Music
Welcome to my music page! Click on the "Buy CD" links to make a purchase, or call 1-800-BUY-MY-CD (1-800-289-6923). CD Baby handles all online and phone orders for CDs.
Midwinter
$15.00
| 1. | Stables | Play | Stables
In Bethlehem a manger waits
Long ago and so today Where hatred-weary people pray Love will come and lay there And so do countless stables stand In hearts as harsh as desert lands Rough shelters in the wind and sand That love may come and stay there Love that opens fists of hate Heaps up gold on beggars’ plates Love that shows a kindly face To enemies and strangers And the walls of stables tremble so When the winds of fear and judgment blow For a stable hopes in love alone And knows that love’s the answer O Love, the prophet’s only word The only lesson left to learn The only end of heaven’s work And the only road that goes there Love that sees with mercy’s eyes Holds its arms out open wide Threads its loom with separate lives And weaves them all together So may the lamps of stables glow Brightly that their light may go For miles in the darkness, so Love will find its way there |
|||
| 2. | Christmas Morning | Play | Christmas Morning
There could be a blue kazoo, a pair of ruby shoes
A silky new, fetching red kimono A Pakistani rug, an Elvis Presley mug Or “The Very Best of Perry Como” There could be a handsome blonde, a Harry Potter wand Or little strips to help you quit snoring An anti-aging cream, a healthy self-esteem Waiting there for you on Christmas morning Then again, in light of life’s uncertainties You may not find a single one of these CHORUS: But guaranteed, underneath that tree Will be a brand new day begun The ones who love you, the turning earth And a great big shining sun A big old shining sun You might like a better job, a diamond ring from Bob A cabin place on Lake Okoboji You may pray to be released, or for Middle Eastern peace Or a sword of light, like Obi-Wan Kenobi And you can bring your list to Santa on your knees All he’s going to say is “we will see” CHORUS: And if that’s all you get for Christmas In spite of all your wishes You might hang your head and then go back to bed Or you might discover instead That when you wake and see the day And on the earth, you read your name And cut the gold ribbons around it You still might be surprised, and even realize That you got everything you wanted When you see, underneath that tree Another brand new day begun The ones who love you, the turning earth And a great big shining sun A big old shining sun That giant fireball, the biggest ornament of all Hung in the sky on Christmas Morning |
|||
| 3. | The Houses of Winter | Play | The Houses of Winter
The houses of winter stand in a row
With chimneys that billow and windows that glow They play out their scenes for the snow drifts and icy streets at night Inside they are clearing their dishes away Watching the news and recounting the day And reading their children stories before their bedtime And when the rites of the evening are done The lights in the windows go dark one by one Until the inhabitants all fall asleep And the houses of winter become houses of dreams CHORUS: And they tend their fires with care And whisper a prayer For their dreamers’ safe-keeping As the cold blows wind at the doors And hangs icicle swords Where his captives are sleeping The houses of winter stand in the cold Fending off blizzards and murderous lows Biding their time till they breathe in the April breeze again Harboring lives with their walls and their roofs Watching like mothers watch over their broods Wakeful as monks meditating before the day begins And in the darkness, before the day starts They ponder the purpose in their furnace hearts And hope that the people for whom their hearts burn With love, the long winter, will love with their own hearts in turn CHORUS: And Orion holds court in the sky And night owls fly above frozen rivers And dreams, like chimney smoke rise From behind the closed eyes In the houses of winter |
|||
| 4. | God is a River | Play | God is a River
In the ever-shifting water of the river of this life
I was swimming, seeking comfort; I was wrestling waves to find A boulder I could cling to, a stone to hold me fast Where I might let the fretful water of this river ‘round me pass And so I found an anchor, a blessed resting place A trusty rock I called my savior, for there I would be safe From the river and its dangers, and I proclaimed my rock divine And I prayed to it “protect me” and the rock replied CHORUS: God is a river, not just a stone God is a wild, raging rapids And a slow, meandering flow God is a deep and narrow passage And a peaceful, sandy shoal God is the river, swimmer So let go Still I clung to my rock tightly with conviction in my arms Never looking at the stream to keep my mind from thoughts of harm But the river kept on coming, kept on tugging at my legs Till at last my fingers faltered, and I was swept away So I’m going with the flow now, these relentless twists and bends Acclimating to the motion, and a sense of being led And this river’s like my body now, it carries me along Through the ever-changing scenes and by the rocks that sing this song CHORUS: God is the river, swimmer So let go |
