1. |
Africa Life
06:24
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Africa Life
by Paul Gerard
Wake up in a village, full of life and the newborn day
playful children peek at me and whisper "Buma, ente, ente!"
(white man, hello)
Cooking on a wood fire, no kitchen, no cars and no TV
just old men in woven robes: the eyes of Africa looking back at me
Oh, Africa, I hear your call
oh, Africa, tell me all
Walking to the market, down a timeless, well-worn jungle path
graceful, gentle women with head loads, smile as they shyly pass
Evening comes to Gbamundu, children chase the full moonlight
Palm wine passed in bamboo cup: "God is good, we'll dance tonight!"
Oh, Africa, I feel your call
oh, Africa, tell me all
Tell me of your might warriors, who made your people strong
at night, their spirits guard the village, and keep the fires warm
Sitting on a hillside, with Africa meandering below
breathing a peacefulness, that my world will never know
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2. |
My House Is Orange
04:26
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My House Is Orange
by Paul Gerard
My house is orange – and the door is blue
Everyone is welcome here – and darling, so are you
The windowsill is painted – blue to match the door
And through the glass I see a world – I’ve never seen before
And I’ll live in this house all my life
The chimney leans a little, but the fireplace is warm
Nights are not so lonely now…
The streets outside are cobblestone – and wind their way along
They find themselves at my front door – and ask me for a song
The curtains catch the morning light – and hold it for awhile
And when they have to let it go – they hate to say ‘goodbye’
And I’ll live in this house all my life.
The chimney leans a little, but the fireplace is warm
Nights are not so lonely now…
Instrumental verse…
The chimney leans a little, but the fireplace is warm
Nights are not so lonely now…
My house is orange – and the door is blue
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3. |
Condor
04:21
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Condor
by Paul Gerard
High – so high in my heart
The timeless condor flies
She flies – on the breath of the air
Soaring wings spread wide
Feathers sifting the wind
Sailing through the heavens
Heaven – through the heavens
Through all creation
Where is the condor? Where is the condor?
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4. |
Presence of God
04:43
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Presence of God
by Paul Gerard
Sitting in the presence of God – under a tall, tall tree
Swaying with the movement of wind – bringing my heart to its knees
Here is a being 2,000 years old
I can’t imagine the stories it holds
How many have wandered below, here in the presence of God…
Sitting in the presence of God – under a high waterfall
A river running down through the air – from a soaring mountain wall
Here is the water that quenches our thirst
Here is the water that christens our birth
Here is the love that blesses the earth: here is the presence of God…
Ah… ah…
Sitting in the presence of God – here is my lover’s gaze
Living in this moment of love – may it last all my days
Here is the one to have and to hold
Here is the love that fills up my soul
Here is the one, great mystery of all: here is the presence of God…
If I could wander the whole universe
If I could pass between heaven and earth
I would return to the love I knew first: here in the presence of God…
Ah… ah…
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5. |
Green
05:06
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Green
by Paul Gerard
This forest was here before you and me
for thousands of years, a shelter of green
And what is it worth to cut it all down
and make a desert what was once solid ground
All that is beautiful in this world is green
it’s the only miracle I’ve ever seen
The length of our days is held deep within
this tree of knowledge, this ancient friend
refrain:
Let my blood run green – right through my soul
and come up through the trees in the valley below
Let me limbs reach out – and catch the sunlight on the leaves
as long as I breathe let my blood run green
Have you ever laid down on the green mossy ground
and felt your only heart beat – without a sound
and looked up through the trees, where the jet trails pass
to wonder how long this green will last?
refrain
bridge:
For hundreds of years, we had our way
the trees were tall and we made them pay
But those times are passed – the forest won’t last
if we don’t change our ways
I could not sing without this guitar
and I’d never trade it for the shiniest car
‘cause its made of wood, like the ancient drums
and I pray when I play it – I know where its from
refrain
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6. |
House of the Sun
06:36
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House of the Sun (Hale a kala)
by Paul Gerard
I’m sitting ten thousand feet high above the sea
blue Pacific surrounding me
with its embryonic ocean fluids nurturing
schools of brilliant, bright-colored
windsurfers on the wing
Something inside calls them to this place
it’s the winds of Paia that they chase
something inside bid me to come
to Hale a kala, the House of the Sun
Let us go to the House of the Sun…
and bow down… to creation
Underdressed, sun-seeking tourists
push to the top
following asphalt road
winding and climbing
they never stop
‘til they’re running and racing
round and round to see the view
flocking like seabirds to rock cliffs
they’re coming home to you
Let us go to the House of the Sun…
and bow down… to creation
If only they’d stop
and listen to imagine you
rising for ages
the blood of the earth forming you
into a paradise home
for the people of the sea
Oh, they’d put down their camera attitudes
and they would sing
Hale a kala, Hale a kala
These rocks are alive
with thought vibrations of our souls
imbued with a love and a wisdom
all may know
The presence of power divine
wells up in me
The sacred, crater cathedral
calls me to sing
Let us go to the House of the Sun…
and bow down… to creation
Hale a kala, Hale a kala
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7. |
Don't Cut It
04:09
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Don’t Cut It
by Paul Gerard
Who needs the trees in the forest?
maybe Japan
wants our old growth timber
right down to the last stand
And when the millworkers lose their jobs
to export and machine
we sacrifice a way of life
for the sins of industry
And we cut it, cut it down
Yeah, we cut it, cut it down,
down, down, down
Who needs the trees in the forest?
maybe a greedy man
playing games on Wall Street
with his hostile take-over plans
He’s a junk bond bandit
But he owns the land
and it’s the trees that will pay
for his excessive, capital demands
He’s gonna cut it, cut it down
He’s gonna cut it, cut it down,
down, down, down
In the forest cathedral, there’s a holy war
it's brother against brother
it’s the trees they’re fighting for
Cain will kill Abel just to get more
but will he cut his mother down
forevermore?
Who needs the trees in the forest?
maybe you and I
Maybe the air we breathe
is a gift from them to the sky
Maybe a million creatures
some we’ll never know
Maybe a way of life
we thought was gone long ago
Don’t cut it, don’t cut it down
Don’t cut it, don’t cut it down
down, down, down
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8. |
Dreamtime/Walkabout
05:23
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Dreamtime/Walkabout
On the morning, of the first day, the first man and woman played
at creating the world the walkabout way
They sang of the mountains far and high
They sang of the rivers – full and wide
They sang with a love in their eyes
They sang of the ocean’s salty air
They sang of the heavens – way up there
They sang of the love going on forever
They sang the world into being – along the songlines they’re dreaming
Sang the world into being – with love – with love…
And when the dreamtime – all was over
And all the world had been sung
into the womb of their dreaming – they crawled back in
They left the people to sing the songs
Of sacred sites and waterholes
To sing the songlines of their homes
To sing the world into being – along the songlines they’re dreaming
Sing the world into being – with love – with love…
I was taken to the desert – I was taken to the wilderness
I was hungry, I was thirsty –– I was naked, I was dirty
But they told me how to get along
and they showed me how to sing their songs
They told me everything they know
and they told me they were going home
Going home – they were leavin’ – going home – forever…
And I sing of the mountains – far and high
I sing of the rivers – full and wide
I sing of the love in your eyes
I sing of the ocean’s salty air
I sing of the heavens – way up there
I sing of the love going on forever
I sing the world into being – along the songlines we're dreaming
I sing the world into being – with love…
Sing your world into being – along the songlines you’re dreaming
Sing your world into being – with love – with love…
And when I wake up – every morning now – of every beautiful day
I can see the world – the walkabout way
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9. |
White Deer
05:49
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White Deer
by Paul Gerard
The old man had a story
he told me it was true
of when he was a young man
in the fire of fifty-two
He would've been ashes
if he went up that ravine
but standing there before him
the strangest thing he'd seen
The image of a white deer
moved through the smoke and trees
leading him to safety
and the refuge of a cool stream
All his life he wondered
just what it was he'd seen
a vision or a creature
a ghost or just a dream
He said "I saw the white deer
watching over me.
Looking like an angel,
looking out for me.
Deep within a forest
deep within my dreams,
moving like a spirit
always there for me."
The I got a phone call
"The old man passed away"
leaving me a hole as big as yesterday
Leaving me with questions
and things we'll never say
leaving me with only what I have today
We used to laugh and kid around
I held your hand, but now you're gone
Just a memory -- now a mystery
slowly fading, fading away
The earth is full of wonders
a human cannot know
Full of questions
and things we can't control
We think we're driving
but there isn't any road
Only companions until our time to go
Then I saw the white deer
watching over me
Looking like an angel,
looking out for me.
Deep within a forest
deep within my dreams,
moving like a spirit
always there for me.
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10. |
Within Your Life
04:51
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Within Your Life
by Paul Gerard
Within your life
the pain will often find you
the struggle of your heart
will wear you down
the dream will seem to fade away
into the pale dawn
but love will linger on
yes, love will linger on
Within your life
your lover will surely leave you
carelessly for another point of view
the journey's long
the forces strong
that tear away at two
but love will see you through
yes, love will see you through
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Within your life
the joy will come from knowing
the goal is only a song along the way
and where the earth is cold
our hearts will hold
the union of us all
and love will fuel our song
yes, love will fuel our song
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
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11. |
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Land of the White Volcanoes
by Paul Gerard
I come from the land of the white volcanoes
I am a dweller in the heart of the sacred, ancient forest
I have crossed the mighty river on the backs of countless salmon
and I give thanks to the creator for every breath I’m given
But my heart is full of sorrow and our world is full of pain
This wealthy, wild land now lays empty, used and tame
We put dams upon the rivers where the salmon need to spawn
We cut down the trees like grass and wonder why they’re gone
And as these sorrows I survey in my only heart I pray
to remember, to remember that there is another way…
I walk through forests older than beliefs I learned in schools
I am baptized by the rain and healed in mountain pools
The forest is my shelter, like the silent deer I run
And the most sacred day of days is when the first salmon comes
And as these wonders I survey, I’m shaken to my core
I live and breathe this life, but what am I here for
If not to love, to love, with a deep and lasting love
The mountains and the forest, the rivers and the sky
The place where I am born is the place where I will die
For there’s beauty here before us, beauty all around
Let us breathe this holy air, and walk this sacred ground
And say “We come from the land of the white volcanoes
We are dwellers in the heart of the sacred ancient forest
We will cross the mighty river on the backs of countless salmon
And we’ll give thanks to our creator for every breath we’re given
And as these blessings we hold forth, this hope we now declare
To see this world as our maker with compassion and with care
And with love, with love, with a deep and lasting love
Yes, with love, with a deep and lasting love
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Paul Gerard Seattle, Washington
Rich, warm voice, thoughtful lyrics, and a kind heart all come through on Paul Gerard's first-ever digital release of My House Is Orange. Seattle born singer/songwriter who sings of the Pacific NW and exotic places and love songs from around the world.
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