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Lay Down (Melanie Safka)

from Crowe: Covers, Live + Rare by Allison Crowe

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Blogger Allan Showalter, ahead by a century maestro of “Cohencentric: Leonard Cohen Considered”, illuminates the story of “Melanie Safka’s hymn to peace and love” and this radiant cover of “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)”. It’s a recording new even to the family of Allison Crowe, the artist who “adds her own energy and gorgeous voice to the effort, creating a moment suffused with warmth, harmony, and amity”:

cohencentric.com/2016/08/19/allison-crowe-revitalizes-melanies-lay-down-candles-in-the-rain

A rare home-recording from earlier in this millennium captures Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Crowe, in her living room, performing Melanie Safka's international anthem of peace. As noted on “Cohencentric”, the song emerged from Melanie's onstage experience at Woodstock in 1969 -- and soon this musical torch of common humanity lit up around the globe. Starting in the 1970s covers have been recorded by such diverse acts as Mott the Hoople (UK) and Vicky Leandros (Greece).

In an age when love and compassion can appear in too short supply, the song and its message shine on...

Photo by Billie Woods

lyrics

Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)

Words & Music by Melanie Safka
As performed by Allison Crowe

Lay down lay down lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown
Lay down lay down lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown

We were so close there was no room
We bled inside each others' wounds
We all had caught the same disease
We all sang songs of peace

Lay down lay down lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown
Lay down lay down lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown

So raise your candles high 'cause if you don't
We could stay black against the night
Oh raise them higher again
Then if you do we could stay dry against the rain

Lay down lay down lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown
Lay down lay down lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown

We were so close there was no room
We bled inside each others' wounds
We all had caught the same disease
We all sang the songs of peace
Some came to sing, some came to pray
Some came to keep the dark away
So raise candles high 'cause if you don't
We could stay black against the night
Oh oh raise them higher again
Then if you do we could stay dry against the rain

Lay down lay down lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown
Lay down lay down lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown
Lay down lay down lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown
Lay down lay down lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown...

credits

from Crowe: Covers, Live + Rare, released January 6, 2016

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Allison Crowe Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador

"Why music?" "Why breathing?"

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