DOT... LETTER... WORD...
A Spot of Singer-Songwriter
These songs aren't professionally played and certainly not professionally recorded by me. I hope at any rate that they afford you pleasure.
Song for Succot 5776 (2015)
Here is a song for Succot. The melody is Jardin D'Hiver (by Henri Salvador), with a Karaoke track found on Youtube.
The words are: Chorus: "Rejoice on your holidays and be only joyful." Stanza: [The sinless people rejoicing in the Temple used to sing,} "Fortunate is our youth, for it has not caused us embarrassment in our old age." [The penitents used to sing,] "Fortunate is our old age, in which we have gained atonement for our youth." [And both would sing,] "Fortunate is the person who never sinned, and fortunate is the person who, after having sinned, was forgiven." Be Kind to Your Neighbor.
Out on the plain you can hear the coyotes cry
Out on the plain you can hear the coyotes cry They know what they want but they don’t know why. The wind is cold it cuts into the bone, The wind is cold it cuts down to the bone, Man was never meant to be alone CHORUS Be kind to your neighbor, bring him chicken stew, It will give him back his moxie it will make him feel brand new. Last night a car came cruising down my street Last night a car came cruising down my street An angel stepped out he asked me for a bite to eat He took me in his Chevy and he took me up beyond the stars He took me in his Chevy and he took me up beyond the stars We circled around Venus we stopped to have a drink on Mars. CHORUS I’m trying to be good but still I could be better I’m trying to be good but still I could be better That was the gist of your most recent letter My feet are sweating and my torso itches, My feet start to sweat and then my torso itches, I guess I’m getting too big for my britches CHORUS Last night I saw the moon like an Eisenhower dollar Last night I saw the moon like an Eisenhower dollar I woke up in the morning my life was full of love and squalor You ask me if I know you, you ask if I remember your name You ask me if I know you, you ask if I remember your name This is a low down town, you’re the only reason that I came. Hanerot Halalu (These Candles). A Hanukah lyric, to the tune of Stephen Foster's "Hard Times, Come Again No More"
Palace Made of Dew.
I woke up this morning, there was dew on the grass
Made up of rainbows that looked like stained glass. I woke up this morning, like a thousand years Receiving a message with a thousand ears. And I know there is a palace made of dew And a forest where the northern wind blows through. I woke up this morning, there was dew in my hand, My footsteps were following you in the sand. I knew there was one all-important command So I wrapped all my songs and my thoughts in one band. And I know there is a river made of dew And a palace where the northern wind blows through. I woke up this morning, there was dew in my mouth, A man in a robe came riding up from the south. I woke up this morning, there was dew on my tongue, The fire in my heart was cooled down by my lungs. And I know there is a fire made of dew And a river where the northern wind blows through. I woke up this morning, there was dew in the air And the lamb could lay down by the lion without care. And out in the forest, I could hear the great bear Whose song would be sung every time, everywhere. And I know there is a heart that's made of dew And a pathway that the northern wind blows through. I woke up this morning and I felt in my bone That wherever I walk I am never alone. I woke up this morning and I rose from my bed And my heart was connected to the song in my head. And I know there is a wellspring that's made of dew And the wings of a bird that the northern wind blows through. Desert Stream
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Walk to the desert stream
I will speak to you in your dream.
Walk on the desert land,
Walk on the waterless sand,
I will stretch out my great hand.
I will ride down on the cloud,
Hail and thunder will cry out loud.
The streams in the desert will flow,
And all, all the nations will know
That I will raise you when you are low.
Cry till the break of dawn,
Ask what is going on.
Why have I abandoned you?
Why do I not see you through?
What do I expect you to do?
Deep water cries to deep,
I guard you when you sleep.
Where the eagle builds his nest,
Where the farthest waters rest,
There, you will always be blessed.
Oil will flow upon your head,
When you recline, your wine will flow red.
Bread fills the heart of a man,
The stars fulfil a mighty plan,
And I found you when you ran.
Give more than you think you can,
Remember how the world first began:
How the world received the sun and moon,
How the wind blew a wordless tune,
How God's spirit walked in the afternoon.
