Dorothy

heroic women

(with Sam Hartburn)

Liner notes

Oof, this was an emotionally tough one to write. I emailed Sam Hartburn as soon as the idea took hold to see if she'd want to be involved and I don't think it would have been written if she'd said no. I think the idea originated with a reddit post about someone being first on the scene of some incident and realising the victim wasn't going to make it -- so they sat and prayed and sang with them. That was powerful, even as an atheist, and I wanted the kind of person who'd do that to have a song. A big part of the songwriting was making listeners feel uneasy: the rhyme scheme is frequently off by a word or so, and shifts around in places; I feel like it's also important that there are very few details about whatever's happened to Dorothy, or the

Dorothy died in the arms of a passing pedestrian
Who brushed aside the suggestion
That she ought to wait for the ambulance crew
As if there was much anybody could do
It was painfully etched into Dorothy's face
That the only prescription was kindness and grace
The passer-by slipped into mothering mode
Swept off the snow and sat down in the road
And she sang a song in a language no-one there knew

Simple in melody, simple in rhyme
A tune as old as time
A song in a language no-one there knew

Dorothy died in the cobblestone cold
With the coat of a stranger over her shoulder
The delicate fabric of Dorothy's dress
A desperate, desolate burgundy mess
And as she clung on by the thinnest of strands
The stranger reached out and took hold of her hand
Carefully cradling Dorothy's head
"There there, my dear, I've got you," she said
And she sang a song in a language no-one there knew

Maybe a spiritual, maybe a psalm
A resonant rhythm of comfort and calm
A song in a language no-one there knew

[spoken]
Dorothy died on December 17th, suddenly, leaving a husband and daughter behind.
The family asks for respect for their privacy at this impossible time.
[sung]
They appreciate greatly the chorister lady
Who selflessly came to her side
Dorothy always loved music and art
She died with a song in her heart
[wordless singing]
If that was my sister, if that was my friend
I'd want to know someone was there at the end
Singing