experiencing the arts: Songwriting ................................ 2

chapter FOUr Topic4.1Diversification .................................................................................................... 22 Topic4.2TheRailway ...................................................................................................... 36 Topic4.3Forestry .............................................................................................................. 44 Topic4.4Mining ............................................................................................................... 52 Topic4.5Population .......................................................................................................... 60 Topic4.6Immigration ....................................................................................................... 64 Topic4.7Lifestyles ............................................................................................................. 68 Topic4.8Labrador ............................................................................................................ 76 Topic4.9FurtherEncroachment ...................................................................................... 88 AtIssue:Non-renewableResources .................................................................................. 98 ChapterFourReview ......................................................................................................... 99

artist prOFile .........................................................................................100

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Experiencing

TheArts... we have been writing songs for five hundred years ... These songs were written to document the lives of the people who wrote them.They were poets who wrote about things in their lives, about their communities ... This is who we are and this is where we came from, and this is where we live and why.– Ron Hynes, singer/songwriter

E x p l o r i n g a r t f o r m s a n d a r t i s t i c t e c h n i q u e s

Songwriting

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Aslongashumanshaveinhabited“thisplace”therehasbeenmusic.Theearliestknowngraveinourprovincecontainedaflute-styled whistlemade frombird bone.This archaeological data providesevidence that the Labrador Archaic culture (7000-1500 BCE)enjoyedmusicaspartof theirwayof life.

ALookatOurSongwritingHistory

Traditional Music

How One Song Inspired Another

Songs have been passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years as a part of human history. For example, Innu, Inuit, andMi’kmaqstillusedrumdancingandsingingaspartof theirtraditionalrituals;Inuitalsocontinuetousethroatsinging.Music and songswere a primarymeans of knowledgetransmissionamongAboriginalpeople.

Early immigrants from Europe and other areas alsobroughtmusictraditionswiththem.Performersof Irishmusic,forinstance,stillusethebodhran,whileFrenchperformerscontinuetoplaytheaccordionandfiddle.Music,itmaybeargued,iscentraltoourbeing.

EarlyEuropeansettlersinNewfoundlandandLabradorsangsongsaroundthefireintheevenings.Oftentheseweretraditionalsongsornewlyricssettooldtunes.Folkhistorians also have identified songs that are uniquelyNewfoundland and Labradorian in both melody andlyrics.Oneof theseis“She’sLiketheSwallow”,whichwas first written down in the 1930s by an unknown

songwriter.Composed in the traditionof a tragic lovesongfromEngland,ithasnomatchingEnglishtune.

There was very little formal music training in mostNewfoundland and Labrador communities. As manycommunities did not have musical instruments, suchas pianos, most songs were sung unaccompanied or acapella.Thesetunesoftenwerecomposedtotellapartof thecommunity’shistory.*Overtime,thesesongswereoftenembellishedasvarioussingerstoldthestory.

Around1875,HenryLeMessurier,thendeputyministerof customsinSt.John’s,followedthetraditionof puttingnewwordstooldtuneswhenhetooktheEnglishcapstanshanty“SpanishLadies”andwrotenewwordstodescribethelifechoicesof afishernamedBobPittman.However, he did borrow and adapt one line from the originalchorusof thesong:hereplacedthephrase“We’llrantandwe’llroarliketrueBritishsoldiers”with“We’llrantandwe’llroarliketrueNewfoundlanders”.

ManyEnglishsongs,suchas“SpanishLadies”mentionedabove, describe the landmarks that sailorswouldhaveseen as they travelled through the English Channel.In a similarway,Newfoundland andLabradorfisherswrotesongstomemorizetheirownregion’snavigationalsites.Anexampleof thiswouldbe“Wadham’sSong”.Written in 1756, this song describes in eleven stanzasthesearoutefromCapeBonavistatoFogoHarbour.Anexamplefromthissongis:

When Joe Batt's Arm you are abreast, Fogo Harbour bears due west; But unkind fortune unluck laid A sunken rock right in the trade.

Othertraditionalworkingsongsestablisharhythmforpullinglargeobjects.Anexampleof thisis“TickleCovePond”,writteninthelate1800sbyMarkWalker.Thissongdescribespullingoutahorsethathasfallenthroughtheicewhilepullingaloadof logs.

