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Wolf Willow and Alberta Rose Terry Morrison © 2019
The dancer raises dust, see the feathers fly
Pounding on the big drum, the singers cry ay yi yi yi
Sweetgrass drifts upon the air, there is an offering and a prayer.
As I gaze across these prairies at the summers’ fading light
Feels like time stretches on forever, the day becomes the night
Here in the sunsets’ glow, I catch the sweet scent of wolf willow and Alberta rose.
Somewhere inside of me I hear the ancient ones
Telling stories of this land that I am walking on
Deep within my bones, my grandmothers’ song
A whispered memory of a time long gone
As I watch the wood smoke curling, in a darkening sky
My heart it beats a rhythm, my breath becomes a sigh
Here in the sunsets’ glow, I catch the sweet scent of wolf willow and Alberta rose.
I hear the echoes of the hoof beats of a thousand buffalo
Running wild across these territories not so long ago
Now fences cross this land they used to roam.
The car raises dust, along this gravel road I fly
The pumpjacks paint a silhouette, against the evening sky
Through falling dark, I hear coyote cry ki yi yi yi
I dream of endless empty plains, I open up my eyes
To the crickets and the night hawk singing their refrain
Here in the sunsets’ glow, with the sweet scent of wolf willow and Alberta rose.
Here in the sunsets’ glow, I catch the sweet scent of wolf willow and Alberta rose
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2. |
Comes A Day
03:16
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Comes A Day Terry Morrison © 2008
There’s a few more grey strands in my hairbrush these days
And a few more surface scratches on my heart and my guitar
I know in time they all will heal or fade away
And when I look into a mirror I won’t see them anymore
Comes a day
When the sky no longer grey shines a light
Reflects a glimmer of what might wipe away
Any sadness that might linger on the way
There’s a few more lines around my eyes
Though the years they have been kind
They’ve been put there by more smiles than frowns
In times I’ve left behind
A few more words upon a page have gathered into rhyme
And they made their way to melody and into a song entwined
Comes a time
When the tears that we have cried will all have dried
And the weight that we once carried will seem light
And the thoughts that held us down will now all fly
You can make a wish upon a star and hope that it comes true
Say a prayer when times are hard it might comfort you
Spread the love you have around don’t hold onto it tight
Keep your feet on solid ground
Keep your dreams in sight
A few more days have gathered into weeks and months and years
With a few more ways I have found to turn back all my fear
A few more folks have moved along the winding road of life
They made their way into a song and they’re finally free from strife
Comes an age when you find yourself standing on a stage
And the words that once were gathered on a page
They wing their way to freedom in a song
Oh they wing their way to freedom in a song
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3. |
Disappearing Song
03:02
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Disappearing Song Terry Morrison © 2007
I’m tired of cement and cars
People on cellular phones
I’d like to go off somewhere very far, where we can just be alone
Let’s go back to the land I’ve had all I can stand
At least let’s unplug the phone
PC’s, SUV’s and TV’
Seems you’re no one at all if you don’t have all these
Zero down that’s the tease with no tax, you got credit push it to the max
What I want anymore you can’t buy in a store
It’s priceless and I want it back
I despair for the whole human race
Killing each other off at an alarming pace
But when profit is the bottom line, there’s no point in wasting your time
Let’s go off somewhere far from this despair
Let’s grow our own fruit on the vine
I keep wondering where manners have gone
People never give way they just push their way through
First the parents now they’ve passed it on and the children are getting quite rude
I long for a place that’s filled with real grace
Far from the multitudes
I want to walk on a beach
Smell the salt air feel the stones ‘neath my feet
With the sun and the wind on my face, darling let’s get away from this place
Let’s go live by the sea just you and me
Let’s vanish without a trace
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4. |
Winter Sky
03:36
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Winter Sky Terry Morrison © 2020
There’s a red tailed hawk sitting on a fence
He sits stock still so he can sense the critters who have come to eat the grain
And his eyes they travel all around to where the farmer’s taken his crops down
They harvest but there’s always some remains
And the geese are scattered through the fields
They’re gathering up the summer yield
Soon they will be flying high
Through the winter sky
Well there’s some folks they got caught by it that first September storm
And now their crops are lying on the ground hoping they’ll dry if it gets warm
Or maybe they could put the cows on it save some bucks on feed
That might help a bit for what they’re gonna need
And the geese are scattered through the fields
They’re gathering up the summer yield
Soon they will be flying high
Through the winter sky
Well it’s always at this time of year when the leaves fall on the ground
Here in the Northern Hemisphere the birds they head south bound
And the sun it travels low it seems so quickly that it goes
Then winter settles in one more time around the sun again
And the geese are scattered through the fields
They’re gathering up the summer yield
Soon they will be flying high
Through the winter sky
Soon they will be flying high
Through the winter sky
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5. |
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When the Company Left Town Terry Morrison © 2007
In every driveway here’s a pickup truck
No older than fifteen years if you’ve had some luck
Four good tires and a four wheel drive
Kept in good tune it’ll get you home alive
And since you never have to drive too many miles
A V8 tank is gonna last awhile
Got a plow front to clear out the drive
A come-a-long put to use from time to time
I bought this truck when I first came to town
Ain’t been driving much so she’s starting slow
Dry out the plugs and maybe then she’ll go
It’s the end of the season and the stocks are down
Time to take a trip up to the next town
I bought my house when the company left town
Do some good to blow the carbon out
Maybe look up Dave and see if he’s about
Get a cup of coffee catch up on the news
Been sitting still too long and it’s time to shake it loose
Come on and shake it loose
She’s a good truck but she’s rusting in spots
I’ll take the grinder to her when it gets a little hotter
I got some new paint and some primer too
Wasn’t too hard to match this shade of blue
I bought this truck when I first came to town
These days she sits in the drive
And I walk most places just to keep alive
Sitting in the middle of paradise
Don’t need to go anywhere
‘Cause I bought my house when the company left town
Yeah I bought this house when the company first left town.
