As we approach the two decade anniversary of the attacks on the United States of September 11, 2001, bluegrass singer and songwriter Caleb Bailey has released a song of remembrance from his current album, Poplar & Pine.
Titled simply United Flight 93, Caleb constructed the song from witness statements and inflight communications from the fourth plane hijacked by Al Qaeda operatives, intended to crash into the US Capitol. Since this plane took off later than the earlier three, the flight was eventually commandeered by heroic passengers who learned of their fate in desperate phone calls to family members while in the air. Rather than allow the airliner full of fuel to reach its destination, they stormed the cockpit and forced the plane to the ground in Pennsylvania, sacrificing their lives to thwart the hijackers’ plans.
Bailey works as a firefighter, and we all remember the stories of the rescue and fire personnel who were killed during the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York, after having saved uncounted numbers of people working there that day. As such, the date holds a special place in his memory.
The song expresses his personal response to the assault, which he sings trading verses with Wayne Taylor of Blue Highway.
Have a listen in this graphic video.
United Flight 93 from Caleb Bailey is available now through iTunes and Spotify.
