Garden Girl by the Carrivick Sisters

That's Laura on the left playing mando and Charlotte on the right playing fiddle.  Er, no, that's Charlotte on the left playing mando and Laura on the right playing fiddle.   Er, no, it's the fiddle on the left and the mando on the right and that's all that I'm certain about.  

I love the song Garden Girl by the Carrivick Sisters, Laura and Charlotte (or is it Charlotte and Laura?).  It’s a modern song, but one that has its roots in Scotch Irish folksongs, and one that I think could be played with Appalachian string instruments as well.  Those with Facebook can hear the recording here:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Carrivick-Sisters/337073800161?id=337073800161&sk=app_2405167945  .

or there is also a youtube video here:

  

Although I am certainly not as talented as the fabulous Carrivick Sisters (who can play about any instrument ever invented, and probably some that haven’t been yet), I kind of want to try to play it with some of my friends, and perhaps we will Morgantownize it a bit. I would like to try to approach this song with a bit more driving rhythm and maybe a banjo accompaniment, so perhaps with the help of some musically talented friends we will create a different sound with it .  Hopefully it will still be true to the original composition and sentiment.

The song tells the story of a statue of a little girl in a garden.   The songwriter (not sure if Laura or Charlotte or both deserve kudos on this one) imagines that the statue must have “seen” many amazing things over the past century, including the return of soldiers from World War II.

It’s a very interesting lyric, very novel compared to the normal stuff.   It combines art appreciation, poetry and music all at the same time.  I love it.   

I actually wrote to the Carrivick Sisters to ask whether there is a real statue, and in fact there is.  She’s in the garden at Overbecks in Salcombe South Devon.  I think this is her, in fact:

  

Yes, she's real (although the second pair of arms belong to someone else). 

capo on 4

intro:  D   Em  D  Em D   Em G Em  G

G(b)                    C (e)          G(b)         D(f#)

Oh Garden Girl, how do you hold those birds so long?

               Em(g#m)            C(e)               G(b)                  D(f#)

How do you keep them from taking to the sky where they belong?

           Em(g#m)        G(b)   C(e)                  D(f#)

For a century you stood watching the garden grow

                G(b)                        C(e)

while the world around you changed.

        Em(g#m)                  G (b)               C(e)                   D(f#)

You stood still as you could, watched others come and go

G(b)          D(f#)       C(e)  

You have always remained.

G(b)                    C(e)           G(b)         D(f#)

Oh Garden Girl, how do you hold those birds so long?

         Em(g#m)              C(e)             G(b)                D(f#)

How do you keep them from taking to the sky where they belong?

 Em(g#m) G(b) C(e) D(f#)
And during the great war the broken men they came

G(b) C(e)
You stood and smiled without fear

           Em(g#m)  G(b)   C(e)               D(f#)

As they told you what they saw, how they’d never be the same.

G(b)          D(f#)          C(e)  
You could not shed a tear.

G(b)                    C(e)           G(b)        D(f#)
Oh Garden Girl, how do you hold those birds so long?

                      Em(g#m)            C(e)               G(b)             D(f#)
How do you keep them from taking to the sky where they belong?

Em(g#m) G(b)   C(e) D(f#)
Now in Weather warm or wild  when visitors come by 
G(b)   C(e)
And wander the garden paths

Em(g#m) G(b)   C(e) D(f#)
They’ll see a beautiful child so still but full of life

G(b)   C(e)
Subject of a thousand photographs.

G(b)                    C(e)           G(b)    D(f#)
Oh Garden Girl, how do you hold those birds so long?

                      Em(g#m)              C(e)               G(b)                 D(f#)
How do you keep them from taking to the sky where they belong?

G(b)                    C(e)           G(b)    D(f#)
Oh Garden Girl, how do you hold those birds so long?

                      Em(g#m)              C(e)               G(b)                 D(f#)
How do you keep them from taking to the sky where they belong?

I might also mention that the Carrivick sisters have very good  fashion sense, and to me they have a very good "look"  for Old Time musicians. It helps that they are drop-dead gorgeous, but that is not what I'm referring to.

    You don't have to look like Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner to play acoustic music, but it is kind of cool for a band to wear clothes that hearken to the time period that the music comes from.  Anyway, some of you that play in bands may like to  check out some of their photo albums before automatically adopting the grunge look by default.    

Laura and Charlotte appearing with the Great Western Revelers.  I think they have a cool look.