The songs on this page are in mp3 format, full-length,
and freely downloadable. We don't generally care much for DRM; these songs are either
public domain or we have permission from the writers to put them up here. We think you
should listen to them, download them to your PC, put them on your favourite mp3 player,
share them with your friends, and above all, enjoy them. We're big believers in
the "free the music" movement. That said, we do think music should be free (as in speech)
but not necessarily free (as in beer). If you really like what we're doing, please buy
our CDs, come to our shows, and take us home with you. (We don't really want to know if
you put us under your pillow ...) Like all other musicians, we put a lot of work into
these songs, a lot of love, and a lot of our time and emotional bandwidth. Our biggest
return-on-investment is your enjoyment ... but paying our bar tab is nice, too. Keep
those things in mind when you're listening to us, or any indie group you enjoy.
Thanks!
These songs are on our CD,
It's Who We Are. It's What We Do.
We hope you enjoy them! Lots more on the CD ... only $10!
| The Great Silkie | How Sweet I Roam'd |
| MP3 Format Key: G |
MP3 Format Key: B minor |
| Ken: Major acoustic guitar Corey: Minor acoustic guitar Allison: Voice of the Nurse Ken: Voice of the Silkie Paul: Voice of the Sea (electric guitar) |
Ken: Acoustic guitar Corey: Bodhran Allison: Vocals Paul: Electric guitar |
| Gaelic Folksong, traditional | Tune: "John Barleycorne" (English, traditional) Lyrics: William Blake (English) |
| This song is an old Childe Ballad; on one level, it tells a simple story of a famous mer-man, the Silkie, who comes on land to sire his child, and later returns to collect the boy and take him home to the sea. On another level, it tells of the cusp between the age of Faerie and the modern age of rational thinking and technology, and of the pain of that transition. It's a formidable lesson for our time, as well. | Blake published the lyrics about 1783. The tune is one of the oldest English folk songs known. We re-arranged it (just a lot!) in both mood and instrumentation. In modern terms, it's about being in a one-sided manipulative relationship, but deeper, it's about the compromises (good or bad) we make to get what we think we want. Love is blind ... but that morning after is a bear! |
Give us a ring on 540.586.1098 or Email us at
folks@genericfolk.com
We'd love to come play for you.
You'll discover that though we're Generic Folk,
the music is anything but ordinary.