Jez Lowe 2020
Tribute to Louisa Jo Killen, who died in 2013. From the Telegraph obit: “Those who fondly recalled the bearded, beer-swilling figure lustily belting out sea shanties and telling bawdy stories were somewhat shocked when [she] quietly re-emerged as Louisa Jo Killen. But the reaction was generally positive and supportive and [Killen] continued to lecture on folk song and perform with great courage and dignity.” Rewritten by Alex Ellis to turn bridge into 4th verse & fix pronouns.
Jez Lowe: https://jezlowe.bandcamp.com/track/louisas-choosing
https://jezlowe.bandcamp.com/track/louisas-choosing
That final spring I chanced to meet Louisa on St Nicholas Street, My anxious smile and timid greeting she seemed to find amusing, She swore a merry curse or two, much like she always used to do, But she looked to me both queer and new, That was Louisa’s choosing Chorus: Louisa as the wild geese fly, Louisa said goodbye Ballad singer, shanty man, husband, lover, fancy man, Her songs and tunes they danced and sang with concertina squeezing, Bold lad she was to sail away from River Tyne to Frisco Bay, But the courage she would show one day It fair took some believing And there she was now standing proud, as fearless as a flying cloud, And fortune’s wheel never thinned the crowd of friends she once feared losing, We parted, then it wasn’t long, ’til Benny called and said she’d gone, St Nicholas Street will miss the songs That were Louisa’s choosing. Some people asked if falling night still cast sufficient light, Or if it’s really worth the fight, for life to start anew But even at your final breath, the truth of who you were was best, Your loving fans remained impressed At Louisa’s last debut