This is about the day my grandmother gave all her life’s oil paintings away to all of her children and grandchildren. My sister, Lydia Duncan, wrote the original poem. I have expanded on that to make it into a song. Still a work in progress.
This seems to be how I create. Lyrics first, then music and adjust the lyrics to fit as I am composing.
The Day Granny Gave Away a Part of Herself
By Lydia Duncan 1986
Verse 1
It was 1986
she was 86 years old
born in 1900
Life was simpler then
She’d seen babies born and babies die
And sons go off to war.
She saw her daughters marry
Her legacy they bore
Verse 2
In her younger years she painted
Pictures tall and pictures small
Some were just of simple flowers
And some were so much more
Each painting had her touch
An exquisite kind of style
She could make a mountain come to life
And make a bird take flight
Pre-Chorus
It would be her finest hour
When she gave it all away
When she called us all together
To listen to what she had to say
Chorus
Take my art
Take a piece me with you
Take my art
And let the beauty stay with you
Take my art
For when you make your choice
You will always have a piece of my heart
Verse 3
Well we all stood waiting
Looking in her aging eyes
Listening for her words
To speak to us her wish
Words were hard to come by
When breathing was strong
But the love poured out
Abundantly
Verse 4
She motioned to the room
Filled with her works of art
Each different in each detail
Each filled with her insight to life
How should we choose
the youngest of the oldest first?
Either way it was an honor to choose among her treasures
And how our choices gave her pleasure
Chorus
Verse 5
Granny is old and weakens daily
But her mind is very clear
And when she’s gone
We’ll all remember her
by the part of her she gave away
Chorus
@clbalke Feb 2022
@timfatchen thank you!!
@timfatchen Feb 2022
A good feel to this and a very important thing. It is important to all of us to know that when we're gone, some remains, at least for a while. Well put.
@clbalke Feb 2022
@lennie oh thanks!!! Oh my!! Yes!! I totally understand that. I can’t imagine how it feels to have all of that artwork and such a part of your soul. Then have to get rid of it. We did a digital copy of all of my grandmother’s artwork too. it is amazing how prolific she was.
@lennie Feb 2022
What a strong story: all the more touching for being real. And what a decision to make.
When someone paints all their life and lives to be old, it's true that their pictures tell the story of their lives. It must have been to hard to separate all these images among the family
I digitally photographed all of an elderly friend's paintings when she was afraid she would have to go into care and leave them behind. There were 70 years of pictures, all people and places she'd known as well as art experiments. Some were of people I knew but painted before I was born. Its an incredible insight into a life.