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Lowlands by Rebsie [Email]
Genre: A Cappella

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SONG STATS:
Hits: 1472
Comments: 41
Votes: 13
Plays: 254
Last Played: Nov 19, 2008 - 11:27:23 PM
Downloads: 101
Fans: 16
Uploaded: May 08, 2007 - 06:09:26 PM
Last Updated: May 08, 2007 - 06:09:26 PM
Fan List
Keywords:
English (25), traditional (65), sea shanty (3), sailor (5), dream (100), vision (12), ghost (26), spirits of the dead (1), dreary (2), miserable (3), haunting (24), drowning (7)
Description:
If you're looking for something to cheer you up you may want to look elsewhere! :)

I'm trying out some ideas for a forthcoming mini-album of English folk songs ... I recorded this one today and thought I may as well post it.

Every version of this song I've ever heard has been done unaccompanied. It's not that it would be difficult to set it to music, it's just such a bleak and lonely song it feels like it belongs on its own. Like a siren call across the ocean.

It's actually a sailor's shanty and sung from a man's point of view, but all the most compelling versions I've heard have been sung by women.

The reference to "my John" in the refrain probably just means "my lad", since "John" was an old slang name for a merchant seaman. As it happens my maternal grandfather was a merchant seaman called John, so this one's for him.

I decided not to make any edits to this recording, so it has a rough edge, but ... you try singing six verses in one take with nothing to hide behind!

© 2007 Rebsie Fairholm

Lyrics:
I dreamed a dream the other night
Lowlands, lowlands away my John
I saw my love all dressed in white
Lowlands away

She came to me at my bedside
All dressed in white like some fair bride

And nestled in her bosom there
A red, red rose my love did wear

She made no sign, no word she said
And then I knew my love was dead

She's drowning in the lowlands sea
And never more coming back to me

Then I awoke to hear the cry
"Oh watch on deck! Oh watch ahoy"

Hardware:
Mac G5, Rode condenser mic, tonsils

Software:
The usual ;)
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Hide in plain sight &mdash 05/08/07 - 06:17:57 PM
Who needs backup with a set of authentic pipes like yours? It's not an easy task to do a capella - unless you've got loads of skill and heart, which you've got heaped high to the rooftops. This is enchanting, sad and yet beautiful - all rolled into one great track.

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&mdash 06/03/07 - 01:32:30 PM
Thank you Bing! Sorry it's taken me so long to reply to comments ... I was laid up with a bad back just after I posted this and have been catching up with other stuff ever since. I'm glad you like it ... as usual it's my "engage-emotionally-with-the-song-and-let-it-all-splurge-out" approach.

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Perfect :) &mdash 05/08/07 - 07:33:51 PM
I'm glad you did this solo voice. It fits the song and it certainly suits your voice! :)

Lovely!!

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it is so hard... &mdash 05/08/07 - 08:49:26 PM
.... to be compelling and captivating "a capella"
suffice to say, that you acheive that and more!
this is beautiful! quite enthralling. thanks for sharing you telents with us!

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&mdash 06/03/07 - 01:33:55 PM
You're welcome! Thanks for listening.

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Beauty in lament &mdash 05/08/07 - 09:01:46 PM
Captured by your voice... the song and its lyrics.

Perfect.

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Wow, can you sing! &mdash 05/08/07 - 10:15:25 PM
This is beautiful. I'm with dreadmon - sad and beautiful. Stopped me in my tracks, for sure. Excellent stuff. Thanks for sharing. Peace.

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This isn't really my kind of thing &mdash 05/09/07 - 05:42:43 AM
and you know that. I'm not going to fan it or vote on it, but you know I'm your biggest fan anyway, and that you'd always have my vote. Despite me not really enjoying this, I can still tell that it's beautiful and well done. It's funny how I can make that distinction. You have a lovely voice and you do a great job here. Any 'criticisms' I might have wouldn't really be criticisms and would only reflect my personal tastes, but again you know that. Bathe in the praise you're getting; it's deserved.

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&mdash 06/03/07 - 01:41:38 PM
Hahaha. Well thank you, I will take all that as a compliment! :)

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You have... &mdash 05/09/07 - 03:14:00 PM
...such an incredibly beautiful voice.

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&mdash 06/03/07 - 03:06:44 PM
Thank you! :)

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Bravo &mdash 05/09/07 - 04:02:59 PM
Very bold of you, singing a cappella with nothing to 'hide behind'! And you sing it really well--nice one, Rebsie!

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Love it Rebsie &mdash 05/09/07 - 06:21:32 PM
This is probably a song my dad would have known and sung when he was at sea. Your voice and obvious enjoyment of the English folk tradition combine to make this a wonderful (if slightly sad) tune. Your pitch sounds perfectly maintained, and the quality of your voice is ideal for this. A comment on the recording: is there a gate on the vocal? I think I hear some changes in the ambient background noise between verses - if there is a gate, it might sound better without it. This is a very minor nit, and I'm only mentioning it because you're looking at the mini album - it really isn't a problem.
Absolutely love this track Rebsie.
Neil

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&mdash 06/03/07 - 03:34:14 PM
Well, it's not a gate exactly, but I did use volume automation points to silence the spaces between verses. That's because I haven't found any way to eliminate "room noise" on my recordings. My G5 makes an infernal humming which the super-sensitive Rode mic picks up with crystal clarity, and I can't get the mic far enough away from the Mac to eliminate it. I also have a creaky floorboard which makes its presence felt. It's not a problem on most songs, but when there are no instruments to drown it out it sounds very obvious. I normally avoid using a gate because it sounds a bit unnatural but in this case it was the lesser evil.