|||
| 5. | Green | Play | Green
When winter’s gray is on the sky
Rust upon the leaves that lie Red on the last few berries clinging Brown on the branch where the bitter wind’s singing Even when white obscures the scene Still, in winter, there is green Waving defiant pine tree boughs Cedar needles, stubborn and proud Hiding inside the seeds of summer And deep in the root where it sleeps undercover Patiently waiting there unseen In the winter, there is green Death may raise its voice today O but life will have its say Speaking in lovers and in children In poets pens and philosopher’s visions Life is a planet’s daring dream Earth’s devotion, spoken in green So keep it in your winter store Hang its garland ‘round the door Grant to your heart its hopeful promise Fashion a wreath for its blessing upon us Winter brings browns and grays indeed But when it comes, remember green |
|||
| 6. | Heavenly Child | Play | Heavenly Child
Once, such a long time ago
I left all that I know The things of kingly life The ease of my warm palace home The toils of my throne To seek a heavenly child He came to me in a dream Full of wisdom he seemed Full of goodness and light And hope to rid the world of its woes And so I knew I must go To find the heavenly child There’s only so much a king can do To feed and clothe his multitudes And give them comfort for their cares And oh, they cry for justice and for love I thought this child from above Might be an answer to their prayers It was cold, and the traveling was hard As we followed that star Many long desert miles There were times we would mutter “what’s the use” And we said we were fools To seek the heavenly child And then, one fair evening, we found A simple stable near a town A mother cradling her own And lo, the boy was beautiful to see A child heavenly indeed We gave him frankincense and gold But that was a long time ago… And still the child haunts my heart But I’ve not returned afar To look into his eyes For in the faces of this very kingdom In every daughter and son I see the heavenly child I see a heavenly child |
|||
| 7. | The Longest Night | Play | The Longest Night
Light a candle, sing a song
Say that the shadows shall not cross Make an oblation out of all you’ve lost In the longest night Gather friends and cast your hopes Into the fire as it snows And stare at God through the dark windows Of the longest night Of the year CHORUS: A night that seems like a lifetime If you’re waiting for the sun So why not sing to the nighttime And the burning stars up above? Come with drums, bells and horns Or come in silence, come forlorn Come like a miner to the door Of the longest night For deep in the stillness, deep in the cold Deep in the darkness, a miner knows That there is a diamond in the soul Of the longest night Of the year CHORUS: Maybe peace hides in a storm Maybe winter’s heart is warm And maybe light itself is born In the longest night In the longest night Of the year |
|||
| 8. | Make My Christmas Day | Play | Make My Christmas Day
Set the Santa Candle out, my dear
On the toilet, where we put him every year He shrank to half his height In the heat that summertime Now he’s shorter and he’s fatter Like some sort of Buddha Santa Make those Tom and Jerry’s extra sweet I’ll go and get the artificial tree And those boxes downstairs Of Christmases we’ve shared We’ll play Bing Crosby and unpack All the days of love we’ve had and CHORUS: Hang the years like ornaments On the tree and say Would you marry me again? Please say yes That would really make my Christmas day The electric snowflakes really have six sides Because I brought back that one with only five Set out the plates that say noel Plug in the mice that play the bells And Christmas cookies sure sound great Honey let’s start gaining weight Let’s watch the old home movies and old slides And wonder at the way the time goes by Sing Jingle Bells once more And dance around the floor We’ll raise our matching Santa glasses To the days of love we’ve had, and CHORUS: |
|||
| 9. | My Soul | Play | My Soul
There are a hundred billion snowflakes swirling in the cosmic storm
