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On the River Off the Lake

by Kev Corbett

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1.
I kiss the air when I'm here I kiss the water I kiss the memory of my grandmothers and fathers It's my happiest place On the river off the lake I was born here and I am home forever I started when I was eight I can J sweep or feather I can stand up on the gunnels in any weather I know when to hug the banks, When to offer up my thanks, There are ghosts here Those who didn't know better I miss the air when I'm not here I miss the water I miss my sisters in the sturgeon and the otters And the smell of the fire The Eagles turning in gyre All untouched, so far, by fisherman and loggers My paddle's a beavertail It's made of maple I can use a rolling stroke at night And barely cause a ripple That's when I like to go out There's no one that the owls about And the moon and the stars and a swim when no one's looking I kiss the air when I'm here I kiss the water I kiss the memory of my grandmothers and fathers It's my happiest place On the river off the lake I was born here and I am home forever I was born here
2.
I would be dead by the highway, or at the bottom of a lake I would be lost in the mountains, or buried in a quake I woulda been runover hitch hiking, gotten eaten by the wolves Or be drunk in the streets and end up trampled by the bulls I would be nowhere but for you. I's prob'ly run over in the gold rush by a train coming 'round the bend I'm generations of dead warriors who had ignominious ends I'd prob'ly fall out of a tree, get eaten by the ants in my yard I swear I have a Ph. D in getting hoist by my own petard I would be nowhere but for you. I woulda prob'ly died of syphilis, or lost all my teeth I'd prob'ly live on TV dinners and do crack for relief I'd prob'ly fall in a tree chipper or a sausage machine Or go get myself a record deal, whatever that means I would be nowhere but for you. Maybe I'm smarter than I give myself credit for For I found in you a lighthouse or a key to any door At least it don't bug me if I can't figure it all out You're the only one of us that knows what I'm about I just know I need you. I woulda been sucked up by the aliens, Major Tommed into space Or sent by missionaries to some god-forsaken place I coulda tried to get into money, got deep-sixed by the mob Or forgot all my mom told me in some million-dollar job I would be nowhere but for you. So thanks for being who you are and believing in me I'll try not to disappoint you while I'm knocking on this tree And I will promise you right now that as long as there's a sun I will not forget your kindness, and all the things you've done I would be nowhere but for you.
3.
She is queen among the witches Got the whole world in her hand She wears a crown of silver And she’s earned every strand And with every flap of a butterfly wing She casts her spell on everything She’s the glue Holds us all together She’s a daughter and a mother And a friend and a lover Her heart shines like no other No one can help but love her And with every flap of a bumblebee wing She gives new life to everything She’s true As the sunrise in the morning But sometimes she wonders has she faded Sometimes she just can’t face the day In those times Friends and song are the skates on the river That take her away 'Cause when she sings She grows wings You're wrapped around her finger like a string In that moment her bells of freedom ring When she sings She inspires every other With her brain and with her style Her face reads like a diary You can see her come from miles And with every flap of a raven’s wing Her songs go off and do their thing She’s blue When she forgets her own power But sometimes All she can feel is the winter Sometimes She don’t know if she belongs In those times I hope that she remembers How much I need those songs 'Cause when she sings She grows wings You're wrapped around her finger like a string In that moment her bells of freedom ring When she sings Her voice rings With joy in her face Like a kid swingin’ on a swing The snow melts off like the coming of spring When she sings
4.
Bury me By the river May you never be alone I’ll send the fishes For your wishes Ask the wind To walk you home Bury me Under moonlight Let her white light dry your tears Let her phases Sing your praises & I’ll sing with her From somewhere You were the born believer Oh and I was no God-fearing man But I prayed Ours was a good life And I'm grateful for that. Bury me By the river So when that day comes And it's your time Let them raise me Temporarily So they can lay Your hand in mine. Bury me By the river May you never be alone I’ll send the fishes For your wishes Ask the wind To walk you home
