In Dangerous Times
By Ali Burns, Scotland
Support her work and hear her version here!
As sung by Bennett Konesni & the Bennett Brothers. (ie. me overdubbed over me.)
Scroll down to the bottom of the page to hear the individual parts
In dangerous times hold fast to courage
In dangerous times hold fast to love
And sing, and rise above
In dangerous times hold fast to love
Pretty sure I first heard this at Maine Fiddle Camp though I'm not sure exactly who from... perhaps Brattleboro songleader Amanda Whitman? In any case it seems to have evolved from the original by Ali Burns, but this is how I sing it now, and how folks seem to sing it in New England.
For me this has a nice "slow walk" vibe to it. The same foot would step on "times" and "courage", if you want to get a sense of how I would pace it. So it's a slow, almost meditative walk. But it has a swing to it and I encourage you to find the inner bounce, it's very subtle, a sort of groove. My harmonies came out very very major, and it might be too cheerful? I will probably try out some more crunchy harmonies next time we walk and sing this. Pedal tones, or long held notes, or drone tones, might be the best way to give this a little more crunch, if that's what you want.
About The Author:
Ali Burns is a songwriter and songmaker from Southwest Scotland. She found her creative path in 1986 at Laurieston Hall, a community co-op in Dumfries and Galloway, where she lived for five years and began writing songs after a workshop with poet Linda Chase. She describes herself as fascinated by "the careful binding of text, melody and harmony," gravitating toward spare lyrics that leave room for the listener. Her songs — written for community singing in SATB and round forms — have explored themes of land and belonging, grief, and more recently, climate transition. She offers workshops, teaching resources, and downloadable scores through her website at aliburns.co.uk.