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Song Lyrics
Heart Wings Heart Wings offers a harvest of songs that celebrate the human spirit. I created this recording while being trained as an Interfaith Minister and Peace Chaplain at the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine (ChIME). At the time of my ordination in June 2009, this new recording was released. Songwriting is for me a sacred journey to a deep wellspring. Jacob Watson, founder and Abbot of the school, has said, “There is something deep inside us that keeps speaking.” The place that keeps speaking. This place was validated and nourished at the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine. Songs even welled up in my sleep. One night I heard Jacob’s words sung in a tune, and it became the chorus of a song. Jacob says about the school, “Here we are learning ministry from the inside out.” This delicious process of seeking Source and speaking from our depths helped new songs to flow. During these two years of study many songs arrived – probably close to seventy. My other newest recording – “Pocketful of Wonder” – collects another group of these new songs– the ones for children. It is produced and recorded by A Gentle Wind and is due out this summer. All proceeds from this recording go to support “Holding the Light” programs that offer spiritual and social healing for people who have experienced severe trauma.
COMING BACK TO LIFE Source: Additional lyrics: Maria Lugones from her book Pilgrimages, Peregrinajes, Summary: Transformative truth-telling friendships COMING BACK TO LIFE Chorus: Bridge: 1. Sometimes grace is a fire, sometimes a drop of water. 2. Drawn like spokes of a wheel to a deeper center, Bridge: Coming back to life! Background of the Song: This song is inspired by the charism of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, going back to the 1600’s, which is to focus upon our oneness with the dear neighbor. After I led a day-long Interfaith program for Women’s Spirituality Day at Mt. Marie in Holyoke, MA, I became better acquainted with the Sisters of Saint Joseph. I attended a retreat with agrégées, women who are not part of the canonical church but vow to live the charism. During the retreat, when we spoke about what is central in our lives, this song burst forward, woven with words from several of the women. One person had brought a book that ignited new realizations. A section from the author became a centerpoint for the song: Resucita conmigo y llámame por mi misma. The phrase in the first verse, “transformation’s daughters,” certainly also applies to the many spiritual groups with women I’ve experienced, with special thanks to my cohort classmates Denise DeSimone, Jan Gurley, Lillian Reilly, Meg Mulligan, and Shari Rose at the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine. HOLDING THE LIGHT Source: Summary: Tasting the essence of spiritual support HOLDING THE LIGHT Chorus: We are holding the light. We are holding the light. 1. One single blade of grass can hold a thousand stories. 2. One single soaring bird can bring the sky a blessing. 3. One single hidden seed can open up a garden. Background of the Song: “Holding the Light” programs offer spiritual support for healing the social wounds of trauma. This work is based upon the belief that we each have our own wellspring of spiritual courage. A key insight is that what makes the difference under the challenge of violence is to find a spiritual way to GET BIGGER. The phrase “holding the light” means seeing each other whole and supporting transformation. In preparing to lead a day-long program of Holding the Light, I took two favorite poems and pieced them like a quilt. A Journey Camp staff member named Isolina Leiva-Bowes wrote a poem in the woods of camp when she was a teenager, and I’d put it to music. (See the song “Believe” on Everyday Bravery). When I was a teenager, I loved that quote from Tagore. They are part of the song’s tapestry. FREEMAN Source: Summary: Civil Rights story of meeting hatred with non-violence. FREEMAN 1. He was marching down the street singing, “Freedom” Chorus: We were singing freedom, We were singing freedom. 2. Like his grandfather, his name was “Freeman.” Bridge: Then Bull Conner blocked the way, Chorus: We’re singing Freedom. We’re singing Freedom. 3. Behind him, people sang out, “Freedom.” CHORUS Background of the Song: This song is dedicated to Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, President of UMBC (The University of Maryland, Baltimore County). This tells the true story of the time he as a boy encountered Bull Connor during the Children’s Crusade, and it shares the words he said in response. Wikipedia said: “The Children's Crusade was the name bestowed upon a march by hundreds of school students in Birmingham, Alabama, on May 2 and May 3, 1963, during the American Civil Rights Movement. Organized by Rev. James Bevel, the purpose of the march was to protest the arrest and jailing of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Many kids escaped from their school in order to be arrested, set free then arrested the next day.” The summer of 2007 I heard Freeman speak when he was a commencement speaker at my son’s college graduation. Here is Freeman’s favorite quote that he shared at Haverford College in his talk. Watch your thoughts, LOVE WILL GUIDE YOU Source: Summary: Song of ever-present Spirit LOVE WILL GUIDE YOU 1. There is a place inside the heart where the flying bird rests, Chorus: Love will guide you. 2. There is a place inside the dream
