Downer, by Bet Smith

Downer

by Bet Smith

supported by

	/

Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

$5 CAD or more

1.	Forgive You 03:44	lyrics	buy track
I want to forgive you, I want to forgive you, I want to forgive you but You say you ain’t done nothing wrong, you ain’t done nothing You’ve been hanging flowers around your apartment For so many years you don’t recall why you started But now you can’t ignore the stench Coming up through the floor And you fear we’re gonna knock it down Every rafter, every rotten board So you keep planting roses hoping We don’t notice I want to forgive you, I want to forgive you, I want to forgive you but You say you ain’t done nothing wrong, you ain’t done nothing This is just the way that you were raised A heavy hand and a deep faith Everybody makes mistakes and you’re not Sorry for anything You only want what’s due to you Your family earned the revenue And when it came time, with pride you Stepped into your father’s shoes I want to forgive you, I want to forgive you, I want to forgive you but You say you ain’t done nothing wrong, you ain’t done nothing The untold truths of history are Crashing down, but you don’t want to see it Beneficiary, oh boy, did you get lucky Won’t you give up some of that power? Why don’t you give us some of that power? I want to forgive you, I want to forgive you, I want to forgive you but You say you ain’t done nothing wrong, you ain’t done nothing I want to forgive you, I want to forgive you, I want to forgive you but You say you ain’t done nothing wrong, you ain’t done nothing
2.	Some Greater Power 05:46	lyrics	buy track
All the holy rollers off the highway with that direct line to God Twitching and vibrating every Sunday, and hell, I don’t even pray Is this life just a trail? Are we being sized up for the great beyond? Excuse me if I’m speaking out of turn but I think you’ve got it all wrong You feel some greater power every time you say his name And every day you live he is showing you the way Well, Hallelujah just isn’t something I would say But I’m alive anyway. Ain’t I alive anyway? You long to have some power over me and every single thing in your sights If you credit every choice to make to God there ain’t no-one gonna tell you it ain’t right So he has blessed every move you ever made he’s had his eye on you this whole time Forget those bastards lying dead in the badlands; no righteous warrior ever lost his fight You feel some greater power every time you pray So when it comes to war why would God get in your way? Hallelujah is not something I would say But I’m alive anyway. Ain’t I alive anyway? You tell me I’ve been wasting my time, singing songs and thinking thoughts about the earth If I won’t raise my voice up to God, then what’s the point of all these silly words? But I feel some greater power nearly every time I play So when it comes to rock n’ roll, why would God get in my way? Hallelujah just isn’t something I would say But I’m alive anyway. Ain’t I alive anyway?
3.	All Of The Above 03:28	lyrics	buy track
Your love don’t drag you here in the middle of the night With that “gone bat-shit crazy” look in your eye Your love’s not vertigo or butterflies You don’t count the seconds, you don’t lie awake at night Your heart don’t correspond by love letter Your mouth won’t even mention love But what if I troubled you and spoke the truth My heart does all of the above Six times in the last five years I felt myself caving in I may be just one woman but this ain’t no bleeding heart, I’ve got the strength of ten Love letters and other forms of self-betrayal and mutiny Maybe that’s old hat to you but baby, it’s all new to me What is this aching, what is this poison running through my veins? Making me talk crazy, making me do desperate things What kind of bus are you, hitting me this hard You seem to like this bullshit so far Your love don’t drag you here in the middle of the night With that “gone bat-shit crazy” look in your eye Your love’s not vertigo or butterflies You don’t count the seconds, you don’t lie awake at night
4.	I Would Rather Run 04:40	lyrics	buy track
Please don’t buy a gun, you want to stay ahead of the situation But I don’t want to fight, I would rather run You said the time would come but I can’t believe we’re having this conversation I don’t want to fight, I would rather run How do you suppose we’ll separate friend from foe? When they’re breaking down your gate, I don’t know And all the little children conceived after the fires started Are these babies our enemies? Please don’t buy a gun, aren’t you exaggerating the situation I don’t want to fight, I would rather run You said the time would come but I can’t believe we’re having this conversation I don’t want to fight, I would rather run Our little garden is an unguarded bank truck Our plot of land is a sitting duck What if our little garden is a sacred site? All of a sudden it is Mecca, it is the holy land. Our little garden took years to turn into something we broke our backs in preparation and now we’re here Our little garden could draw thousands once the word gets out And you can’t sleep through all the fear Please don’t buy a gun, I know you want to stay ahead of the situation But I don’t want to fight, I would rather run You said the time would come but I can’t believe we’re having this conversation I don’t want to fight, I would rather run
