She Fell from the Sky, by Ansley Simpson

She Fell from the Sky

by Ansley Simpson

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seagf It is haunting and beautiful--I have it on repeat and get more from each listen.

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Complete liner notes, lyrics and beautiful cover art by Christi Belcourt.

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1.	Secret Lover 02:45	lyrics
Secret Lover Oh Secret Lover Hiding in shadows Follow my footsteps Down to cold waters I saw your paintings on those rocks I left you something small to find there We could make heartbeats out of stars We could fix all the broken down Oh quiet mourning Casting small tears Out in cold waters Numbing my skin I saw you from the sky and I fell I tried to make it better I found your body by those rocks I tried to fix the broken up Oh dear Winona Keep yourself safe Find your true lovers Paint our story He left you paintings on those rocks I left you something small to find there You can make heartbeats out of stars You can fix all that’s broken now Oh Secret Lover Oh Secret Lover
2.	Migration 05:02	lyrics
Migration Clouds are heavy and I’m restless It’s been going on for days They keep holding back forever But won't open up and rain We’ve been climbing this mountain Without knowing how far The peaks are from the valleys Scorched brush from the fire Moonlight from shadows Winter from spring My body from your longing Pleasure from sin Use those branches make a shelter Yeah right here will do just fine Light some candles for companions Regret the lack of wine We found our way like a migration Followed stars like guiding wires But then the clouds moved in above us and City lights came out as liars Whiskey became our water And the fire became the bar They started telling us our stories And our wings were clipped by cars Use those boxes make a shelter Yeah right here will do just fine Forget the many little heart breaks They cut the forest up in lines Can I wear you like a blanket Pull you over my head Let them all just flow around us To them we’re already dead Can I wear you like a blanket Keep me warm while we walk Mark our journey out in ochre Leave our letters on the rocks Leave love letters on the rocks We found our way like a migration Followed stars like guiding wires But then the clouds moved in above us and City lights came out as liars
3.	Without Warning 04:45	lyrics
Without Warning Lover you’ve gone silent Lover can you hear me Lover where’s your body I’ve searched all the lakes and rivers Lover can you heal me From these shakes and shivers Pull the poison from my body Replace all my pain killers I’ve got love songs for bar flies Anthems for rent Never got paid to do the job And now the money’s all spent You got paint still on your fingers From rewriting all the rules Keeping trouble right at hand Between the makers and the fools We could just slip below the red Hide out in bed Have our own ceremony Feast the spirit starve regret Oh well what are you asking me What are you not saying What wrongs you want unravelled What story are you saving You go and show me your damage Like my body’s gonna fix it Like my skin holds a secret Like my heart’s made of granite I fall so easily I fall without warning I fall like lightning I fall when skies are storming Sometimes I fall slowly Like her image at the border Of your mind oh it’s slipping You’ve tried every way to hold her Just peel back the covers Tell me everything’s alright ‘Cause colour comes from darkness Broken into by the light Oh we could just slip below the red Hide out in bed Have our own ceremony Feast the spirit starve regret What story are you saving? Why are you just waiting?
4.	Echo 03:29	lyrics
Echo It’s not cold and Winter never showed up Just for tonight Let’s imagine the damage is gone See that smoke trailing out of the steel mills I see it dressed to the nines Lit up like northern lights And I’ll take them tonight Out dancing And I’m close at The bottom of Gage Stuck at a crossing For a train that seems barely alive It’s been months Since that night I quit drinking Thought I could Quiet my head Let the world go and rest But I woke up To wildfire and ashes How can I just wish you love When all it does is echo Through the hole Where the bottom gave way I want to fill up the damage with beauty But when I reach out to touch you More crumbles and falls and falls Away And we danced and life sprang From our souls through our feet Now I just keep stumbling over Cracks on the street And it all used to flow like a river Through my hands Now it’s leached dry and I’m Left a stranger on my land I keep trying to fix it Tell me love Am I just too late? How can I just wish you love When all it does is echo Through the hole Where the bottom gave way I want to fill up the damage With beauty But when I reach out to touch you More crumbles and falls and falls And falls and falls and falls away How can I wish you love?
5.	Moon 03:46	lyrics
Moon I’m fine I’m fine I just need distance between fuel and fire Can I stay here by your side Rest in the sliver of your light I’m out of fight And all we do is fight All we do is fight Why should I fall When it always ends with me broken from it all Why can’t I stay Everything’s easy when it’s so far away Kwe! Zhawenim The whole thing’s cracked And there’s more than just light getting in I can feel you through the dark Your cool wash painting comfort on my skin I’m tired of fighting And everybody’s fighting Why should I fall When it always ends with me broken from it all Why can’t I stay Everything’s easy when it’s so far away Why should I fall When it only ends with me broken from it all Why can’t I stay Everything’s peaceful when it’s so far away Kwe! Zhawenim Kwe! Zhawenim Kwe! Zhawenim Kwe! Zhawenim (Kwe - Short form of Gizhiigokwe - Sky Woman Zhawenim - unconditional love, compasion)
