when you say nothing at all
It's funny how the power of a song can have a hold over you and transform you. Recently, I've repeatedly heard such a song that brings sweet memories from the past… "When You Say Nothing At All," by Alison Krauss. It is a beautiful, sweet, amazing song… perfect lyrics, and beautifully executed by the artist.
I remember the very first time we sang that song. Jenny, Janel and I had just begun our J3 adventure together and we were brainstorming songs that each of us may be interested in performing. Jenny played "When You Say Nothing At All" on her guitar and softly sang along. Her vocals are perfect for that song! It was a moment of clarity that we all experienced. You see, each one of us, Janel, Jenny, and I all bring something unique and different to our group, collectively know as J3. We each sing/trade vocals as lead, melody; and all of us have music writing and vocal training backgrounds. The "something extra and different" that we have is our experiences and how we communicate them through song. This song was made for Jenny to sing! It became a sort of staple on our list of "that'd be a good song to perform…" list.
On our very first trip to Nashville, we were a bit green!!! Boy oh boy… we had lunch in music row and then proceeded to trample our way down the music row streets littered with record labels and houses only to receive blisters on our feet. We were totally out of it – CLUELESS!!! To the MAX! It was terrible. Janel and I as siblings of course do, yell and argue with each other and in frustration driving Jenny to cry… it was a TRAIN WRECK!!!
We made our way back to the hotel after that first day of mere hopelessness… to ponder and change our course of action and to focus on the real reason we came to Nashville... to play music and experience a small understanding of Music City! So we packed up Jenny's guitar and headed to a small park area in the heart of NashVEGAS - downtown Nashville! We sat down on a quite bench and started singing. Just the three of us.
Within minutes we collected a good sized group of homeless and local residents just interested in listening to some music and sharing in the moment. It was wonderful. It eased our tense minds and spirits and we thoroughly enjoyed playing there in the beautiful park setting with the sunshine, warm weather, and beautiful hearts all around us.
A homeless couple sat down and shared their sweet love story with us… how they met, how long they'd been together, and how important each was to the other. We asked them if they had a special song that they would like for us to sing for them… and of course… they wanted to hear "their" song, "When You Say Nothing At All."
A little choked up all-around, we proceeded to sing it. As I mentioned previously, just a thought of a song, we held on the back burner for such a moment.
With all of the people we meet along the way in this musical journey J3… we are just so blessed to meet the few special ones as that couple who shared that great day… that great moment… their sweet story… with us…
There is more to this story… but that will have to be in another blog…
Needless to say, we have traveled to Nashville many times since that initial trip, but that one holds a fond memory in all three of our hearts.
God bless you!
- jill marshon
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