Welch, Gillian - Acony Bell Lyrics

That guitar takes me for a happy stroll down an imaginary country road. Awesome stuff Gillian and David.

An angel. 💓

Oconee Bell

Does anyone know if this is in a song book or sheet music? I can't find it.

Thanks for posting! Love her music. Agree that it is a great compliment to the soundtrack of The Songcatcher. So awesome you included the lyrics. :)

my name is oconee

My Moppet, thank you for posting this. I first heard Gillian Welch in 1996, "Pass You By" was on the radio and I fell in love with the bass on that song; bought the cd and fell further in love with this artist. I have ALL her cd's and her dvd, got to meet her and Dave in person last year! I wish I would have brought my "Revival" cd for her to autograph!! Don't miss a chance to see this pair in concert, they are totally awesome! They both held my hands and looked into my eyes, can you imagine that? It was a wow moment, for sure. They are so friendly and welcoming to their fans. I have been a fan for over 20 years!! My husband of 35 yrs even got a little jealous b/c the next day I was a little starstruck over Dave; the way he plays his instruments, those hands held mine for a few moments! I felt it to be a blessing. And Gillian too, was so nice, sweet, she said she liked my shirt ... LOVE them!

They are incredible. I've loved them a long time, but not as long as you. I was lucky enough to see them 4 years ago. It was hot & I had to use a walker. I'm a bit better now, but there was no way I could get up to the stage. I was lucky to get to the concert. Someone took me that knew I adored them. Gillian actually clogged some ... so neat in her cowboy boots. Glad you found this. I have several of their songs up. One is not available on cd - or it wasn't years ago. As I said, I've been ill. Thanks so much for sharing your love of music with us. I agree with you ... I hope I can get out and enjoy more soon. My best, Moppet

You are so sweet! I wish you well. I am 62 and in similar condition. It was definitely a thrill to meet them! I too, had a friend who knew I loved them treat me to the concert. I have all their cd's. and their dvd. If I can fill the gap somehow I would be pleased to do so! I didn't get to see Gillian dance, so you should treasure that memory, dear MyMoppet52 :)

I was not well that night, but I was thrilled to be there. I got a few pictures, but really didn't have the energy to mess with the camera. Just love their music. The one song I have mentions "Cincinnati" in it. Really love that version... my adopted home. Since 2nd grade. :)

Keep the good music going. Nice to meet you, Barbara (aka Moppet)

I live in southern Indiana; I have memories of Cincinnati as a young child, we traveled there for a family wedding. I was maybe 2 or 3, one of my earliest memories as a child, dancing wearing lacy stockings and patent leather shoes! You are awesome, ya know! Thank you for your posts... I am sending you heart felt love and appreciation!

Love to you and many blessings from me to you!

Hey fans of Gillian & Dave, come check out our website & facebook page. We'll leave the light on! http://fans.gillianwelchanddavidrawlings.com/ & https://www.facebook.com/GillianWelchAndDavidRawlings/

David Rawlings' guitar is mesmerizing on this...wow

Agreed!

I believe its the mandolin.Update,yes he is playing his 1935 guitar in this.I never picked up on the guitar as the mandolin is so great in their arrangements. Good ear.

LYRICS

The fairest bloom the mountain knows
Is not an iris or a wild rose
But the little flower of which I'll tell
Known as the brave acony bell

Just a simple flower so small and plain
With a pearly hue and a little known name
But the yellow birds sing when they see it bloom
For they know that spring is coming soon

Well it makes its home mid the rocks and the rills
Where the snow lies deep on the windy hills
And it tells the world "why should i wait
This ice and snow is gonna melt away"

And so I'll sing that yellow bird's song
For the troubled times will soon be gone

arawshi thanks for that. beats humming to the parts I didn't know 😄

I've been ill for several years. I'm here today and saw your lyrics. Thank you for that. I'm going to add up above and will credit you. My best, Moppet

ps thanks for visiting also.

I got to see them live at The Handlebar in Greenville, SC, in the late '90's. There was a bad thunderstorm & the power suddenly went off. They kept right on playing/singing & never missed a beat (the acoustics there were wonderful).