Oh, lay hold William Oldford, Lay hold William White, Lay hold of the cordage And pull all your might…

Almost150yearsago,HenryLeMessurierusedthetuneandafewlinesfromthesong“SpanishLadies”tocreate“TheRyansand thePittmans”.Lookat

thefirstpartsof theoriginal songand the“new”songtoseehowonesonginspiredanother.

Spanish Ladies

Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish Ladies,Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of Spain;For we've received orders for to sail for ol' England,But we hope in a short time to see you again.

We will rant and we'll roar like true British sailors,We'll rant and we'll roar all on the salt sea.Until we strike soundings in the channel of old England;From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues.

The Ryans and the Pittmans

My name it is Robert, they call me Bob Pittman;I sail in the Ino with Skipper Tim Brown.l'm bound to have Dolly or Biddy or MollyAs soon as l'm able to plank the cash down.

Chorus:We'll rant and we'll roar like true Newfoundlanders,We'Il rant and we'll roar on deck and belowUntil we see bottom inside the two sunkers,When straight through the Channel to Toslow we'll go.

Fig. 2 Drum dancers, NainFig. 1 The bodhran, used centuries ago in Ireland, is still used in Irish Newfoundland music today.

Fig. 3 We’ll Rant and We’ll Roar: Songs of Newfoundland, 1958 record album. Although written in the late 1800s, “The Ryans and the Pittmans” has remained popular over the years.

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Formal Music EducationMosttraditionalsongwriterslearnedaboutmusicfromtheirfamilyorothercommunitymembers.Incontrast,formal music training arrived in Newfoundland andLabradorwithmilitarybandsandtheestablishmentof churchesintheeighteenthcentury.

One of the first examples of this occurred when theMoravianscametoLabradorfromBohemiaviaLondonand Greenland. They brought instruments, such asviolins, clarinets, and trombones.Many Inuit adoptedthese instruments, along with choral singing, to theextentthattraditionalLabradorInuitmusicwasalmostcompletely lost.Another example of church influenceis the introduction of hymns to the North Shore byMethodists.

AlthoughmanypeopleinNewfoundlandandLabradoralreadyknewhowtoplayinstruments, thefirst formalmusic education on the island was established by theRomanCatholicPresentationSistersinHarbourGrace

in1851.ThisteachingorderprovidedmusicinstructionandarrangedforstudentstobecertifiedbywhatwouldlaterbecometheTrinityCollegeof Music*inLondon.

In the nineteenth century,HarbourGrace competed with St. John’s to become the centre of musicalperformanceon the island.ContemporaryEuropeancompositions and classical music were performed inboth townsbyvisitingbandsandperformers, aswellas by local talent in variety concerts. While someconsideredoperaticmusicasmoresophisticated thantraditionalfolksongs,old-timemusicsurvivedinkitchenpartiesandruralvarietyshows.

Fig. 4 An example of acculturation: an Inuit brass band in Hebron, c. 1935-45 Playing instruments provided by the Moravians, this Inuit band performed mostly German chorale texts. On special occasions, they played outdoors.

Fig. 5 Cast of “Abie’s Irish Rose,” St. John’s, 1929 Operettas such as this one were entertaining audiences by the end of the 19th century.

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Preserving Our MusicIn1927,businessmanandnationalistGeraldS.Doyleprintedthefirstof threesongbookstitledThe Old Time Songs and Poetry of Newfoundland.Latereditions followed in1940and1955. Inhisintroduction,Doylewrotethathisintentionwasto“preserveandperpetuate” the songs of his country.Doyle’s publicationswere the first time many of these songs had been printed.Wherepossible,Doyle recorded thenameof a song’swriter;however,bythetimehepublishedhissongbooks,theoriginsof manytraditionalsongs were already unknown. For newer songs, Doyle tendedtohavemoreinformation.Forinstance,inanoteforthesong,“HuntingdonShore”,Doylewrote:“Thissongwaswritteninthesixties.ItwaswrittenbyaSt.John’sfishermannamedDoyle,anativeof Riverhead.YoungGoodridge,mentionedinthesong,wasawell-knownmerchantof theday.”

Two other well-known songwriters/song collectors from thisperiodareJohnnyBurke*andJamesMurphy.Oneof thereasonsweknowof theirworktodayisbecausetheyprintedcopiesof their compositions in one-page editions called “broadsides”.Theyalsocompiledseveralothersongbookstheyreferredtoas“songsters”,asthesepublicationsincludedbothcollectedsongsandoriginalcompositions.

