singer/songwriter

Upon the Hearth the Fire is Red

August 30, 2023 — Leave a comment

I’ve found a wealth of song lyrics in my summer reading, specifically The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. So my August song is made from yet another Bilbo Baggins invention (who in turn is a J.R.R. Tolkien invention).

Upon the hearth the fire is red,
Beneath the roof there is a bed;
But not yet weary are our feet,
Still round the corner we may meet
A sudden tree or standing stone
That none have seen but we alone.
Tree and flower and leaf and grass,
Let them pass! Let them pass!  
Hill and water under sky,  
Pass them by! Pass them by!

Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate,
And though we pass them by today,
Tomorrow we may come this way
And take the hidden paths that run
Towards the Moon or to the Sun.  
Apple, thorn, and nut and sloe,  
Let them go! Let them go!  
Sand and stone and pool and dell,  
Fare you well! Fare you well!

Home is behind, the world ahead,
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadows to the edge of night,
Until the stars are all alight.
Then world behind and home ahead,
We’ll wander back to home and bed.  
Mist and twilight, cloud and shade,  
Away shall fade! Away shall fade!  
Fire and lamp, and meat and bread,  
And then to bed! And then to bed!

Stay Alive With Me

July 31, 2023 — 2 Comments

Another last-day-of-the-month posting of my monthly song! This means my summer is keeping me busy with lots of fun and very little time home alone to write or record. But I got the song written last week and recorded today in some snatched moments.

You might recognize some of the influences in this song. One, repeated smoky days here in Minnesota from Canadian wildfires. On one of these days I was struck with how I could actually stare at the orange sun through the smoke with no ill effects on my eyes – and that’s a second influence – that U2 song. Three, the flooding in New England and specifically the destruction to downtown Montpelier, Vermont – we had just visited a friend there last summer, beautiful little city – and this summer, in my friend’s words, the town is totaled. Four, my love of gardening, one of the things I’ve been happily busy with this summer.

Even if this is all there ever is
I’m happy to be here now
This present moment so generous
And a big bright world all around

Stay alive with me
Take your time to breathe
Think your big ideas
Then toss them out like seeds and see what they become

Storms raging and the floods rise higher
We’re afraid of what’s to come
World burning and the smoke spreads wider
Now we can all stare at the sun

Stay alive with me
Take your time to breathe
Think your big ideas
Then toss them out like seeds and see what they become

Heart and hand and soul and skin are we
Dust of stars beyond our reach
Flowers of the field, dry dancing bones
Broken brilliant wondrous ones

Day keeps dawning and the night grows darker
We wake and sleep and dream and live
Memories soften and hope grows harder
We never know it like it is

Stay alive with me
Take your time to breathe
Think your big ideas
Then toss them out like seeds and see what they become

Love is Always Beginning

May 31, 2023 — 5 Comments

So I write a song a month this year instead of a song a week, and May’s two-minute song makes it in on the last day of the month! Busy times but love is always beginning and life starts over again (that’s about a third of the lyrics right there). In May I celebrated my 25th wedding anniversary with my beloved Nathan, who also celebrated his 50th birthday. This song does feel apropos for those things.

Love is always beginning
Love embraces the end
Life is constantly spinning
Life starts over again

Hold on to the truth that’s holding you
Make friends with the ever-changing view

Another Spring Unfolds

April 26, 2023 — 2 Comments

Here’s my song for April, a meteorological rollercoaster ride in Minnesota.

Green returns tender and true
April dawns ancient and new
I remember how this goes, another spring unfolds

Shoots break through, blossoms open
Skin drinks in warmth of the sun
I remember how this goes, another spring unfolds

Nothing’s new under the sun
Still I thrill once again

Snow recedes, snow falls again
We hold on, we know we can
We remember how this goes, another spring unfolds

And the river will rise and the flood will wash us clean again

Tonight the Light

March 29, 2023 — 1 Comment

February often feels like the longest month. And then comes March. Here’s my song for March 2023.

Let’s take it easy, take a deep breath, let it go
We’re gonna make it, we can take it, I just know we will

Tonight the light feels cold and blue
Hello my love oh how are you?

I lost the feeling in my fingers, in my heart
Winter is leaving, guess that might mean we can start again

Tonight the light is breaking through
Hello my love oh how are you?

March through the snow, through the mud, through the tears
Till spring brings us songbirds, brings us flowers, brings us here once more

Tonight the light is warm and new
Hello my love oh how are you?

Tonight the light shines in your smile
Hello my love it’s been a while