jennyarntzen.music

  I don't remember the first time I heard this song. It is as if it was born in my DNA. Perhaps carried through my ancient Celt lineage through Grandpa Jones.  I do know I have felt a deep affinity for the melody as long as I can remember. The lyrics were also important to me. The idea that, "...we both shall row..." resonates most importantly today. The original lyrics, the first three verses in my version of the song, speak of romance, unrequited love, and ultimately, disappointment. These are powerful forces in our lives that guide milestone decisions in our life journeys.  Last year, 2025, I felt a need to broaden the scope of the lyrics to include other dimensions of our life stories, all that we experience beyond romantic love, to grief, betrayal, and resilience. I have added three verses that speak to making sense and meaning of current life events.  The first of my verses starts, "The water is wide, I cannot cross o'er, it's carrying me, to a far shor...

  If not now, when? This evening I made the trip across town to Vancouver Folk Song Society, carting along my autoharp, two music stands, and my music charts. I had hoped to be on the list to sing my new song, but it turned out I was too late. The hall was full and I didn't want to sit with my instrument and gear cluttering up the room. I was also feeling embarrassed that I was too late. I left to stow my gear in my car, but by the time I had walked the two blocks to where I was parked, I just loaded everything into the car and headed back home.  I vowed to myself that I would share this song one way or another, so I pulled myself together with a cup of mint tea and a delicious serving of rhubarb crisp, a give from our neighbours downstairs. Bolstered and determined, I made this recording of this new song, Life Lines. In the song, I start by considering the lines of life etched on my face. My reflection in the mirror does not show my view from the inside out. And my view of th...

  Water is Wide - Introductory comments - I wrote three verses to add to the traditional verses. The traditional verses were focused on romantic love, and issues of unrequited love, betrayal and abandonment.  My verses are focused on the pain of witnessing childhood harms arising from government neglect, genocide, and crimes against humanity. The first of my verses was inspired by the loss of young lives due to flooding in Texas in the summer of 2025. The second verse was inspired by the hunger and pain of Palestinian children in Gaza, victims of Israel's genocidal policies. The third verse was inspired by the heartless cruelty of the US federal government kidnapping innocent victims off the streets, in parking lots, and out of the hallways of courthouses. Water is wide - full song We need to feel, we need to not let our empathy be dulled to numb acceptance. We need to sing, and share our hope for a better future for humanity. We need to sing together when we cannot sing alone...

Ferris Wheel written by Jenny Arntzen, 2025 My brother Tom, he is playing the accordion in the video, took me and my dog for a walk to the PNE grounds in East Vancouver. I did not know that a section of the grounds had been turned into a 4 hectare wetland bird sanctuary. This sanctuary is right beside Playland, the amusement park where generations of us have stood in line every summer for a chance to ride the Ferris Wheel. It was about 6 months since Mom had passed at home and my caregiving service had ended after 33 months. I had been to a Vancouver Folk Song Society evening and an ancient version of Scarborough Fair got me thinking about fairs, amusement parks, and life journeys. The calliope intro speaks to the utter madness that lies near the surface of all our human experiences: being able to face life milestones with humour, sharing our losses, celebrating our wins, and having a good laugh at our ambitions when they threaten to overwhelm us. My children are grown now, they are ra...

Lynn Canyon - 2005 03 03 - the cool, late afternoon light of early spring glancing off cold stream tossed boulders  Entry - Taking the Plunge by Virginia Bowden Well into the afternoon, on the day of the concert, I was reviewing my lists and checking what was left to do. It occurred to me that I was going to need introductory words to set expectations and get us all on the same page. Where to start? Virginia brought this poem and shared it at our Neighbourhood Folk - First Sunday - September 2025. As soon as I thought of it, I knew it needed to be the cornerstone of my introductory words to set the stage for the house concert. Today it is the 30th of September. A full week since I started this writing. It has taken me days and many hours to prepare to write this short piece. I had an idea of bringing in interleaving stories, of swimming, over generations, of women. Of our creative works, both domestic and artistic, that mark the passing of our lifetimes into our collective history....

Tom is practicing the calliope intro and outro to Ferris Wheel, our first song in the program this evening. It came out perfectly.  It is 6:30 pm and we are getting ready to open the doors at 7 pm for our first Neighbourhood Folk house concert. It is Monday, September 22, 2025. We are gathered to inspire our efforts for the season ahead, to build strength and confidence enough to get us through to Winter Solstice. We presented a program of a poem written by a friend and neighbour, and eleven songs written and performed by myself, my family, and neighbourhood musician friends. We decluttered the livingroom and set up seating for 15 friends and neighbours. An ipad is up high on a stand for the Zoom attendees. A stationary camera is on a tripod to capture the performance. Tucked in the back corner of the living room Adele is in her crate with a bone to chew. She does not like the sound of camera beeps.  Final preparation - Matt is taping down the sound cable, Michel and Tom are f...