Fig. 6 Sharing our songsIn the first half of the 20th century, several printed collections of the colony’s songs appeared. These helped to spread and popularize traditional Newfoundland and Labrador music. One of the most popular songbooks, Gerald S. Doyle's The Old Time Songs and Poetry of Newfoundland, was published in 1927.

Fig. 7 Arthur Scammell, c. 1944.

THE STOry BEHInd

THE SquIdJIggIn’ grOund

gerald S. doyle’s books not only launched a revival of old-time music, but also encouraged songwriters who were his contemporaries. In 1940, his second book included a little-known song written in 1928 called “Squid Jiggin’ ground”. This song had been a school project written by a fifteen-year-old boy, Arthur Scammell from Change Islands, who had spent the summer fishing with his father. Scammell wrote his words to be sung to the Irish fiddle tune “Larry O’gaff”.

“Squid Jiggin’ ground” quickly became the most popular song in doyle’s songbook. In 1943, “Squid Jiggin’ Ground” was the first Newfoundland folk song to be commercially recorded by Hank Snow. Over the next thirty-seven years, Scammell earned $35 000 in royalties for sales of the record and sheet music from this one song. Throughout his life he continued to write songs describing the disappearing lifestyle of traditional newfoundland outports.

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More recentlyDuring thefirsthalf of the twentiethcentury, itbecameeasierforNewfoundlandersandLabradorianstolistentomusicfromoutsidetheircommunities.Theintroductionof radio and later, the presence of American andCanadiansoldiersstationedhere,influencedlocalmusictastes.Country, jazz, rockand roll, andotherpopularmusic made a big impression on young musicians.Wilf Doyle formed a big band, The Solidaires, whoperformedswingmusic.JimmyLinegarbecameoneof NewfoundlandandLabrador’sfirstcountrysingers.

With the arrival of television, Newfoundlanders andLabradorians began watching their own music onCBNT’slocallyproducedshowAll Around the Circle,whichairedfrom1964-1975.InmainlandCanada,expatriateNewfoundlanders and Labradorians filled dance hallsinOntarioandtheMaritimestohearDickNolanandHarryHibbs,whostartedperforminginTorontoin1958and1968respectively.ThesemusiciansblendeddancemusicwithtraditionalIrishandNewfoundlandsongs.Atonepoint,HarryHibbssoldover1.5millionrecordings,breakingCanadiansalesrecords.

The1970sbroughtafolkrevivalmovementthatspreadacrossEuropeandthroughoutNorthAmerica.Itsimpactwasalsofelthere.Someof themusiciansinfluencedbyitincludeAnitaBest,RonHynes,HarryMartin,PamelaMorgan,andthebandsFiggyDuff andTheWonderfulGrand Band. Often these musicians and groupscombinedtraditionalmusicwithrockandroll.AsPamelaMorgan once said, “When I was young, traditionalmusicwasconsideredtoberepresentingabackwardwayof life,whichpeopleweretryingtoforgetinfavourof amoremodernlifestyle.Nowadays,peopleembraceandcelebratetheircultureandtheirmusic;partlyinfluencedbytheculturalrevolutioninthe70s…”

Today, Newfoundland and Labrador musicians use a wide variety of musical forms in their originalcompositions. Amelia Curran sings about her lifeexperiencesinalternativeandfolkmelodies,whileTimBakerfromHeyRosetta!combinesclassicalmusicwithrockandrollandpopsounds.TheIdlersandJimFidlerare examples of reggaemusicians from our province.Thisgenerationof NewfoundlandersandLabradoriansis followingtheexampleof theirancestorsas theyputwordstomusictheylove.

Fig. 8 Harry Hibbs, 1971 With record sales of over 1.5 million, Harry Hibbs is one of the top-selling Canadian artists of all time.

Fig. 9 The cast of All Around the CircleThis weekly half-hour program featured music from Newfoundland and Labrador. Originally a local show, it went national when it became part of CBC’s lineup in 1969.

Fig. 10 Hey Rosetta!, a popular indie rock band from Newfoundland and Labrador

Listen to five traditional songs about “this place”.Whattypesof storiesarebeingtold?

