Frazey Ford is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was a founding member of T… Read Full Bio ↴Frazey Ford is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was a founding member of The Be Good Tanyas. Her solo debut Obadiah was released on Nettwerk on July 20, 2010.
Ford cites Rhythm and Blues singers Ann Peebles, Roberta Flack, and Donny Hathaway as influences, and this is evident in her debut album. Jenny Charlesworth of The Georgia Straight wrote that a few of the songs "swing with a mellow neo-soul beat enlivened by buttery vocals". Ford also credits her free spirited parents (her father was an American draft dodger who moved to Canada), and being a mother as strong influences on her songwriting.
Obadiah takes its name from Ford's middle name "Obadiah". When she was born, her parents asked her brothers to choose her middle name; they decided to name her after their pet cat Obadiah that had recently run away.
Ford was raised in the Kootenays in Southeastern British Columbia, and Toronto. She currently resides in Vancouver.

Golden
Frazey Ford Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well hey it's alright well aren't we family
We're golden and holdin' why don't you
Do what you got to do
But why don't you, do what you got to

It lightens up ahead
Get wrung out and let go of it
Get higher and love yourself

Be a drop in the sea and the swell

Oh my Darling, the turn of it
Gets harder, when you bury it
Ain't you had enough, put your head up
And why don't you do what you got to do

It lightens up ahead
Get wrung out and let go of it
Get higher and love yourself
In this whole world let yourself be held

It is high time you lighten up your head
Get wrung out and tell your tale
Get higher then love yourself

Be a drop in the sea and the swell
Be a drop in the sea and swell

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Three Golden Trees" by Frazey Ford are filled with intricate imagery and themes of loss and betrayal. The opening line, "You carried me up and over the water," suggests a moment of rescue, but the image of a white dress covered in rust hints at something more complex. The singer describes folding into the shoulder of the person who carried her, suggesting comfort and safety, but this image is contrasted with the flood they are supposedly navigating together. The three golden trees over Beulah add to the symbolic richness of the lyrics, possibly representing hope or beauty in the midst of chaos or death, but they are juxtaposed with three new graves in the sun, suggesting a sense of loss or tragedy.

The chorus of the song is where the tone shifts, with the singer questioning the actions of the person who carried her: "Are you really the sort of person who would treat me this way?" This question is not answered in the rest of the lyrics, but it sets up the theme of betrayal and loss that threads through the rest of the song. The repeated phrase "if you must" reinforces the idea that the singer is resigned to the ending of their trust, suggesting that the betrayal has already occurred.

Line by Line Meaning

You carried me up and over the water
You took care of me and helped me through a difficult time

In a white dress covered in rust
Despite the difficulties, we tried to keep a sense of purity or hope in our relationship, even if it was somewhat flawed

And I folded into your shoulder
I found comfort in you and relied on your support

All through the flood
We were with each other through a difficult time

There were three golden trees over Beulah
Even in hard times, there were beautiful things or moments to be appreciated

And three new graves in the sun
However, there were also losses or things to mourn

We sat together on the horizon
In spite of everything, we were still together, facing the future

There was so much we lost
We experienced significant losses or changes

And I hang on your footsteps
I'm still following or trying to connect with you, even though things may have changed

And I speak your name
I still have strong feelings for you and think about you often

Are you really the sort of person
I'm questioning whether you are the kind of person I thought you were

Who would treat me this way?
I'm hurt by how things have turned out and can't believe you would treat me poorly

Welcome to the end of our trust
Our trust in each other has been broken or lost

If you must, if you must
If it's necessary or inevitable, then so be it