part of the "Seems Like Old Times" EP
AND listen on
I have been wowed by the sounds of the Carolina wrens who have hung out around my back yard feeders. Their tuneful singing is all the more impressive when you catch sight of them only to realize that they are slight little critters. 
Even before Cathy touched a banjo or guitar string in the studio, she helped with the structure of the song so that it took flight.
© Steven E. Cutts, 2020
recorded and engineered by Jim Robeson, March 2022
Steve, lead vocal
Cathy Fink, banjo, guitar, and harmony vocal
Kimber Ludiker, fiddle
Marcy Marxer, mandolin and harmony vocal
Jim Robson, bass
Carolina wren, you are up and at it well before the dawn
warming up your golden throat with practice runs of your distinctive song.
Your call cuts through the lingering dark, a fanfare for the magic moment when
the morning sun bursts into view. Sing for me, Carolina wren.
Carolina wren, raise your tune; sing it loud and clear.
Fill your lungs and signal to your brothers far and near.
It’s only fair you stop and rest and catch your breath before you start again
To hit each note with perfect pitch. Sing for me, Carolina wren.
You’re a handsome little dandy with that cinnamon and bright white speckled trim,
But who’d give you a second look -- almost hidden -- perched there on your limb?
Every note comes trumpeting ten times louder than we’d ever guess.
You are a natural with a voice that only you possess.
Carolina wren, raise your tune; sing it loud and clear.
Fill your lungs and signal to your brothers and your sisters far and near. . . .
Carolina wren, do you dream of songs that you have never sung?
Some amazing melody? A performance still to come?
When at last you’ve finished, I feel like I should add a loud “Amen!”
Or maybe shout out “Bravo! Bravo, Carolina wren!”
Carolina wren, raise your tune; sing it loud and clear.
Fill your lungs so each and every feathered friend can hear. . . .