Parrish Light

Tracks on this CD

I Will

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Most of the time life makes sense.
God is a verb in the present tense
who knows about every sparrow that falls.
But I lose faith fast, I must confess,
when I’m crying out in the wilderness
like a lone wolf
and no one returns my calls.

That endless blue can take you to
and existential point of view
where the only meaning you can find, you bring.
So, just in case no one’s there
to listen to my dreams and prayers –
just in case no one cares,
I will.

I will. I will. If nobody else will, I will.
I will. I will. If nobody else will, I will.

I believe in love and those twists of fate
that lead to friends or an ideal mate.
I’ve been feeling pretty lucky of late
(knock on wood).
But who can ever say what’s around the bend.
I can’t depend on a lover or a friend
to stick with me to the bitter end,
so I will.

I will. I will. If nobody else will, I will.
I will. I will. If nobody else will, I will.

Every time I seek truth or solace
outside myself,
I just can’t find anywhere to turn.
If from dust we come
and to dust we go, it seems to me,
the answers must lie somewhere in between.

But maybe I don’t need to understand
to take a stand, or take a hand,
or make a change, however small it is.
Maybe I don’t even need to know how.
Maybe it’s enough right now
for me to make a simple vow that I will.

I will. I will. If nobody else will, I will.
I will. I will. If nobody else will, I will.

I will. I will. If nobody else will, I will.
I will. I will. If nobody else will, I will.

Grounded in Love

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Some people think that love
is hard to find.
I think that love
is just a state of heart,
a state of mind.
It isn’t out there to be found–
love is in you.
Some people spark it,
but the one you love is you.
So when you see the Self,
you know that love is true.
And I’m in love with you.

I used to look for love;
I lived for traces,
hunting behind the eyes
of hundreds of faces.
But when I ceased my searching gaze,
I gazed at you.
And in your eyes, beheld my own,
and then I knew.
For my love flowed from me
to you to me to you.
And I’m in love with you.

Some people think that I’m
just dreaming on.
They can’t believe that love could be
as simple as this song,
but I know you will feel
the truth in what I say,
that love is like a mirror
bending back a ray.
And we get more of it,
the more we give away.
And I’m in love.
I’m in love.
I’m in love with you.

A State of Heart

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Some people think that love
is hard to find. 
I think that love
is just a state of heart,
a state of mind. 
It isn’t out there to be found–
love is in you.  
Some people spark it,
but the one you love is you. 
So when you see the Self,
you know that love is true. 
And I’m in love with you. 
 
I used to look for love;
I lived for traces,
hunting behind the eyes
of hundreds of faces. 
But when I ceased my searching gaze,
I gazed at you. 
And in your eyes, beheld my own, 
and then I knew. 
For my love flowed from me
to you to me to you.
And I’m in love with you. 
 
Some people think that I’m
just dreaming on. 
They can’t believe that love could be
as simple as this song,
but I know you will feel
the truth in what I say,
that love is like a mirror
bending back a ray. 
And we get more of it,
the more we give away. 
And I’m in love.
I’m in love.
I’m in love with you.
 
 



Parrish Light

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I watch the orange light
wash the meadows and the trees.
I feel my heart ignite,
so I get on my knees
to hear the cricket song,
to feel the earth
and know that I belong
in this Maxfield Parrish light,
destined to perish with the night.

And I am in this painting,
a liquid brushstroke through the sky.
Yet I am witnessing
my form take birth and die.
I change the landscape
and the landscape changes me.
Somehow I’m a part
of the Artist and the art
of all I see.

One light, hiding yet abiding
from dawn, through night, to dawn.
One life, dividing and uniting
I go on and on….

Bathed by this peaceful light,
I feel my sense of Self expand.
I lose the need for flight
like a sparrow in God’s hand.
I lose the question
and I become the why and how
in the evanescent,
ever-present here and now.

I watch the orange light
wash the meadow and the trees
I feel my heart ignite,
so I get on my knees.

Happy Birthday Jesus

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Happy birthday, Jesus–
lives and lives have passed
since we saw you last at Gethsemane.
But you are in our hearts
and minds this silent night
as we light a light in hope of light to be.

We shunned the love you offered
with your outstretched hand;
for we tend to crucify
what we don’t understand.
But truth cannot be shaken
just by taking lives.
So you rose again
as proof before our eyes.
 
Even so, on this night
all is not calm; all is not bright.
We still have the hungry.
We have the poor.
And we haven’t found the peace of mind
that puts an end to war.
 
Good wishes and intentions
are the gifts we bring.
I wish we had a more substantial offering.
But peace on earth, good will toward men 
will have to wait
‘til love can rise above the bonds of hate.

We have not ceased, since you came,
fighting over what you said –
and fighting in your name.
Could you please send another star
we could follow through the dark
to get a fix on where you are.

I don’t know if we’d know you
if you came again
and you walked and taught among us
as you did back then.
For all I know, you could be standing next to me.
So I’ll try to find your face in all I see.

May this day be our birthday.
May we live as one.
May peace take root inside us.
May your kingdom come–
if not on Earth,
within our hearts this silent night
as we light a light in hope of light to come.

Go Shine

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I was standing in the wings back stage
by the exit door
I was standing in my wings,
waiting for the call
Readying to run
down a runway
that I’d run away from before
Wondering if I’d fly or if I’d fall

Feeling overcome with fear
Wanting to be anywhere but here–
next in line
edging toward the exit sing
when a voice said:
Not this time.
Not this time.

This is your time,
Go shine
The lights on you
It seems so clear
that’s why you’re here
to do what you do
So just do what you do.