5.	North Ontario 03:44	lyrics	buy track
North Ontario, dead-end road  Just me and the wind and the songs we wrote  Got a bit of land I can call my own  I can build a little fire when the sun goes down There’s a friendly cafe out on seventh line  Where if I need a little comfort I can pass some time  Tell my mamma that I’m happy here all alone  Truth is I’m still working on letting you go  Truth is I’m still working on letting you go I can tell time is taking its toll  See the lines in my face feel it creak in my bones  I can swing my own hammer, I can chop my own wood  But I couldn’t make you love me like I thought I could North Ontario, Lake of Bays  Seems like a good place to pass my days  Tell my daddy that I’m happy here all alone  Truth is I’m still working on letting you go  Truth is I’m still working on letting you go I’m as still as the old White Oak  You were the river and you warned me so  While I pretend I’m out here living off the land  Truth is I’m still working on letting you go North Ontario, dead-end road  Just me and the wind and the songs we wrote  Tell my mamma that I’m happy here all alone  Truth is I’m still working on letting you go
6.	Signs of Hostility 04:10	lyrics	buy track
You've got your hands buried deep in the soil Stones making holes in your jeans You're planting chard and kale mighty early Planting your potatoes deep Whatever's coming, it's coming fast It's showing signs of hostility Whatever's coming won't catch you by surprise You're gonna be ready You build your fences eight feet high You'll keep your garden safe inside You're canning everything you can find Every mason jar is just a little piece of mind Whatever's coming, it's coming fast It's showing signs of hostility Whatever's coming won't catch you by surprise You're gonna be ready You don't stockpile, you don't hoard You take nothing from the grocery store You're an independent woman, don't need no man You've got enough mouths to feed, don't want one more Once you did have love, a lot of good that did Left you more empty than you were before But you've still got two strong hands and a capable mind and Rows of carrots and rows of corn Whatever's coming, it's coming fast It's showing signs of hostility Whatever's coming won't catch you by surprise You're gonna be ready You keep your hand tools as sharp as your knives You've gone back to horses Can't stand the TV, can't take that noise Can't take those ugly voices You love the beating of the raven's wings, the song of the chickadee the calming thunder You've got your fathers rifle and your grandmother's rosary And you're doing fine without her Whatever's coming, it's coming fast It's showing signs of hostility Whatever's coming won't catch you by surprise You're gonna be ready
7.	What Matters Most 05:14	lyrics	buy track
Your forefathers cleared these woods with their backs Dreaming of cities and the lovely life you would have Fast cars and an office in the sky Their blood, sweat and tears left it all for you Your great-grandmothers suffered through the years Raising their boys up; strong backs, good bones, no fear With axes in hand they flattened all of this land And they left a playground all for you But what Matters Most? The wolf or the payload? Jet planes or the buffalo? Coyote or the high road? Your good name is known throughout the world It sounds like money, success, nice suits, hot girls You can take it for granted, completely shut your eyes You will never touch soil, they did it all for you What Matters Most The wolf or the payload? Jet planes or the buffalo? Coyote or the high road? And you let your clean mouth touch my dirty lips For I am an animal and you didn’t mean to do it But you couldn’t deny something deep inside That wants to be free from what is all for you What Matters Most The wolf or the payload? Jet planes or the buffalo? Coyote or the high road?
8.	Downer 03:13	lyrics	buy track
You know I hate to be a downer babe But picture this Years in the future The whole world is a mess We’re still stuck in the city Empty coffee machine While you’re still lookin’ pretty babe You treat me so mean You know I hate to be a downer babe But this just won’t do These clothes ain’t for workin’ Nor am I, Nor are you Gotta get out to the country Put a spade in the ground Say goodbye to this high rise City lights, city sounds You know I hate to be a downer babe But let’s face the facts We’re living on the fourteenth floor Of an artefact Couldn’t raise a chicken Or grow a vine Gotta get out of the city before The city runs out of time