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6. |
Another Season
04:01
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Another Season Terry Morrison © 2009
Another season’s come around
Leaves are falling on the ground
Seems like the years are on the run
Summer came and now it’s gone
I sit in my chair while the hours stare me down
Grief, regrets and tears they steal
Between the moments when I feel
The weight of my relief so real
Seems like it was yesterday
Couldn’t wait to leave my family home
Set off on my own way
Eager for the days to come
But that time has all gone past
Lord I’m staring at my last
With my life getting close to done
The love, the places they were real
I lived it all I sealed the deal
Feels like I’m back where I begun
‘Cause here I am and I’m alone
My love my family all gone
Just me behind here on my own
Feelin’ an ache in heart and bone
Days marked by memories and meals
And the nagging pull I feel
Of things I might have left undone
They say life is wasted on the youth
I guess that’s partially the truth
But I fought my battles and some I won
But for all my yesterdays
That now slowly slip away
I count my blessings every one
I feel winter coming on
The changing angle of the sun
And through this window which I stare
The trees are now becoming bare
With the changing of the season giving life its’ greater reason
With my part just a small one
We all are born, we live, we die
We do our best at least we try
Then comes a time we’re finally done. Hmm hmmm hmmm
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7. |
Red River Cart
04:57
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Red River Carts Terry Morrison © 2020
With wood and leather strapped together not one nail to be found
We’ll get these carts to moving we are Fort Carlton bound
These wheels sure make a racket when they get turning ‘round
But that’s the song that the North West fiddle sings sure makes a mournful sound
It’s goodbye to Red River lands we’re off on the Carlton trail
Guided by our mother’s voice praying will live to tell the tail
If we all stick together and if nothing should go wrong
Well we could travel 15 miles today without it seeming long
We’ll stop off down beside the creek to break our daily bread
And to give our animals a break before we forge ahead
It’s goodbye to Red River lands we’re off on the Carlton trail
Guided by our mother’s voice praying will live to tell the tail
How could we know it would end this way
With no more buffalo and nowhere left to stay
Well the priest said he was on our side there was nothing he could do or say
Because John A MacDonald he was a man who got his way
They referred to us as half-breed I prefer Metis
Otipemiswak in the language of the Cree
It’s goodbye to Red River lands we’re off on the Carlton trail
Guided by our mother’s voice praying will live to tell the tail
Now we’re headed west out of Batoche on the South Saskatchewan
She’s a mighty river we have crossed every woman child and man
Over two months will have passed till we hit Edmonton
And find ourselves a place to rest to make a home again
It’s goodbye to Red River lands we’re off on the Carlton trail
Guided by our mother’s voice praying will live to tell the tail
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8. |
Come Up Empty
04:10
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Come Up Empty Terry Morrison © 1991
You are fantasy with no room left for dreaming
I won’t ever be the reason for your leaving
‘Cause I’ve been on the other side the one with tears and grieving
And I can’t be the one to cause another person pain
Don’t get me wrong it’s not that I don’t feel the fire burning
Or I don’t long just to hold you close to me my senses turning
That can only be in fantasy
Well now I know all the reasons we could make it seem all right
Just like the changing of the season or the hunger in the night
You might be telling her that you still care
One day she’ll wake with you not there
That’s the day the tears will start to fall
Please understand I’ve been the one with the empty bed to lie in
And my two hands they’ve reached out for the one who left me crying
Just to come up empty time and time again
Well now you may think that it’s time for the two of you to part
Or that something inside has died there’s aching in your heart
But I can’t be the one to fill that empty place no one will
It’s up to you to walk right out of that door
Don’t get me wrong it’s not that I don’t feel the fire burning
Or I don’t long just to taste your lips on mine my senses turning
That can only be in fantasy
Please understand I’ve been the one with the empty bed to lie in
And my two hands have reached out for the one who left me crying
Just to come up empty time and time again
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9. |
Pass Away
03:28
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Pass Away Terry Morrison © 2009
We all are growing older and the dreams that we once had
Dissolve now into memory where the good outweighs the bad
But dreams like long lost lovers leave behind the one that’s true
And like all in this world we’re passing through
They pass away like clouds that drift by to leave behind the blue
Pass away like summer flowers ah but you know they always do
Leave the memory of their colours the dreams that did come true
They all come in their time then pass away
There’s those that we have come to know and walk with on our road
Some just to share the fair weather while others share the load
There’s those who share our laughter and some who share the tears
They all come in their time through the years
Then pass away like clouds that drift by to leave behind the blue
Pass away like summer flowers but you know they always do
Leave the memories of their colours the dreams that did come true
They all come in their time then pass away
When the dreams become our stories and the stories turned to song
That speak of long lost lovers and battles lost and won
That talk of those who’ve touched us and then they’ve moved along
Just like all in this world that’s come and gone
They pass away like clouds that drift by to leave behind the blue
Pass away like summer flowers ah but you know they always do
Leave the memory of their colours the dreams that did come true
They all come in their time then pass away just like all in this world that’s passed away.
