this dusty scene, that long bad dream, began to slip away.
And it rained and rained today.
credits
from Never Go Back,
released August 23, 2016
words and music by S. Fae Wiedenhoeft ASCAP
SeaStar hails from the rainy town of Seattle.
Since 2007, Fae Wiedenhoeft and her band have been
entertaining audiences with their unique blend of Celtic Folk. Their award winning, traditional sounding compositions and clever story songs are loved and revered by many across the globe.
They have traveled to many places with their music and cannot wait to share some stories with you!...more
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