Thoughts from Chris White about "The Far Saskatchewan"
My friend Chris White is a pillar of the Ottawa folk music community -- a multi-talented singer-songwriter, a veteran radio host, a festival organizer and a leader of singing groups.
A while back he was kind enough to send me a copy of some thoughts he shared with his men's singing group, Brothers Aloud, which I am resharing with his permission. Thanks, Chris!
P.S. You can listen to "The Far Saskatchewan" here, and purchase a copy here.
Hi Tom,
Every singing group I lead loves "The Far Saskatchewan". I thought you'd be interested in this message I sent to the Brothers Aloud men's group after we sang it last night.
Cheers,
Chris
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Hi Brothers,
Congrats on an excellent singing session last night.!
As requested, here are the lyrics to "The Far Saskatchewan"
by Ottawa singer-songwriter-storyteller Tom Lips, along with his thoughts about why that particular song has been so popular over the years. In addition to the reasons he offers, I would add that the
actual *sounds of the words* play a huge role in the song's popularity.
There are long, open vowels and resonant m's and n's throughout the
song, especially in the chorus. Those sounds make the song ideal for
singing, and the long, open vowels are also a perfect way to express the
openness of the prairies.
You'll understand why my thoughts_ still fly
Where half_ the world_ is made of sky_
And you'll understand why I dream_ upon_
The far_ Saskatche-wan
The far_ Saskatche-wan
Another huge strength of the song is that it starts with a personal
story set in the past and develops through the third and fourth verses
into a universal story that includes the listener. That same trajectory
underlies some of the world's most powerful speeches, including Martin
Luther King's "I Have a Dream".
There's a nice rendition of "The Far Saskatchewan" at https://youtu.be/B_
Tom's website is www.tomlips.ca.
posted by Tom Lips @ 4:43 pm
