I was on a road trip yesterday listening to Christmas music and ‘Believe’, sung by Josh Groban, came up. His melodic tenor voice singing this inspirational song captured my attention. I have quoted the refrain, my favourite verse, and the core message of the song. Part of The Polar Express soundtrack (2004), ‘Believe’ celebrates the magic Christmas offers to both adults and children. If you’re in the mood, I recommend the YouTube videosung by Josh Groban, accompanied by beautiful images, uploaded by Chrmdanglgrl. If you click on ‘Show More’ under the video, you will be able to read the full lyrics while listening to the song.
For more seasonal and uplifting quotes, please visit SilverThreading, host of Writer’s Quote Wednesday, and RonovanWrites, host of Be Writing on Wednesday.
Album: Faultlines, 2004, Karine Polwart, from Stirlingshire, Scotland
I used to think I could live by the law
And believe everything that my own two eyes saw
But now all the certainties have come undone
And it’s harder to walk these days than run
I was always impressed with how lassie could tell
The good guys from bad guys just by their smell
But now they’re all odourless everyone
And it’s harder to walk these days than run
I read all the books, I thought words could repair
And I dreamed of a language that everyone shared
But all reason retreats in the face of a gun
And it’s harder to walk these days than run
And how can I consider what’s wrong and what’s right?
When everything moves even faster than light?
I’m not even sure I can trust in the sun
It’s so much harder to walk these days than run
You told me everything in its own time
And you waited for yours and I waited for mine
And right from the start I knew you were the one
Who’d make it easier to walk these days
Easier to walk these days
Easier to walk these days
Than run
Easier to walk these days than run
Easier to walk these days than run
Than run
Than run
Oh it’s easier to walk these days than run
This song, written and sung by Karine Polwart, inspired me to write a poem:
Gunshot fire, bombs,
cyclones, tsunamis, famine
Make you want to run.
Make you want to run
Though you know running won’t help
You run for your life.
You run for your life
grasp for answers, seek solace,
new reality.
New reality,
A well of love and laughter
Strength to see again.
This post was written in response to Ronovan Writes Monday Haiku Challenge #65. To read more haiku using the prompt words “Harp” and “Clear”, please visit Ronovan’s Prompt Post. There he explains how to participate; participants post links to their haiku contributions in the Comments section. On Sunday, October 11, visit RonovanWritesfor a Roundup with links to all entries, plus an informative and entertaining review.
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She under crazy stress unless you wanna be motherless,
Clean heart, green heart, is the way I stress,
Speediness and too much greediness,
6 Billion people all want plentiness,
Some people think this is harmless,
But if we continue there’ll only be emptiness.
…
My quotes for today are from ‘Love Song to the Earth’, a charity single released on September 4, 2015. The first section is the song’s refrain and the second is one of the verses. The song was written by a group of writers at the request of the United Nations Foundation. There are a variety of authorship attributions, but these names have been cited most often: Tony Gad, John Shanks, Natasha Bedingfeld, and Sean Paul.
‘Love Song to the Earth’ is an anthem intended to increase public awareness and support for climate action as we approach the UN climate talks in Paris (November 30 to December 11). The idea is that general public support for climate action will motivate world leaders at the climate talks to reach a bold consensus.
Before reading more, I invite you to listen and view this beautiful lyric video starring 16 well-known pop performers, including Paul McCartney, Jon Bon Jovi and Sheryl Crow:
The first time I listened to the song I thought it was sort of ‘soft’. It is gentle, but I have come to like it. I quoted the rap verse, because I feel that musically, it has the most ‘punch’–as do the words. The gentleness of the song was intentional. People tune out to climate change fear messages. The writers felt that appealing to feelings of love and a desire to care for our planet would be more empowering than trying to motivate with fear. I tend to agree. What are your thoughts on this?
This is more than a song, it’s a political strategy. The song has a website: lovesongtotheearth.organd a twitter handle: #sharethelovesong. On the website you are invited to sign a message, to world leaders attending the climate summit, saying:
“Please take a strong stand to keep Earth safe at the global climate negotiations.”
The message, with signatures, will be presented at the opening of the climate talks. On top of all this, any royalties from purchasing, streaming, or sharing the song will go to the United Nations Foundation in its work to promote international climate change efforts, and to Friends of the Earth U.S., for its climate change work.
This post is being linked to Writer’s Quote Wednesday October 7hosted by Colleen Chesebro, author of Silver Threading. Please follow the above link to read her launch post. As well, there are links to other Writer’s Quote Wednesday posts in the Comments section.
And for more quotation posts, visit Ronovan Writes #BeWoW, October 7. This link will take you to a post byRonovan, host of #BeWoW–Be Writing on Wednesday and Be Wonderful on Wednesday.
Day 2 of WordPress Blogging University, Writing 201, and the assignment is to write an Acrostic poem. Hint: in my poem the first letter of each line will spell out a word. Music is an art that is close to my heart–in fact, there was a time when it was an obsession. I played oboe and then saxophone–stories that have been buried inside me for a while. Blogging seems to loosen the compacted earth of memory, as a garden hoe–an unexpected process, but not an unwelcome one.
My quotes for today are the first verse and refrain from Leonard Cohen’s song, Anthem. Anthem is one of my inspirational favourites–I often listen to it on my phone. The song has much to offer, but these are the two phrases that stand out for me:
The idea that there is always a crack of light or sliver of possibility; that change is possible, even when it is hard to imagine, is very encouraging. There is probably more than one meaning to ‘Forget your perfect offering’ in the context of the full song, but I like to take this phrase at face value, as an invitation to write, despite awareness or fear of imperfection. I smiled to myself when I learned that Leonard Cohen perfected this song over a 10-year period before he finally performed it.
The YouTube video below was recorded live in London, in 2008. I chose this performance as it is the one that I have on my phone.
Leonard Cohen was born in Montreal, Canada in 1934. He was a published poet and novelist before his debut as a musician in 1967, at the Newport Folk Festival.
This post is being linked to Writer’s Quote Wednesday September 30hosted by Colleen Chesebro, author of Silver Threading. Please follow the above link to read her launch post. As well, there are links to other Writer’s Quote Wednesday posts in the Comments section.
For more quotation posts, visit Ronovan Writes #BeWoW, Sept 30. This link will take you to a ‘must read’ Wednesday post byRonovan, host of #BeWoW–Be Writing on Wednesday and Be Wonderful on Wednesday.
In this neck of the woods, life speeds up in September. Vacations and summer camps come to an end, children return to school, and the work pace quickens with the launch of new initiatives. In a recent post, It’s About Pacing Yourself, I describe how I was cautioned to pace myself when starting off in the workforce; and I share the advice of productivity consultant, Laura Stack.
Today, dipping into the music on my phone, I happened upon one of my favourite songs: “I’m in a Hurry (And Don’t Know Why)” by Alabama. If you ever feel rushed or pressured, please listen to this song–even if Country isn’t your usual genre, the message is great–actually it’s the message that I like most about this song. It gives a shot of perspective, and even makes a carbon reduction suggestion–(an unintended bonus message). So without further ado:
The refrain:
“I’m in a hurry to get things done
Oh I rush and rush until life’s no fun
All I really gotta do is live and die
But I’m in a hurry and don’t know why.”
I’m in a Hurry was written by Roger Murrah and Randy Van Warmer,and was released as an Alabama single on September 1, 1992. Alabama, one of the world’s best-selling bands, first emerged in 1977 and is currently touring. It’s music has been described as American Country, Southern Rock, and Bluegrass.
Last year we travelled from southeastern Ontario to Thunder Bay on the shore of Lake Superior to see the Thunder Bay Blues Festival. The trip took two days each way (about 19 hours)–well worth it to get a glimpse of northern landscapes and to hear great music at an outdoors summer festival. This Mesh slideshow gives a taste of the scenery and features my favourite performers.
Ontheland 