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about
This song is inspired by memories of the monster tornado (5 miles short of F5) that hit Louisville when I was a small child. I was in a building hit by the tornado; the storm struck in the late afternoon while I was at church choir rehearsal with my oldest brother. We rode out the storm in the basement and when we came up after the danger had passed, the choir room we had been in was destroyed and the neighborhood around us devastated. Ironically I may have been in more danger walking home from church (no way to drive as the roads were impassable) than when I was in the church basement with the tornado coming over - live wires and debris were everywhere.
The music video for this song (youtu.be/E3FxSGQtJlE) includes photos at the start of the tornado itself; there are also pictures from the streets by the church, and which my brother I had to walk down to get back home. One picture is also of my grandparents' house that was destroyed by the storm. The destruction was of course hard to comprehend as a little kid. My only real memory of that day was the feeling of absolute safety I felt when we reached home - a feeling I realize now permeated my entire childhood and for which I'm forever grateful.
Facts about that day: at the time of the storm, the Louisville tornado was, at that time, part of the largest outbreak ever of tornados in US history (its record not broken until the tornado outbreak in 2011) That day there were 148 confirmed tornados that struck several states and even up into Canada The storms wiped out entire towns (e.g., Xenia Ohio, a tiny town of a few hundred lost dozens of people) and caused hundreds of deaths. Some good came out of that day however too. Following the storms, the National Weather Service implemented the Fujita scale to measure storms and also greatly increased investment in preparedness.
lyrics
V1 - When I was 9 there was a mighty storm, a twister tore thru the town
Cant recall much of that day-just coming up from underground.
Crying strangers, splintered wood, cars turned upside down.
Watched my parents deal with all the mess and knew I’d be safe in any storm. Oh I wish I was that baby now.
V2 - Fell in love as we often do - more with the idea than the man.
Lost my way more than it was found, life’s never what we plan.
Wish I could go back in time, to that summer I was nine, when I
Watched my parents deal with all the mess And knew I’d be safe in any storm. Oh I wish I was that baby now.
Br: Kids of my own, mostly grown. Life spins round & round
Now I’m the one who deals with all the mess. I’m nobody’s baby now
V3 - They say growing up is hard, growing old harder still.
Blue skies, violent storms – Of both gonna get your fill
Wish I could go back in time, to that summer I was nine.
When I watched my parents deal with all the mess, Watched them and all of their tenderness
And knew I’d be safe in any storm. Yes, I knew Id be safe in any storm
Oh I wish I was that baby now. Oh I wish I was, I wish I was, I wish I was
credits
released March 30, 2024
Song by Marion Halliday
Marion Halliday: Acoustic Guitars (12 & 6 string); Lead Vocal, Backing Vocals
Jane Halliday: Violin
Meghan Cary: Backing Vocals
Peter Farrell: Piano, Harpsichord, Synth
Jocko MacNelly: Fretless Bass, Grodin Guitar
Jim Salamone: Sequenced Percussion, Synth, Ambient FX
Co-Produced by Marion Halliday & Jim Salamone
Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Jim Salamone
@The Barn, Bucks County, Pa
Video – Kimmet Cantwell (inclusive of Halliday family pictures and images of Crescent Hill damage by Jessie Graham Jr. )
Songwriter Marion Halliday is proud purveyor of her own special blend of bluegrass and bourbon-infused original women-
powered, Americana. Marion, a Kentucky native, now living in Philly, writes on a range of contemporary as well as historical topics. Marion plays solo as well as with her band, Trickster Sister, comprised of Jane Halliday on fiddle and Donna Bostock on bass....more
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