Inside the old briefcase we uncovered something else extraordinary: a fragile wax cylinder, its surface cracked but intact. Scratched onto the label were the words: Scarlet Seraphina “Fare Thee Well” Saenger Oct 31, 1923.
Getting it to play was a challenge. Our gear wasn’t built for century-old recordings, so we tried an old trick. Using nothing more than a sewing needle, a cone of paper, and a little ingenuity, we set the cylinder on the spinning wheel of an e-bike, adjusting the throttle until it steadied at about 120 rpm. Slowly, faint sound rose out of the paper cone.
What we heard was haunting. The recording wavered and hissed, but Seraphina’s voice carried through, rich, bittersweet, and undeniably alive. The song drifts between intimacy and farewell, like a private performance meant for someone she loved. At times it feels like she is singing from another room, or another world, reaching across the crackle and distance.
Below are the words as we were able to make them out:
Fare Thee Well
My dear I fare thee well
I hear the bittersweet toll of the bell
Strangers departing
The curtain closes
But I love you daddy
I don’t care who knows it
My time here is running out
For you and I I have no doubt
We’ll meet again in some other life
Might not have tomorrow but we have tonight
Grab another drink
And sip it up slow
Be wild as you wanna
Let’s see where this goes
Cuz nobody’s judgin
In here you’re free
It’s our little secret
Between you and me
So this is goodbye
It’s the end of the show
Please, tip your bartender
And pick up your coat
Just follow my voice
Let it follow you home
Remember my song
When you feel alone…
We don’t know yet what role this song played in Seraphina’s final night, but the sound of her voice after a hundred years feels like a message meant to be heard.
More soon…
Oh yeah, we recorded it so you can hear it too: