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Glimmer In The Dark

by Anna Gutmanis

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1.
First In Love It seems not very long ago That we went for a drink and show That show turned out to be at my place Didn’t it baby I fell softly for you that night It was more than a quick delight Who knew that twenty years after We’d still be in love and laughter (Chorus) Tell me all of the things you said When we were first in love Tell me all that was in your head When we were first in love We’ve had so many ups and downs We’ve had so many smiles and frowns These years have put many lines on my face Haven’t they baby If I knew then what I know now I’d still go for you anyhow On this sweet night in November We dream ahead and we remember (Chorus) (Instrumental) (Chorus) ©2010 Anna Gutmanis/Ban-Anna Music (SOCAN)
2.
Glimmer In The Dark The woman you see standing here is solitary Of those who try to move in closer she is wary She followed where the melody led And with a muse in love she is wed So no one gonna know what’s on her mind or in her soul (Chorus) You are always giving me a glimmer in the dark Just when I’m afraid to see you make my eyes so sharp While they smile you give me sadness While they pine you give me gladness I can never be alone and so I stand apart The passion came while she was growing in a small town When she could see the ones beside her were gonna fall on down down down Well her and them had nothing to say When she left you know she left it that way ‘Cause no one pays attention to the bell except when it tolls (Chorus) (Instrumental) And so I’ll have my friends and I will have my lovers And I will spend a bit of time with many many many others But I am never gonna refuse A visit from my beautiful muse And no one gonna captivate the woman that she stole (Chorus) You are always giving me a glimmer in the dark ©1983 Anna Gutmanis/Ban-Anna Music (SOCAN)
3.
People (Got to Get it Together) People got to get it together I know that we’re gonna see the light (Chorus 1) People got to get it together People got to fight People got to get it together Man we’ve got to see the light We’ve been told that we are living in a great democracy And we’ve been told we have the right to get together peacefully But all these cops and water cannons are the only thing I see And oh my god they’re going to shoot us If we don’t just let them loot us (Chorus 1) (Chorus 2) People got to get it together People got to know Mr. Man ain’t gonna protect you He is gonna let us go When did we become a nation where the rich abuse the poor And when did we become a nation that is so in love with war And when did caring for the earth become an antiquated chore It ain’t too late to change direction Reclaim all our love and affection (Instrumental) (Chorus 1) (Chorus 2) ©2010 Anna Gutmanis/Ban-Anna Music (SOCAN)
4.
Hello Again 03:19
Hello Again We were younger, we had the hunger That was way back then I left town but now I’m around And so hello again I’ll be leaving sure as you’re breathing On that morning train ‘Til I do this song is for you And so hello again Though it seems like a crime that I don’t have the time To write you or give you a call I am always aware of the bond that we share ‘Cause time doesn’t change you at all my lady I may wander way over yonder Through the sun, through the rain Still I find you’re one of a kind And so hello again Though it seems like a crime that I don’t have the time To write you or give you a call I am always aware of the bond that we share ‘Cause time doesn’t change you at all my lady I may wander way over yonder Through the sun, through the rain Still I find you’re one of a kind And so hello again ©1988 Anna Gutmanis/Ban-Anna Music (SOCAN)
5.
You Won’t Be Sorry So your love affair was not so nice and I must entice But you won’t be sorry Now you’re taking all the good advice and you’re thinking twice But you won’t be sorry I won’t break your heart in the morning I won’t leave without any warning Give me a chance to give you love and affection When the world is closing in on you When you think a curse is upon you I’ll be around to give you love and protection We’re in love and that is how we’ll stay, caring day by day And you won’t be sorry We will be together come what may, I can truly say That you won’t be sorry I won’t break your heart in the morning I won’t leave without any warning Give me a chance to give you love and affection When the world is closing in on you When you think a curse is upon you I’ll be around to give you love and protection (Instrumental) Oh we’re in love and that is how we’ll stay I can truly say That you won’t be sorry And you won’t be sorry ©1988 Anna Gutmanis/Ban-Anna Music (SOCAN)
6.
Another Way Out My school is really like a battle zone But when you’re queer you walk the halls alone Nobody brave enough to be my friend And the slings and arrows are never ending I’ve been assaulted in the parking lot And now they’re saying that I should be shot This morning I just want to stay in bed ‘Cause the pressure has gone to my head (Chorus) I’m looking for another way out I’m looking for another way out I told a teacher what I’m going through He said there’s nothing he can really do He told me all about the sins of man And to get with my god if I can (Chorus) Now my daddy has a dear kid Doesn’t have a queer kid If he had a queer kid, man I could say my goodbye I’ve got nobody I can turn to now I’m tired of living these lies (Instrumental) (Chorus) ©2008 Anna Gutmanis/Ban-Anna Music (SOCAN)
7.