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10. |
Travelling Kind
03:37
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Travelling Kind Terry Morrison © 2001
Hey where you going in that great big blue truck
Blow you a kiss and I wish you luck
I wish it were me you were driving with
You got places to go and things to do
Miles and Miles of driving before you are through
I hope you've got good tunes on your stereo
Boy you're just like me you're the travelling kind
An open road will let your thoughts unwind
Melodies that you've been holding inside
You got a song in your heart that won't let go
A driving rhythm and an open road rocking you like a lullaby
Well it could be a highway a gravel road
Open fields or miles of stone
A ribbon or a line that leads you on
Or a night by a river under star filled skies
Playing your guitar by the fires light
Can you hear me sing along
Ah you're just like me you're the travelling kind
An open road will let your thoughts unwind
Melodies that you've been holding inside
You got a song in your heart that won't let go
A driving rhythm and an open road rocking you like a lullaby
Here's from the girl that you left at home
Everybody needs some time alone
Distances can help to clear the mind
Just to see yourself in a different light
Wake in the morning to some new sight
You can never know what lies down the line
Boy you're just like me you're the travelling kind
An open road will let your thoughts unwind
Melodies that you've been holding inside
You got a song in your heart and it won't let go
A driving rhythm of the open road rocking you like a lullaby
Hey where you going in that great big blue truck
Blow you a kiss and I wish you luck
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11. |
Ramona
03:42
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Ramona Terry Morrison © 2001
Oh Ramona
She was a fine young thing
A spark of life, she would do anything
To be the crowd pleaser or just to appease
If push came to shove
Push came to shove
In the form of a man
Who thought that love
Could come with the raising of his hand
Young Ramona she didn’t understand
There was nothing she could do to ever please the man
He was called Dwayne he drank most every day
To take away his pain and to lock his heart away
His dreams full of memories
Of his father when he’d yell
Distant screaming when the leather strap fell
And push came to shove
In the form of a man
Who thought that love
Could come with the raising of his hand
That little boy never did understand
There was nothing he could do would ever please the man
Ramona’s children they grow bigger every day
When their daddy comes home from work
Ah seems like they’re only in his way
He takes to the bottle
Lord they’ve learned to stay away
When voices raise and push comes to shove
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12. |
Unseen
03:11
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Unseen Terry Morrison © 2015
Well I turned and said ‘so long’ looks like we got it wrong
All the miles that stretch between
Are filled with years and dreams unseen
And what once was able to be broken
Is now filled with all the words unspoken
And promises betrayed that rest inside right to this day
You know it came as a surprise it was hard to look you in the eye
When once beside you I had lain
It was there I thought I’d stay
But you turned and walked away into another’s arms
Do you think you can return across the bridges that you burn
To make your stand and face the consequence of change
Can the lessons that are learned
Mend a heart that once was spurned
Who can say?
We’ve all got demons that survive
In a place we keep inside
Living in our hearts and in our minds
We can try to drown them in a glass or cover them with laughs
But still the time it stretches by
Well the wheels they keep on turning
And the fire keeps right on burning
And folks they come into our lives and then they go
There’s a never-ending yearning on this path of no return
The more I see the less I know
Oh the more I see the less I know
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Terry Morrison Nanton, Alberta
Alberta Metis Singer/Songwriter Terry Morrison is a long time member of the Canadian musical community. An accomplished
guitar player, Morrison's unique sense of melody and phrasing create her own inimitable brand of contemporary roots music. Delivered in a rich sensual voice, her songs reflect a compassionate and innate intelligence.
Terry has 6 CD’s of original music to her credit .
... more
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