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Cherchez La Femme

by Karyn Oliver

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  • Full Digital Discography

    8
    releases

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    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Cherchez La Femme, Pelican, Jenny, Cry Hallelujah, A List Of Names, Magdalene, Red Dress, and Hurricane. , and , .

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1.
Lay Your Burden Down 03:34
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Take care of yourself, ‘cuz we need you Lay your burden down We all need some rest We’ve been walking uphill for a long, long time It seems like the journey won’t end When you walk all alone it can feel like There’s no one else left So lay your burden down Lay your burden here Lay it here with me I will carry you if you carry her She will carry the next We will carry each other until There is no more need So lay your burden here with me Take a breath, Take a nap Read a book, Sing a song Take care of yourself, ‘cuz we need you Phone a friend, Have a laugh Take a walk, Get some sun Take care of yourself, ‘cuz we need you Lay your burden down
2.
Jenny 03:18
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Jenny You forgot the good when you left Said I was your perfect regret Still don’t think I understand that Jenny Six months sitting by the phone here Finally got what I had long feared Just looked up and you were gone dear I’d blame you if I could You can’t be gone for good Jenny You said I haven’t really grown yet If you had pain you never showed it Still I suspect I might have blown it I’d blame you if I could Please don’t be gone for good Long nights staring out the kitchen door Still don’t know what I was looking for Jenny You waited twenty seven years here Tried to help me see my way clear Never made it out of low gear I’d blame you if I could Looks like you’re gone… I’d blame you if I could Oh god, you’re gone for good
3.
In Galveston 04:00
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15 blankets on the bed tonight All pulled up to my eyes 60 years ends with the strangest joke Thought the hurricane would bring me my demise They say the gas is frozen underground Windmills sleeping in the sky This was always a long time coming But it never fails to take them by surprise CHORUS: When the lights go out in Galveston Darkness seeps into your skin When the lights go out in Galveston It’s the coldest place I have ever been Bless the market bless the billionaire Always thought I’d be that way Could be a jackpot in my pocket now But I’d trade it in for one warm sunny day When the lights go out in Galveston Darkness seeps into your skin When the lights go out in Galveston It’s the coldest place I have ever been When the lights go out in Galveston Darkness seeps into your skin When the lights go out in Galveston It’s the coldest place I have ever been
4.
The Game 03:20
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Ethel entered just to play here Claims she doesn’t need to win Daniel’s drinking in the day here He’ll hang around, likes this town Find some beer and trouble to sink in Na na na lay your money down Na na na play the game Charlie’s checking the requirements His ex’s song won just last year Sarah’s sitting high on her fence Though she hates the scene a prize might mean A tiny little boost to her career Theo thinks we’re all trained monkeys Learning new tricks to make you smile But he’s hooked here just like you and me Rising to the challenge Take the bait and run a country mile Todd tells us Judge Joe’s harmless While his whiskey breath crawls on my skin Me I mutter, it’s just a contest It’s no big deal swear that’s how I feel But I suppose I’d really like to…
5.
Fabulous Flying Machines 03:41
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Mama says it’s a big scary world I will bind you down here by my side Daddy says they don’t think like us I will build a brick wall and we’ll hide, so we hide But the first time I blew bubbles I knew My eyes filled with wonder Over the wall they flew All those fabulous flying machines I drew great big propellers, bright green umbrellas Seeking the freedom of much lighter beings Those fabulous flying machines Mama says there’s no use in dreaming Look where it got me, you’ll see Daddy says they don’t understand us I’ll buy some more guns, keep us free, are we free? If I sit still, let the chatter slow down I can soar off to Africa, look, South America now All these fabulous flying machines Wright and DaVinci, Saint-Exupéry Seeking the weightlessness found in my dreams These fabulous flying machines All these fabulous flying machines Can take us to places we’ve never seen Where people are different just like you and me All these fabulous flying machines These fabulous flying machines
6.
Skeleton 03:22
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No one likes a crybaby kid Swallow your fear, keep your feelings hid So I work to harden my skin You can’t touch me if you can’t get in All alone safe in my Skeleton Look at me I bounce when I fall Look at me I feel nothing at all Put me up there on your highest wire I will leap right through your fields of fire All alone I inspire When I built this shell I could not see I left outside all that I need Hard and thin growing brittle in the sun Please crack me now so I can come undone I will work to soften my new skin You can’t touch me if you can’t get in All alone trapped in my Skeleton
7.
Pelican 03:53
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You believed in sun on skin Maybe half of those words about sin All you need is a car and a few good friends That party over the Bay Bridge never ends You are salt water breezes Warm shell in my hand Dig your long toes in the sand Pelican You believed in the slap of ball on glove Sharp crack of the bat sounds like love Your boys round the bases, watch them go Kick dust in the air and slide home Salt water breezes Warm shell in my hand Dig your long toes in the sand Pelican, Pelican You believed in a packed house at Christmastime Loud games in the front yard, cheap white wine Glide low ‘cross the water, dip one wing Now you are nothing, and everything Salt water breezes Warm shell in my hand Dig your long toes in the sand Pelican, Pelican, Pelican, Pelican
8.
Truth 03:40
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I know where the fire started It was on the day she chose her name In a corner bleaker, darker They were seeking someone new to blame In a glass they had distorted She became a mirror for their shame Shame Born into a foreign country Toting a star only she could know Into a town that held no mercy Into a town with no more room to grow They wore the badges of their history Cutting quick, learning oh so slow So slow Was she the spark, was she the gasoline Will you let them define what your eyes have seen Say her name when you are hiding Say her name when it becomes your turn Say her name when they’re dividing Say her name to anyone who can learn Say her name when you’re deciding To fight the fire or let the whole thing burn Let it burn
9.
Dance With Me 03:07
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Spotlights have faded it’s time they went home Tired but I don’t find sleep Fine people are dreaming but I’m not on my own You pack all my things up for me You hold my hand as you drive I slide back behind my closed eyes Where you dance with me Flaunting my fault lines, telling terrible jokes Trusting you love all of me Straight down the slope, let it go, let it go Did you know those were things you taught me? You hold my heart when I cry You let out the lines when I fly And you dance with me Si tu danses avec moi Je danserai avec toi Dance with me Dance with me
10.
All Clear 04:04
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When we get through this I will go to the city When we get through this I will ride on a train I’ll be the crush, elbows on the sidewalk Push and pull I will dive right in When we get through this I will fly to my loved ones When we get through this I will jump on a plane I’ll be the hug, going on forever I will hold on I will breathe you in When we get through this I will have you all over When we get through this I will make one fine meal I’ll be the laughter, drift across the table Open wide I will take you in I miss the sight of your smile I miss the warmth of your skin I miss the noise I miss the players I guess I miss most everything When we get through this I will run to the music When we get through this I will sing with my friends We’ll be the song, go tell it on the mountain Sing loud I will drink you in
11.
Cry Hallelujah 03:40
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I have been a laborer I have been a thief I have squandered your reward For the taste of sweet relief But I never saw that face before No I never saw your face before Now I cry Hallelujah, Hallelu… I cry Hallelujah Just in case you’re crying Hallelujah, too I have been your Magdalene I have been your beast I have sacrificed my flesh For the crumbs beneath your feast But I never saw this face before No I never saw my face before I cry Hallelujah, Hallelu… Hallelujah Just in case, just in case Hallelujah, Hallelu… Hallelujah Just in case you’re crying Hallelujah, too You’re crying Hallelujah, too Hallelu

