Wide As the Prairie Skies (#fakeit 2026)
by @wynia · @briansmith · @dmelbygibbons · @blair_horton
Liner Notes
This is our version of the #fakeit challenge, whereby participants use the same lead sheet provided by @metalfoot but make up their own melody, arrangement, and vibe. None of us would say this came out as our "usual" sort of music, but we had good fun making it! See the challenge thread here: https://fawm.org/forums/3568
@wynia says: My job was to figure out the music. Ope, I felt like adding a few chords and words to the basic lead sheet. What came out sounded like something from church special music or a song my middle school choir would sing in my 90s childhood. It's a vibe that might be completely dorky and dated, but it sure transported me and the rest of us back to those days and gave us some nostalgic warm fuzzies for a bygone, seemingly more innocent era.
@briansmith says: As someone regularly tapped to play #cello for church music, this is the song I have been training for my entire cellist life
Credits/Performance: @metalfoot lyrics, original lead sheet @wynia musical arrangement, keys @blair_horton vocals @briansmith #cello , mixing/sound engineering @dmelbygibbons help with sound mix/engineering
Lyrics
WIDE AS THE PRAIRIE SKIES (#FAKEIT! 2026)
INTRO _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
CHORUS It's time to open up my heart Wide as the prairie skies It's time to look at the world With some brand new eyes Too long I've strayed in the darkness And I've needed the light It's time to open up my heart, tonight. [/F#]
VERSE 1-2 I'm turning off the TV news I'm shutting down the mobile phone [/F#] All this [Em}doomscrolling is the death of me It just makes me feel more alone
I'm stepping out the front door I'm gonna breathe some fresh air See the good things all around me It's time that I learned to care _ __
CHORUS
VERSE 3-4 I'm gonna amble in nature I'll just enjoy it cuz it's there. [/F#] Wonder at things all around me Because there's glory everywhere
I'm gonna eat delicious food I'm gonna learn to be healthy Care for others like I should Find pleasure in simplicity __ _ _ _
CHORUS
BRIDGE It might not change the world But it can change my mind And that's the kind of change That is awful nice to find It might not clear my doubt But it can open eyes And that’s the kind of change That could truly change my life
CHORUS
Comments
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I like the tempo, rhythm, and metering that you use.
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This sounds so epic! Nicely done!
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Very cool, love this type of experiment. Great moment when it goes double time too
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I approve of the added chords. What a lovely take on this lyric and chords!
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Wow, epic, very inspirational indeed. Could be a theme song for a grand musical production on stage. Well done all.
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This is a very uplifting take on the song. Very reminiscent of the kind of song my mom would have teared up at during church