Meredith Godreau is an American singer-songwriter performing under the pse… Read Full Bio ↴Meredith Godreau is an American singer-songwriter performing under the pseudonym Gregory and the Hawk (the name being derived from her brother, Gregory, and his imaginary childhood hawk).

A native New Yorker with a captivating voice and a clear gift for songwriting, Meredith began playing both piano and violin from an early age, switching to guitar through high school and college. She began playing solo shows in small venues around New England, and made a few cds to hand out at shows which proved incredibly popular. Word spread fast, and the 2006 heyday of myspace added rocket fuel to the fire. When we talked with her about working together after the Southpaw show, we had no idea that her songs had already sold 15,000 copies, had not seen the 17 pages of cover versions on youtube, and had never been to one of her (more common) solo shows.

The name Gregory And The Hawk was conceived in 2003, initially devised to avoid her being perceived or pigeonholed as a female singer-songwriter (though, perhaps ironically, when pressed for a list of influences Meredith cites Nick Drake, Liz Phair, PJ Harvey). Meredith remained playing alone under that name for a few years, until she met Mike McGuire in New York in 2005. The two played live shows together for several months before teaming up with bassist Jeff Ratner and drummer Adam Christgau (both of New York band Paper And Sand). The four of them recorded the 'Boats And Birds EP', which they self-released in 2006.

Soon after, the four friends moved apart, and so Meredith began playing live with just Jeff on upright bass, and herself on acoustic guitar and vocals. This was how she played most of the shows to support 'In Your Dreams,' the debut album, again self-released in 2007. The only players on 'In Your Dreams' were Meredith, Mike McGuire (who also engineered most of it), and Susan Ambrose. The recording of 'Moenie and Kitchi' was somewhat different; while Mike, Susan and a host of others contributed, many of the instruments were played by the album's producer Adam Pierce (Mice Parade).

The gentle, hook-laden songs of Gregory And The Hawk's mostly solo/acoustic sets have received much of their considerable attention through internet streaming and downloads, resulting in a groundswell of support that belies the fact that up until now, there has been no label, no manager, or indeed any other supportive network to help them on their way. Gregory And The Hawk have but one thing on their side - the ability to craft spellbinding, idiosyncratic pop songs, that sound at once suggestive, familiar, and yet very much of themselves.

‘Moenie and Kitchi’ was released in October 2008, with US and European tours embarked on in support of this.

Gregory and The Hawk are currently writing new material for an album set to be released in 2010. Leche is schedule for release on Nov. 9th in the US and Nov. 15th in the UK.

Discography:

Gregory and the Hawk (demo quality) - c. 2002; re-released 2005
8-track demos - 2005
Boats & Birds EP - 2006
In Your Dreams - 2007
Moenie and Kitchi - 2008 - Fatcat
Leche - 2010 - Fatcat
Come, Now - 2012
Stone (EP) - 2012
A Selection of Demos - 2014
On the Orange Mountain - 2017
Three Weeks No Songs - 2020
Texas Collectious - 2022

Singles:

Ghost - 2008 - Fatcat
Olly Olly Oxen Free - 2010
Some White Mountain - 2023

Bootlegs:

Live at Olives - 4/4/04

Voice Like a Bell
Gregory and the Hawk Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Noisy in my head
Voice rings like a bell

And try as I might, I cannot forget
And try as I might, I cannot love you less

Say how long you'll stay
Wrapped up in the hour

Marking off the day

Maybe we both
Knew it at the time
Maybe we both
Knew it at the time

Well, I don't know about you
But for me (but for me)
It's about (it's about)
The passing of measures
But for me (but for me)
It's about (it's about)
All of life's little pleasures
And I feel you're taking away
The most you can from our lazy days

Maybe we both
Maybe we both
Maybe we both
Knew it at the time

Maybe we both
Knew it at the time
Maybe we both
Knew it at the time

Maybe we both
Knew it at the time

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of "Voice Like a Bell" by Gregory and the Hawk express the pervasive sensation of a noisy mental space interrupted by a voice that rings clear like a bell. Despite efforts to forget and move on from this voice, it haunts and persists. The lyrics continue with a conversation between two individuals, during which one asks the other to stay for a certain duration. However, the passage of time is marked by the closing of hours and days, leading to an acknowledgement that the two of them probably knew how their relationship would end from the outset.

Line by Line Meaning

Noisy in my head
My mind is full of chaotic thoughts and emotions

Voice rings like a bell
My inner voice speaks loudly and clearly, guiding me through life

And try as I might, I cannot forget
Despite my efforts, I cannot erase you from my memory

And try as I might, I cannot love you less
No matter what happens, my love for you remains unchanged

Say how long you'll stay
Tell me how long you plan to be here

Wrapped up in the hour
Fully present and focused on the current moment

Marking off the day
Acknowledging the passage of time

Maybe we both knew it at the time
Perhaps we were both aware of the situation from the beginning

Well, I don't know about you
I cannot speak for your thoughts and feelings

But for me (but for me)
Speaking only for my own perspective

It's about (it's about)
The topic or focus of my thoughts and emotions is