Exercise One:

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Think about all the songs you know. You probably have a playlistin your head of over a hundred songs. Youmay also carry around hundredsof tunesonanMP3player.Yourgreat-great-grandparentsdidn’thavethattechnology.Infact,manysongsbackthenweren’tevenwrittendownandfewpeoplehadaformalmusiceducation.However,thatdidn’t stoppeople fromcreatingand sharingnewmusic. In thischapter,youareaskedtotryyourhandatsongwriting.Thismayseemintimidating,butdon’tworry!Theprocessthatfollowsisdirectedtowardsthebeginningcomposerwithlittleornomusicalbackground.

WriteaSongHow to

Songwritersgenerallyuseoneof threeapproacheswhencreatingsongs: 1) Composethemusicandthencomposethelyrics 2) Composethelyricsandthencomposethemusic or 3) Compose the lyrics and themusic at the same time…singingandplaying thewordsand the melodyuntilthetwoseemtofit

Inthischapter,youwilluseamodifiedversionof thefirstapproach–youwill selectanexistingmelodyandthencompose your own lyrics. However, before you begincraftingyourlyrics,thereareseveralpointstoconsider.

Therearetwomainwaysthatlyricsarefrequentlywritten. The first is sometimes referred to asinspiration. The songwriter experiences a brainwave and quickly writes the song.* For example, EricClaptonwrote“WonderfulTonight”inthespaceof 15minuteswhilehewaitedforhiswifetogetdressed

for a dinner party.However,many artists say thatwhileinspirationdoesstrikeoccasionally,mostof thetimetheyhavetoworkinordertocreatetheirart.Whileitiscalledbydifferentnames,wewillrefertothismethodasworkshopping.

general Approaches

How it Happens

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Fig. 11 An idea web that might be an inspiration for a traditional Newfoundland and Labrador song. Can you guess which one it is?

Fig. 12 Songwriting can be a solitary exercise or done in a group.

Workshopping a song can be similar to writing astoryideainEnglishclass.Firstyouidentifyathemearoundwhichtocraftastoryorsong.Thenyouneedtoresearchthe factsaroundtheexperienceoreventandestablishawaytoexploreitinthestoryorsong.Forinstance,BobDylan’s“Hurricane”andDamhnaitDoyle’s “31Years”arebothexamplesof songs thatexplore the experience of those wrongfully accusedof murder.Frequently,during theresearchstage thewriterorcomposertakestimetobrainstormhis/heridea.Infact,techniquessuchascreatinganideawebareveryhelpful.Afterthispreparationhastakenplace,thetaskof composingtheactuallyricsbegins.

Thisprocessof writingasongcaneitherbeasolitaryexercise – where you think about and explore aparticularevent, idea,orthemealone–oritcanbedonewith another individual or as part of a largergroup.Youmayneedtoexperimenttoseewhichwayworksbest foryou. Ineither case, it is important tohaveacleargoalinmind.

Sometimesallittakesisonemainideaor“hook”to

driveasong.Onceyoustartthinkingaboutsongwriting,you may find that you are hit with an idea for acompositionatunexpectedtimes.Totakeadvantageof thesemomentsof inspiration,itishelpfultokeepa notebookwith you.Having a notebook dedicatedforthispurposehelpsavoidsituationswhenyousay,“Gee, Ihadagreat ideayesterday,andnowIdon’tquite rememberwhat itwas…”Whatever happens,don’tletyourinspirationslipaway.Forinstance,popstarBritneySpearshassaidthatwhenshethinksof amelody,shecallsupheransweringmachineandsingsitsoshewon’tforgetit.Similarly,NewfoundlandandLabradormusicianÉmileBenoîtoncetoldthestoryof howhewrotethesong“Émile’sDream”:

At 3 o’clock in the morning, I woke up and here was the tune in my mind. So, I got up and I took my violin and I played it. I had no tape recorder so I called my sister and told her that it was an emergency and she had to tape my jig over the telephone because if I went back to bed, I might forget it. So I went back to bed, and sure enough when I got up, the jig was gone. A good thing I called my sister.

Asyoucraftyourowncompositions, taketimetoshareyourworkwithothers.Doingthisusuallyhelpstoclarifyyourownideasandrefineyourmusic.Friendsandfamilycanbegoodsourcesof feedback.Itisalsousefultoattendsongwriting circles. These events are usually formalopportunitiesforsongwriterstogettogetherandsingsongs

thatarecompletedorinprogress.Usuallythesongwritersprovidecommentaryontheirsongwritingprocessandtheinspirationbehindthesongs.Thiskindof interactionoftenprovidesideasfornewsongs.Also,itisagoodopportunitytomeetothersongwriterswithwhomyoumightwanttocollaborate.