where the bird says—Join the sky. Chorus: Love will guide you. Closing: Hear our heart’s song, hear our heart’s song. Background of the Song: I like how songs can be seeds. Just as seeds carry the pattern of a plant, songs can carry the medicine of spiritual discoveries. I heard portions of this song – words and tune – in dreams. I wanted to create a song that brought comfort. While studying at the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine, Shari Rose and I were partners creating a worship service. I want to thank her for helping to make up motions to words of the first verse. We led it as a Body Prayer as described below. BODY PRAYER Here are the words and gestures to the body prayer. THANKS BE TO LIFE There is a place inside the heart where the flying bird rests, a sturdy place inside the heart We are safe beyond all knowing. Thanks be to life. Thanks be to life. KNOCK ON THE WALL Source: Summary: The underground railroad and the solidarity of heart KNOCK ON THE WALL Chorus: Knock on the wall and tell me you are safe tonight. Refrain: Knock on the wall. Knock on the wall. 1. I met a new friend. She escaped up north. Refrain: Knock on the wall. Knock on the wall. Chorus: Knock on the wall and tell me you are safe tonight. 2. She taught me Little Johnny Brown. Refrain 3. I sat in front with my father and you hid behind in the straw. Ending: Cross the water, I want to shout. Background of the Song: People of western Massachussetts were an active part of the underground railroad. The small town of Charlemont – the next town west from where I live – was a central spot in helping Seekers of Freedom escape to Canada. Two librarians from Charlemont, Bambi Miller and Mary Boehmer, have been researching this local history for twenty years. Their research told of local women making dolls for children escaping, and I added that detail to the song. They said it would be unusual for a daughter to know that her parents were involved – as this song portrays – but possible. I learned that the house almost next to mine and the river across the street were part of the Underground Railroad. This holds great meaning for me. TERESA OF AVILA'S PRAYER Source: Summary: Teresa’s prayer put into song. ORIGINAL PRAYER BY TERESA OF AVILA May today there be peace within. SONG LYRICS 1) May today there be peace within. (2) May today there be love within. (3) May today there be trust within. (4) May today you be free within. Background of the Song: I tried to memorize a prayer by Teresa of Avila because I found it very strengthening. I suddenly thought – what would it be like to put it to music? Then it would be something I could carry inside and remember, and it might also be enjoyed by others. The songwriting challenge was to stay true to the prayer. I had to reconfigure it so that there was a pattern. So I created four sections and a summary phrase starting each section. There was only one rhyme already in the prayer, so I created others. I hope the spirit of her prayer has been kept intact. FIRE TALK Source: Summary: A vision quest filled with the power of the bear. FIRE TALK 1. Paddle to the west on this vision quest. My canoe is taking flight. 2. A chickadee’s song guided me along to where birch bark lay. Chorus: Singing out with the otter, and the chickadee. REFRAIN: Firekeeper with the bowdrill turning. 3. With a needle made of bone, step by step it was sewn Chorus: Resting there with the otter, and the chickadee. Firekeeper…firekeeper. Fire talk! 4. I awoke before dawn and found my basket gone, Chorus: Tracking sure with the otter, and the chickadee. 5. I found each broken piece. It was torn by bear cub teeth. Firekeeper, firekeeper. Fire talk. Paddle home with the otter and the chickadee. Background of the Song: I feel affinity with the Pocumtuck people, the first people of this region, and I think about them often. The river outside my window is where I picture a girl paddling on her vision quest. A few years ago I learned how to use a bowdrill and also how to make a birch basket around a campfire by boiling water to soften the bark and lashing it together with sinew. Last winter this song began to form itself. As I followed it down, I was actually surprised by what happened – that the basket was gone in the morning. I kept staying with the story and letting it unfold, like a quest itself. I dream about bears and feel affinity with their medicine. On the recording a friend named Sue Kranz plays her flute like a spirit companion and made astonishing music to augment the story. MY FATHER'S HEART Source: Summary: Song of sacred masculinity inspired by Matthew Fox MY FATHER’S HEART 1. It’s our favorite book. It’s called, “The Birds of the Sky.” CHORUS: My father’s heart is as big as the sky. 2. He butters two bagels and spreads on grape jelly, cream cheese. 