Charles Ives - Down East

Copied!

Songs! Visions of my homeland
Come with strains of childhood
Come with tunes we sang in school days
And with songs from mother's heart;
Way down east in a village by the sea
Stands an old, red farm house
That watches o'er the lea;
All that is best in me
Lying deep in memory
Draws my heart where I would be
Nearer to thee
Ev'ry Sunday morning
When the chores were almost done
From that little parlor
Sounds the old melodeon
"Nearer my God to Thee, nearer to Thee,"
With those strains a stronger hope
Comes nearer to me

Release Date: January 01, 1922

SoundCloud:

edit soundcloud

YouTube:

edit video

Comments: 0

More Charles Ives lyrics

Charles Ives

edit foto

The meaning of the song

edit description

"Down East" by Charles Ives is a nostalgic and heartfelt tribute to the singer's homeland, filled with memories of childhood and songs from the past. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a red farmhouse by the sea, symbolizing all that is dear to the singer's heart. The melody of an old melodeon playing "Nearer my God to Thee" in the Sunday morning parlor brings a sense of peace and hope, drawing the singer closer to their roots and the ones they love. The song captures the essence of longing for the simplicity and beauty of home, evoking a sense of warmth and comfort that resonates deeply with listeners.

Biography

edit bio

Arguably the first modernist composer, Charles Ives (1874-1954) was a solitary figure who composed in obscurity for most of his life. The son of a U.S. Army bandleader, Ives enjoyed a wildly successful career as an insurance executive. In his spare time, he composed music in a wide variety of genres that combined popular song, church hymns, military marches, and European art music in ways that used tone clusters, polytonality, and other techniques decades before they were adopted by European composers.