Sunday Sessions: The Dreaming Fields
What will be my harvest now?
That is a question that recurs in the lyrics of The Dreaming Fields. The song was written,and is sung here, by Matraca Berg.
As is often the case with Matraca’s songs, you will find images that are both vivid and understated, wheter she is being reflective or applying her dry wit to life situations.
This one invites reflection,
In The Dreaming Fields, time, change, memory, storytelling, family, landscape, and more all come in.
That’s a lot going on in the space of the few moments of a song. Matraca Berg well knows how to handle that, though.
Top country music artists, and artists from other genres have recorded her work. Among them are Trisha Yearwood, Kenny Chesney, Deana Carter, Martina McBride, and Reba McEntire.
She has also been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and received the Poet’s Award from the Academy of Country Music.
Berg is an excellent performer herself, though she’s often kept that a bit low key. She grew up in Nashville, where she still lives, and often takes part in songwriter nights when in town as well as performing solo gigs.
Her husband Jeff Hanna is a member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Matraca has been known to appear as a special guest with them on occasion. You will also often find her performing in the US and Europe in a trio setting with fellow songwriters Suzy Bogguss and Gretchen Peters.
She’s released five solo albums -- The Dreaming Fields is the title track to one of them -- and there are compilations too, all well worth your time.
What will be my harvest now? In whatever way you choose to take it. that is a question worth considering.
You may also wish to see
Another song by Matraca Berg is part of this story
A song of connection and family across geography and time, from Cathie Ryan
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