[mplpost] Canadian Guitars

[Tom & Lori Neufeld]

I have been reading with much fascination, this "Canadian Guitar" thread with
it's occasional mention of the "Canadian guitar song". After Rick Avery
mentioned Fred Casey, the Manitoba luthier (I have tried his acoustic basses), a
story came to mind. A friend of mine (Bill Dowling) was at a songwriters'
workshop in Morden, MB. in 1997. Kate Ferris and Fred Casey were there, and Bill
had gotten into a discussion with Fred about building guitars. Later Kate had
everyone toss one-word song themes into a hat for a bit of a sweatshop writing
exercise, and Bill pulled Fred's and it was "wood", and the following song was
what came out.

It's in the Wood

There's a carpenter I used to know,
let me watch him working when the snow was lying cold and deep out in the yard.
His hands were hard and battered,
from what I heard it didn't matter, as he shaped the flesh of a tree into a
guitar

Well he used to make his money,
buildin' homes for those with money, and he'd build them strong and sure for
years to come
But his evenings he'd spend shaping wood,
that in his hands would sound so good, and I asked as he played his newest one

And he smiled at me like I was his own son / And he showed me how he crafted
every one

(chorus)
It's in the wood, it's in the grain, it's in the sunshine and the rain
That washes over all the forests of the trees
And God made each and every one, and they've been there since the world's begun
and called them good, It's in the wood

Well I'd look at him like some old tease,
And I could tell from his smile that he was pleased to have me staring at him
sitting there
And he showed me how the grain would weave,
a sound so rich to make you leave that cluttered little basement down the stairs

The swirling maple, he had found,
gave a tone that echoed rich and round, and left you all alone with wistful eye
And the spruce and rosewood on the floor,
gave a scent and a warmth just like a door to a meadow in the mountains sweet
and high
And he showed me how he crafted every one, and before I knew we started on this
one

It's in the wood, it's in the grain, it's in the sunshine and the rain
That washes over all the forests of the trees
And God made each and every one, and they've been there since the world's begun
and called them good, It's in the wood

Well my friend, he passed on years ago,
when the yard piled high with a winters' snow, just like those days I think of
now and then.
And this old guitar now looks like hell,
and I know I don't play half as well as the songs I used to hear from my old
friend
But I hear a small voice hummin' to my song, and I turn to sing these words to
my own son..

It's in the wood, it's in the grain, it's in the sunshine and the rain
That washes over all the forests of the trees
And God made each and every one, and they've been there since the world's begun
and called them good, It's in the wood
(Words and Music by Bill Dowling , All Rights Reserved)

As for me, I bought my first guitar, a Yamaha classical, at the Bay in Downtown
Montreal when I was in grade 5 (many, many years ago). I bought it with my paper
route money. My nephew still plays that great little guitar. I have gone through
countless guitars since, presently playing a Martin M-38.
Tom

Rick Avery and Judy greenhill wrote:

> ...after a
> family concert performance in Snow Lake, a high-school teacher by the name
> of Fred Casey came up and introduced himself, and invited us to visit his
> modest abode in a trailer park on the outside of town.  He let me know that,
> while he wasn't trying to sell me a guitar, he'd be real honoured if I would
> come by and play one or two of his guitars, since Snow Lake in the winter
> can get culturally lonesome.  So Judy and I took Fred up on his offer (how
> could we refuse) figuring we were paying our dues, and next morning found me
> writing a cheque for $800 for my current gigging guitar.  I fell in love
> with ALL Fred's creations for their tone, action, appearance and overall
> excellence...

--
Tom & Lori Neufeld
phone: 1-204-343-2358
e-mail us at: TomLori@mts.net

LuLu & the TomCat's OR Tom & Lori's web page at:
      www.tomandlori.com
Visit the Cactus Cafe web page at:
      http://www.pembinavalley.com/cactuscafe/


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