Greetings, dear newsletter readers. We'd like to use this moment of your time to sincerely thank you for your eyes, ears, hearts, and minds. We cherish the opportunity to share art and culture with you, and we're grateful for your continued interest in traditional (and less traditional!) music from local and global communities. This week, Leyla McCalla reminds us there's a lot to be grateful for on the new single "Mèsi Bondye," off of the upcoming re-release of of Vari-Colored Songs: A Tribute to Langston Hughes.
Sung in Haitian Kreyòl, and accompanied with atmospheric pedal steel guitar and a hypnotic banjo vamp, the English translates to:
Thank you, Lord
See how our misery has ended
See all that nature has brought us
The rain is falling, the corn is growing
All the hungry children will eat
Let's dance
Our Father in heaven says the misery is over
Our Father in heaven says the misery is over for us
If you're feeling particularly grateful (and curious!), check out the gorgeous 1953 version of "Mèsi Bondye" (simply titled "Harvest Song") off of Haitian Folk Songs by seminal Haitian guitarist Franz Casséus and singer Lolita Cuevas. As the liner notes state, "This song is based on a harvesting custom in Haiti called the coumbite, when neighbors gather to help each other harvest the crops. It is a happy time, a time of dancing, singing, drinking, drums, and laughter -- and deep gratefulness for the crops that have been harvested." Consider this our wish for you: we hope to gather together soon, revel in all nature has brought us, help each other reap a bountiful harvest, and, most importantly, that misery will soon be over.
Leyla McCalla's Vari-Colored Songs: A Tribute to Langston Hughes comes out October 16. Pre-order now. |
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