sha-sha-sha-shy-ya / sha-sha-sha-shy-ya / sha-sha-sha-shy-ya / sha-sha-sha-sho
Lightning scarred heart
Tell me I’m beautiful
Your whispers are a hushed lullaby.
Your soft smiles
Your bright ideas
Makes time go faster each day
Lightning scarred heart
I’ll tell you you’re beautiful
I was so lost when it was just me.
Heavens, a million stars
Is how long I’ll love you
You’re all I ever wanted finally, oh finally.
Be strong out there
Hold me sometime
Kiss me, trust me
I’ll let my walls down, oh
Lighting scarred heart
Tell me I’m beautiful
In whispers - a hushed lullaby.
Sha-sha-sha-shy-ya / sha-sha-sha-shy-ya / sha-sha-sha-shy-ya / sha-sha-sha-sho
about
Why the Caged Bird Sings is a participatory and community-engaged, five-day singing, songwriting & recording workshop that involves small groups of incarcerated women, men or detained your along with their literacy educators and/or cultural programmers in federal prisons, provincial correctional centres and youth detention facilities in the land now known as canada.
The song lyrics created by the participants are strung together to create a narrative, using consensus as a way to create equity so that everyone's voice is heard and validated. The songs are uplifting and positive in theme and are meant to become a repeatable mantra that belongs to all the participants who co-wrote the song--extending out to the greater community--so that everyone can join in. At the root of every song lyric is the use of metaphor. This helps to poetically focus the lyrics both thematically and in how the song is constructed.
The resulting uplifting song is one that does not ignore the struggles or hardships that any of the participants have individually or collectively endured, but instead looks forward to be a useful way of affirming one's future and potential.
The songs are meant to be 'freedom songs--not to be confused with those from the civil rights movement. In Cree language, 'freedom' is akin to having self-control and self-determination, so from a creative point-of-view, it is self-expression, or 'freedom' that these songs lyrically and melodically declare.
Once recorded, mixed and mastered, the songs are released as singles and shared with the co-writers, programs staff and all project partners. Proceeds from sales are shared with all co-writers.
THE PRICE POINT OF THIS SINGLE REFLECTS THE MINIMUM WAGE AN INMATE RECEIVES PER DAY - PLEASE ENJOY & SING ALONG!
Lyrics by: Jennifer Houle, Abby Nawakayas, Celeste Whitehawk, Bernice Bighead, Rosanna Napope, Cheyanne Fox, Jessica LaPlante Sandi and Carla Johnson (Teacher Therapist).
Music by: Cheryl L’Hirondelle and Gregory Hoskins
Cover art: Charnelle Swiftwolfe
Song collaboratively composed & women’s voices recorded live, November 2011 & January 2012 at Pine Grove Correctional Centre, SK.
• vocals and other rhythmic sounds: all lyricists --->
• percussion and backing vocals: Cheryl L’Hirondelle
• all guitars: Gregory Hoskins
• arranged by Gregory Hoskins and Cheryl L’Hirondelle
• mixed by Gregory Hoskins & David Travers-Smith
• voices recorded live onsite by Gregory Hoskins (November 2011) & Harvey Knight (January 2012)
• co-produced by David Travers-Smith, Gregory Hoskins and Cheryl L’Hirondelle
• Mastered by David Travers-Smith, Found Sound, Toronto
Huge gratitude to:
Judy McNaughton (Artistic Director - Common Weal Community Arts), Harvey Knight, and Carla Johnson (Teacher Therapist - Pine Grove Correctional Centre)
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