Biography:
James Keelaghan is a Juno award-winning Canadian folk singer-songwriter born in Calgary, Alberta, now based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Many of his songs, such as "Kiri's Piano", about the interment of Japanese Canadians, "October 70", about the FLQ crisis, are inspired by events and figures in Canadian history. Known for his lilting baritone voice, his driving rhythm guitar, and a keen sense of scene and narrative, Keelaghan’s music bridges traditional folk music with Canadiana.
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Other songs:
- Boom Gone Bust
- Cold Missouri Waters
- Country Faire
- Dance As You Go
- Fires Of Calais
- Get To You
- Gladys Ridge
- Glory Bound
- Harvest Train
- Henrys Downfall
- Hillcrest Mine
- Hold Your Ground
- Hope Princeton Road
- House Of Cards
- I Would I Were
- Jack Haggerty
- Kiris Piano
- Lazarus
- Leave Town
- Lost
- Mcconnvilles
- Mirabeau Bridge
- Misty Mountain
- My Blood
- My Old Man
- My Skies
- Never Gonna Stop This Train
- Next To You
- Nothing
- Number 37
- Orion
- Rebeccas Lament
- Red River Rising
- Red
- Refugee
- Ring
- Safe Home
- Sea For The Shore
- Sinatra And I
- Since You Asked
- Sing My Heart Home
- Small Rebellion
- Snap The Line Tight
- Somewhere Ahead
- Stonecutter
- Sweet Lorraine
- Sweet Thames Flow Softly
- Sweetgrass Moon
- The Boston Burglar
- The Flower Of Magherally
- The Kiss Saskatoon
- The Ones Who Made Home
- Tomorrow Is Another Day
- Turn Of The Wheel
- Whats For You
- Who Dies
- You Know Me
- Your Secret
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James Keelaghan - Kiri's Piano
## NOTE: ~ = Walk-Down from C ##
CAPO: 4th Fret
INTRO: C G C G C
Cadd9 Am F
Of all of Kiri Ito's joys, the thing she loved the best
C ~ Am D7 F C
Was to play her prized piano when the sun had gone to rest
Cadd9 Am F C
I used to hear the notes drift down along the silent water
~ Am D7 F C
As Kiri played the notes and scales for her dear sons and daughters
~ C Cadd9 Am F C
Now me, I played piano, though not as good as Kiri
~ Am D7 F C
She went in for that long haired stuff, but my she played it pretty
~ C Cadd9 Am F C
The old piano had a tone, would set my heart to aching
~ Am D7 F
It always sounded sweetest, though, when it was Kiri playing
INTERLUDE: G C F G
C ~ C Am F C
In December when the seventh fleet was turned to smoke and ashes
~ Am D7 F C
The order came to confiscate their fishing boats and caches
~ C Am F C
And Kiri's husband forced to go and work in labour camps
~ Am D7 F
And Kiri left alone to fend and hold the fort as best she can
C ~ C Cadd9 Am F C
But the music did not drift as often, up the cove at Kiri's house
~ Am D7 F
And when it did it sounded haunted, played with worry, played with doubt
C ~ C Cadd9 Am F
For Kiri knew that soon she too would be compelled to leave
C ~ Am D7 F
And the old upright would stay behind and Kiri she would grieve
INTERLUDE: F G C F G
C ~ C Am F C
I loaded Kiri on the bus with stoic internees
~ Am D7 F C
The crime that they were guilty of was that they were not like me
~ C Am F
And if I was ashamed, I didn't know it at the time
C ~ Am D7 F C
They were flotsam on the wave of war, they were no friends of mine
~ C Cadd9 Am F C
And I went up to Kiri's house to tag all their belongings
~ Am D7 F C
And set them out for auctioneers who'd claim them in the morning
~ C Cadd9 Am F
One piece that I thought I'd keep and hold back for myself
C ~ Am D7 F G C F G C