6.	The Wake 04:44	lyrics
The Wake Get up! Get moving! Grab semaa* and my knife The sun’s already set Trees blend into night In an hour with some luck We’re a long way from ready Semaa down Get in the truck Watch for ruts Hold steady Get up! Already Get up! Already Get up! Wait up! Go slowly! You could slip on the rocks 'Cause the ground’s not solid And the river’s in a rush And we don’t see that she’s bleeding Water’s trying to warn us Tired of always pleasing Now she’s boiling and storming Wait up! Already Wait up! Already Wait up! Hold up! Everything’s out of place Waves keep building I think we’re too late Ah! We’re slowly sinking And the pitch won’t take Look up! Someone’s falling Like a star Yeah she’s streaming through the night sky Lit up But she’s kicking and she’s screaming Tired of always falling Her heart’s all shattered Watching everyone she loves Torn up like they don’t matter Someone’s falling Like a star Yeah she’s streaming through the night sky Lit up But she’s kicking and she’s screaming Tired of always falling Her heart’s all shattered Watching everything she loves Torn up like it don’t matter Give up! Nothing’s working! The light’s starting to fade And the storms getting louder And dark is giving chase And lightning’s getting sharper And I’m starting to ache Water’s pulling harder Getting crushed under the weight Give up! It’s not working! Her light’s starting to fade And her body’s barely moving And she’s so far away And I know that she can’t wait And she’s so far away Yeah she’s so far away Yeah she’s so far away Wake up! Eyes open! Keep your head above the water I know you could slip under Fight a little bit longer Wake up! Eyes open! Keep your head above the water I know you could slip under I know you could slip under Wake up! Eyes open! Keep your head above the water I know you could slip under Fight a little bit longer Wake up! Eyes open! Keep your head above the water There’s gotta be a bottom Fight a little bit longer Hold up! Everything’s out of place The waves keep building I think we’re too late Ah! We’re slowly sinking And the pitch won’t take Wake up! Wake up Kwe! *Semaa - Tobacco
7.	We strayed too far from the Mouth of the River 05:38	info
8.	Everything and Nothing 05:51	lyrics
Everything and Nothing I am everything When you’re near me Don’t lift me up Leave me floating I am everything And you ask for nothing You ask for nothing I can taste you on my skin I can feel you on the base of my skull Holding soft Don’t lift me up Leave me alone I need quiet Leave me alone They took everything They left nothing They left nothing I can taste you on my skin I can feel you on the base of my skull Holding soft
9.	The Fix 04:29	lyrics
The Fix It didn’t work like we thought it would And I guess we’re out of time Were we not clear what we wanted from this Somewhere along the line Maybe we got what we needed? Love It’s just buried under it all Oh but look at the damage, Love More like a hurricane than a fall Wrap their ankles pull them down Lie by lie and town by town It’s okay you can breathe again There are no smoke stacks at all We freed the river from lock down And now the salmon run every fall Don’t know why but I’m lighter Almost afraid to call it calm He still thinks he’s a fighter, yeah Armed with spray cans and walls Wrap their ankles pull them down Lie by lie and town by town Heat their bodies molten red Turn them into arrowheads Gizhiigokwe will you wake up? You’ve been sleeping so long Winter’s fallen like a blanket And I’ve sang you all our songs It's getting harder to find you Now that the cedars are full grown And the earth beneath you Been gently making way for your bones Oh can you wake up? Come warm yourself by the fire You’ve got to be hungry Ah just open your eyes Wrap their ankles pull them down Lie by lie and town by town Heat their bodies molten red Turn them into arrowheads It’s okay you can breathe again It’s okay you can breathe again It’s okay we can breathe again It’s okay we can all dream again Wrap their ankles pull them down (Gizhiigokwe - Sky Woman)
10.	Oh Good Morning! 04:52	lyrics
Oh Good Morning! Oh good morning You feel lovely on my hands Brown and weathered deep Like ridges in the sand We buried all the shame Declared it valueless Don’t dig it up Don’t dig it up Just let it rest Oh Black Cedars Hiding feathered Eyes for seasons Feet like leather Drop your bodies From high places Catch the updraft Watch their faces The railroad tracks are overrun with lilies They’re reaching out like veins through crumbling cities The intersection where we danced in circles Sprung water clean through the middle now there’s turtles Oh Black Cedars Hiding feathered Eyes for reasons Feet like leather Drop your bodies From high places Catch the updraft Watch their faces Waawaashkesh wade through the grasses by the bank Their fortunes turned to paper when their dollars tanked Oh swim with me Oh swim! The water’s nice and warm The river’s shouting out She broke through the lake shore She broke through the Lakeshore! Oh come home! Come back home to me Oh come home! Come back home with me Oh come home! Oh come home to me Home to me (Waawaashkesh - deer)
11.	Untether 03:20	lyrics
Untether If I sang you a love song Would all this untether Fray at the edges Yearn into endless Vanish like ashes Slip right through their fingers Lay out on mosses Sigh into offerings And in place of our heartbeats Grow shivers of aspen A tremble of yellow To mark where it happened Our bones yield to stardust Our flesh falls to feed her Our blood cleans her wounds And tempers her fever We could vanish like ashes Slip right through their fingers The tones of our voices Soothes decades of ringing And our feet fade to drum beats Our heartache to singing I’ll sing you a love song So all this untethers

