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Wild
Mountain Music |
| For several years I was single
and playing fiddle for a lot of dances. As a romantic, I felt
that since people always seemed to be falling in love to the
sweet tunes of the band, surely someone on the dance floor would
fall in love with the fiddler of those sweet tunes… Actually,
what happened eventually is I sang this on stage in Palmer,
Alaska, and Bill Frey heard this song. He felt it was aimed
at him and it turns out it was. Written in August, ’84. |
Fiddler’s
Heartdance
Shonti Elder Copyright 1987
Another night out on the town
Fiddling all the dancers ‘round
Playing music filled with love and charm
Tickle their feet and touch their fancy
Each young Tommy has his Nancy
Loving the other turning on their arms.
Chor: Is there anybody here
To
give my heart a chance?
I’m
playing the music out to you
Can’t
you hear the sound of sweet romance?
Is
there anybody here
To
give my heart a chance?
Who
will make this fiddler’s heart dance?
The waltzes come out sweet and slow
Heart to heart, around they go
Holding to each other so warm
Another reel, they start to bounce
Every single moment counts
The music is their shelter from the storm.
The caller’s kind, she understands,
She says, “Take your choice, or kiss the band!”
She knows how lonely center stage can be.
The crowd goes wild, runs around
Kissing each other, love abounds
They have each other.
What else do they need?
Chorus
The band keeps playing cheerful tunes
The evening will be over soon
The dancers turn around in their embrace
Soon they’ll leave, arm in arm
I’ll pack it in, go home alone
Leaving the dance floor empty with no trace.
| This
song is based on several true stories. My advice is that if
ever a romance gets this painful, RUN don’t walk to a
counselor, or just leave. The communication will not improve
without outside help. This song is about denial; for the abuser
that these actions are their responsibility, and for the victim
that the situation will improve. |
My
Fault
Shonti Elder Copyright 1987
Chor: He said it’s my fault, my fault,
That
he had to get so angry
My
fault, my fault,
That
he hit me when he did
My
fault, my fault, and I just
Had
to learn my lesson
For
making him so angry
That
he had to treat me bad.
I never understood what I did to make him hate me
I never understood how to keep his temper calm
We had such good times in between his anger
Even though the calm was just before another storm.
He hit me on the back so nobody else would see it
He hit me on my head so the bruise would not be seen
One time on the street, he knocked me down and started pounding
And the cars just kept driving by, no one seemed to see
Chorus:
He always said, “I’m sorry, I won’t ever treat
you badly
Again, why do you make me blow up this way?”
The quiet times between the storms came fewer in between
The reasons for exploding just made less sense every day.
I don’t know what kept me from telling friends about it
I always hoped that love would find a way to calm him down
I knew my friends would say, “Don’t be a fool, why don’t
you leave him?”
And I didn’t know how to explain I needed him around.
Chorus:
I knew I couldn’t raise my children with this man of violence
I knew I loved him underneath but still I couldn’t stay
The hardest thing I did was leave the man I loved behind
But I knew that the cost was worth the price to pay
Chor: ‘Cause it was his fault, his fault
That
he always got so angry
His
fault, his fault,
That
he chose to act that way
His
fault, his fault,
It
was always his decision
To
use his fists instead of words,
There
was nothing I could say
To
use his fists instead of words,
There
was nothing I could say.
Don Stiff was a fine fiddler, a musical
delight, and a tall handsome fellow completely unaware of the
fact that almost every woman who met him fell in love with him
a little. I met Don in the summer of ’84 when Elsa and
I were touring Southeast Alaska. One week, the Ketchikan musicians
rallied at Diane Langelier’s house for all-night music
sessions every other night. Ken, Maggie and Elsa who play on
this tune, were all there. Don traded tunes, jokes and pillow
fights with us. The next day, he’s work at heavy physical
labor commercial fishing, while Elsa and I went to her parents’
home to sleep all day. Will met Don it Petersburg in 1981 and
was similarly inspired by his personality and musicianship.
Then, one night about a year after these sessions, Don and his
love were vacationing in Hawaii when he was shot and killed.
This song celebrates his life, which I’m sure Don would
rather be remembered for. Maggie wrote the words, suggesting
that I might find a tune for them. This song is for everyone
left behind by a friend who dies too soon. |
Song for Don
Lyrics by Maggie McQuaid
Music by Shonti Elder Copyright 1987
It was early in the morning when the news came through
I sat there drinking coffee all day long
And as the evening settled, I still thought of you
So I found a pen and I wrote down this song
Chor: I’ll sing it for the life
That
you were living
I’ll
sing it for the love
That
you hoped you’d find
I’ll
sing it for all the gifts you’d given
I’ll
sing it for the friends
You
left behind
I think of all the evenings that we spent with you
In a town and a time that’s now passed by
Of how time and laughter and the music flew
Until the summer sun rose in the sky
Chorus:
I’ll see your face in faces of the friends I love
Your tunes will roll through music that I play
I’ll see your smile shining in the clouds above
And maybe then you won’t seem far away
Chor: And thank you for the life
That
you were living
Thank
you for the joy that
You
helped us find
Thanks
for all the gifts you’d given
Here’s
love from all the friends
You
left behind.
| Many women grow up expecting
to follow a life script of going to school, getting married
and having children while pursuing a career. This song came
to me on January 26, 1985 on an especially cold and dark night
when I was missing the children that I expected to have by then. |
Where Are You Children?
Shonti Elder Copyright 1987
Chor: Oh where are you children,
I’ll
hold you so tight
I’ll
dry your tears
And
comfort your fright
Share
in your happiness,
Laugh
with delight
Oh
my children,
Where
are you tonight?
I once loved a man
Who I thought would grow old in my arms
And we’d laugh at the passing of time
We’d raise a few kids,
They’d play music and dance in a circle
And laugh as we traveled in time
Chor:
So often I’d see them, my children
The boy would have colors of gold
In his hair and his eyes
My daughter would be
A dancer with raven hair
Flying in circles as she danced to the sky
Chor:
Well, everything changes,
I still have no children
I left for their sake
From an angry sad home
One time I heard voices from somewhere unknown
Saying, “It’s o.k. mama, we’re still coming home…”
Chor:
| I wrote this for Will in July
of 1983. He told me his heart had been broken three years ago
and he didn’t know if he could open up to trust again.
This song is for anyone afraid of trying again. It’s frightening
at times, but taking chances are the only path to a new and
happier life. |
Choose
To Win
Shonti Elder Copyright 1987
You tell me your heart was broken
Your love left you out the open door
You’re afraid to trust again
I can match your pain and sorrow
But they’re not in my tomorrow
I’m prepared for good times
That’s what my life is for
Chor: You can choose to lose
You
can choose to win
You
can run away,
Feel
sorry for yourself
Or
reach out and try again
Why
hang on to sorrow,
How’s
your heart gonna ever mend?
Don’t
choose to lose, choose to win!
You say you thought you’d forgotten her
Moved your life on down the road
And then you saw her again
All those feelings came back flying
Opened the wound and left you crying
Heartache and sorrow
Showed up like long-lost friends
Chor:
I believe we all have choices
Love and friendship are the voices
Calling us, along this common trail
Life just wants to see you happy
And the only way you can be
Is trust the gentle harbor
Let’s jump onboard and sail
Chorus (twice)
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Lyrics | Main CD page
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Shonti
Elder - fiddler, singer, teacher, and recording artist from Wasilla,
Alaska
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