The Stories Behind the Songs
I began writing songs in my late 60’s. The whole process of having an idea, giving it space to breath and simply letting it take me where it wants me to go is such a mystery. This is what inspired me to write the songs on this album. They are inspired by actual events in my life.
Fire Dancers at Edens Door
One evening Dianna and I were having dinner and in the distance, there were people on a beach juggling torches.
That Dress
I was driving and out of the corner of my eye I saw a young woman walking with her dress being slightly lifted by the wind. It reminded me of the first time I saw my future wife walking past me wearing a sundress. It was love at first sight.
Crete Walking Song
As my wife and I were hustling through the Crete airport, my legs began buckling. I kept saying to myself, “Just Walk On.” Once we were on the airplane, I pulled out my journal and began writing this song.
A Song To My People
This is one of the first songs I wrote. I was thinking about our family reunions on my fathers side of the family. The adults would debate (both in English & French) while my brothers, cousins and I listened. I love my family and are grateful for what they have given me. Whatever faults I see in them, I also see in myself. The last part of the song is a reference to Billy Holidays song, “Strange Fruit.”
A Falling Star
One clear moonless evening I saw a falling star. I played a simple rift on my guitar and sang the words “ Tonight I saw a falling star.” That simple rift and words took me back more than 50 years and gave voice to a regret that I still carried for most of my life. The song is an apology and an awareness that I was also cruel. On a side note, it was my mother who threw away the letters…
Lady of the Lowlands
Driving from Switzerland, through Gotthard Pass, on our way to Leno, a small village along Lake Como, the phrase, “I met her in the low lands” came to mind.
Dauphin Island
For a number of years, we would spend a week in Dauphin Island with some of our friends. I began writing this song as Dianna and I were driving over the bridge to Dauphin Island.
Up The Road
This is my dream for the kind of Christian Community I want to be a part of.
Sophia (the invitation)
In my early 50’s I went through a season of burnout and recovery. This song is based on an actual dream I had. I was standing in the water a few feet from the shore when woman with an olive complexion and dark black hair stepped out of the ocean and began walking towards me, she smiled, when she reached the shore, she began walking towards an Orthodox Church, I followed.
The Outer Cafe
I woke up one morning with a question, “Why do you want to keep on living?” I sat with that question for a few weeks. One morning in my imagination, I saw myself sitting in a coffee shop at the edge of the universe. I was waiting for each of my children and grandchildren (who had become old men and women) to sit down with me and share how they lived their lives. This was my answer, I want to continue living so that I can be part of their lives and watch them grow up.
New Roads
My dad was born in New Roads, Louisiana. The first part of the song is about my grandparents, the second part is about my dad and mom, the third part is about the connection I feel for Louisiana, the last part of the song is about two of my brothers and our wives visiting New Roads after my fathers death. I put some of dads ashes in the Mississippi River.
East of Eden
On my way home from church one Sunday, I began thinking about the Bible story of Cain and Able and the kind of rage Cain must have felt to kill his brother. This mediation took me on a violent journey. I gave myself permission not to edit where this meditation took me.
Nothing To Lose
When I was 19 years, a 20 something woman invited me to her house. Once there, she told me her boyfriend was in jail. I left shortly after. I wanted to write a song about her, imagining her story and telling it without judgment.
Black Coffee Tennessee Whiskey
I am a big coffee drinker. In the evening, I sometimes have a shot of whiskey. One evening in bed, my wife told me I needed to get my teeth whitened because she felt the coffee stained my teeth. I went in the other room and began to write this song.