Fifty-five years ago, Marilyn Bell took a plunge and traversed Lake Ontario. Back then, being a Great Lake swimmer was a big deal; now, it's an astonishing physical feat taken for granted. It's a rapidly forgotten part of history, like a faded map or a tattered photograph. Or a lost channel.
Tony Dekker's Great Lake Swimmers have spent the past seven years performing on stages around the world - though, like Bell, they should never be taken for granted. LOST CHANNELS, their fourth album set for release on March 31st, finds them once again recording at historic locations. This time in the Thousand Islands region of Ontario and New York state, telling tales of hidden histories, still "mining for light in the dark wells," still "tuned to an instrument of greater and unknown design."
The instrument in question is the singular voice of Tony Dekker, a voice that summons ghosts from times past. It’s a voice that is capable of conveying heartache and comfort all in the space of a single phrase. Though his supporting cast has changed over the years—with the exception of longtime right-hand man Erik Arnesen — Dekker has always encircled him self with sympathetic players who value spacious arrangements that frame his vocals. Over time, the band has evolved from a sparse, delicate and hushed unit into a well-rounded folk rock band, sacrificing none of their original intimacy while upping both the volume and tempos when necessary.
Dekker chooses to record in old churches, community halls, abandoned grain silos and rural locations. It's easy to hear why. His voice doesn't need any studio embellishment, standing at its strongest when bathed in natural reverb and enriched by the historical context surrounding it.
To record LOST CHANNELS, Dekker and company went upstream on the St. Lawrence River to the Thousand Islands, halfway between Toronto and Montreal, a historic and picturesque area that straddles the Canadian/American border, and has been designated a World Biosphere Region. Great Lake Swimmers arrived at the invitation of fan and Thousand Islands photographer/regional historian Ian Coristine (www.1000islandsphotoart.com).
Coristine was able to arrange for the band to record in a number of acoustically unique spaces within the region, including one of the area's most storied landmarks, Singer Castle on Dark Island, near Hammond, NY (www.singercastle.com); as well as the historical Brockville Arts Centre (www.brockvilleartscentre.com); and at St. Brendan’s Church in Rockport, ON.
Additional recording took place at Halla and the Lincoln County Social Club in Toronto and the album was woven into a cohesive whole at the House Of Miracles, in London, ON, with long-time Great Lake Swimmers collaborator, Andy Magoffin.
That the album was created in both rural splendour and urban Ontario makes perfect sense for a band that has always navigated the parallels between natural and urban rhythms. River imagery recurs throughout LOST CHANNELS; the title of the album is a reference to a certain passage of the St. Lawrence, close to the recording locale, where a reconnaissance boat from a British warship went mysteriously missing in 1760. There’s no specific reference to the incident in the lyrics, though there are plenty of night skies, howling winds and raging rivers in almost every song which captures an elusive sense of mystery. As the album closes, Dekker sings the final lyrics—“Like the unstoppable river… Your beauty is gentle/ but forceful, and fast”—before the band ends on a suspended note. There is no resolution there, only eternity, a continuum, an endless river.
LOST CHANNELS also features the talents of Julie Fader (flute/backing vocals), Greg Millson (drums), Darcy Yates (bass), with appearances by Erin Aurich on violin; Mike Olsen on cello; and Paul Aucoin on vibraphone; along with special guests / Swimmers collaborators Serena Ryder with vocals on “Everything Is Moving So Fast” and Bob Egan on pedal steel.
Four albums into an already-rich and storied career, Great Lake Swimmers’ live show has won them ever-expanding audiences in the United States and Europe, and of course their native Canada. In 2008 Great Lake Swimmers shared the stage with an impressive list of artists, including Feist, Bela Fleck & The Sparrow Quartet, Hayden, Goldfrapp, Bill Callahan of Smog, and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss.
Three Days At Sea
Great Lake Swimmers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I had nothing to eat
But I thought home was near
I found myself in an
Unfamiliar place
My first night
On an unfamiliar tide
Had almost forgotten
I had never thought to
Try on different colored robes
And I was face down in the in the sand
And I was lucky to be alive
Lucky to have survived
And on the third day
I was weak so I
Collapsed on the beach
And I died of hunger
And when they found me
They saw how much that
I had changed, I had changed
I had
I have changed, I have
I have changed, I have
I have changed, I have
I have changed, I have
The lyrics of Great Lake Swimmers' "Three Days At Sea" tell a story of a person who finds themselves lost at sea with no food or drinkable water. The first day leaves them hopeful that they can find their way home, but as time passes, they become increasingly aware of their dire situation. The second day finds them waking up on an unfamiliar shore, lucky to be alive but also aware that their survival is not guaranteed. The third day is their last, as hunger takes over and they succumb to their fate. When they are found, it is clear that they have changed - physically, certainly, but perhaps also spiritually.
The song can be interpreted in a few different ways. On the surface level, it is a story of survival and the way that extreme circumstances can change a person. The singer goes from hopeful to desperate to accepting of their death in the span of just a few days. However, it's possible to read more into the lyrics. For example, the song could be a metaphor for a spiritual journey. The singer is lost and searching for home, and the different colored robes they consider on the second day could represent different ways of life or belief systems. Ultimately, they die and are reborn changed.
Line by Line Meaning
First day, I was lost at sea
I was completely lost in my life, directionless and without any sense of purpose
I had nothing to eat
I was emotionally drained and devoid of any satisfaction or fulfillment
But I thought home was near
Despite being uncertain about my whereabouts, I held onto the hope that I would find my way back to a familiar place
I found myself in an unfamilar place
I was confronted with a new and unfamiliar set of circumstances that challenged everything I knew to be true
My first night on an unfamilar tide
The sense of uncertainty and unfamiliarity continued to loom over me as I experienced something new and uncomfortable
Second day I woke up
As I continued to navigate this strange new world, I began to regain some clarity and perspective
Had almost forgotten I had never thought to try on different colored robes
I had been so consumed by my own problems and challenges that I had failed to consider alternative perspectives or ways of looking at the situation
And I was face down in the sand
I had been knocked down by the trials and tribulations of this new reality, but I was still able to pick myself up and keep going
And I was lucky to be alive
Despite everything I had been through, I was fortunate to still have my life and my health
Lucky to have survived
I was grateful to have made it this far, and I knew that I had the strength and resilience to keep moving forward
And on the third day, I was weak so I collapsed on the beach
After pushing myself to the brink for so long, I finally hit a breaking point and could no longer continue
And I died of hunger
I was famished, not just physically but emotionally and spiritually as well, and I knew that something needed to change
And when they found me, they saw how much that I had changed, I had changed
Even though I had been through so much and had suffered so greatly, I had emerged stronger, more capable, and more wise than ever before
I have changed, I have
I am not the same person I was when I first set out on this journey; I have grown, transformed, and evolved in ways that I never thought possible
I have changed, I have
I am filled with a sense of gratitude, hope, and excitement for what the future holds, knowing that I now have the resilience and courage to face any challenge that comes my way
I have changed, I have
This experience has shown me that even in the darkest and most difficult of times, there is always a way forward and a light at the end of the tunnel
I have changed, I have
By embracing my own strength and resilience, I have discovered a newfound sense of purpose and meaning that will guide me on my journey for years to come
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANTHONY DEKKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind