Joy Williams was one half of the Civil Wars, the very first group I featured in this project. And while I'm probably never going to stop mourning the duo's breakup, I'm glad that she and John Paul White are continuing to put out heartbreakingly beautiful music on their own—even if I keep feeling that each song by one of them misses the voice of the other.
Here's "Canary" from Williams' latest album Front Porch. She's wonderfully expressive as always, channeling the melody's ebb and flow physically as well as vocally. The lyrics are timeless and timely: a pledge not to flinch from the world's darkness; a promise to bear witness (and there's much we need to bear witness to today). And in the line "I will sing"—that last uplifted note held clear and true—I hear conviction and courage. We'll all need that, moving forward.
There's a madness in the cavern
There's a darkness that can blind
Where it's every man for himself
No one's getting out alive
But I will not shut my eyes
No, I will not fall silent
Canary in the mine
Oh I will, honey I will
I will sing
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