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This Losing Game
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An anti-war song, written on Memorial Day 2004
north carolina madison singer songwriter acoustic piano music musician folk singersongwriter cello indierock folk rock wisconsin folk music folkpop tracy comer tracy jane comer contemporary acoustic quietly there second wind
Artist picture
Award-winning singer/songwriter and accomplished multi-instrumentalist Tracy Jane Comer writes and performs dynamic acoustic music, subtly influenced by many st
"This singer/songwriter is key to moving the whole darn genre forward. Her sound is mature and soaked with talent throughout" - Smother.Net Ezine -------------------------- Tracy Jane Comer is one to watch in contemporary acoustic music. Hailed as "a versatile vocalist who writes compelling, visual songs" (Kweevak’s Tracks), Tracy is also a standout guitarist, pianist, and cellist with a rare blend of talent and personality that has gained her sustained media attention as an intelligent and loveable entertainer. Her music is often lauded for its depth and variety, stemming from an extensive musical background that includes undergraduate and graduate study in classical piano, cello and musicology, plus involvement with folk, pop/rock, choral and theater music and many things in betweeneven a touch of blues and jazz. "Although her music is acoustic based, the arrangements go much deeper, culling from classical, folk, jazz, pop and rock...Comer's work is diverse and dynamic. Upon each listen more subtle sounds and styles unfold...Tracy Jane Comer is a musical force..." (Kweevak’s Tracks, 2004) Tracy’s music includes both vocal and instrumental works. Her lyrics cover a variety of topics ranging from personal to universal, often poignant, with memorable melodies and well-crafted accompaniments. She has been likened to guitar mavens Patty Larkin, Emily Saliers, and Alex DeGrassi, folk legends Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins and Joan Baez, pop artists Shawn Colvin and Sarah MacLachlan, as well as modern troubadours Dar Williams and Patty Griffin. From her current base in Madison, WI, Tracy tours in the Midwest and is beginning to tour nationally with emphasis around her home state of NC. She has opened several tour shows for Willy Porter and has also appeared with national acts including Peter Mulvey, The Wailin' Jennys, LJ Booth, among others. She has appeared as cellist with Warner Brothers artist Holly Brook and others. Tracy also records and performs on cello, vocals, guitar, fiddle, and hammered dulcimer as part of local Madison-based folk trio Sticky Fingers and as a freelance musician. Tracy has earned four nominations by the Madison Area Music Awards (MAMAs), two each for BEST ACOUSTIC ALBUM and BEST ACOUSTIC ARTIST (2004, 2005), and she performed at the 2006 MAMAs. She has been honored several times by VH1’s Song of the Year International Songwriting Contest and by the Peacedriven Songwriting Contest, and is a two-time recipient of the ASCAP Plus Award. Her latest release, Quietly There, continues to receive rave reviews in the U.S. and abroad. Tracy’s music has been heard on MTV's reality show MADE and is being heard on all forms of radio on four continents. A frequent invited guest on local media, she has performed several full television concerts (solo and with band) in addition to making numerous guest appearances on both radio and television. She has released three CDs and two live concert DVDs, plus a CD with side project Sticky Fingers. Her music was also selected for inclusion on two compilations published by Spiritone Records. See Tracy Jane Comer's official Web site for more information. "Comparisons to other adult contemporary artists such as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin, and Dar Williams are inevitable, though she displays more range of style than any of them...." - Rick’s Café, Madison, WI "...Tracy Jane Comer has more than a beautiful voice; she’s also a great instrumentalist. She plays the guitar, cello and piano with great skill..." - B-Section, Newsletter of the Madison Songwriters Group
Song Info
Charts
Peak #678
Peak in subgenre #101
Author
Tracy Jane Comer
Rights
2004 Tracy Jane Comer
Uploaded
May 23, 2005
Track Files
MP3
MP3 5.2 MB 128 kbps 0:00
Story behind the song
I was pondering both Memorial Day and Father's Day, so close together...and thinking of all the families that have to be apart now because of the war.
Lyrics
A balanced flashlight just illuminates the page, a tired soldier’s hand begins to write A tattered notebook full of fringes in the spine, remnants of letters written other lonely nights "How are things there, well, I know it’s hard alone… How is Katie – Does she still like Goodnight, Moon? I hate to miss her birthday party in July but there’s no sign of peace anytime soon" After all these years, after countless wars, we still raise our guns and we fight some more And we still don’t know how to count the score in this game of war He reads it over slowly one last time, places some X’s and O’s And wonders if he’ll ever see this page again, He licks the envelope, presses it closed Now everyday he simply tries to make his way, and tries to think of what to feel and what to say And tries to reconcile the things he sees today with thoughts of a loving God to whom he prays After all these years, after countless wars, we still load our guns and we kill some more And we still don’t know how to count the score in this game of war Miles and miles away she reads a bedtime story by the soft glow of lamp light "Goodnight pillow, goodnight teddy, goodnight stars, Goodnight, Moon, Goodnight." After countless tears shed for precious blood, can’t we stand and say that enough’s enough? Yes, they need our love, and they need our cheer, but what of us now, we need our heroes here And it’s we who are lost, and it’s we who must cry for freedom’s cost, for all who die And we still don’t know why we play this losing game
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