This Love Is Real To Me We may not be the picture of youth and glamour Sometimes we’re more like a nail and hammer Sometimes we don’t have a lot of talkin’ to do Ain’t it true We get up, go to work, and we come home tired It can be hard to remain inspired Still I can say every single day that I want to be with you (Chorus) This love is real to me What I feel and hear and what I see This love is real to me And it’s better than a fantasy Now it’s so many years since I first embraced you Still what I know is my heart has stayed true Being together is unbelievably fine So divine And I marvel at all you and I have been through And at the places that we have been to Nobody else knows me half as well and I know that you are mine (Chorus) (Instrumental) (Chorus) ©2009 Anna Gutmanis/Ban-Anna Music (SOCAN)
8.
When I Get Out of Bed (Chorus 1) Maybe I’ll feel better when I get out of bed When I get out of bed sometime today Maybe I’ll feel better when I get out of bed When I get out of bed sometime today (Chorus 2) Maybe I’ll feel better if I’m not left for dead And if I put on my head sometime, someway Maybe I’ll feel better when I get out of bed When I get out of bed sometime today I tried to do what needed to be done I set the bar impossibly high I should have known that it wouldn’t be fun And now I’m so weary that I can’t begin to cry (Chorus 1) I ought to throw some clothes on my body I ought to comb my hair into place But everything looks terribly shoddy There’s so much around me that I can’t begin to face (Instrumental) I’m gonna go and slay me a dragon I’ll write a song that everyone hears But now my whole damn body is saggin’ And as for my mind, I’m gonna wait until it clears (Chorus 1) (Chorus 1) ©2009 Anna Gutmanis/Ban-Anna Music (SOCAN)
9.
The Rain 05:29
The Rain The day’s overcast, it’s just like the last And the winter is seeping in slow There’s something inside keeps a telling her she’s got to go She ain’t gonna hide when she’s walking outside And the wind starts its dancing again Oh why should she fight It’s just right for her day in the rain Remembers a park in the drizzling dark Where some wonderful stories were told Hey under that isle they once buried a treasure of gold And maybe some day when the sky ain’t so grey We’ll go down to see what we can gain With thoughts of the find on their minds They walked home in the rain (Chorus) And the rain o fills me with beautiful pain o Never leaves nothing the same o Colouring all that I do Can you say why it doesn’t matter how I try When it falls down I know I’ll fly To find that there’s something that’s true The people she meets when she’s walking the streets Are all trying to get out of there fast They don’t like the rain and they’re hoping it’s not gonna last Umbrellas held high and the look in their eye Says that girl’s looking pretty dragged down She ponders their loss as she crosses the street into town She thinks of that time she was hoping so blind For a saviour to come to her side O mama I say he’ll come back and you know I don’t lie I never never lie Then came the day when they took him away And she knew she would go it alone And the rain falling down on the window was cold as a stone (Instrumental) (Chorus) ©1980 Anna Gutmanis/Ban-Anna Music (SOCAN)
10.
Middle of The Line Looking for meaning, looking for work Cooking and cleaning, dealing with jerks Nearing the middle years of my life I’m more than mother and wife (Chorus 1) Call the conductor This isn’t mine I’m caught in the middle Middle of the line I need to break out I need to shine But I’m caught in the middle Caught in the middle of the line Mom needs compassion, so do the kids I learn to ration ‘cause I can’t flip my lid All that I give is never enough The times are horribly tough (Chorus 2) Call the conductor This isn’t mine I’m caught in the middle Middle of the line My destination ain’t on that sign I’m caught in the middle Caught in the middle of the line Here at my window I see a land of rolling hills And wandering waves It’s such a sin though to travel through it To a land of masters and weary slaves (Instrumental) (Chorus 2) ©2001 Anna Gutmanis/Ban-Anna Music (SOCAN)
11.
In The Sun 03:41
In The Sun Step into the wicket Buy myself a ticket Wishing it was one-way Heaven knows I’ll want to stay Say goodbye to pressure Say hello to leisure Now I’m off and running To my hard-earned southern fling (Chorus) In the sun you can play ‘til you’re done And when you’re hotter water’s waiting for you In the sun we can melt into one Here on vacation, stationed, nothing to do Now I see the palm trees Now I feel the cool breeze I could really live here If I shift into a lower gear This is so relaxing It’s never ever taxing And I feel so lazy That’s the way I like to be (Chorus) (Instrumental) (Chorus) ©1989 Anna Gutmanis/Ban-Anna Music (SOCAN)
12.
13.
I Am Who I Am I'm out, I'm proud I've done the things I vowed Nobody gonna take away my freedom If you believe My friends and I should leave You're gonna have to fight us everyone (Chorus) I am who I am, no matter what you say to me I am who I am, no matter what you do I am who I am, no matter what you take from me To myself I will be true You call me ill My kind you want to kill And then you sing of heaven’s love on Sunday But I can see through your hypocrisy It’s hatred of yourself that you betray (Chorus) (Instrumental) You took from me A sense of history I grew up learnin' how to hide my secret But now I've found My people all around And you will find you ain't seen nothin' yet (Chorus) ©2003 Anna Gutmanis/Ban-Anna Music (SOCAN)

