A song about an imaginary dragon friend that I created for myself who lived in the drainage grate at the edge of my grandmother’s land.

Voice: Sandra Garner
Piano: Baron Fenwick
Cello: Sarah Overton

Recorded by Thomas Kobrick (@thomaskobrick)

Lyrics:

Pinned between the white fence and white highway line,
Tall pines reach high to wispy blue skies.

Gravel grinding under my feet, summer sunburn fading away,
hovering at the edge of the land I know.

Woodsmoke on the breeze, a sharp, sinister breath.
A faint trickle in the drain echoes the river, an elixir.

A Greek Chorus of dogs, barking diagonally down the road,
hovering at the edge of the land I know.

A mysterious grate leads to an underground lair.
Trucks passing up the road, a cavernous, rumbling belly.

Fresh cut blades of grass, a tangy bouquet for lunch.
Every day, handfuls of grass and hay, to keep the beast at bay,
hovering at the edge of the land I know.

Burning, bright eyes peer from a world beneath and beyond.
To catch a glimpse of my friend, I hold my breath.

Feeding the Dragon

A song about my grandmother's abundant vegetable garden.

Voice: Sandra Garner
Piano: Baron Fenwick
Clarinet: Nadeen Fankhauser
Harp: Liann Cline

Recorded by Thomas Kobrick (@thomaskobrick)

Lyrics:

Jumping the creek, shimmying under barbed wire
a small break in the fence, opening to a world of wonder.
Rows of goodness, lying in wait.

Soft dirt between my toes, Puff (the magic cat) winding through the rows
Sun-gold smells of growth, shade creeping across in the afternoon.
Rows of goodness, lying in wait.

Sunhat and seersucker shirt; sun-spotted hands working the soil
Deer stalking at the edge of the woods, waiting to sneak a snack.
Rows of goodness, lying in wait.

Shelves of plenty, filling the basement, blue glass Ball jars, jewels of a bygone era.
Sunlight streams through to break up the shadows.
Rows of goodness, lying in wait.

Garden

A song about a persimmon tree on my grandmother's land and the unique, tart fruit.

Voice: Sandra Garner
Piano: Baron Fenwick
Clarinet: Nadeen Fankhauser

Recorded by Thomas Kobrick (@thomaskobrick)

Lyrics:

Tall, solitary tree - a position of power, regal at the top of the hill.
A taste of Indian summer; searching the high grass for an unexpected treat.
Wrinkly saffron spheres litter the landscape, where the spring has sprung,
Winding through the fields, showering us with a juicy punch - pucker up!

Persimmons

A song about the lovely old hay barn on my grandmother's land.

Voice: Sandra Garner
Piano: Baron Fenwick
Cello: Sarah Overton
Harp: Liann Cline

Recorded by Thomas Kobrick (@thomaskobrick)

Lyrics:

A red clay floor and worn, wooden steps,
hay stacked like a puzzle, climbing through the hole in the roof.

Cows grazing next to the creek, the push of their noses against the pens.
Grandpa riding his tractor, to and fro, fro and to.

Calico barn cat, the sweet smell of her fur,
now a pied-à-terre for the daring deer.

Purple clover dots the field, as I run in the tall grass.
Bales rolling down the hill like a Van Gogh.

A red clay floor and worn, wooden steps,
hay stacked like a puzzle, climbing through the hole in the roof.

Hay Barn

A song about a time I decided to build myself a rope swing out of thin hay bailing twine and it broke with me in midflight.

Voice: Sandra Garner
Piano: Baron Fenwick
Cello: Sarah Overton
Harp: Liann Cline

Recorded by Thomas Kobrick (@thomaskobrick)

Lyrics:

Rope swings forth and back, carving an arc through air.
A thin line of hay twine, looped around me, around a tree.
Faster, higher, farther I fly… Snap!
A swimming sea of black, a crush of rock,
a half-rope, swinging in the breeze.

Rope Swing

A song about the intimidating store of black walnuts my grandfather kept in the dark, cool corners of the upper level of their garage.

Voice: Sandra Garner
Piano: Baron Fenwick
Clarinet: Nadeen Fankhauser
Cello: Sarah Overton

Recorded by Thomas Kobrick (@thomaskobrick)

Lyrics:

Earth. Pungent. Scattering the attic floor.
Shafts of sunlight soak up layers of depth.
Meaty. Toothsome. A bitter tonic.
For those who dare to dig, in Grandpa’s treasure trove.

Black Walnuts

A song about Wednesday night dinners at my grandmother’s house and how a special, beloved ritual can end up being twisted in your memory.

Voice: Sandra Garner
Piano: Baron Fenwick
Cello: Sarah Overton
Harp: Liann Cline

Recorded by Thomas Kobrick (@thomaskobrick)

Lyrics:

Fresh lemonade to start and chocolate cake to end.
A whole stick of butter calls my name.

Strawberry tablecloth and black and white striped tins,
dying light spills across the field.

Screen door slams and an echo of the 6 o’ clock news,
grace and Granny keeping the peace.
Wednesday night dinner has come.

A special dark to start and empty shelves to end,
imprint of another on my walls.

Gold rings and necklaces and Grandpa’s old shotgun,
a shadow slides across the woods.

Screen door slams, frantic and pale - Dad flying back in,
greedy thieves stealing our night.
Wednesday night dinner has turned.

Wednesdays

A fun and playful song about a favorite childhood pastime. 

Voice: Sandra Garner
Piano: Baron Fenwick
Clarinet: Nadeen Fankhauser
Cello: Sarah Overton

Recorded by Thomas Kobrick (@thomaskobrick)

Lyrics:

Pastel chalks in afternoon sun; dead-end scrap of cracked sidewalk.
Hop-skip-jump, hop-skip-jump.

Paint-by-numbers, a new puzzle each time, jumping rope to mix it up.
Skip-hop-jump, skip-hop-jump.

Fading colors, fading light, a slate capstone at the end of my rainbow.
Jump-skip-hop, jump-skip-hop!

Hopscotch

A song about teaching myself to ride my 1980s Fonzie bike. 

Voice: Sandra Garner
Piano: Baron Fenwick
Cello: Sarah Overton

Recorded by: Thomas Kobrick (@thomaskobrick)

Lyrics:

Pink and white streamers, training wheels come off,
bump-bump-bump across the grass, veering away from the road.
wind at my back, sun on my face, watching where the concrete cracks.

Granny peering from the window, the Fonz pacing my every move,
A trip to the mailbox and back.
Closing my eyes and I’m on the right track, riding my bike.

BIcycle

A song about the many hours that I spent on the floor of the attic playing with whatever I found in the closets and watching my grandmother quilt above me. 

Voice: Sandra Garner
Piano: Baron Fenwick
Clarinet: Nadeen Fankhauser
Harp: Liann Cline

Recorded by Thomas Kobrick (@thomaskobrick)

Lyrics:

Looming structure, spindly wooden frame.
Kaleidoscope of colored scraps.

Thimbles, calloused thumbs, always working,
Stitch-by-stitch by hand, with love.

Piles of pillows, Aztec inspiration.
A bed made of quilts.

Tunneling layers of warmth, always waiting
Stitched by stitch, by hand, with love.

Quilt Frames

Sandra Garner is currently acting as line producer for Choral Chameleon and Empire City Men's Chorus. As a musician, she has a background in classical voice and piano and picked up the cello as a 'bucket list' instrument about three years ago. Sandra recently completed the 2-year certificate program in Core Musical Skills as part of The Juilliard School's Extension Division.

New tracks tagged #Art Song