Wrong Way Round
from Wrong Way Round by Rachel Baiman
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about
In February, I lost my last living Grandparent, and the only one I've ever really known, my paternal Grandmother Sydney Irwin Quance Baiman (many husbands yields many names!)
Grandma Sydney was truly indescribable. She was such a unique and fiery character. Throughout her life she was arrested for everything from righteous activism, to stealing foodstamps from her boyfriend (when they were both in their 80s), to appearing streaking stark naked through a public park. One of my last fond memories of her is walking through her nursing home (on which she was placed on the alzheimers floor despite not having alzheimers) yelling very loudly "Look at these people they put me with Rachel! They can't even talk!" while the other patients stared at her blankly. My grandma was mean, rude, demanding, politically incorrect, selfish, narcissistic and irrational. And I will miss her so much!
A couple years before her death, when I could see that she was aging rapidly, I sat down with her and my siblings and asked her to tell me the story of her life. The interview which I recorded inspired a song about her called "Wrong Way Round". When I was contacted about contributing a song for an International Women's Day campaign by frtyfve.com, I felt that this song would be a perfect fit. I sometimes think that my grandma and I are the same person raised at very different times and under very different circumstances.
At the beginning of February, mom mom let me know that my Grandma seemed to be declining, so i made plans to head home that weekend for a final visit. I had booked a studio on Thursday and spent all day with my friend Phillippe Bronchtein working on the recording of "Wrong Way Round". That evening, my mom called to tell me that my grandmother had passed. I had been singing about her all day long and I like to think that she could hear me.
That song will be available March 18th, as part of frtyfve's #turnherup campaign for International Women's Day.
Grandma Sydney was truly indescribable. She was such a unique and fiery character. Throughout her life she was arrested for everything from righteous activism, to stealing foodstamps from her boyfriend (when they were both in their 80s), to appearing streaking stark naked through a public park. One of my last fond memories of her is walking through her nursing home (on which she was placed on the alzheimers floor despite not having alzheimers) yelling very loudly "Look at these people they put me with Rachel! They can't even talk!" while the other patients stared at her blankly. My grandma was mean, rude, demanding, politically incorrect, selfish, narcissistic and irrational. And I will miss her so much!
A couple years before her death, when I could see that she was aging rapidly, I sat down with her and my siblings and asked her to tell me the story of her life. The interview which I recorded inspired a song about her called "Wrong Way Round". When I was contacted about contributing a song for an International Women's Day campaign by frtyfve.com, I felt that this song would be a perfect fit. I sometimes think that my grandma and I are the same person raised at very different times and under very different circumstances.
At the beginning of February, mom mom let me know that my Grandma seemed to be declining, so i made plans to head home that weekend for a final visit. I had booked a studio on Thursday and spent all day with my friend Phillippe Bronchtein working on the recording of "Wrong Way Round". That evening, my mom called to tell me that my grandmother had passed. I had been singing about her all day long and I like to think that she could hear me.
That song will be available March 18th, as part of frtyfve's #turnherup campaign for International Women's Day.
lyrics
Pretty girl, rich family
on the outskirts of Philly
middle kid, nobody cared
so she learned, to make 'em stare
Eleven years old when her parents split
while her daddy was drinkin, her momma got hitched
to a man down in Mexico
so pack your bags honey, its off we go
When you're born the wrong way round
to the wrong people
in the wrong town
you spend your lifetime traveling around
lookin for something that won't let you down
Well those revolution men party all night
Nobody taught her to read or write
They took her for a god damn fool
Sent her to an asheville finishing school
When you're born the wrong way round
to the wrong people
in the wrong town
you spend your lifetime traveling around
lookin for something that won't let you down
Single mother in a new york slum
She broke out crying on the bus ride home
They took her away for to be controlled
Now she can’t stand eating dinner alone
When you're born the wrong way round
to the wrong people
in the wrong town
you spend your lifetime traveling around
lookin for something that won't let you down
The windy city took her in
On the thirteenth floor she could breathe again
And she had the biggest smile
When she held her first grandchild
on the outskirts of Philly
middle kid, nobody cared
so she learned, to make 'em stare
Eleven years old when her parents split
while her daddy was drinkin, her momma got hitched
to a man down in Mexico
so pack your bags honey, its off we go
When you're born the wrong way round
to the wrong people
in the wrong town
you spend your lifetime traveling around
lookin for something that won't let you down
Well those revolution men party all night
Nobody taught her to read or write
They took her for a god damn fool
Sent her to an asheville finishing school
When you're born the wrong way round
to the wrong people
in the wrong town
you spend your lifetime traveling around
lookin for something that won't let you down
Single mother in a new york slum
She broke out crying on the bus ride home
They took her away for to be controlled
Now she can’t stand eating dinner alone
When you're born the wrong way round
to the wrong people
in the wrong town
you spend your lifetime traveling around
lookin for something that won't let you down
The windy city took her in
On the thirteenth floor she could breathe again
And she had the biggest smile
When she held her first grandchild
credits
from Wrong Way Round,
released March 18, 2020
Song by Rachel Baiman, Greezeebow Publishing (ASCAP)
Rachel Baiman: Guitar, Vocals, Strings
Philippe Bronchtein: Organ, Bass, Vocals
Song by Rachel Baiman, Greezeebow Publishing (ASCAP)
Rachel Baiman: Guitar, Vocals, Strings
Philippe Bronchtein: Organ, Bass, Vocals
license
all rights reserved
tags
about
Rachel Baiman Nashville, Tennessee
Raised in Chicago, Baiman made her way to Nashville at 18 with the dream of being a
professional fiddle player and has
since released three solo records and an EP, alongside
session and side-person work with Kacey Musgraves, Kevin Morby, and Molly Tuttle
among many others. As a songwriter, she has garnered a reputation for her specific
brand of political and personal lyricism.
... more
shows
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May 17Monticello, KY
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Jun 26Seattle, WA
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Sep 27Rollo Bay, NL
discography
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Apr 2024 -
Feb 2024 -
Feb 2024 -
Nov 2023
contact / help
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