Fate as deep as the sea,
That is your destiny.
Fate is not a flag that you wave,
Fate will not make you a slave,
But fate will teach you how to be brave.
I will speak to you in your dream.
Walk on the desert land,
Walk on the waterless sand,
I will stretch out my great hand.
I will ride down on the cloud,
Hail and thunder will cry out loud.
The streams in the desert will flow,
And all, all the nations will know
That I will raise you when you are low.
Cry till the break of dawn,
Ask what is going on.
Why have I abandoned you?
Why do I not see you through?
What do I expect you to do?
Deep water cries to deep,
I guard you when you sleep.
Where the eagle builds his nest,
Where the farthest waters rest,
There, you will always be blessed.
Oil will flow upon your head,
When you recline, your wine will flow red.
Bread fills the heart of a man,
The stars fulfil a mighty plan,
And I found you when you ran.
Give more than you think you can,
Remember how the world first began:
How the world received the sun and moon,
How the wind blew a wordless tune,
How God's spirit walked in the afternoon.
Fate as deep as the sea,
That is your destiny.
Fate is not a flag that you wave,
Fate will not make you a slave,
But fate will teach you how to be brave.
I Belong to You.
I belong on you,
So see me through this war;
What can I do when I'm dirt poor
And I belong to you.
I lose my hand of cards,
I choose a diamond and it turns to shards,
But I belong to you.
Your silver star, your golden arm,
The station in the mist,
Your lips that keep me from all harm,
The snakes you raised, the stones I kissed.
But I belong to you,
It's true, I can't deny,
The wind blows through and the sands run dry
But I belong to you.
Confusion binds my eyes,
I turn to you and I'm stripped of lies
When I belong to you.
No hand, no arm, no welcome band,
No flag rolls in the sky,
I'm planting on this promised land
A cactus where the stream ran dry
And I belong to you.
I try to do what's needed.
Who of us has been mistreated
When I belong to you?
You knew that to forgive,
You must have mercy, so you let me live,
So I depend on you.
A solid horse on a solid rock,
The river flowing past
Gives me the key to this golden lock
That binds my heart and fingers fast.
And I belong to you.
You wooed me just one time,
You strewed my past like stone and lime,
Then I belonged to you.
A truce is on the way,
You blew me to chaotic fray,
Then I belonged to you.
You sent me out to scour the plain,
The grass, the old oak tree,
On the bank a mist of rain
Brought the message back to me
That I belong to you.
The newness of the farm,
The dew hangs like a magic charm
'Cause I belong to you.
The Studebaker turns,
The flue is clear and the fire burns
When I belong to you.
So see me through this war;
What can I do when I'm dirt poor
And I belong to you.
I lose my hand of cards,
I choose a diamond and it turns to shards,
But I belong to you.
Your silver star, your golden arm,
The station in the mist,
Your lips that keep me from all harm,
The snakes you raised, the stones I kissed.
But I belong to you,
It's true, I can't deny,
The wind blows through and the sands run dry
But I belong to you.
Confusion binds my eyes,
I turn to you and I'm stripped of lies
When I belong to you.
No hand, no arm, no welcome band,
No flag rolls in the sky,
I'm planting on this promised land
A cactus where the stream ran dry
And I belong to you.
I try to do what's needed.
Who of us has been mistreated
When I belong to you?
You knew that to forgive,
You must have mercy, so you let me live,
So I depend on you.
A solid horse on a solid rock,
The river flowing past
Gives me the key to this golden lock
That binds my heart and fingers fast.
And I belong to you.
You wooed me just one time,
You strewed my past like stone and lime,
Then I belonged to you.
A truce is on the way,
You blew me to chaotic fray,
Then I belonged to you.
You sent me out to scour the plain,
The grass, the old oak tree,
On the bank a mist of rain
Brought the message back to me
That I belong to you.
The newness of the farm,
The dew hangs like a magic charm
'Cause I belong to you.
The Studebaker turns,
The flue is clear and the fire burns
When I belong to you.
Dancing in the Woods at Midnight. (homemade recording) Music by C. Lanzbom..
