Hymn from Colouratura by Colouratura

Working title 'Irish Hymn.'

This was one of the tracks I admittedly had the least to do with. Nathan sent me this track, the body of it, in the middle of the night with all the words and music in place. Lyrically, it stands out as the only number with something of a double entendre. I believe Nate was contemplating a major change (and eventually leaving school entirely) and those thoughts informed 'Hymn.'

Later, we added the flute part (a reference to the already existing bagpipes), which was quite challenging for me because I had to pick it out by ear, memorize it *and* play it with some kind of musicality. At the same time I was also hoping Nate wouldn't 'fire' me! As someone who's music I greatly admire, I wanted to impress him ... I made the cut so I must've been somewhat successful! Part of the brilliance of Nate's writing is it's a lot harder to play than it sounds. If you ask me, music that's harder than it sounds is a lot more clever than deliberately difficult-sounding music, but I digress ...

As I mentioned on UNTIL YOU SLIP AWAY, my friend Damon Waitkus of Jack o the Clock (one of my favorite modern bands), had been on my show and had offered to appear on some of my studio projects. Part of the challenge of including guests on any record, particularly idiosyncratic guests, is finding the right spot for them ... a place that is best served for their specific talents and inclinations. Across all three of my major projects at the time (Loon Attic and Dan Evick's "Moving On" being the other two), I decided that this piece was best suited for Damon's unique and visionary approach to folk.

Naturally, Damon's contributions are brilliant. I love the acoustic guitar picking in the first half and the way the lines 'chase' around at the conclusion. Best of all for a major Jack o the Clock junkie like myself is his vocal contributions. ANYONE who listens to their music will be able to pick out his distinctive voice immediately.

Tracklist

10.	Hymn	2:47

Lyrics

Over the hills, you see a faint glow -
the fires of forty thousand men.
Men who know that in their hands,
lie the fate of their children and kin.

Chorus
And where do you draw the line between passion and your soul?
And if you don't fear the end,
what's the point of fighting at all?

Morning comes, the lines are drawn,
and those men prepare to die.
And the thoughts of those they love,
weight heavy on their hearts and minds.

Chorus

Credits

from Colouratura, released June 16, 2017
Nathan James - bagpipes, voice
Damon Waitkus - guitar, voice
Ian Beabout – flute

License