Kentucky: The Archer

Kentucky: The Archer  

At the end of the second-last day of school this year in my little adopted hometown of Almonte, Ontario, a 9 year old boy I knew named Archer tragically lost his life in an apparently blameless accident involving a school bus, in front of his elementary school. Normally, for me, this tragedy would in itself be horrific. Beyond comprehension and too close to home. Not only do I have 3 school-age children of my own, I'd also met Archer and his family and frequently saw them around town. However, when I heard the news as it spread through town, I was instantly transported back to my bedroom as a boy, the night my Mother told me that my best friend had died on the street in front of her home in the exact same fashion as Archer. 

There are no words to express the loss of a child, only a black hole of grief. A song however, has great, wordless power that cannot be contained even by death. So, I wrote a song for him and his parents and our community. They say that when a musician falls in love with you, you live forever in their songs. That is what is true about The Archer, even when I can say nothing else about it - Archer lives forever now. This song is being released in partnership with Archer's parents, in accordance with their wishes and with their support. All performance royalties of the song go to Archer's parents.

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