Across the Great Divide: Story + Song
/My drive across the state from the East Coast of Florida was almost done. I'd be back to Mom's in time for our usual Sunday brunch which would be a welcome treat after a week to myself at Cocoa Beach.
Before you go thinking that I was coming back relaxed from a vacation, I'm going to stop you there. Though it might have looked like a vacation, it was actually a trip that reopened my grief wound from the loss of Dad the year before.
Our timeshare in Cocoa Beach was Dad's special place. We'd been going there as a family for nearly two decades and I don't think anyone looked forward to it as much as Dad.
This trip was my first time visiting this sacred place and everywhere I looked reminded me of my Dad. Though I had gotten through the "year of firsts" already, breathing my way through every birthday, holiday, seasonal change, and finally, his death anniversary, this trip was yet another first I had yet to experience.
With my interstate exit fast approaching, I got a surprise text from my mom that read, "Nanci Griffith passed away. Turn on 88.5."
I sighed and turned off Spotify to switch to WMNF, our local community radio station. I heard the familiar tune of this song from my childhood, Across the Great Divide, sung in the familiar voice of Nanci Griffith.
A staple experience of my childhood was going to what my parents and their friends called, "Pick-n-Sing"s. A few Friday or Saturday nights a month, a group of several families, couples, and single adults would gather at someone's house, with guitars and beer in tow, to play music together. Always the organizer, my Dad eventually compiled a song book with the lyrics and chords to songs by the Mama's and the Poppa's, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, and so many other bands of the 60s and 70s.
The other kids and I would retreat to someone's bedroom for games or play outside; I thought this was a normal thing for families to do. It wasn't until 5th grade when the boy who sat next to me asked what I was doing this weekend and I said I was going to a pick-n-sing and he said, "What's that?" that I realized that most kids were missing out.
My mom's best friend, Lisa, requested that the group learn this song, Across the Great Divide, and that became part of the usual repertoire. Though the song was written by Kate Wolf, Nanci Griffith’s version was what ended up on my Dad’s practice mix tape that he’d play while driving me to dance or running errands.
So when I heard it on the radio that day, being played because yet another musician had passed away, I had to hold back the tears so I'd make it safely home.
Learning songs had already become a core part of my grief healing process so I decided that night to look up the chords to this song. I played it through the next few months, perfecting the melody as best as I could. So many of the lyrics resonated with things I was experiencing, especially as we started to finally sort through many of my Dad's belongings.
I ended up sharing this song in the Full Moon Circle this week at Gaze Yoga nd it felt so right. I loved sharing this beautiful song in the yoga studio which has such fabulous acoustics.
The next day, I took a few minutes before my client to record it again. I hope you enjoy.
I'd love to know:
What songs are pulling at your heart strings right now?
Are there songs that have helped you in dark times like grief, depression, or sadness?
