KEXP and Free Yr Radio present The Decemberists' Colin Meloy performing all three parts of "The Crane Wife" live on KEXP from the Ace Hotel NYC during CMJ. Recorded 10/22/10.
That's an artist that will give anything to his fans. His voice here.... could be a studio recording. I find myself here often to here the raw complete version.
@@stevehanson1598 He sucks. I know a million singers that are better. Why does he do that weird butthole thing with his upper liper, and distort the words so they sound like he's got some weird accent? You're from Portland, OR. Just listen to Chris Cornell sing his live cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U". Or... Elton John... or hell, John Mayer. This guy is junk. The song sucks.
Three songs in a row is not easy not that I have tried it. But even one song is sometimes sucks out your all energy at least with amateur musicians. And the smoke never stops to drain our lungs, too.
Wow! 845,779 views. I watch this every once in a while, because I love it, and because I am the guy who requested "all of them". That's me in the black jacket to Colin's left, hands in my pockets, at 9:38. I knew KEXP was doing live shows from the Ace, two blocks from my office on 31st St. I definitely had to go for this one (on my lunch break:). Such a small room for this great talent. You never know what a day will bring. This was a very good one. :)
These songs always make me cry. Idk why I can relate so much to a guy that marries a bird-woman who weaves magic dresses. I guess it abstracts to being blinded by personal gratification until it's too late, you look up and see the wounds it has left on the ones you love the most. Hits me right in the heart.
He takes a request from the audience and immediately delivers the Crane Wife Opera. This blows my mind.Colin is a magical creature sent here to teach us the messages from the stars. No less.
Konekodesune I went through a little phase where I listened to a 100 or more of the same Grateful Dead song it varied between 12 and 45 min with the average time being 30 min. It’s called playin in the band. You may not like it you either love the dead or not.
The story is already based on a Japanese folktale, Tsuru Nyobo a variation of the Tsuru no Ongaeshi story in which a poor farmer, Yohei man saves a wounded crane and later a beautiful woman approaches him whom he ends up marrying. The woman is the crane in human form, and she begins weaving beautiful silk kimono's that he sells. The silk is made using her feathers, leaving her plucked bare and when the husband discovers what he has done to his wife, she turns back into the crane and flies away
Simi Smile there's more too it. They were poor and she offered to help, but the deal was that he couldn't watch her weave. He broke the rules an saw that his wife was the crane, so she left and he lost all that he gained. A "looking a gift horse in the mouth" sort of fable.
I'm an English teacher, public school. During our unit on folktales, legends, fables, and fairy tales, I taught a book version of "The Crane Wife," then used the Decemberists' version alongside. My students loved it so much that when it came time to do a lesson on point of view, I brought out Yankee Bayonet for an encore. I really love this live version and will probably use it this school year.
I'm a high school student, and you sound like an amazing teacher xD. I suggest also (if you have time) showing them Hazards of Love, as it is pretty much an English folktale about the Fae.
My literature teacher played us "The Mariner's Revenge Song" as an example of the ballad format. My history teacher also played the Sufjan Stevens song about the Columbian Exposition of 1893 to teach us about the Columbian Exposition. So, yeah, I'm basically taught by hipsters.
My favorite part of RU-vid comments is reading about their experiences with a piece of music. It's so mind-blowing and beautiful to know that such a small moment in time can have such an impact on people. My friend found The Crane Wife at a pawn shop. He plays all of his CD's on a loop at least five times before putting into regular circulation, and as the years went in, he added more and more Decemberists to that circulation. So this is music that reminds me of him. I've known him for 8 years now. He accounts for at least 1/4 of the music I listen to.
Truly one of the most spiritually moving 15 minutes of my life. This is the first time I've heard this song and definitely won't be the last. Play on Decemberists! 🥲♥️
I love most (if not all) of TheDecemberists stuff, but I have a special place in my heart for The Crane Wife saga. Maybe it's because I knew the folk-tale before. 'Special" weaver-wives aren't that uncommon. Abuse them and you get the stick of fate.
The folks who dislike a band the minute they become successful after usually a decade of assbusting have very different interests than the working or trying to be working musicians they use to show their tribal affiliation i.e. "i'm Indie' or "I'm underground metal". If someone makes a bad album on a tiny label it isn't better than a good album on a semi major indie. I am very glad Decembrists are doing well.
I've been watching this whenever I was down since the ninth grade. I'm graduating now: moving into the adult part of my life, and it still holds magic for me. Colin, your music is an integral part of my world now, thank you so much for bringing it into existence. I have no idea where I'm going, but I feel lucky to still have this bit of medicine when I need it.
I just found this. I hope you are living well. I hope you have kept on finding the strength to put one foot in front of the other. Life is rough. I hope you have found the beauty in it.
