1. |
There is a Face
05:08
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Dreamer of a thousand dreams,
turns the pages of the sky
He whistles from winter into spring,
from summer to fall, he sighs.
Rain drops down like syllables
and waters the earth with sound.
A chorus of dreams finding dreams,
of seeds breaking ground.
Oh – wa, oh – wa, Oh – a – oh
There is more to this paper trail we trace
Oh – wa, oh – wa, Oh – a – oh
Behind this poetry, there’s a face,
there is a face, there is a face.
Dreamer of a thousand dreams,
turns the pages of my heart
My love holds as seasons change,
‘though my words keep fallin’ apart
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2. |
Desert Bird
04:07
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She settled in the East
and weathered winter well
For hope of a love-lit diamond
held her heart out in her hand
But she rolled that stone away
before it closed her in
And waved goodbye to a house
built on sinking sand
Now see the crimson tide
as she lifts her newborn wings
From a bed of ashes
to wind and sky she leaps
She’s a desert bird
and she knows how to fly
She making friends of strangers,
a home from a rented room
There’s a lamplight in the window,
a pin pushed in a map
She’s storing words of love
and dreaming dreams again
There’s a spark in her eye,
she’s got the world on her lap
‘Cause the prince of lies has fallen,
he has fallen to his knees
It’s resurrection in her blood,
it’s holy air she breathes
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3. |
This Boat I'm In
03:39
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I am so very tired
These paddles are slowin’ down
Could use some wind tonight
It would lift my sorry frown
O White Dove, give me a sign
I need to know, there’s hope beyond this boat
Above the dark and deep
The moon soldiers on
It parts the sea with light,
As if to say, “It won’t be long.”
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4. |
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He speaks to me an ancient rite
holy words in lantern light
the upper room a simple meal
food for those who long to heal
Raise your glass, meet my eye
Let me pour what is mine
Drink to freedom from death’s dark lie
the sour grape turned to wine
A table set for the king
of our broken family ring
A diamond set in tarnished gold
not one of us alone could hold
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5. |
Our Variation
04:31
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A brush of amber across the sky
was the angel’s sword
surrendered for us
the start of something new
Sabbath day, mid January
You and I on a cliffside
still before this view
So it was with fingers twined
palm against palm
the pairing of lifelines
that we began to let go
Finding in this descent
not fear but the innate familiar
a reverse fall
This I knew when the spiral down
took us from Cypress into Vancouver
the garden to the city
where the afterglow had not yet lifted
the streets still a lingering gold
the start of something new
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6. |
Beneath the Apple Tree
05:24
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Love, I see you’re tired of things that need doing
that aren’t getting done
Love, I see you’re tired of taking in words
page after page
So come sit with me beneath this apple tree,
whose red ripe fruit and sun lit leaves
hang on branches spread wide from roots grown deep
Love, I see you’re torn by the things that you see
the lies the world feeds
Love, I see you’re torn between joy and pain
the cross and the empty grave
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7. |
In the Morn
03:30
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Daddy came home in a cloud of booze; empty drive, empty rooms,
so he slept on the backporch waitin’; in the morn, no word of news
Momma took nothin’ but her walkin’ shoes; and the wishbone on the stove
then she drove ‘til she was good and weary; in the morn, woke singin’ the blues
Summer of heat waves swept right on through; swallowed earth with its fiery breath
cracked the sky with shameless fury; in the morn, left no sign of dew
You gotta lay your heart to the ground; water the soil with your tears
‘cause what was green has yellowed early; and the morn can’t turn it back around
Love ain’t no hand of cards your dealt
Love ain’t no coin your free to toss
Love ain’t no gift you give without loss
It’s a promise with a cost
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8. |
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A month ago the boss closed shop
I was one of the last to go
He said, “Economy’s down, profits are at a low.”
But Mama don’tcha worry ‘bout me.
I like the smell of a cigar
and the taste of a home brew,
but I eat three meals so this shouldn’t bother you.
Mama don’tcha worry ‘bout me.
It’s Springtime in the valley
No chill in the air left to blow
So I’m plantin’ moneytrees and hopin’ they’ll grow.
Mama don’tcha worry ‘bout me.
This valley suits me just fine
right in the middle of town
When the stars say hello I lay my weary head down
so Mama don’tcha worry ‘bout me.
Been known to like a girl or two
though they don’t come around as much
I am dreamin’ of the one, I’ve not lost the gentle touch
so Mama don’tcha worry ‘bout me.
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9. |
Prairie Child
04:35
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Prairie child, you’ve come back home
to land you’ve got deep in your bones
fields stripped down to earth and stones
that heal in time if left alone
There is a valley
There is a river
There is a Shepherd, shepherding you
Prairie child, you’ve mourned the grave
with words of sorrow, words of grace
but darkened skies will bring forth day
and clouds roll by like ocean waves
Prairie child, you’ve felt the breeze
that steals the leaves from the poplar trees
a wind that causes breath to freeze
and finds us waiting on our knees
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10. |
October Wind
05:10
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We let the rain pass us by and the fog settle in, then we
stood by the water’s edge seeking order out of chaos, a peace
to be still and a place to let go, let go, let go
We heard the pound of wave on rock and the sea bird’s cry
as we stood by the water’s edge listening for the voice that told the sea
to be still and a friend to let go, let go, let go
The dams behind our eyes collapsed with the flood of grief
as we stood by the water’s edge, looking for a promise in the sky
so we could be still, permission to let go, let go, let go
I could not blow a seed into October wind
but I stood by the water’s edge where sand clung tight to the bottom of my shoes
life goes on and as for me I let go, let go, I can’t help but let go
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11. |
Waltz
04:17
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Spinning, spinning the earth is spinning circles ‘round the sun
Another day brightens as night sky retires, the stars keep us in time
If all the world’s a stage and we are mere players
what is life but a script from the playwright’s pen?
Yes, all the world’s a stage, but we are more like dancers
braced between the arms of One who invites us to waltz
Twisting, turning as we are traveling circles in the dust
Another step forwards, another step backward, learning how to trust
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Crystal Arnold Vancouver, British Columbia
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