Sharing your Songs

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Thereisnorightorwrongwaytogoaboutwritingthelyricsof a song;norare thereanymagical formulas.However,thereareseveralapproachesthatsongwritersusewhentheyareworkshoppingasong.Inthis“HowTo” we will feature one technique that is frequentlyused–thetheme/topicapproach.

Step 1: Create a TitleThefirststepinthissongwritingapproach,aswithmanyartforms,istodecidewhatsubjectyouwanttoexplore.Inthiscourseyouhavebeenexposedtomanydifferentideas and themes that relate to “this place”. Yourchallengewill be to select one story/event/experiencefromthismaterialaroundwhichtocraftasong.Asthisexercisewilltakesometimetocomplete,youshouldselectanareawhich interestsyou. In fact,manysongwriterssuggest that it ishelpful towriteabout something thatyouknowwell,thatyouarepassionateabout,andthatyouthinkisimportant.

Onceyouhaveidentifiedthefocusof yoursong,youneed to create a title for it. This theme/topic willguideyourworkasyoucraftyoursongand,ideally,beincludedinthesong’slyrics.Herearesomeexamplesof songtitlesthatreflectthewayof lifeinourprovince:

“TheKelligrewsSoiree”–asongabouta •communitygathering

“Sarah”–awhimsicallovesong •

“WaveOverWave”–asongaboutthefishing •tradition

“OutFromSt.Leonard’s”–asongabout •resettlement

You have covered a lot of themes and ideas so far in this course. If you find it challenging to narrow your focus to one topic, take a few minutes and scan through the table of contents or the index of this book for ideas. You might also find it helpful to glance through

the book and identify some of your favourite visuals.

Theme/TopicApproachthe

IcameuponacharminggirlandSarahishername,Herparentswantsahusbandwithriches,wealthandfame,Ihavenowealthbutrichesandfame,hasnevercomemywayTilthenightIwenttovisitmyloveandthroughthekeyholesay:

chorus:

Sarah,Sarahwon’tyoucomeouttonight,Sarah,Sarahthemoonisshiningbright,Putyourhatandjacketon,tellyourmotheryouwon’tbelong,AndI’llbewaitingforyouroundthecorner!

MySarahisthegirllikethis,agirlyouseldomseeShelovesmeonlyformyself andnotformymoneyEverynightateighto’clock,sheputstheneedleawayAndstandingjustoutsideherdoorandthroughthekeyholesay:

chorus

Onenightalittleaftereight,Icreptuptoherdoorandwhispered,“Sarah,darling”asIoftendonebefore“I’llgiveyouSarah”saidavoice,asdownIwenttoflop!AndherMothersangasshekickedmeallaroundtheshop!

chorus

TheoldwomanthoughtshekilledmeandIletherthinksotooAsIlaythereonthefloorIscarceknewwhattodoAtlastshesaid“aliveordead?MygirlI’lllethimwed.”AndupIjumpssaid“Thankyou,Ma’am”andtomygirlIsaid:

chorus

A traditional song recorded by Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers

Sarah

Now that you have established your theme/topic, you needtowritewhatyouknowaboutyourtopic.Thisdoesn’thavetobeintheformof anessay–jotnoteswillworkjustfine.Inyournotebook,recordwhatyouknowabouttheexperienceyouhavechosen.

Assuming that your title relates to a story/event/experience,createanoutlineof thedetailsyouwanttoincludeinyoursong.Afteryouhavecompletedtheoutline, review it to look forgaps.Youmayneed tocompletesomeresearchtofillinanyinformationyouaremissing.

Whenreviewingyouroutline,youmayfindthataskingyourself the followingquestionswillhelpyoutofine-tuneit:

Whathappenedinthestory/event/experience•youwillbewritingabout?

Towhomdidithappen?Whowasinvolved? •

Whendidithappen?•

Whydidithappen? •

Hassomethingsimilareverhappenedbefore?Isit •likelytohappenagain?