However I may re-do this song before it goes on a CD because I know I can do it better ... and if so I will probably wrap the Mac in a duvet and half a dozen pillows and try to get the song recorded in one take before it overheats. ;)

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Trust your instincts &mdash 05/09/07 - 10:40:01 PM
You are fantastic.

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&mdash 06/03/07 - 03:37:18 PM
*blush*

Thank you thank you!

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beautiful &mdash 05/09/07 - 10:58:57 PM
i may be in love. really incredible. in my mind i could hear a string quartet play the melody after you're done singing. really beautiful, i am way impressed.

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&mdash 06/03/07 - 03:40:06 PM
Many thanks indeed! It's nice to be appreciated. :)

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nice &mdash 05/10/07 - 02:35:59 PM
Great voice. You should check out Susan McKeown if you haven't. She has quite a few albums of music like this that are excellent.

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&mdash 06/03/07 - 03:51:34 PM
Surprisingly I hadn't heard of Susan McKeown and had to look her up ... I'm a lot less familiar with Irish music but she looks interesting. Thanks for the tip.

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Certainly Lovely Voice &mdash 05/10/07 - 07:51:15 PM
rebsie, no need to hide behide instrument's with your
voice! Very Grand Take on this Piece.

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Good Lord Rebsie! &mdash 05/11/07 - 04:34:23 PM
You're a natural to be sure...will you be performing at the next Cropredy Festival? Gorgeous...haunting...

Be well!


Have you had your Goodwilly today?
http://www.macjams.com/song/31605

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&mdash 06/03/07 - 04:16:21 PM
Well, I might consider doing Cropredy if Richard makes me the right offer. ;)

On a spontaneous whim I sang this song in a local folk club last week, unaccompanied exactly like this, and the audience absolutely loved it. They all knew it and sang the chorus very loudly. I was astounded, because I wouldn't have expected a song like this to be much of a crowd pleaser ... but I must have got the biggest round of applause of the whole evening. Maybe I'm going along the right lines with this stuff after all.

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Human. &mdash 05/12/07 - 10:48:36 PM
That's the best word to describe this peace ... human. Hauntingly, honestly, captivatingly, beautifully human. Whatever reverb you used on your voice sounds really good.

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&mdash 06/03/07 - 04:26:20 PM
Thank you! The reverb is just a standard GarageBand one but if I remember rightly I set it to "Medium Hall" in the master track. The trick I used was to duplicate my vocal track and to add quite a lot of reverb on one track and none at all on the other. It really enriches the sound.

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Lovely &mdash 05/14/07 - 03:54:59 AM
Rebsie - Your voice is excellent - You don't need backing to hide behind. Thanks for sharing. Peter

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&mdash 06/03/07 - 04:28:57 PM
Cheers Peter! I've really appreciated your plethora of recent comments, if that's what the collective noun for comments is.

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magic o the cappela &mdash 05/24/07 - 02:07:29 PM
with your voice just so haunting
so so awesome .....thank you or
the gem !!

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... &mdash 05/25/07 - 08:58:16 AM
havent heard this song before. truly lovely melody and lyrics. great to hear it here.
p.

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This is really beautiful Rebsie &mdash 05/28/07 - 06:59:06 AM
Though sad, but wow you really deliver some of the best singing I've heard here at MJ.

Terrific !

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&mdash 06/03/07 - 04:00:50 PM
That's a great compliment coming from anyone, but especially from you, Bill. Thanks very much!

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breathless &mdash 05/29/07 - 09:07:01 PM
thats wot i was. and a little misty eyed as well. beautifully rendered. you voice is so pure here. well done

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.. &mdash 05/31/07 - 02:54:02 PM
How compelling - I have a version of this song on my ipod but sung by a bloke with an accordian - I was listening to it the other night infact,in a tent up on top of a hill in the forest.

I like your version in that it leaves more to the imagination - there is certainly more broodiness in the space between your lines.Also might I add that it is almost as if you are singing right in my ear,goodness gracious.

Lovely voice!

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&mdash 06/03/07 - 03:57:41 PM
I like the way you talk about being in a tent on top of a hill in the forest as if that's a perfectly normal place to be. Though I guess for you it is. :)

Yep, that's what I like about unaccompanied stuff ... it allows the space between the lines to become full of meaning and imaginary harmonies to be generated from the movement of the melody. Or something like that.

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What a great feat &mdash 06/03/07 - 04:00:56 PM
a cappella, wow. And one take, nothing to hide behind, Phew. And my piano agrees with every note

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&mdash 06/03/07 - 04:06:08 PM
Really?! I've never had the nerve to test my pitch against a piano so that's good to know! Thanks very much for listening.

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There it is. &mdash 08/12/07 - 02:36:07 PM
Well Done. Very well done. I was moved by the truth in the interpretation. Nice job. I've added it as a favorite so thank you so much for sharing the talent on this tune. I've never heard it before and am glad to have been introduced to it. Very much appreciated. What a lovely and capturing voice you have.

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:) &mdash 08/27/07 - 08:53:12 PM
I went to Scotland a couple years ago and this song makes me miss it soooo much, haha. Good for you for trying it a capella. I always end up veering off-tune when I attempt it. Pretty pretty!

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Thanks Laluna &mdash 10/07/07 - 06:36:25 AM
I'll be honest and admit I tend to veer off into a different key too ... so when I record stuff like this I put a keyboard drone on it to use as a pitch guide and then take it out after I've done the vocal. Cheating maybe, but it really helps!

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Lowlands &mdash 10/07/07 - 12:36:08 AM
Loved it! I agree with dreadmon 100% - 'don't need backup with a set fo authentic pipes like yours.'

Heightened.

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Wonderful &mdash 02/18/08 - 07:02:01 AM
Great great great - what a beautiful a cappella. Yes, it doesn't need more than your voice for the enchanting atmosphere of this track.

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