There comes a time
for us all when we’re called to stage
It may not be on a platform
before a crowd,
when we’re asked to sing,
speak our truth
or voice our rage–
Or take our place
among the misunderstood
and stand there proud

Only you know when that time is yours
But I can see all kinds of open doors
And I can feel the tension
as it tugs at you
And you can walk away
or walk right through

This is you time
Go shine
The light’s on you
What a sweet chance
for your soul to dance
And I’ll be rooting for you
We’ll all be rooting for you

Nobody learns to walk
without taking that first step
Nobody learns to walk
without a fall
Nobody learns to fly
without jumping from a cliff
or somehow risking it all
Risking it all

This is your time
Go shine
The light’s on you.
It seems so clear
that’s why you’re here
and I’ll be rooting for you.
We’ll all be rooting for you.

Row On

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Where did you get that tear–
Has it been there for long?
Or did it just appear today?
Come and sit next to me
I know that something’s wrong
But I want to try to sing it away

Chorus:
Row on through the rain
and the thunder
Gently down the stream
Hold on when the tide
pulls you under
Life is but a dream.

Where do I go from here –
Is that what you want to know?
I wish there were something more
I could say
But all that you need to find
is hidden within your heart
(It’s there all the time)
And you just need
to clear it away

(Chorus)

(Chorus)

The Rock and the River

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Throw a rock in the river if you want,
but what good will it do.
Put a dam in her path,
but there are forces at work here
much bigger than you.
She’s got a vested interest
in the best for you
and a date with Destiny.
She’s taking you home,
making her way to the sea.

You reach out for something to hold,
something you will think will last–
someone’s love or some truth,
but it’s like grasping at youth;
it all goes rushing past.
At first it may seem cruel
living by this rule,
but she needs you to float free
because she’s taking you home,
making her way to the sea.

You can kick and scream,
but it’s only a dream.
And you are the dreamer–
so who will you blame?

Why do you resist
the waters on which your soul subsists
when your will and her will
are the same.

One of these days,
you’ll step out of your way,
relax and let go.
Feel the sun on your face
and the waves at your back
as you free fall into the flow.
And as you close your eyes,
I think you’ll realize
that you’re where you want to be.
And that she’s taking you home,
taking you home,
taking you home,
making her way to the sea.

Is it Too Soon?

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Is it too soon?
Or is it ok
Will speaking my heart
Scare you away?

I feel like a thrush
Drunk on the spring
Out on a limb
Trying to sing.

Sun in my face,
Ice in my wine,
Love in my blood,
Isn’t life fine?

Chrysalis

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Having told you
that I love you
I will say no more
It’s too cold here
in the night air
knocking on your door.
Supplication and expectation
only weigh us down–
So letting go now,
like a leaf would
I will find my ground
And when I do
I know that you’ll
feel lighter too.

Like a warbler
in the winter
with a wounded wing,
I pray I find
the strength of mind
when I can’t fly to sing
I pray that if my heart
must shatter
sweetly it will ring
turning anguish
to compassion
for every living thing
Then I could say
I am truly blessed
to have passed this way.

If I could only crawl
out from this dark abyss
and get some distance on my plight
Perhaps I’d see it as
some kind of chrysalis,
or prelude to a soul in flight

I feel wiser
and more focused
On where I need to grow
I will rise up
like a crocus
pushing through the snow
And though I’m fragile
I know I’m stronger
than any passing storm
I won’t fight this any longer
for I will be transformed
You will be too
with the ice and wind
sculpting you.

Touch Can Do

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When my spirit sings
like a boat bereft
And my small self thinks
that there’s no hope left
You offer your arms
like a guarantee
And a flood of warmth
pours over me.

Ah, that’s what your touch can do.
Ah, that’s what your touch can do.

When I start to drift
like a kite on a string
away from Earth,
you reel me in.
I feel your tug
like a wave of heat
from the depth of my soul
to the souls of my feet.

Ah, that’s what your touch can do.
Ah, that’s what your touch can do.

Take me there,
pull me with your undertow
where silence sings
and oceans overflow
Where the tallest of trees bends to yield
to the smallest, sweetest breeze
across the field.

When I’m feeling caught
by some worldly care
I look in your eyes
and I find myself there.
Infinity takes a point of view
and the stars come down,
when I reach for you

Ah, that’s what your touch can do.
Ah, that’s what your touch can do.

Purnamadah, Purnamidam

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Purnamadah, Purnamidam
(that is full, this is full)

(traditional chant)
Kali Durge namo namah
Kali Durge namo namah
Chitti Kundalini namo namah
Chitti Kundalini namo namah
Kali Durge namo namah

I knelt on a precipice
watching the moon rise
and felt a chill of truth
go through me.
No matter how far I fall,
I’m still in the lap of God
and only God
is coming to me.

And it’s all right –
even in my soul’s dark night.
It’s all right.
I know I’ll find my way.
And some day
I’ll look back on this and say:
It was just a dream I had.

Though there are things I’d change
if I could go back in time –
hearts I’d touch and doors I’d open –
it’s every choice I made
that brought me to this place –
the twisted path, the words unspoken.

And it’s all right.
There’s no black or white.
It’s all right.
You do the best you can and let it go.
It’s comforting to know
everything goes back to light.

One light calling
in you, in me.
I am only following
as best I can
from where I am
the light I see.

Imagine a billion worlds
born of the one light,
each with galaxies in motion –
souls that are surging forth,
souls that are merging back
like rivers to the ocean.

And it’s all right –
birth and death and life.
It’s all right;
we just go on and on
on and on.
Purnamadah, purnamidam.
Everything goes back to light.

One light calling . . .
Ekam (the one) Vmalam (the pure)
Achalam (unmoving)
We are only following. . .