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Lay Your Burden Down

by CD Scofield

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about

I wrote Lay Your Burden Down in June of 2003 in New Orleans. I spent that day walking through the outskirts of town, visiting the French Quarter, looking at some mausoleums, and ambling along streets both famous and unknown. The striding, left-right, left-right feel of the song directly reflects the walking I was doing as the lyrics floated into my mind. Two weeks after I wrote the song I stayed with my father who was dying of cancer. I sang and played the song for him often in the hospital. Eight days later, for his memorial, I wrote another verse to honor him and the love he left behind. My family sang that verse together as we said farewell to him with tears in our eyes and aches in our hearts.

In 2005 I produced a rock/blues version of this for an album I made that year and I thought I was done with it. But years later, I started performing it again at open mics in Grays Harbor venues, just voice and guitar. One night at the Tinderbox in Westport, Gladys Whitney came up to me after I played it and said, “That song needs to be heard! I would love to sing on it with you.” That was in 2015. In 2018, we created a recording of it that includes its original, swampy blues feeling combined with Gladys’ uplifting vocals and jubilant heart.

It’s easy to feel lost in life, to feel like the work’s too hard and the load’s too heavy. That’s the best time to lay your burden down, even if it’s just for a short while.

credits

released January 2, 2020
CD Scofield--voice, instruments, recording, production.
Gladys Whitney--vocals, production.

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CD Scofield Montesano, Washington

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SOULFUL & BRIGHT

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