Howdidtheparticipantsfeelwhileitwashappening? •

Wasthestory/event/experienceconsidereda •goodorbadthing?If therearedifferentperspectivesonthis,whichoneareyougoingtotake?

Whathappenedasaresultof thestory/event/ •experience?Wasitsignificant?

Onceyouhaveasolidoutlineforyourstory,youcanworkoncreatingapalateof wordsorphrasesthatyoucanuseinyoursong.Useyournotebooktorecordyourideasasyouengageinvariousbrainstormingactivities.Youmaywanttocreateanideaweb(liketheoneonpage12)oranothergraphicorganizertohelpyouselectthebestphrasestouseinyoursong.

Step 2: research and Brainstorm

Fig. 15 Great Big Sea in concert Sean McCann of Great Big Sea says, “Our music is of Newfoundland. It would be impossible to do what we do if we were from anywhere else. Our songs come from the sea and the cliffs and the rocks and all the other natural beauties our country provides. Without her we simply couldn’t exist.”

Fig. 14 This Venn diagram is exploring ideas for a song about the experiences of a woman in Newfoundland and Labrador in 1900 vs. today.

Fig. 13

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Nowthatyouhaveestablishedafocusforyoursong,youarereadytochooseanexistingmelodyaroundwhichtocraftyour lyrics.Inthe future,youmaywishtocreateyourownuniquemelodyforyourlyrics.However,asthisexercise is focusingon theprocessof lyricwriting,weareaskingyou to select a tune that youalreadyknowforyoursong.ThismethodwasusedbyOttoKellandin1947,whenwewrotethewell-lovedsong“LetMeFishOff CapeSt.Mary’s”,basedonanexistingmelodyfrom“TheHillsof OldWyoming”.

Rememberthatthetuneyouselectshouldhelpreflecttheintentof whatyouwanttosharewiththelistener.If itisasongaboutloss,thenaslowmelodymightbebesttouse.Forexample,themelodyof “WaveoverWave”or“OutfromSt.Leonard’s”mightbetterlenditself toasadsongthanwouldthelivelymelodyof asonglike“TheRyansandthePittmans”.

Beforeyoucraftyourlyricsaroundamelody(aprocessknown as phrasing), you need to understand thestructureof thetuneyouhaveselected.Listencarefullytothemelodyyouhavechosenandanswerthefollowingquestions:

1) Whatistheformof yoursong?Doesithavea chorus?If so,notewhenitappears. 2) Whatisthepatternfortherhythmcontainedin eachverse/chorus? 3) Howmanysyllablesarethereineachline?

4) Does the song need to rhyme? If so, what is therhymingpattern?Hint:You’llknowthesong needstorhymeif apatterninthemelodyrepeats itself.Forexample,tapoutthefirsttwolinesof “JackWasEveryInchaSailor”.Thefirst two lines have the same rhythm pattern and, therefore,rhyme:Jackwaseveryinchasailor/ five-and-twentyyearsawhaler.

Step 3: Select a Melody/Craft the Lyrics

by Otto P. Kelland

TakemebacktomyWesternboat,

Letmefishoff CapeSt.Mary’s

Wherethehagdownssailandthefoghornswail

WithmyfriendstheBrownsandtheClearys.

Letmefishoff CapeSt.Mary’s.

Letmefeelmydorylift

TothebroadAtlanticcombers

Wherethetideripsswirlandthewildduckswhirl

WhereOldNeptunecallsthenumber

’NeaththebroadAtlanticcombers...

LetmesailupGoldenBay

Withmyoilskinsallastreamin’...

FromthethundersquallwhenIhauledmetrawl

AndmyoldCapeAnnagleamin’

Withmyoilskinsallastreamin’...

Letmeviewthatruggedshore,

Wherethebeachisalla-glisten

WiththeCaplinspawnwherefromdusktodawn

Youbaityourtrawlandlisten

Totheundertowa-hissin’.

WhenIreachthatlastbigshoal

Wherethegroundswellsbreakasunder,

Wherethewildsandsrolltothesurgestoll.

Letmebeamanandtakeit

Whenmydoryfailstomakeit.

Takemebacktothatsnuggreencove

Wheretheseasrolluptheirthunder.

Thereletmerestintheearth’scoolbreast

Wherethestarsshineouttheirwonder,

Andtheseasrolluptheirthunder.