5.
Oh, tired I am of ceaseless toil The endless cares and woes Paupered years, and deathless fears That a low paid worker knows. My toil filled life is fraught with strife And all that I have to show Are these callused palms, workworn hands And a feeling I'm dying slow. Ch: And it's 123, woe is me I'm working' at the Do'S'Co mill I love my girl and all the boys in the shop and the rest can go to hell From earliest youth like a broken tooth In a Godless way I've slaved, In Do'S'Co's mills where the labour kills And hastens early graves. Well I shovel ore thru a furnace door In the heat of the boiling steel Where the stink and glare of the poisoned air Is a hellish thing to feel. I've grown so sick of the look of the brick And the hammers and the tongs and the pails And the mud and the mire and Mclntyre And the flame that never fails. The checkers so hot and Foreman Watt And Ritchie who's always there Like a Simon Legree be seems to me With a cruel and crafty stare. The charging cars and the hammer and bars And the smoke of the metal trains The ladles and the pans and the barrows and fans And the screech of the hoisting cranes. Oh! weary am I of the few who try To scab and pamper the boss Confidential men and those who pretend Concern for production lost For the many must work for the few who shirk Them high paid few who prize The money and ease and the luxuries Of private enterprise. They are hypocrites, who'll rack their wits And worry and scheme and plan For some christian way to lower the pay Of the honest working man. But bear in mind there will come a time And come it soon, I pray When the stooge and the boss aside we'll toss And build for a better day. And then we'll produce, for the common use, For the man in the field and the ditch, And we'll liquidate their profit rates Along with the idle rich. So for better or worse I'll end this verse On a note of hope my friend "There's a crimson star that shines afar, And the longest night must end."
6.
Do you know how hard it is to see you in these halls? Do you know how hard I have been bouncing off these walls? Do you know how long I have wanted to kiss your face? Do you know how long I have wanted to make you a place? and then you float on by with friends and then it all comes back again Do you know how fast I'd run away with you? I am sneakers on a wire a quiet kid in the corner And everytime I pass you by I'm stupid, sick and worn I don't know what to do There is just me and this school and you I drop my lunch on the floor Go running out the door To get away from you Do you know how I need to walk everyday past your house? Do you know how I feed on every word that comes from your mouth? Do you know how much time I look in the mirror? Do you notice how with time it's all getting clearer? and then you pass a note to your friend and then the whole world is laughing again Do you know how sad I always miss you? I am sneakers on a wire I am Rumplestiltskin I'm a firehall catching fire Titanic sinking I don't know what to do There is no one in the world but you I'm an ugly duckling for now But I'll show you somehow That I deserve you
7.
Thunderbird 04:12
Like a Moth to a flame, Or a backporch light, You coulda stayed in that cocoon, But you took flight. To a world unfamiliar and cold, With potential so bright. Times got hard, But you were smarter, You don't take no time When you're a self starter. I imagine you discovering the world on TV, And going, yeah man, That's the world for me. Everyone who loves adventure's got to go away from home, And you hope to find one out there, living on your own Every moth loves a firefly and spirits having flown Will alight somewhere, Or fly into the sun... Hello, little brother Sorry that it went this way, But I'm here with you today, and I'm gonna tell your story. 'Cause I'm part of it now, and You are part of mine, and Until we meet the next time You fly towards that glory. One day, You picked Thunder Bay. It was that or Winnipeg, but it was closer and they had good hockey. So one plane to another and a boarding house bed, It was all weird, but at least down the river there's a rez. Then one night, No one knows what happened next, I'd like to think an accident, but the result was all the same. I like to imagine that you went to go see some friends Walking down the river, like a moth to a flame. Whatever went down I know your grandmother Looked for you every day, and then it was my brothers and I Just came along, and we found you there and I said you're going home, my friend, We all return to the flame. Hello, little brother Thanks for that thunderstorm I'm glad that you were born and sorry you went away, But you're somewhere now You’re birds and trees and flowers Eagles and bears and owls Shining like the flame. Goodbye little brother Thanks for the lesson learned I'll think of you when I return and in friends along the way. And to everyone in Webequie, I'm just glad it was me. I think of you everyday, I'll see you by the flame.