about

Cherchez La Femme, The Record – Karyn Oliver

Ruth Bader Ginsberg was once asked how many women on the Supreme Court would be enough. She immediately answered, “9”. Since the court had long had 9 men, why not 9 women?

There is very little I can do to put 9 women on the Supreme Court, but what I can do is put all women on my record. There are countless recordings featuring nothing but men, so why not all women?

In the past I have worked with mostly male colleagues. In an effort to be a part of the solution, I set myself a challenge for this project to use only female musicians, and I have to say the results are gorgeous and good for my heart. Trusting my songs to so many women has given me more than I could have wished for.

The songs on this record explore the universal in the specific, and the political in the personal. The subjects range from romance (“Dance With Me” – a song I wrote for my husband), to a child’s desire for a broader world (“Fabulous Flying Machines”) to grief and celebration of life (“Pelican” – a song I wrote for my late sister).

On every new project, and every new song, I am always reaching for something more. I am always trying to learn something new, or grow in a new direction. I learned a lot in the writing and recording of these songs, and it’s time to set them free.

credits

released October 20, 2023

Produced by: Katherine Etzel
Mixed by: Katherine Etzel
Mastered by: Adrian Morgan, Timeless Mastering

Musicians
Vocals, guitars: Karyn Oliver
Bass: Carolann Solebello
Drums: Cheryl Prashker
Percussion: Cheryl Prashker, Katherine Etzel
Keyboards/Piano: Allison Tartalia
Guitars: Kate Maguire, Ann Klein, Anne McCue
Cello: Dirje Childs
Clarinet: Alison Scola
Saxophone: Lynn Ligammari
Trombone: Julie Drombosky
Trumpet: Minerva Johnson
Tuba: Heather Ewer
Backing Vocals: Katherine Etzel, Catherine Miles, Karyn Oliver

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Karyn Oliver Fort Worth, Texas

2024 FAI Official Showcase Artist
WINNER 2020 South Florida Folk Festival Songwriting Contest
New Album Here!

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