And each one is a galaxy, a billion stars or more And each star is a million earths, a giant fiery sun High up in some sky, maybe shining on someone And deep inside a snowflake, I am floating quietly I am infinitesimal, impossible to see Sitting in my tiny kitchen in my tiny home Staring out my window at a universe of snow But my soul is so much bigger than the very tiny me It reaches out into the snowstorm like a net into the sea Out to all the lovely places where my body cannot go I touch that beauty and embrace it in the bosom of my soul And so brief and fleeting is this tiny life of mine Like a single quarter note in the march of time But my soul is like the music, it goes back to ancient days Back before it wore a human face, long before it bore my name Because my soul is so much older than the evanescent me It can describe the dawn of time like a childhood memory It is a spark that was begotten of the darkness long ago What my body has forgotten, I remember in my soul So we live this life together, my giant soul and tiny me One resembling forever, one like smoke upon the breeze One the deep abiding ocean, one a sudden flashing wave And counting galaxies like snowflakes, I would swear we were the same Oh my soul belongs to beauty, takes me up to lofty heights Teaches sacred stories to me, sanctifies my tiny life Lays a bridge across the ages, melts the boundaries of my bones Paints a bold eternal face on this passing moment, oh my soul |
|||
| 10. | Looking for the Dove | Play | Looking for the Dove
I remember she was here
It seemed to be her place to rest Until a flood of blood and tears Washed away her nest Was it when we felt afraid? Or when we became us and them? Or when the plans of war were laid? Can you tell me, was it then CHORUS: That the bird of peace escaped our hands To find an olive branch Of kindness and of love Flew away, leaving us to stand Scanning the horizon And the dreary skies above Looking for the dove I’ve seen hawks and I’ve seen crows And I’ve heard their angry cries I’ve seen buzzards flying low But haven’t heard her lullaby But we were foolish to believe She’d be an easy bird to keep We gave her a nest, a bed to rest But didn’t know that even though she dreams The dove of peace can never sleep So the bird…(CHORUS) Come back to us Come back to us Sweet Dove |
|||
| 11. | Magical World | Play | Magical World
Tulips that spring Abracadabra! from gardens in May
Blackbirds that sing glad incantations to summon the day Babies that grow Presto! into sweet boys And little laughing twirling girls Such are the facts of life in this magical world A dazzling place where life can be hard but it’s hard to complain When sunbeams change to diamonds on water and rainbows in rain And light up the moon, which makes lovers swoon as they Stroll down Les Champ Elysees “Je t’aime”, they say with a kiss in this magical world Skyrocket smiles in July and tender December noels As old Father Time is ceaselessly, endlessly, spinning his spell The days and the years appearing from nowhere and Vanishing into thin air Lovely and rare, each a magnificent pearl A shimmering flower unfurled The gift of a magical world |
|||
| 12. | Where is the Light? | Play | Where is the Light?
When it’s late December, dark and cold Where is the light?
When old man year is bending low Where is the light? When the sun runs off to bed too soon Where is the light? And there’s nothing but a skinny moon Where is the light? CHORUS: Where is the light? Where is the light? Where is the light? Oh… The light’s inside of me When it’s dark each morning when I rise Where is the light? And it’s dark when my eggs are fryin’ Where is the light? And it’s dark when off to work I go Where is the light? And it’s dark again when I get home Where is the light? CHORUS: It’s in my skin and in my bones In my heart and in my soul That light of life, so bright and golden Like a summer day When the sun goes missing in the sky It is rising in my eyes Chasing all that winter gloom away I’m burning bright like kerosene Where is the light? I’m twinkling like the Pleiades Where is the light? I’m dancing like a candle flame Where is the light? I’m flaming like a fruit flambé Where is the light? CHORUS: (2X) This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine! |
This is a collection of original songs on various themes of the holiday season, some more strongly related to it than others. "Midwinter" is an old word for winter solstice, the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere, when the North Pole is tilted furthest away from the sun. One may say that Midwinter gave birth to the holiday season, with its love of light and countless rituals born of generations of people enduring the cold winter darkness.
