Fare thee well, my dear, my own turtle dove, I must leave thee for a while. For though I go I will come back again, if I go ten thousand miles my dear, if I go ten thousand miles.
When this song comes back through my rotation, every two years, I am slammed with overwhelming emotions as the memories of past littles and their families breach the surface. I haven’t always been able to hide the affect this song has on me and, years ago, stopped trying. Music evokes emotion. There is no shame in that.
My first time teaching Away We Go, I had a young family who was expecting their second child. I became especially close with them and still consider them friends to this day, sharing hugs, coffee, and stories of their kids. Shortly after their second baby was born, they were told of a devastating heart defect, the little chance of survival thru surgery, and lack of quality of life if the baby boy survived. They choose to hold him close till he took his last little breath at 20 days old. They never missed a class with their oldest. They wanted something to be consistent, and they choose my class to be the one constant thing. So every week, dad brought big brother and during that time we rocked to “Turtle Dove.” Including the day that they buried that little baby boy. They came to class that night, held their first born tight, and rocked him. Fare thee well, my dear, my own turtle dove, I must leave thee for a while.
Two years later, my very good friend was about to leave for his first deployment. He wanted to bring his youngest to class as often as he could before he left. Again, it was Away We Go and again, it was “Turtle Dove.” I vividly remember him holding that little boy, squeezing him tight, not knowing how long he’d be gone and what he would endure to come home. And the little boy being held in his arms, oblivious, to the heartache surrounding him. For though I may go, I will come back again, if I go ten thousand miles, my dear, if I go ten thousand miles.
Another two years passed, another group of littles and another heartbreaking story that played out in my studio with “Turtle Dove” as the soundtrack. A father passed away from cancer. The little girl, much like the big brother mentioned before, never missed a class, I saw almost a different family member every week, a family determined to provide something consistent for the child they loved. Again, music was the choice and I was greatly humbled. Fare thee well, my dear, my own turtle dove, I must leave thee for a while.
A few years ago, when I taught Away We Go, I had a beautiful little boy with big blues eyes. Those eyes would fill with tears that would quietly fall down his face every time I played “Turtle Dove.” His mother told me that he doesn’t know why the song makes him weep and she didn’t understand it. I understand, my friend, I truly, truly do.
“Turtle Dove” will be coming back to my rotation before too long. The memories of those families are still so vivid, I can tell you exactly where each of their spots were in my singing circle. These are things I never expected to carry from teaching Kindermusik. I knew I would cheer and laugh and dance with them. I didn’t know that I would cry and hurt and carry their memories of loss with me. I never expected my heart to re-break in the first measure of a song. I never expected the privilege of being the one constant thing in a child’s life during a heartbreaking time. So very humbling.
Music moves us and creates memories we hold in our hearts forever. Create your own musical memories with “Turtle Dove.” Download the song for free. Be sure to sing it with your own little turtle dove!
Leigh Levine lives in Allendale, Michigan where she teaches Kindermusik. Leigh loves to perform in community theater when time allows, is an avid tap dancer and is the deliriously proud mother of two girls. She and her husband, Jon, recently celebrated 23 years of marriage.