about

She Fell From The Sky
Album Intro by Niko Stratis

Great tapestries are woven together slowly, intricately. Taking their time coming to fruition, a skilled hand knowing just how and where to take the threads to arrive at a grand vision. Ansley Simpson is just such a skilled hand, holding onto threads so fine and strong, deftly weaving their unparalleled musicianship through their razor-sharp skills as a keen storyteller.

On She Fell From The Sky, the Toronto-based Anishinaabe singer-songwriter tells the story of Gizhiigokwe – Sky Woman – who fell from the sky to birth this world and remained here among us over the endless years of our age. Watching and feeling every inch of suffering her people have endured. The tracks on the album chart her journey, by “Without Warning” we find her singing songs to barflies in a Parkdale bar. Rock Painter happens upon her there, as he finds himself reeling from the burden of the full weight of the world on his shoulders. In recognizing Sky woman he sees in her the promise of an idea: if she were to fall again, would she be able to once again save us? Can she fix everything? Rock Painter, like everyone who hatches a life saving plan from a barstool, is unprepared for how things can so easily fall instead to ruin.

The 11 tracks of She Fell From The Sky take us on this journey, as only Simpson can guide us. Through them, the emotional core of every second reverberates through the body, the unwavering strength of Simpson’s voice giving breath to Sky Woman’s story. Simpson sings like no other, their voice like the wind in the trees rising from your feet and their guitar follows like an extension of their body.

Present on the record as well are a cadre of talents from many corners, Heather Kirby (bass, banjo), Sam Gleason (guitar), Josh VanTassel (drums, percussion), Mika Posen (violin, viola), James Bunton (synths, CP70, ornamentations, percussion), Cris Derkson (cello) and Mkomiikaa Smith Simpson (jingle dress) are all present as well, adding and building to the depth of creation Simpson has crafted here along with their producer James Bunton.

Recorded at Union Sound over the course of a week, She Fell From The Sky is the culmination of years spent singing songs and sharing stories and a shining light on Simpson's endless strength as a singer and songwriter. There are none other like them, so few are so deft at hand as a weaver of tales and songs together into such a grand vision.

She Fell From The Sky will be available on June 21, 2022 through Gizhiiwe records and available in digital and CD.

credits

released June 21, 2022

Lyrics and Music by Ansley Simpson.
“Moon” and “We strayed too far from the Mouth of the River” Music by Ansley
Simpson & James Bunton.
Namewin spoken in “We Strayed too far from the Mouth of the River” written by
Isadore Toulouse and used with permission.

Performers :
Ansley Simpson - Vocals, Guitars, CP70, Synths, Hand Drum, Field Recordings
Heather Kirby - Bass
Sam Gleason - Guitars
Joshua Van Tassel - Drums, Percussion
James Bunton - Synths, CP70, Guitars, Percussion, Ornamentations
Mika Posen - Violin, Viola
Cris Derksen - Cello
Mkomiikaa Smith Simpson - Jingle Dress
“Kwe!” Choir on “Moon” - Komii Smith Simpson, Simone Schmidt, Cris Derksen,
Heather Kirby, Tiffany Kuliktana Ayalik

Produced & Mixed by James Bunton.
Recorded by Chris Stringer at Union Sound Company.
Assisted by Darren McGill.
Mastered by João Carvalho at João Carvalho Mastering.
Additional Recordings by Ansley Simpson at Ainslie Wood Conservation Area
(Leith, ON) & various locations in Treaty 13 and Treaty 451⁄2, and James Bunton at The Glen Gordon & Port William Sound.

Cover Art by Christi Belcourt.
Graphic Design by Andrew Oliver.
Photo by Jeff Bierk.

Miigwech to everyone who patiently waited for and supported me with this album from writing through release. Miigwech to Komii, Shannon, Leanne, Joshua, Simone, Noel, Nick, Mark, Kevin, Cory, my parents, my family, my brilliant bandmates, Mr. Bunton, Andrew, Jarrett, Steve, You’ve Changed, and everyone I’ve forgotten to mention here. Miigwech to the OAC for supporting the creation and release of this work. Miigwech for listening closely.

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about

Ansley Simpson Toronto, Ontario

Ansley Simpson is an award-winning Anishinaabe singer-songwriter from Toronto, and a member of Alderville FN. A weaver of haunting vocals and poetics, their songs unfold as stories, immersing the listener in vibrant imagery, journeying us through themes of vulnerably, love, and heartbreak. ... more

ansleysimpson.com

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