Was that haunting ivory upright that Kiri played so well
INTERLUDE: G C F G C
~ C Cadd9 Am F C
Kiri had not left it there for me to take as plunder
~ Am D7 F C
She'd rolled it down onto the dock and on into the harbour
~ C Am F C
That old upright in strangers' hands was a thought she couldn't bear
~ Am D7 F
So she consigned it to the sea to settle the affair
C ~ C Cadd9 Am F C
So many years have come and gone since Kiri's relocation
~ Am D7 F
I look back now upon that time with shame and resignation
C ~ C Cadd9 Am F
For Kiri knew what I did not that if we must be free
C ~ Am D7 F C
Then sometimes we must sacrifice to gain our dignity
C ~ C Cadd9 Am F
Yes, Kiri knew what I did not that if we must be free
C ~ Am D7 F
Then sometimes we must sacrifice to gain our dignity
## NOTE: ~ = Walk-Down from C ##
CAPO: 4th Fret
INTRO: C G C G C
Cadd9 Am F
Of all of Kiri Ito's joys, the thing she loved the best
C ~ Am D7 F C
Was to play her prized piano when the sun had gone to rest
Cadd9 Am F C
I used to hear the notes drift down along the silent water
~ Am D7 F C
As Kiri played the notes and scales for her dear sons and daughters
~ C Cadd9 Am F C
Now me, I played piano, though not as good as Kiri
~ Am D7 F C
She went in for that long haired stuff, but my she played it pretty
~ C Cadd9 Am F C
The old piano had a tone, would set my heart to aching
~ Am D7 F
It always sounded sweetest, though, when it was Kiri playing
INTERLUDE: G C F G
C ~ C Am F C
In December when the seventh fleet was turned to smoke and ashes
~ Am D7 F C
The order came to confiscate their fishing boats and caches
~ C Am F C
And Kiri's husband forced to go and work in labour camps
~ Am D7 F
And Kiri left alone to fend and hold the fort as best she can
C ~ C Cadd9 Am F C
But the music did not drift as often, up the cove at Kiri's house
~ Am D7 F
And when it did it sounded haunted, played with worry, played with doubt
C ~ C Cadd9 Am F
For Kiri knew that soon she too would be compelled to leave
C ~ Am D7 F
And the old upright would stay behind and Kiri she would grieve
INTERLUDE: F G C F G
C ~ C Am F C
I loaded Kiri on the bus with stoic internees
~ Am D7 F C
The crime that they were guilty of was that they were not like me
~ C Am F
And if I was ashamed, I didn't know it at the time
C ~ Am D7 F C
They were flotsam on the wave of war, they were no friends of mine
~ C Cadd9 Am F C
And I went up to Kiri's house to tag all their belongings
~ Am D7 F C
And set them out for auctioneers who'd claim them in the morning
~ C Cadd9 Am F
One piece that I thought I'd keep and hold back for myself
C ~ Am D7 F G C F G C
Was that haunting ivory upright that Kiri played so well
INTERLUDE: G C F G C
~ C Cadd9 Am F C
Kiri had not left it there for me to take as plunder
~ Am D7 F C
She'd rolled it down onto the dock and on into the harbour
~ C Am F C
That old upright in strangers' hands was a thought she couldn't bear
~ Am D7 F
So she consigned it to the sea to settle the affair
C ~ C Cadd9 Am F C
So many years have come and gone since Kiri's relocation
~ Am D7 F
I look back now upon that time with shame and resignation
C ~ C Cadd9 Am F
For Kiri knew what I did not that if we must be free
C ~ Am D7 F C
Then sometimes we must sacrifice to gain our dignity
C ~ C Cadd9 Am F
Yes, Kiri knew what I did not that if we must be free
C ~ Am D7 F
Then sometimes we must sacrifice to gain our dignity
James Lann
James Last
James LeBlanc
James Leste
James Lloyd
James Peters
James Puhto-Ren
James Quick
James Reid
James Reyne