8.
Sorrow On My Mind CH: I got sorrow on my mind and I try to live with the pain so I drown my sorrow in pure alcohol and I don’t think of nothing, at all Got the Prairie on my mind I tried to stay on the farm Then a man in a suit come and just took it all Didn’t leave nothing at all Got a woman on my mind She tried to love me so well I took it all out on her, made her life hell I didn’t think nothing of it at all CH I got money on my mind But I try to spend it away I curse all the bankers that started this all They didn't think nothing, at all Got a young man on my mind Was the first one I killed in the war We were both young and scared and believed in it all didn’t think nothing of it at all I got heaven on my mind I wait ’til they call out my name For the hell that I’ve seen has shattered my dreams I don’t think of nothing, at all CH I don’t think of nothing, at all I don’t think of nothing, at all
9.
Rome Didn't Fall In a Day I cut off the phone Threw out the TV ‘Cause I never really wanted What they're selling me Y’ain't gonna find me aisle 23 Attention Mall-Wart shoppers Better you than me I’m digging in for the long haul Don't be surprised if you should have a great fall ‘Cause Rome Didn’t Fall in a Day Sorry Nero, sell that fiddle man you’re no good anyway Your whole scene sucks no one actually likes you believe me when I say Your house is burning I don't want a lot of plastic Bought for my kids Sure, stroller and the lego and the bath rings I know how it is - But they gotta know How to choose a carrot by the dirt on its skin How to open the doors Open the blinds, & let the neighbourhood kids in They’ll learn to swim against the tide I can see it coming in ‘Cause Rome Didn’t Fall in a Day This is stolen land, with blood on its hands and the time has come to pay I’ve never met anyone anywhere who believes a word you say Your island’s sinking Maybe everything’s just fine Maybe Rome has never been so strong Maybe the peasants outside with the torches have all got everything horribly wrong Maybe everyone’s a hooligan, you're all under arrest and I’m wrong to write this song And maybe you were living in an empire But they never last long They never last long Rome Didn’t Fall in a Day You’re gonna have to go and start a war Show the great unwashed the way You can whine at how History’s treated you She always has her say but Rome Didn’t Fall in a Day
10.
Slim 03:24
Oh, tired I am of this ceaseless toil The endless cares and woes Paupered years, and deathless fears That a low paid worker knows. My toil filled life is fraught with strife And all that I have to show Are these callused palms, workworn hands And a feeling I'm dying slow. From early youth like a broken tooth In a Godless way I've slaved, In 's mills where the labour kills And hastens early graves. Well I shovel ore thru a furnace door In the heat of the boiling steel Where the stink and glare of the poisoned air Is a hellish thing to feel. And it's 123baby woe is me I'm working' at the Dosco mill I love my girl and all the boys in the shop and the rest can go to hell I've grown so sick of the look of the brick And the paddles, tongs and pails And the mud and the mire and Mclntyre And the flame that never fails. The checkers so hot and Foreman Watt And Ritchie who just stands there Like a Simon Legree be seems to me With a cruel and crafty stare. And it's 123baby woe is me I'm working' at the Dosco mill I love my girl and all the boys in the shop and the rest can go to hell The charging cars and the hammer and bars And the smoke of the metal trains The ladles and the pans and the barrows and fans And the screech of the hoisting cranes. Oh! weary am I of the few who try To scab and pamper the boss Confidential men and those who pretend Concern for production lost And it's 123baby woe is me I'm working' at the Dosco mill I love my girl and all the boys in the shop and the rest can go to hell For the many must work for the few who shirk The high paid few who prize The money and ease and the luxuries Of private enterprise. Goddamned hypocrites who rack their wits And worry and scheme and plan For a christian way to lower the pay Of the honest working man.

