Many Hands

by @nwhosings

Liner Notes

This morning I felt like I had no more songs. Life circumstances have forced me to realize I need to be done FAWM this weekend. It's not feasible for me to continue this kind of output alongside my job this year. So I want to reach the goal. I won't be satisfied if I don't see that lovely 14 inside a trophy icon. But my brain being what it is, that constriction felt horrible and I thought I was out of things to say. Until I watched JillianEve's latest video about the history of Indigo and fibre and Black History and how all of those things tie together. Well. History, fibre, and justice are special interests of mine and I immediately wanted to write a #political song in protest of all the injustices within these overlapping topics. The clothes you wear are part of history, black, indigenous, femme/women's history and we need to grapple with the nuances there. Further note: This was going to be an acoustic one take, but my computer decided it wouldn't allow me to export that file. So I went home, took my time and recorded the harmonies I envisioned to try and make this a protest anthem with a folky feel! I'm so proud of it! If you know other examples of fibre/clothing/textile history please share in the comments, I would love to learn about more! #folk #protest #harmony #personwithukulele #feminist #history #acoustic #fuc

Lyrics

This long thread Has passed through many hands A touching skill of twist and pull On every strand

My Oma taught me knitting Her spinning wheel stands there A legacy of stitching My family history bears

This long thread Has passed through many hands A touching skill of twist and pull On every strand

Endless fields of cotton Stretch out into the past Callous inhumanity Erase accusing facts

This long thread Has passed through many hands A touching skill of twist and pull On every strand

Shimmering blue indigo In Africa's tropical heat Overwritten by denim labels But truth they will not cheat

Countless hours of beadwork From silk stands in the shade Wrapped around colonial shoulders This history must not fade

This long thread Has passed through many hands A touching skill of twist and pull On every strand

Knit and purl on station benches No one would suspect A little old lady with knitting needles The resistance could affect

This long thread Has passed through many hands A touching skill of twist and pull On every strand

Fibre and dyeing Spin, weave and knit We all wear our history Although we might forget (Don't forget)

This long thread Has passed through many hands A touching skill of twist and pull On every strand

Comments

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@haloquin

This is so beautiful, and such a tangible way of remembering both our place in the tapestry of humanity, and the overwriting of history too. Thank you for writing this.

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@janeg

A great idea to tell a story of injustice through textiles. An example of why we need to learn history from the perspective of women.

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So many beautiful verses in here. The shimmering blue...and countless hours verses being my favourites and I love the way you've added the harmonies in layers building and building with each chorus. Beautiful and strong imagery.

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I love this so much! The harmonies are GORGEOUS, and the lyrics are perfectly on point.

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This. Song. Is. Gorgeous. And I loooove fiber arts and history (I'm in the SCA). And then you get into the injustice woven into the history....oooh. I love everything about this.

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