LetMeFishOffCapeSt.Mary’s

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Fig. 18 The Flummies “This Is The Life For Me”, 2007Leander Baikie of The Flummies says, “Traditional songs of this province are inspired through life experiences while travelling on the land, over the water, or in the community. Our lyrics are stories put to music, and (they) only become special when the next generation discovers their true meaning.”

Fig. 17 Otto Kelland wrote the lyrics for the well-loved song “Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary’s”.

Fig. 16

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Onceyouhaveyourmindwrappedaroundtheoverallcompositionof yourmelody,youhavetwomoredecisionstomake:whatvoiceandtenseareyougoingtouseinyoursong?If youuseafirst-personvoice,youwillbewritingasif theeventorexperienceinthesongishappening/hashappenedtothenarrator.If youuseathird-personvoice,thenarratorof thesongwillbedescribingwhatishappening/hashappened to someoneelse.Youalsoneed to decide if you are going to be describing theevent/experienceinthepresenttense–thatis,whileitis occurring–or if youaregoing tobe talkingaboutsomethingthatoccurredinthepast.

Once you’vemade these decisions, look back at yournotesfromyourresearchingandbrainstorminginstep2, and you’ll probably see that you’ve alreadywrittenoneormorephrasesthatyoucanuseasyoucraftyourlyrics.Asyoucompose,you’llprobablyfindithelpfulto

haveathesaurusanddictionaryatyourfingertips.Youcanalsopulloutsomeof theliterarydevicesthatyou’veencounteredinothercourses–suchasrhyme,imagery,alliteration,metaphor,personification,andsimile.

You may have noticed that this essay has frequentlyusedthewordcraft.Thisisdoneintentionally,asmostsongwriters takemanyhours (orevendaysormonths)revisingandexperimentingwithwordsuntiltheyfeelthattheirlyrics“work”.Manyviewsongwritingassimilartothe act of creating somethingwith physicalmaterials,suchaswoodorclay.Tocreateafinishedform,anartistmusttaketimeandenergytoshapeandmoldtherawmaterials–changingandcuttingawaypartsthatdonotworkandaddingorrearrangingotherbits–untiltheyservethedesiredpurpose.Sodon’tworryif yoursongdoesn’t come together right away. Just relax and playwiththelyricsuntiltheyflow.

Literary Devices in Songs

“Jack Was Every Inch a Sailor”

’Twas twenty-five or thirty years

Since Jack first saw the light

I was born down by the water, it’s here I’m gonna stay

I’ve searched for all the reasons why I should go away

But I haven’t got the thirst for all those modern day toysSo I’ll just take my chances with those saltwater joys.

Following the little brook as it trickles to the shore

In the autumn when the trees are flaming red

Kicking leaves that fall around meWatching sunsets paint the hills

That’s all I’ll ever need to feel at home.

How can I leave those mornings with the sunrise on the cove

And the gulls like flies surrounding Clayton’s wharf

Platter’s Island wrapped in rainbow in the evening after fog

The ocean smells are perfume to my soul.

As I leaned o’er the rail of the Eagle,The letter boy brought unto me,A little gilt-edged invitation,

Sayin’ the girls want you over for tea.Sure I knew the O’Hooligans sent it,

And I went just for old friendship sake,

And the first thing they gave me to tackle,Was a slice of the Trinity Cake.

“Trinity Cake”

This is an example of alliteration.

This song is written in the first-person voice

Mor

e exa

mples

of r

hyme

Exam

ples o

f rhy

me fr

om “S

altwa

ter J

oys”

by W

ayne

Cha

ulk.

Per

soni

ficat

ion

is us

ed he

re.

Strong visual imagery!

Simile

Metaphor

Fig. 19 Ennis (formerly known as the Ennis Sisters) is a Newfoundland and Labrador group with a contemporary voice flavoured by traditional music. They play both their own original music, as well as do interpretations of traditional tunes and ballads.

Fig. 20

Fig. 21

Exercise Two: Select three songs that tell a story or explore an experience related toNewfoundlandandLabrador.Analyzeeachsong’sstructuretodetermine: a) thesong’sformorstructureintermsof versesand,if relevant,thechorus b) thepatternfortherhythmcontainedineachverse/chorus c) thenumberof syllablesineachline d) thepoeticdevicesused

Traditional songs of this province are inspired through life experiences while travelling on the land, over the water,

or living in the community. –LeanderBaikie,TheFlummies

20 21