1. Appear (4:58)
2. Lonely Stranger (4:54)
3. Open Country (4:48)
4. Rags of Life (4:18)
5. Part The Sky (4:14)
6. Refugee (3:57)
7. Beyond Here (3:58)
8. Healer (6:41)
9. Waterfall (3:34)
10. Where Pardon Flows (5:37)
Our friends, family and fans that have supported us throughout the years, Jeff Boulton & Family, Steve Davis and Family, Michelle Masters & Family, Derek Elliotson, Richard Moore, Paul & Gloria Willoughby, Patrick & Irisa Albion, Dalit Freedom Network, Central Community Church (St Catharines, Ontario) The Rarebird Records Family: Joel Martin, Jordan Fox, Jason Paul Johnston and Tim McArthur, Before the Flood, The Terns, Bob Bryden, Orphan George, and our children: Ivy, Lily, & Denver Rowan
Partial proceeds of this recording will be donated towards Dalit Freedom Network, and Central Community Church (Downtown Campus Mission)
The early seeds of this album began years ago, when I had just returned from living in India. There was so much on my mind then, almost like I was seeing with new eyes, the disparity between these two worlds that I had experienced: one of plenty, poverty and everything in-between. And yet, I was reminded again and again, that although culture, time, space, race and social standing might be different…we are all made of the same stuff, and share the same human condition. If we were each stripped of all we have, our differences fade very quickly. When there’s nothing to hide behind, we find, that we all wear the rags of life.
As time passed, these song-seedlings stuck with me, and instead of fading away, they germinated in my heart and flowered into a collection of songs that seemed to be a kind of modern-day spiritual. Like the spirituals of old, they speak of slavery, pain, suffering and death…yet they also speak of freedom, love, hope and a future. We each long for permanence. Yet, we cannot escape the reality that we are only ever passing through. Each day is a gift. That is why, from the beginning of this project, I wanted these songs to be a gift…a giving back somehow. I wanted this album to be an acknowledgment of the sufferings of mankind around the world; a voice for the voiceless; a whisper of hope. For, we each, at any moment could find ourselves in someone else's shoes…
He will appear
He will appear
Like spring rains
He will appear
He will water
This Old Earth
Like the gentle fall of dew
He will surely heal our land
As the sun rises in the East
He will fill us with
Metaphors
To help us try to understand
He will paint colours into
The empty canvas we now look through
Oh heal us
Arise with healing in your wings
Oh hear us
Arise with healing in your wings
Lonely Stranger
I’m a lonely stranger
In this barren land
I’ve known only danger
He’s the brother at my hand
I’ve no ‘ma nor father
To no one do I belong
I’ve known only sorrow
She’s my sister and my son
But one day, I’ll go to heaven
Yes one day, He’ll take me there
Where my God, will take my trouble
And my God, will take my cares
I’ve known every hunger
Sickness and disease
Shipwreck and disaster
These have been my family
I’ve no home to speak of
No place to rest my head
In the wasteland, do I wander
In the desert, make my bed
Death, come quick to take me
To the place beyond these skies
I’ve nothing to bring with me
And nothing to leave behind
Open Country
Open country
That’s where I’m going to
Endless fields of flowers always in bloom
Nothing can ever take me
From this place, I’m going to
Of Open Country
Peace and beauty
Where no earthly mist can marr the face of You
This one was born in her
Drawn skyward
A true citizen, the highway’s in my heart
I long day and night
For where my joy comes from
The place where righteousness and peace
Have kissed each other
Your footsteps form a path
Winding spiral
A celestial city, free from the stains of sin
I would forfeit life
For where my fountain runs
The place where love and truth
Have freely met together
Hallelujah
The Rags Of Life
This is the song
Of a wanderer
Trying to make sense of it all
These are the cries
Of a vagabond
Trying to put a face to the world
We all wear
The rags of life
Trying to cover up
All the holes that we find
We all wear
The rags of life
Trying to cover up
Will never hide
The rags of life
These are the thoughts
Of a refugee
Trying to see through eyes that are blind
These are the words
Of a traveller
Trying to put together all the pieces I find
Kensington Prairie is the musical
project of Rebecca Rowan. Rebecca has recorded 5 albums under the name MAPLEWOOD LANE, and 3 albums under KENSINGTON PRAIRIE. She has contributed numerous songs to compilations, television, and radio....more
What an incredible album that I only just discovered through a close friend. There truly is god inside this music, regardless of the listeners beliefs. It brought me so much joy to receive the record in the mail and find a handwritten thank you note from Karen and Don inside! It really is some of the most beautiful music I have heard, and I will treasure this record for years to come. xanderdeg
Elizabeth Morris of Allo Darlin’ returns with a new group! “Winter Sun” is a tender blend of pastoral folk and diary-like lyrics. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 8, 2019