Prairie Pray Feb-2022 Garrett Kirby / Kate Stanton
This song is about an expat who is longing to go back the prairies but really it’s about a lost love. The “she” at the beginning is the pronoun for the prairies but the twist is that is not about a girl but a guy.
I think that Kate (@katestantonsings) nailed the feeling that I was going for in this song. Thanks Kate. However, I did send Kate a demo of me singing the melody for the verse. What have I done..........OMG. I have sent a vocal sample to Kate....like what was I thinking. I hope you didn't spill her cup of joe while listening to my vocal attempt. I can’t sing. OK so am in a panic mode to delete all evidence, at least on my computer.
Now that email is in the intra-webby cloudy fluffy thing forever. I know that tech people can “wipe your system clean”..so i decided to give it a try. 1O minutes later and 3 Lysol wipes and 1/2 bottle of Purell and -bang- the email is still in the send folder.....I digress
Kate did an excellent job with a wonderful main vocal, backup and harmonies more than I asked for so nice of her!
Music, Lyrics and arrangement by ; Garry Kirby (@Gm7)
Sung and melody by: Kate Stanton (@katestantonsings)
Prairie Prayer
Intro
V1
She calling me
She keeps on calling me
That prairie........... night time sky
She calling me
She keeps on calling me
It’s so so hard .......to say. goodbye
V2
She sings to me
Always sings to me
A sweet melody ....played by her hand
She sings to me
Always sings to me
To come back home.......a journey i can not plan.
C1
Those long dark winters
Where the wind blow cold
I can’t help but wonder
Should i should I go back home?
V3
Is he waiting there?
Maybe he’s waiting there
But no I ...had my chance
Is he waiting there?
Maybe he’s waiting there
My time is gone .....for romance
C2
Those long dark winters
Where the wind blow cold
I can’t help but wonder
Should i should i go back home?
C3
Those long dark winters
Where the wind blow cold
I can’t help but wonder
Should i should I go back home .
@berni1954 Mar 2022
Gorgeous vocal. I love the chord sequences in both the verses and chorus. Some surprising choices keep the melody interesting.
The lyrics capture well that feeling of being a stranger in a strange land and the doubts about whether your choice to leave was the right one.
The problem with returning "home" - is that "the past is another country" - the home you left will have changed and you with it. You expect to slot right back in, but you find yourself oddly a stranger in apparently familiar surroundings. At its height, this can feel like you've switched into a parallel universe, because you didn't experience the changes in your home environment over time, but just plunged straight back into the "new" place and new behaviour patterns. It's a truly unsettling experience and the longer you are away, the stronger the sense of unease when you go "back".
@leka Mar 2022
Wonderful vocals... great lyrics too. I like the way the verses are put together.
@nancycunning Mar 2022
Wow. This is a beautiful collaboration. The track and the vocals and the lyrics support each other so well. And you can hear the wind whistling across that ocean of prairie. Great work.
@cheslain Mar 2022
What a beautiful song. Pastoral, choral, hymn-like quality with a nice country twang thrown in resembling something by Alison Krauss a little bit. You've truly captured a sense of longing and painted a picture of the prairie. Excellent vocals. That second to last chord (half diminished something or other maybe?) in the chorus is really tasty.
@chrismyth02 Mar 2022
This is lovely. The repetition in the lines are so effective. Great guitar and bass. Kate carries the vocal so softly and sweetly. There is a bit of melancholy in the chorus that punctuates the sadness of the piece so well. I didn't want it to end.
@sherrylynnlee Mar 2022
Beautiful singing and harmonies there. Whatever demo vocal you sent and were self-conscious about, it was clearly good enough to communicate your idea so @katestantonsings could knock it out of the park! Nostalgia and melancholy ooze from this track :)
@seppo Mar 2022
Ah, what peace and ease here.
Even tho it's a sad song it sounds hopeful.
And Kate. Oh yes.
@elainedimasi Mar 2022
How lovely to hear a feathery soprano harmonies on this track. Suits the emotion perfectly. Garry's track gives such a nice firm foundation, like the prairie skyline. And of course it's timeless to be thinking about going back and about having lost a chance. Spoken to musically by the way it fades out like wind.
@beacon Mar 2022
What an amazing collab! Kate's vocals are so lovely (as well as the harmonies), and @gm7 damn those are tremendous instrument tracks. Just tremendous. #tit4tat
@guitarpatz83 Mar 2022
Great guitar playing and a powerful folky vocal over the top. Particularly enjoy the contrast in the chord changes for the verse and chorus. Enjoyed the solo riffing with @katestantonsings alongside them before the second chorus. Great work!
@andrea Mar 2022
This is so lovely. I can feel the yearning in Kate's vocals. I really enjoyed this song. The guitar and vocals sound amazing together. Super collab!
