American Folk Artist Teressa Mahoney Releases New Song 'American Elegy'
Colorado-based American folk singer Teressa Mahoney is releasing her new song 'American Elegy' close to President’s Day, February 15, to encourage dialog about the country’s complicated history with Indigenous people and racism. The pared down narrative-style folk song featuring Mahoney and a guitar will officially be available across all popular music streaming plaJorms today.
The song, co-written by Hannah Slay and Seth Slay, and produced by Lori Chaffer of Waterdeep, is a lament for the America that the singer thought she knew. The lyrics intertwine phrases from America the Beautiful with images of current events in an emotionally evocaGtie way. The song opens with “waves of
grain on stolen land” and goes on to express a sense of grave distress over the country as a place that represents life and land torn from Indigenous people, and an infrastructure built on the backs of slavery. The final refrain captures the overall essence of the song’s lament with the lyrics:
Even under spacious skies, we're struggling to breathe
With images of innocents hit with bullets while they sleep
If our comfort is disrupted, we'll just turn off our TV
America, America, what a bitter legacy
America the beautiful . . . may God give grace to thee
America the beautiful . . . may God give grace to thee
The American Elegy track will appear on Mahoney’s summer album Disillusions, which the artist raised money for through Kickstarter.
Listen to the complete “American Elegy” single on Spotify and on all major streaming platforms. Find out more about American folk singer Teressa Mahoney by visiting her website www.teressamahoney.com and by following the artist on Instagram at @teressa_mahoney.