My favorite Gillian and David album. I love mountain music and feel so blessed to spend six month of each year in the mountains of Western North Carolina with my fiddle and guitar...... Davids' guitar and his playing is just so awesome....see them if they are in your area...they play from coast to coast.....Thank you for posting this fabulous piece of music...

Only thing wrong is that they misspelled the name of the flower: it's supposed to be "Oconee" bell. Wonderful song, though.

@Chinese Mugwump You are correct. I looked it up & it's very rare. They are trying to raise funds in NC to save a region that has many of the plants & is being sold. It does have 2 names. Shortia galacifolia (Oconee bells or acony bell). I'm from the mountains originally & they have distinct pronunciations. I found my one great uncle "Orey" was actually "Ora" when he passed away. My great aunt Goldie was "Golda". Tom Dooley, of the song, was Tom Dula in reality. I can see my older relatives changing "Oconne" to "Acorny" just because they do pronounce things a bit different and often add the "ie" or "y" sound to words. I appreciate your comment though & learned from it. My best to you, Moppet

It can be spelled either way...

@Tucker Nelson
Thank you. :)

Not the only thing wrong - this was released in '96.

Nice. This reminds of the music my grandmother used to listen to way back when the gramophone still existed.

@Bobbi Ysmael Yes, it does have an old timey feel. It is such a gentle, lovely song. Thanks for listening & for taking the time to leave a comment! My best to you, Moppet

Only problem with the song is that it's too short!

@Ooh! Look! Photography Good comment! I just saw this. Thanks so much for listening & saying "hello", Moppet

I love this song...Gillian does a great job!!

That is my favorite album of theirs. I love the simplicity, though they are relatively plain all the time. If you check out my videos, you can see that I love this type music. The Songcatcher playlist is about that and so is my 'mountain music' or Appalachian. I tag everything. If you type in the Search Channel in top rt of my Channel page, you can have fun seeing what is there. Bluegrass, old timey, mountain, Blues. Also by the artist or cd. Her music on Miss. John Hurt's tribute album is great

You must like Doc Watson, perhaps? He sang about John Hurt.

Have mercy, I have an entire Playlist with Doc's work. I lived in Carolina and saw him and Merle many times. Small venues. Then, I was there when he came back after he "retired". (I still remember the awful day the headlines on The Charlotte Observer were about the horrible farm accident with Merle.) We all gave him a standing ovation and most of us had tears in our eyes when he returned. Yes, I love Doc.

I love Old Timey, Celtic, Native American, BLUES of all sorts, ... David Bromberg, Arlo, Ry Cooder, acoustic like Gillian... Check out my Playlists sometime. I put every song & artist in one.

Nothing will top the lonesome sound that they created on that first album.

@rodthecod It sounds like it was a great concert! I think they do so well together. Their sound and playing compliment each other. They are much more light hearted at the concerts than I thought they would be. Thank you so very much for letting me know which Bristol, though I should have known! So glad to hear back from you & that you were able to catch them. My very best to you, Moppet (Barbara) p.s. My good wishes for you this holiday season also! :)

@MyMoppet52 - Yes. Bristol, England. She and Dave were fantastic. First time back in UK on tour in 7 years, I think, so I was delighted to see them.
Gillian introduced the song as being about "optimism" - and she had to explain she was serious (after the audience laughed) because she and Dave had been making great play about the downbeat nature of her songs.

@rodthecod Is this Bristol, England? Guess I should have looked before I hit 'reply'. I love this song. I was lucky enough to get to see her this summer. My first time. She didn't sing this song. I wish she had. I think it is perfect with the soundtrack from The Songcatcher, so I add it to my personal Songcatcher Playlist while listening to music. I am glad you got to see her. I hadn't been able to physically get to a concert in years. I was thrilled! I appreciate comments very much! Thanks.

@PMona1505 I am glad you enjoyed it! I think is is a lovely song. I had 1 thumbs up (mine) and one thumbs down a bit ago. It came out on utube as a 50% like rate. That bothered me. Not since it was my video but because it is such a nice song! I am glad a few more people have given it an "up". I appreciate your comment immensely. Thank you so much! My best, Moppet (Barbara)

She played this last night in Bristol. I'd forgotten what a beautiful song it is.

Love this song! Thanks for posting it!