The Gates/ Take Me to the Water

12 Oct The Gates/ Take Me to the Water

This fabulous mashup of two songs by Mark Growden, though wildly different, are always done as a set. The Gates is a slow, soulful tearjerker that builds until it suddenly lands itself in the instant singalong of Take Me to the Water, transporting us all into happily dancing, drunken sailors. The song features an accordion and violin, though it could welcome any number of additional or alternate instruments.

Composer & Copyright

Original song by Mark Growden, arranged in two parts for Wholeheated Chorus by Lisa G. Littlebird with Mark’s permission.

Recording

Recorded by Lisa G. Littlebird with Mike Marotta on accordion and Dave Dally on violin.

Inspiration Tracks

Performed live by Mark and his Calling All Choir (mis-labeled in YouTube):

Mark’s studio original:

Lyrics

SOLO: If the gates that hold the tears of this world were to open
We’d all be washed away
If the stories those tears have to tell were spoken
We’d nothing left to say
The water is slowly rising
The water it just keeps rising

If the gates that hold the tears of this world were to open
We’d all be washed away
If the stories those tears have to tell were spoken

The water is slowly rising
The water it just keeps rising

Ah–

The gates can’t take the weight anymore
The river is washing them away
We, we could swim back to the shore
Oh the tide’s so strong today
Time to drift and pray
Ah–

******************

Oh won’t you take me to the water, take me to the water….

Oh listen to her calling, listen to her calling…

Everyone is (everybody’s) welcome, every soul is welcome….

Oh won’t you take me to the water, take me to the water…
Lay me down, lay me down at her side

Teaching Notes

Take me to the Water is an instant singalong requiring no teaching time. The Gates could be easily simplified by singing the melody in unison. In my arrangement the melody is in the low part during the verses and in the high part during the “ah” chorus. The accordion could easily be replaced by keyboard and any number of instruments could be added.