3. My father told me how he felt the day I was born. 4. I tell my Dad that there is a choice that I’ve made. CHORUS: My father’s heart is as big as the sky. Background of the Song: When theologian Matthew Fox spoke at the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine (ChIME) about sacred masculinity, he invited us to find ways to bring this awareness to children. Immediately I began to make notes for the song and worked on it that night. The next week I sang it for a father and son, and the boy kept saying, “That’s a great song.” I could see how much he loved his Dad, and was glad that it moved him to have this love affirmed. I turn to Father Joseph, the father of Jesus, as a Spiritual Father, and often picture him with me. I dedicate the song to the men I know in ChIME -- to Jacob Watson and Joel Grossman as well as Matthew Fox. When I was nineteen, I was first involved in the feminist movement and had the opportunity to go to a high school and talk about the essence of partnership – of women and men supporting each other. I remember a friend at People’s Music Network wearing a T shirt saying, “Men are Good,” and how it moved me to hear about his dedication to transforming sexism. THIS RIVER Source: Summary: The home of the Pocumtuck people THIS RIVER SPEAKS TO ME 1. A red-shouldered hawk is flying across Refrain: This heritage river 2. I head out in the morning as the first light is dawning 3. From the border of Canada to Long Island Sound: 4. The long-eared owl and the water fowl 5. Tell me, what-- what is a river? Closing refrain: This heritage river, Connecticut River. This heritage river, Connecticut River. There is no doubt, this river speaks to me. Background of the Song: Our regional Watershed Council wanted to create more dialogue about the Connecticut River by starting a song contest for songs about the river. I researched information about the Connecticut and pictured what it would look like when the Pocumtuck’s paddled there. Birds like the red-shouldered hawk and fish like the shad who are now endangered species are mentioned in the song. My son Ryan and one of his best friends Chris Manchester played guitar and piano on the entry, and it became a family project. The idea of talking about this region we love so much through a song, and then through the contest hearing how others translated their love for the river into words, not only melted away the designations of winners and losers, but resulted in a heart-opening experience. THE BOWL Source: Summary: Approaching life like a receptive bowl SONG OF THE ORDINATION BOWL (1) What fills this bowl, what fills this bowl Refrain: I hold this bowl. I hold this bowl. (2) We greet the season of our souls, Refrain: I hold this bowl. I hold this bowl. Background of the Song: At the Interfaith Ordination at the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine, Rev. Jacob Watson carefully prepares a wooden bowl swirled with wood grain for each person being ordained. He burnishes the bowls, carves the names and date on the bottom, prays over them, and then presents them at the ceremony. My teacher Rev. Helen Rankin brought her ordination bowl to the opening ceremony the first weekend in 2008. In having a chance to work with her, this song was born. I wanted to explore the meaning of us being empty bowls open to the what the year would bring. Each person in the circle took a turn holding the bowl as the song was sung. HEART WINGS Source: This selection on the recording is harp music. CHIME KEEPS SPEAKING Source: Summary: Jacob Watson’s words put into song. CHIME KEEPS SPEAKING CHO. There is something deep inside us that keeps speaking, 1. Chime of ancient voices and meeting common streams. LONGER CHORUS: 2. Chime, our soul’s wonder, through lightning and the thunder Final Chorus: There is a source at my core. Background of the Song: The acronym of the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine is Chime which is a fitting metaphor for what happens during the school -- the chime of awakening. As I was driving to the last Wednesday night class, I wanted to bring a song as a gift, and the verses got created. Early in the fall 2007, I remember Abbot Jacob Watson saying the words – there is something inside us that keeps speaking. I wrote this down, and I believe that one of the times of hearing music in sleep was of that tune coming. After the death of a beloved teacher, Michael Dwinell, I thought about his teachings that it’s our ever-growing relationship to the Divine that changes us. I kept working with the first line and completing the chorus until the various parts came together. THIS SONG IS FOR ED Source: Summary: Memorial Service song for a beloved friend, Ed Softky. THIS SONG IS FOR ED: YOU BRING MORE LOVE 1. I think about your garden with the purple amaranth. Chorus: You bring more love. You bring more love. 2. A door fell off its hinges, a clock fell to the ground. Chorus: You bring more love. You bring more love. 3. When we sing, we sing to you. It’s another way to pray. Refrain: Background of the Song: The sudden death of my beloved friend Ed Softky in October 2008 felt impossible and unbearable. As friends of Ed gathered, we all agreed – we want to be like Ed. We want to have his generosity, his wisdom, and his joy in living. Ed was a genius who deeply loved life and expressed it in Tibetan translating, Morris Dancing, creating harmony for songs, and gardening.
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