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Why (v2)

from Songbook by Allison Crowe

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about

Famous in its original, glorious, pop incarnation by singer-songwriter Annie Lennox, "Why" is a song recast here by Allison Crowe’s elemental voice and guitar.

“Art is emotion” observed Alfred Hitchcock, and the Canadian musician’s singular way of communicating emotion makes her one of the great interpreters in popular music today as well as one of our finest modern songwriters and concert performers.

Strings on this version are arranged and orchestrated by Hollywood film-scorer Kayla Schmah – herself an artist inspired by the themes and ideas of Hitch’s frequent collaborator, the brilliant, pioneering, composer Bernard Herrmann.

The music's visually paired with an excerpt from Jean Vigo's marvellous cinema masterpiece - "L'Atalante" (1934) – one of the most beautiful, poetically real, films ever made. Lovers of movies – of life itself - seek it out, and enjoy the full experience.

This, the second version of this song on Allison Crowe's "Spiral" album, features additional string orchestration.

lyrics

Why

Composed by Annie Lennox
As Performed by Allison Crowe

How many times do I have to try to tell you
That I'm sorry for the things I've done
But every time I go to tell you
That's when you have to tell me
Hey, this kind of trouble's only just begun

I told myself too many times
Why don't you learn to keep your big mouth shut
That's why it hurts so bad to hear the words
That keep on falling from your mouth
Falling from your mouth
Falling from your mouth

Tell me
Why
Tell me, why

I may be mad
I may be blind
I may be viciously unkind
But I can still read what you're thinking

And I've heard it said too many times
That you'd be better off
Besides
Why can't you see that this boat is sinking
this boat is sinking, this boat is sinking

Let's go down to the water's edge
And we can cast away your doubts
Some things are better left unsaid
But they still turn me inside out
Turning inside out,
turning inside out

Tell me
Why
Tell me
Why

This is the book I never read
And these are the words I never said
And this is the path I'll never tread
And these are the dreams I'll dream instead
And this is the joy that's seldom spread
And these are the tears,
The tears we’ve shed

This is the fear
And this is the dread
And these are the contents of my head

These are the years that we have spent
And this is what they represent
This is how I feel

Do you know how I feel?

I don't think you know how I, why I, feel

credits

from Songbook, released March 17, 2014
Allison Crowe - voice, guitar, engineer
Kayla Schmah - orchestrator, string arranger, producer

license

all rights reserved

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Allison Crowe Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador

"Why music?" "Why breathing?"

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