about

This little record very much owes its existence to the village of people surrounding this particular musician.


Firstly and lastly, my partner in everything that matters, Stephanie Domet. Charlie A’Court, Keith Mullins, Kim Wempe, Stephen Fearing, Brooke Miller, Jont, Heather Green, Chris Kirby, Aselin Debison, Bob Ardern, Manitoba Hal, Steven Bowers, Jen Roland, Gillian Boucher, Jill Barber, Home Routes (and the heroes who host house concerts everywhere), Geneviève Béland at VIARail, Ron Bourgeois et le gang Pour l’Amour du Country; Candy Palmater and the gang from The Candy Show (two #NSFilmjobs without which this record honestly might not have happened as it needed to); Tamara Kater, The Company House, Annette Hunziker, Georgia Richards, The Carleton, Moksha Yoga Halifax, ArtsCan Circle, Brad Goodsell Design/Build and my beloved crew. Music Nova Scotia. Alka Sharma and Jen Ellis at Folk Music Ontario. Tannis Slimmon and Lewis Melville (so much of this is thanks to you), Shawna Caspi, Stephen&Christine, Jen&Aidan, Jayghan (you have caught the longest Hail Mary pass in history, and I can never thank you enough), John&Jules, Sue&Pete, Shandi&Alan, Don Ross, my Charlie’s gang (great OJ, T, thanks), the people who are kind enough to have me come out to play for them, or play me on the radio, and firstly and lastly, my partner in everything that matters, Stephanie Domet, without whom, nothing. I would be nowhere, but for you all.


‘River Off the Lake’ was inspired by a piece of writing I read in the Globe and Mail on canoeing the Moose River, which resonated with my experience canoeing on the lake across the road from my house when I was a kid. I wrote the song for Millie Perritt, and sang it to her just as she was passing. The piano was recorded on an amazing Bösendorfer Concert Grand at DanLyn Studios, Sherwood Park AB, by Jerry Woolsey. (Thanks, Dan and Connie.)

'Sorrow On My Mind' was written with Tannis Slimmon and Lewis Melville, and mostly recorded (along with a lot of the demos that started this record) at the Sound Emporium, Guelph ON.

‘The Ballad of Slim McInnis’ is mostly a poem by John J. ‘Slim' McInnis called ‘Dosco’s Inferno’, written about life inside the Sydney Steel Mill, where he and my dad’s dad worked. I call it a co-write that took 60-odd years to happen, but it’s mostly his.

‘Bury Me By the River’ was written with Steven Bowers and Keith Mullins, and is dedicated to our late pal Fleur Mainville, who asked for me to sing it at her service.

‘Thunderbird’ is dedicated to Jordan Wabasse.

Further moments of silence for Stan Carew. Ruth Nichols. Chuck Hunziker.

credits

released May 1, 2016

Kev Corbett: voice, songs, guitars, basses, piano
Lewis Melville: banjo and harmonies on ‘Sorrow On My Mind’
Tannis Slimmon: harmonies on ‘Sorrow On My Mind'
Jason Mingo: everything else. All, hail.



Otherwise, all songs written by Kev Corbett
Produced by Jason Mingo
Lake photo by Alyson MacLeod
Studio photo by Lewis Melville
Painting and Layout by Meaghan Smith
Lovingly mastered by John Parker and Jason Mingo

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Kev Corbett Halifax, Nova Scotia

“The man is an exceptional guitar player – for one thing – but also writes extremely clever, finessed, clockwork folk-pop songs whose singable surface belies a tremendous underlying sense of craft. It was really great to see him again.” – Jowi Taylor, Six String Nation

“Well-crafted, skillfully written songs, dazzling guitar playing. Son of a Rudderless Boat is a marvelous listen.” – Penguin Eggs
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