[1] It was a cold night And the snow lay round I pulled my coat tight Against the falling down And the sun was all And the sun was all down And the sun was all And the sun was all down I am a poor man I haven't wealth nor fame I have my two hands And a house to my name And the winter's so And the winter's so long And the winter's so And the winter's so long And all the stars were crashing 'round As I laid eyes on what I'd found It was a white crane It was a helpless thing Upon a red stain With an arrow its wing And it called and cried And it called and cried so And it called and cried And it called and cried so And all the stars were crashing 'round As I laid eyes on what I'd found My crane wife, my crane wife My crane wife, my crane wife Now I helped her And I dressed her wounds And how I held her Beneath the rising moon And she stood to fly And she stood to fly away And she stood to fly She stood to fly away And all the stars were crashing 'round As I laid eyes on what I'd found My crane wife, my crane wife My crane wife, my crane wife [2] My crane wife arrived at my door in the moonlight All star bright and tongue-tied I took her in We were married and bells rang sweet for our wedding And our bedding was ready when we fell in The sound of the keening bell To see its painted red Soft as fontenelle The feathers and the thread And all I ever meant to do was to keep you My crane wife My crane wife My crane wife We were poorly, our fortunes fading hourly And how she vowed me, she could bring it back But I was greedy, I was vain and I forced her to weaving On cold loom, in a closed room, with down wove The sound of the keening bell And to see its painted red Soft as fontenelle The feathers and the thread And all I ever meant to do was to keep you My crane wife My crane wife There's a bend in the wind and it rakes at my heart There is blood in the thread and it rakes at my heart It rakes at my heart [3] And under the boughs unbowed All clothed in a snowy shroud She had no heart so hardened All under the boughs unbowed Each feather it fell from skin Till threadbare while she grew thin How were my eyes so blinded? Each feather it fell from skin And I will hang my head, hang my head low And I will hang my head, hang my head low A gray sky, a bitter sting A rain cloud, a crane on wing All out beyond horizon A grey sky, a bitter sting And I will hang my head, hang my head low And I will hang my head, hang my head low
How talented is this guy ? Seriously when I first listened to Hazards of Love all the way through I was just blown away. He could write opera or anything but I just love what he does and the fact that he does it his way. His ability to paint a musical picture is staggering. Props also to the others he regularly plays with etc.
This is absolutely amazing! Even if you take away how soulful his voice and playing are, you've got to respect the fact that he played for 15 minutes straight without making any errors
This is the type of song I would totally ask for but not expect to get, he delivers it so perfectly, I'd barely be able to pick it out against a studio version. Mad mad respect for an artist that takes an audience request like this. beautiful, much love
When I was younger I used to listen to this every day... It's quite emotional to have found the joy of listening to this once more. Few songwriters are as good as Colin Meloy.
i walked down the aisle to the instrumental version of the original crane wife 3. best moment of my life. not all songs have to be designated one feeling - this one has many for me. :)
I think it's great how, even with all the technology we have now, he can just go onstage and preform a song without the aid of auto-tune and other modern tactics. All it takes is an acoustic guitar and a microphone, and he can deliver a song beautifully. With the addition of the amazingly well-written lyrics, it's quite a stunning package.
I am an old man now and I am angry of lost potential it is brief, that moment, sometimes and extended moment when you can grab that brass ring and make it yours no one elses….yours and the music comes out and you know you are lucky, to have heard, felt, and touched that music even the stongest, as they try, cannot deny emotion and love and beauty it is as "god" intended it to be.
The greatest love of my life abandoned me at my weakest moment, when my life was dissolving; a close family member had died, I had dropped out of school, was jobless and uneducated, living at home at age 23. I loved her more than anyone I had loved before, my heart would leap at her touch. She didn't feel the same way, up and left me because I had become depressed and started to drink a lot. I listened to this trio of songs incessantly for two years. Listened to it so much that the CD wore out.
I’ve been watching this since it was posted here, it’s been a few years and it bund back a good off emotions from my late teenage years, turning 30 this year and felt the need to come back and listen to this again, it causes just an emotional and physical reaction bring me right back to being 18.
The voice crack at 9:27 makes it feel even more emotional and genuine, it only adds more to an already incredible song and performance. I like the little imperfections like that. Because imperfect doesn't always mean bad.
This is such an amazing video. One guy with a simple instrument, telling a story from a long time ago in a place far away still has such power to move our hearts. Beautiful.
I remember being four or five and my dad would play Engine Driver or Red Right Ankle or Crane Wife 3. 12 years later and they're still one of my favorite bands. Love Colin Meloy.
Part 2 makes me cry every time I listen to it, and I listen to it a lot. Not sure what that says about me, its just so tragic and perfectly eloquent at the same time- such sweetly raw emotion
One of my favorite performances, most especially at minutes 7:26. LOVE... "Our fortunes fading hourly.." And I was greedy and I was vain and my voice kept you waiting....... WOW, original.
I love the different way he sings "the sun was all" and "winter's so" etc in this one, going to the lower note earlier. Reminds me a lot of The King is Dead.
Powered through them all in one sitting, what a champ. His voice alone with a guitar is amazingly powerful. But Crane Wife 1 from the studio is still phenomenal! Make sure you check out the studio versions, there's accompaniments that you aren't hearing here that need to be heard.
This album helped me through some really tough times when I was living overseas. Because of this The Crane Wife is my favourite album ever. Hazards of Love is amazing too. A very underrated band me thinks. Decemberists - I LOVE YOU. xxx
I don't care for being called Hipster, but so be it. I just enjoy unique voices, and with unique voices comes unique music. It's why I love Coheed, Circa Survive, TSOAF, and of course Decemberists.
My best friend set a unique ring tone for me in her phone. It was the Crane Wife 3. That should give you some idea of how unsubtle I am in my love of these songs.
For some reason whenever I see this guy sing I start to cry. His voice brings me back to my twenties, and I feel young again for just a second before the grim realities of life take me crashing back to earth