@tawny249 Feb 2022
Really enjoyed the harmonies - the vocal is lovely in general, but those harmonies were my favorite part. They add so much depth to this. And yes, I agree that the switch to it actually being about a man, and the "she" being the landscape, is a neat take. The little tweaks to each chorus are also cool, each one has its own flavor. Very nice!
@coolparadiso Feb 2022
I just knew this would be good. First note was good first vox note was good! Nicely paced to savour the lyric . The changes are brilliant! A real pleasure to listen to!
@nahlej381 Feb 2022
This is a beautiful performance. Garry’s guitar makes me think of the Ass Ponys (one of my favorite bands) and Kate’s vocals are so dreamy and the harmonies are spot on. Really excellent work!
#tit4tat
@oswlek Feb 2022
Enchanting. The interlude was all encompassing, with its sweet guitar licks and Kate's gorgeous vocals off in the distance. The guitar noodling at the beginning also really grabbed me. I also really love that chord on "I can't help but wonder", such a sweet, unexpected surprise.
Of course, it's always a treat to hear Kate's voice. I have a hard time imagining anything that wouldn't sound great if she were singing it. :)
@wolfkier Feb 2022
So yummy delicious. Just so....
Well done both of you.
@djtjb Feb 2022
This is stunning y'all! I can feel the prairie calling. Garrys guitar just evokes so much emotion, and Kate's performance is angelic. This was a home run :)
@richaaaay Feb 2022
Wonderful collaboration you two. Lovely singing by Kate, of course. Plus Garry’s always tasteful guitar playing. Exactly what I expect to hear from you two….Some darn good music!!!
@greengrassgirl Feb 2022
Garry, This is WONDERFUL! All the elements of a great song! A melody that won't let go; soulful vocals, and accomplished musicianship that does everything you want, without going overboard. Lovely atmospheric feel. The music and Kate's vocal go together beautiful. Congrats to you both.
@gwyn1234 Feb 2022
Fantastic collab oozing emotion with perfection...
@caitlin Feb 2022
Ohhh from the very first notes, you shoot sadness right through the heart, Garry. And Kate! Your VOICE! It sings to me. (Ha, see what I did there?) Your harmonies are gorgeous and that ethereal ooh is chill worthy.
@davidtaro Feb 2022
That chorus, where you go into a minor on the third line... that's the stuff! The verse has an almost hymnal feel, which is utterly appropriate for the song. Kate absolutely captures the yearning of the lyrics in the performance. And then those echoey oooohs over the solo - magic :)
@heliosonorous Feb 2022
Great work, some soulful and longing vocals, good use of vocal extras in the bridge to carry it along, very much a song of days of home.
@dzdandcunfsd Feb 2022
This is really lovely, and really does nail the sentiment of wanting to go back home. Great work all around! but now I want to hear that original vocal file :D
@n24 Feb 2022
Mmm a wonderful melancholic time, almost hymnal in its reverence. I love the gentle harmonies coming in throughout, particularly in the verses. Love this collab, fantastic creation!
@tseaver Feb 2022
Nice collab! The vocals are lovely, as are the guitars supporting and answering them.
@jerrypettit Feb 2022
I would let Kate cuss me out on a daily basis, so long as she did it in song. She ALWAYS takes my breath away.
This is a wonderful, wonderful song--terrific lyrics. This could be a hit for you guys. I hear it on a soundtrack for a western. And I love westerns!
@ferry0123 Feb 2022
The vocal melody provokes a longing for good old times, and it's kind of reminiscent of Amazing Grace. The harmonies ('should I go back home?) are very pleasing as are the arrangements.
@brisk Feb 2022
I thought this one was lovely. Nice melody, and loved the longing in the words.
@djevans53 Feb 2022
Very sweet and moving. Nice collab.
@mahtowin Feb 2022
Beautiful!
@darbyam Feb 2022
Great melody and arrangement. Kate's vocals fit perfectly and really bring the song together. This collaboration is excellent.
@nadine Feb 2022
Garry you made my day. This is exactly the way I felt when people asked me to sing a demo. I wanted to hide under my bed and delete all evidence from my computer. Look at my FAWM now... I still wanna hide.
Coming to your song. This melody works so well with Kates voice. Super smooth and soothing song. Like a lullaby in 4/4. The harmonies on the chorus are great. And I like that the solo uses this melody too. Great atmosphere!
@katestantonsings Feb 2022
haha, I didn't think that at all Garry, but I can relate since I've done the same thing with piano pieces I've sent to @musicsongwriter. The melody you wrote and sent was beautiful. Thank you!!
@geoff61 Feb 2022
beautiful job both of you.