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Let It Rest, Let It Rise

by Nathan Smith

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1.
2.
Market Day 03:09
Sun’s still sleeping, I wanna stay down Gravity pulls a little harder right now But I gotta get up, you know, I can’t sleep late Gotta make bread for Market Day Let it rest, let it rise Every little good thing takes its time Pick a little banjo while I wait Wait for the bread on Market Day Flour in the bucket, flour in the bowl Flour in my hair, flour in my soul A little bit of leaven goes a long, long way When you’re making that bread for Market Day I get my water from back in the woods Salt makes bread taste like it should Mix it all together and it’s bubbling away Becoming my bread for Market Day Bread for the fathers, bread for the mothers Bread for the saints and bread for the others Bread for the young and the old and grey It’s busy down here on Market Day Market Day, that’s when I see These southern hills have been good to me Give a little smile and a loaf and a wave To the folks in line on Market Day
3.
The Grove 03:13
4.
Dinosaurs 03:39
5.
Over Yonder 03:51
Grandpa, you’ve never looked finer You’re dressed in your best suit and tie The roses in bloom all around you They glisten in each teary eye But up there I’m sure you’re less formal From your coveralls down to your boots You’re up there doing the work you know best Farming that heavenly food Are the fields always green over yonder Is the fiddler in tune when he plays Is the sun always shining, can you always make hay Do you waltz with your darling at the close of each day In cornfields that always yield plenty There’s a tractor that’s a pleasure to drive And back on the farm, back in the Lord’s barn There’s milk cows that never get dry Your backaches and heartaches are over Your knees and your toes are restored And the sorrow that once took you under Has been taken away by the Lord We’ll follow you out to the church yard Sing the gospel hymns you loved the best And fiddling away on your favourites We’ll waltz you away to your rest Now the dance floor awaits your arrival You and Grandma go out every night You can even go waltzing on Sundays ‘Cause the good Lord he says it’s alright
6.
Set Sail 03:56
As the sun’s going down on a seafaring town Johnny heads down to the bar It’s a smoky old dive where he feels most alive With the sailors come in from adventures afar He’s a sailor himself and in very good health For he’s never been out on the sea But he dresses the part and he sings from the heart Of the ocean-bound vessel where he’d rather be But he’s never set sail on the briny Never been tossed by the wind and the foam He’s always been safe in the harbour He’s a sailor who’s never left home He knows all the shanties, he knows a good brandy He knows he’d do well if he tried But when the lads travel on at the breaking of dawn The town will still be here with Johnny inside He longs to tell stories and share in the glories Of wild lands along distant shores But he gets all unnervy when he hears about scurvy And the monsters and mermaids that wait overboard Then one day in July, Johnny made up his mind He knew just what he had to do He packed his belongings and whistling a song He boarded a ship and joined up with the crew But the week they set sail, they got caught in a gale Just off the Barbary Coast And with the waves’ constant pounding, the ship swung around And Johnny the sailor was thrown from the boat It then dawned on him that he’d not learned to swim And his head was forced down by the waves As he sank like a stone to the deep Davy Jones He knew in his mind that his life had been saved For he’d finally set sail on the briny Finally been tossed by the wind and the foam He’s stepped off the shore and he’ll not be no more The sailor who never left home
7.
8.
9.
Jasper 05:06
10.
11.
Lady of the Trail, that binds my mind Take me to this place, where I can find my lily child I would take you there if I knew the way To the place where the river meets the bay But the fire inside always leads you astray Down by the water covered in moon’s eyes My Lady You will recall the greatest love of all She takes my hand, through the moss grove Over the water drops that have started to flow below And I know I will always remember this day In the place where the river meets the bay But the fire inside always leads you astray Down by the water covered in stars’ eyes Lady of the Earth, can I hold you some more I love you, Lady, and I could bring you so much more Now I lay down sinking in your love I see new light spring from above If I could breathe, I never should Under the water covered in moonshine
12.
Cold Water 04:00
Down the rivers of my mind Flow through another time Where I knew we couldn’t stay But she was always game to play Among the birches and the pines Far above the water’s edge Leave the safety of the ledge Spread my wings to the sky For a moment I can fly Then I go where my body’s led Shouting from the brink Will she let me swim or sink Cold Water, she’s filling up my soul Cold Water, she’s calling my back home Can’t navigate a dream But I’ll not forget her streams I know she’s far from safe She’s got her wiley ways But what she says is what she means Insistent as she flows I can’t just tell her no Often I return, but she’s never quite the same But the lines beside my eyes say that I’m the one who’s changed So much more to lose, still everything to gain But her open arms still beckon To jump in while she’s calling out my name
13.

about

"Nathan Smith's blend of traditional folk songwriting and old-time chamber music is a refreshing pleasure to listen to, and was a true joy to record. The freedom of interplay between the incredible musicians has made a uniquely exciting and rich recording of beautiful acoustic music."
-Don Kerr, Rooster Studios, Toronto, ON (Producer, Engineer)

credits

released February 14, 2020

Nathan Smith: lead vocals, fiddle (1,3,4,7,8,9,10,11,13), guitar (2,5,6,11,12)
Emilyn Stam: piano(1,3,4,8,9,10,12), fiddle (2,5,7,11), accordion (6,13), harmony vocals (2,6)
Alan Mackie: bass, harmony vocals (2,6)
Hannah Shira Naiman: clawhammer banjo (2), harmony vocals (2,5,6)
Anh Phung: flute (1,6,8), mandolin (2), harmony vocals (2,6)
Don Kerr: harmony vocals (6)

All tracks composed by Nathan Smith except:
4, 7 (Emilyn Stam, Nathan Smith) and 11 (Matthew Smith)
All tracks arranged by Nathan Smith and Emilyn Stam

Produced, recorded, and mixed by Don Kerr at Rooster Studios in Toronto, ON
Mastered by David Travers-Smith at Found Sound Production in Toronto, ON
Artwork and design by Jaymie Karn

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Nathan Smith Toronto, Ontario

Nathan Smith is a fiddle player and singer in Toronto, ON, Canada. His upbeat and soulful original songs and fiddle tunes evoke bluegrass and old-time combined with his upbringing playing traditional Canadian fiddle music. Nathan also plays with Toronto Bluegrass band The Barrel Boys. ... more

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