about

At a cursory listen, the songs on this album may seem very eclectic, ranging from bluesy rock to Caribbean rhythms and even a touch of gospel. Those of you with sensitivity to nuance and a spirit of adventure may be able to detect the subtle narrative that conjoins these pieces. The opening song and most recent composition, "First In Love", celebrates the present and begins a long and personal journey back to Anna's earliest days of songwriting. "Glimmer In The Dark" invokes the muse that inspired this song over 25 years ago. Like "The Rain", written while she was still a teenager, it speaks of a quest of inspiration, of meaning in a world of loss, and of the search for self-identity that all fuse in "I Am Who I Am", the anthemic bonus track. While "Hello Again" romanticizes the absent friend, songs such as "When I Get Out Of Bed" and "Middle Of The Line" confront the unpopular realities of middle age, of family pressures, of utter exhaustion. These songs reflect her days of social-worker burnout, compassion fatigue, and the unsentimental side of motherhood: being caught in the middle of working overnight shifts, raising teenagers, and watching her own mother slowly vanish in long-term care. It is a legacy of Alzheimer's and other incomprehensible estrangements. But she shares realism, not pessimism. "This Love Is Real To Me" revels in the joys of anti-cosmetic honesty. Longstanding love, intimacy, creativity, and even idealism dare to thrive, despite the ordinary torments and commonplace disapprovals of conformist culture. The harmonies and rhythms of social justice songs, including "People (Got To Get It Together)" and "Another Way Out" may inspire an activist voice in all of us who remain unfulfilled by the status quo and troubled by the oppressions of others. At the same time, we all need to relax and allow time for pleasure: the promise of a new relationship in "You Won't Be Sorry" anticipates the vibe of "In The Sun", a tune that brings us the beach vacation -- perhaps even a hot honeymoon! There are surprises along the way. If you listen carefully, you will hear the little black cat tiptoeing along with the muse in "Glimmer" before his a cappella solo, "The Voice Of Bliss". The journey is not always linear, and these are songs to return to not only in the cold of a Canadian winter, but at times when our spirits need warmth and comfort. I hope that you enjoy this journey with us.
- Georgia Wilder

credits

released July 3, 2012

Music, Lyrics and Arrangements by Anna Gutmanis
Additional Arrangements by Karen Kane and Wayne DeAdder
“The Voice of Bliss” composed and performed by Bliss the Cat

Produced and Engineered by Karen Kane at Chalet Studio, Claremont ON
Assistant Engineer: Anthony Giglio

Mixed by Dajaun Martineau and Karen Kane at Phase One Audio Group, Toronto ON
Assistant Engineer: Anthony Giglio

Mastered by Mike Smith at Phase One Audio Group, Toronto ON
Assistant Engineer: Matt Snell

CD Design by Tracey Dey
Cover and other photography by Kelly Hurren

Musicians:
Anna Gutmanis – lead vocals, keyboard
Wayne DeAdder – guitar, bass
Dan Neill – drums, shaker
Karen Dinardo – background vocals, shared lead vocal on “First In Love”
Colleen Allen – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
Roly Platt – harmonica
Alyssa Wright – cello
Terry Nash – organ
Dajaun Martineau – additional percussion section on “People (Got To Get It Together)”
Georgia Wilder – rain stick on “The Rain”
Bliss the Cat – meows

Bonus Track “I Am Who I Am” produced and engineered by Karen Kane at Audio Genesis, Wilmington NC, 2007. Additional recording and mixing by Karen Kane at The North Bend Room. Mastered at João Carvalho Mastering, Toronto ON. Musicians: Anna Gutmanis on keyboards and vocals, Tony Mallard on drums, Danny Pera on bass, Steve Horrell on guitar, and Donnie White on additional keyboards.

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Anna Gutmanis Toronto, Ontario

Anna Gutmanis is an award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter deeply influenced by the blues. Her songs have charted on iTunes, The Independent Music Network Top 30, Roots Music Report, OutVoice, and 3 different Australian Indie charts (World Independent, Easy Listening and Urban). Her award-winning single I Am Who I Am was featured at Euro Pride in Latvia. New singles and album are in the works! ... more

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