about

Downer is a cumulation of anxieties, imaginings and big feelings. I find myself making major life decisions based on the bleak future I see for humans and the more innocent animals living on this planet. And I’m procrastinating those decisions until I know for sure… will governments act? Will societal values change? Will the demonstrations and social action make any difference at all? Is this futile? Are we doomed? I don’t see meaningful change happening fast enough, and I am frozen in time. And I’m kind of pissed off.

Most of this album was recorded in 2020, during Covid times. A short-term layoff from my day job and the sudden falling-off of social and volunteer obligations left space for songwriting and for getting back to the unfinished, Downer. The album is produced by myself and my partner, Rob Currie, who also engineered and mixed the record. A multi-instrumentalist, Rob adds electric guitar and bass to a few songs. His brother, Andrew Currie plays drums on two tracks and bass on another. As usual, I provide vocals and acoustic guitar but the project also gave me the opportunity to add keys and instruments I am less familiar with: bass for I Would Rather Run and some sparse kit percussion on All of the Above.

Rob and I love to get a little bit experimental in the studio. Rob loves to create interesting effects with vintage equipment. The title track, Downer, makes use of a Kay guitar built in the 1940s that barely stayed in tune and that I found nearly impossible to play. We thought it added interest to a folk song that takes place in the early years of a dystopian future. (2023?)

Whenever possible, and in many different ways, I try to make a point of talking about climate change. We still don’t talk about it enough to make up for all the years spent with our heads in the sand. I attend demonstrations, volunteer with climate action organizations, write and talk publicly about soil carbon sequestration, and sing about it too, when there’s time left for that. Not many people are record-shopping for music about climate change, I guess. But this is what I offer, to those who fret and wish for empathy. Or maybe these are just love songs.

Downer ©Bet Smith/Pine Lake Records (Ashlea-Elizabeth Smith, SOCAN/ASCAP)

credits

released February 2, 2021

All songs were written by Bet Smith (Ashlea-Elizabeth Smith, SOCAN)
Recorded at Rob Currie Recording in Gravenhurst, Ontario.

Produced by Bet Smith and Rob Currie

Engineered and mixed by Rob Currie

Mastered by João Carvalho

© Bet Smith (Ashlea-Elizabeth Smith)
Pine Lake Records

Bet Smith: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Keys, Organ, Bass (I Would Rather Run), Percussion

Rob Currie: Electic guitar (Forgive You, Some Greater Power, I Would Rather Run, North Ontario, Bass (Forgive You, North Ontario)

Andrew Currie: Drums (Forgive You, I Would Rather Run), Bass (North Ontario)

I would like to acknowledge that this album was created on the traditional territory of the Anishnaabeg, specifically the Ojibway and Chippewa people. As a settler, I am grateful for the opportunity to live and work in this beautiful place and I appreciate the long history of stewardship and connection to this land that is held by indigenous people. The settler community still has a lot of work to do in moving toward reconciliation, myself included.

license

about

Bet Smith Gravenhurst, Ontario

Bet Smith is a Canadian alternative folk singer-songwriter who weaves environmental and socio-political philosophy into rich, reflective compositions. With a voice that is gentle and familiar, Smith offers elegant melodies locked to lyrics that are paced and precise. ... more

Recommendations

contact / help

Contact Bet Smith

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

Bet Smith recommends:

As Far Away As You Can Go Without Coming Back
by David Newberry

The first album I heard from David Newberry changed the way I think about listening to and writing music. I've been a huge fan ever since. Just the right blend of rage, politics and vulnerability. Bet Smith
go to album

If you like Bet Smith, you may also like:

there is no Other (with Francesco Turrisi) Deluxe Edition
by Rhiannon Giddens

supported by 7 fans who also own “Downer”

what's not to love! I love it all. I purchased me a vinyl copy and another to give to a friend Richard
go to album
California Dogwood EP
by Margo Cilker

supported by 7 fans who also own “Downer”
go to album
How Many Times
by Esther Rose

supported by 7 fans who also own “Downer”

I made a blind purchase of the cassette edition from my local Half Price Books, and the download card that came included with it was still valid! VOIDMAKER.EXE
go to album
Molten Rock - album
by VanWyck

Tense, moody, guitar-forward songs from VanWyck that emphasize tension and fragility. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 15, 2020
go to album
No Walls Mixtape
by Ani DiFranco

Ani DiFranco acoustically revisits classics from across her career, with assists from Amy Ray, Billy Bragg, and Maceo Parker. Bandcamp New & Notable May 18, 2019
go to album