Written by R.H. Cornelius and James Rowe

Wonderful things of folks are said
When they have passed away
Roses adorn the narrow bed
Over the sleeping clay

Give me the roses while I live
Trying to cheer me on
Useless are flowers that you give
After the soul is gone


Praises are heard not by the dead
Roses they cannot speak
Let us not wait till souls have fled
Generous friends to be

Faults are forgiven when folks lie 
Cold in a narrow bed
Let us forgive them ere they die
Now should the words be said

Give Me The Roses While I Live

Text is by Anders Villani. This piece was re-arranged for me by Annika Socolofsky, based on another solo voice version she wrote some years back. 

The music for the project will be Appalachian folk music and newly composed works inspired by Appalachia. With these two sources of music, I will tell a story of the tension of new and old in West Virginia, looking at the past to inform how we might change for the future.

Sarah (by Annika Socolofsky)

Ivory Bones (by Christine Delphine Hedden)

Annick Odom, double bass & voice 
Composed by Gabo Champagne

Recorded at Banff Center for the Arts and Creativity as a part of Ensemble Evolution.

De Prins op het Witte Paard

De Prins op het Witte Paard [LIVE]

Rose Run
** inspired by a ghost story recorded in Ruth Ann Musick's 
Green Hills of Magic: West Virginia Folktales from Europe **

Rose Run, it’s far back on Bunner’s Ridge, 
close to Morgantown 
It was and still is 
the place that she comes from 

A farmer’s daughter fell in love 
With a farmer’s son 
It started easy, and for a time 
It fooled everyone 

How she loved that man, 
he was her everything
And he loved her too, 
Every night they’d sit by the fire and sing 

It was bliss, as long 
As he was out having fun 
She’d do the chores, 
stay at home til the work was done 

It’s hard to say when the changes came
Maybe it was sudden, maybe slow and with pain 

Soon, their shutters stayed drawn
And long sleeves hid her bruised-up skin 
Her eyes lost their sparkle 
And her laughter, it was blown away with the wind

Rose run, far away from here 
Rose run, you should not stay
Rose run, far away from here 
Rose run, but please don’t stay

Wild roses in the valley 
They covered everything, 
Like wildfire, they choked 
the very sunlight from the soil 

Morning hit, 
and as he started drinkin’
she quietly packed her bags, 
and rose she ran

Rose run, far away from here 
Rose run, you should not stay
Rose run, far away from here 
Rose run, but please don’t stay

Rose Run

Learned from Phyllis Marks
It was a so-called sentimental song written in 1871 by William Shakespeare Hays but has since made its way into the folk repertoire.

Won't you tell me, Molly darling
That you love none else but me
For I love you, Molly darling
You are all the world to me

Molly dearest sweetest fairest 
Look up darling tell me this 
If you love me, molly darling, 
May your answer be a kiss 

Stars are shinin’, Molly darling
Through the misty pale of night
They seem laughin’ Molly darling
While fair luna gives her light

No one sees us but the flowers
As they hang their heads in shame
They are modest, Molly darling 
When they hear me call your name 

Molly, dearest, sweetest, fairest 
Look up darling tell me this 
If you love me, Molly darling
May your answer be a kiss 

I must leave you, Molly darling 
Though it breaks, my heart to go
When the sun shines, Molly darling
I will meet you here again 

Goodbye, Molly 
Goodbye, sweetheart
Happy may you ever be
When you’re dreaming, Molly darling
Would you sometimes dream of me

Molly, dearest sweetest fairest 
Look up darling tell me this 
If you love me, molly darling, 
May your answer be a kiss

Molly Darlin

Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie

from recordings of Almeda Riddle (and Emily Miller and Val Mindel)

Rainbow Mid Life's Willows

Water Is Wide

an attempt at doing many new things at once  
playing guitar & translating a beautiful poem by Rainer Maria Rilke

*Ich bin auf der Welt zu allein*

Ich bin auf der Welt zu allein und doch nicht allein genug,
um jede Studen zu weihen.
Ich bin auf der Welt zu gering und doch nicht klein genug,
um vor dir zu sein wie ein Ding,
dunkel und klug.
Ich will meinen Willen und will meinen Willen begleiten
die Wege zur Tat;
und will in stillen, irgendwie zörgernden Zeiten,
wenn etwas naht,
unter den Wissenden sein
oder allein.
Ich will dich immer spiegeln in ganzer Gestalt,
und will niemals blind sein oder zu alt,
um dein schweres schwankendes Bild zu halten.
Ich will mich entfalten.
Nirgends will ich gebogen bleiben,
denn dort bin ich gelogen, wo ich gebogen bin.
Und ich will meinen Sinn
wahr vor dir. Ich will mich beschreiben
wie ein Bild, das ich sah,
lange und nah,
wie ein Wort, das ich begriff,
wie meinen täglichen Krug,
wie meiner Mutter Gesicht,
wie ein Schiff,
das mich trug
durch den tödlichsten Sturm.

I am too alone in the world...
I am too alone in the world, and yet not alone enough
to make every hour holy.
I am too small in the world, and yet not tiny enough
just to stand before you like a thing,
dark and shrewd.
I want my will, and I want to be with my will
as it moves towards deed;
and in those quiet, somehow hesitating times,
when something is approaching,
I want to be with those who are wise
or else alone.
 
I want always to be a mirror that reflects your whole being,
and never to be too blind or too old
to hold your heavy, swaying image.
I want to unfold.
Nowhere do I want to remain folded,
because where I am bent and folded, there I am lie.
And I want my meaning
true for you. I want to describe myself
like a painting that I studied
closely for a long, long time,
like a word I finally understood,
like the pitcher of water I use every day,
like the face of my mother,
like a ship
that carried me
through the deadliest storm of all

Ik Ben Te Alleen In De Wereld

A singer, bassist, and clarinetist, Annick Odom performs in various chamber groups in and around The Netherlands and also has several solo projects. One of these projects is "West Virginia, My Home," which includes commissions of composers to write pieces inspired by the state. She enjoys exploring the folk music and history of her home state, West Virginia and is especially interested in connecting to socio-political issues by mixing "traditional" folk music, improvisation, storytelling, and new music. The music that makes her most excited connects to community and has a strong sense of place.

Annick Odom

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