Dancing in the Woods at Midnight. (Inasense--on their album, "Inasense")
You walked into the apple orchard to be born,
Below the golden mountain, your hands were all torn,
And singing of joy, you looked so forlorn
And went dancing in the woods at midnight.
Playing chess with your jacket laid down on the ground,
You raise up your eyes and you look all around.
There's a kind of a cry that doesn't make any sound
When you're dancing in the woods at midnight
In the middle of the night, the world disappears,
No one hears a sound but the man without ears.
The king who's surrounded by jokers and jeers
Goes dancing in the woods at midnight.
A foot becomes an angel that becomes a hand,
You look on a map for the promised land
Sifting tears for a message in the sand
That goes dancing in the woods at midnight.
There is no despair, you cried, don't forget,
You threw back your head and cried out with regret.
The sound of that cry is echoing yet
And goes dancing in the woods at midnight.
If you believe you can break, then believe you can fix,
Believe you can rise from the stones and the kicks,
Believe you can see through the sleight-of-hand tricks
And go dancing in the woods at midnight
There's nothing as whole as a broken moan,
Water will wear away the toughest stone,
You said, I will never leave you alone,
And you went dancing in the woods at midnight.
You said, It's not over, the coal will keep burning,
The words will keep flying, the world will keep turning,
So keep your hands clean and keep your heart yearning
To go dancing in the woods at midnight.
Below the golden mountain, your hands were all torn,
And singing of joy, you looked so forlorn
And went dancing in the woods at midnight.
Playing chess with your jacket laid down on the ground,
You raise up your eyes and you look all around.
There's a kind of a cry that doesn't make any sound
When you're dancing in the woods at midnight
In the middle of the night, the world disappears,
No one hears a sound but the man without ears.
The king who's surrounded by jokers and jeers
Goes dancing in the woods at midnight.
A foot becomes an angel that becomes a hand,
You look on a map for the promised land
Sifting tears for a message in the sand
That goes dancing in the woods at midnight.
There is no despair, you cried, don't forget,
You threw back your head and cried out with regret.
The sound of that cry is echoing yet
And goes dancing in the woods at midnight.
If you believe you can break, then believe you can fix,
Believe you can rise from the stones and the kicks,
Believe you can see through the sleight-of-hand tricks
And go dancing in the woods at midnight
There's nothing as whole as a broken moan,
Water will wear away the toughest stone,
You said, I will never leave you alone,
And you went dancing in the woods at midnight.
You said, It's not over, the coal will keep burning,
The words will keep flying, the world will keep turning,
So keep your hands clean and keep your heart yearning
To go dancing in the woods at midnight.
Aquarius
A skulking bird, one winter's day
Engaged in deeds nefarious,
Attempted to abscond an egg
For parentage vicarious.
But he was shattered when he found
His plans, at best precarious,
Were thwarted by the flock of fowl,
Whose instinct was gregarious.
And so he went to London, where
The pigeons begged, "Don't harry us,"
He brought his true love to the clerk
And muttered, "Swiftly marry us."
The point and moral of this tale
Is somewhat loose and various,
But tells us how the gentle may
O'ertake the crude barbarious.
May that bird's reformed intent
New-soft, if not hilarious,
A winter's change renew in us,
That spirit of Aquarius.
And may we see the process end
Begun by Caeser Darius,
The promise that we shall return
And eagles' wings shall carry us.
Engaged in deeds nefarious,
Attempted to abscond an egg
For parentage vicarious.
But he was shattered when he found
His plans, at best precarious,
Were thwarted by the flock of fowl,
Whose instinct was gregarious.
And so he went to London, where
The pigeons begged, "Don't harry us,"
He brought his true love to the clerk
And muttered, "Swiftly marry us."
The point and moral of this tale
Is somewhat loose and various,
But tells us how the gentle may
O'ertake the crude barbarious.
May that bird's reformed intent
New-soft, if not hilarious,
A winter's change renew in us,
That spirit of Aquarius.
And may we see the process end
Begun by Caeser Darius,
The promise that we shall return
And eagles' wings shall carry us.
All material on this site copyright 2020 by Yaacov David Shulman