Song
Lyrics
Here
you'll find lyrics to all of my songs, beginning with the
most recent, which I haven't recorded yet.
Scroll
down to reach lyrics and soundbytes to songs on my CDs.
Song
for the Laying on of Hands
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
May
our hands be the wisdom of ages;
May our touch be the promise of love.
©
2009 Emily Melcher
Centering
Chant
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
May
I be wherever I find myself;
May I find myself wherever I am.
©
2009 Emily Melcher
Something
to Live For
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
When
will we stand,
suddenly, finally
no longer silent
and raise up a song,
facing oppression
within and beyond us?
Oh, let us not rest
partway along.
We've
been living for things
that we'd never die for:
moments of pleasure,
days of escape,
missing the passion
that beckons us onward
to living a vision
that gives our hearts shape.
May
we have strength to love
although our hearts will surely break
when we're no longer bound
by habit and fear,
but living for loving's sake.
What
if we stand,
suddenly, finally
no longer silent
and raise up a song,
and face the oppression
within and beyond us?
Oh, let us not rest
partway along.
Let
us not rest
until we join our voices
with all of the people
whose freedom and choices
have long been denied
When we stand side by side
we will come alive.
May we have strength to break
all of the walls that hold love in
when we're no longer
lonely frightened souls,
our living shall begin.
So,
let us not rest until we feel the power
of living for things
we'd be willing to die for.
Then
we will stand,
suddenly, finally
no longer silent,
we'll raise up a song!
We'll end the oppression
within and beyond us!
Oh, let us not rest
partway along.
Let
us not rest
partway along.
© 2008 Emily Melcher
Dinner
Blessing
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
Let
us pause for a moment
to know that we are blessed
by the food and the friendship of this table.
As our bodies are nourished,
May our souls be fed
so that we might offer all that we are able.
©
2008 Emily Melcher
Room
in the Circle
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
Who's
waiting out there
for us to make room?
Who's
standing outside in the cold
while we warm ourselves here
in the love that we share,
the faith that we hold?
Can
we make room in the circle
for one more face,
one more heart to find its place?
Who's singing a song
that we haven't heard?
Whose
melody beckons our ears
and our hearts and our minds
and shows we belong
to the world's joys and fears?
Can
we make room in the circle
for one more song,
one more person to sing along?
Who's raising a voice
from which we might learn?
Whose
words speak a truth that can heal
all that's broken within
when a heart makes a choice
to open and feel?
Can
we make room in the circle
for one more voice,
one more heart to make a choice?
Who's waiting out there?
Who's waiting right here?
©2007
Emily Melcher
The
Incarnation
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
Spirits
of life and love,
bearers of faith and hope
singers of songs,
dreamers of dreams,
bringers of laughter.
You are the wisdom
and you are the truth-seeker,
you, the compassionate heart.
You are the witness,
and you are the courage,
and you are the sweetness of love.
Spirits
of life and love,
bearers of faith and hope
singers of songs,
dreamers of dreams,
bringers of laughter.
You are the incarnation of God
for me.
©
2006 Emily Melcher
Only
Those That Want To
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher, after Jane Hirshfield)
Take
only those that want to!
Let the others be.
Apples, hearts and grapefruit
ripen best upon the tree.
Plucking them too early
only leads to injuries;
When they're fully ripened
they will fall away with ease.*
©
2006 Emily Melcher
*"Ripeness
is/what falls away with ease." from "Ripeness"
by Jane Hirshfield, in Risking Everything: 110 Poems of
Love and Revelation, Roger Housden, ed. (New York: Harmony
Books, 2003), p. 71.
Heart-Ears
and Heart-Eyes*
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher, after Rema Boscov)
Heart-ears
and heart-eyes,
Reveal the things we would disguise.
Shine the light in our illusions,
Free us from our grand delusions
Open us to see and hear more clearly.
Heart-eyes
and heart-ears
Awaken all our hopes and fears
Kindle the passion within our resistance
Fit us for a full existence
Where both joy and sorrow can flow freely.
©
2006 Emily Melcher
*
'Heart-Ears' and 'Heart-Eyes' are expressions borrowed from
"Valentine, After September 11" by Rema Boscov.
In Hunger Enough: Living Spiritually in a Consumer Age,
Nita Penfold, ed. (Columbus, Ohio: Pudding House Press, 204),
p.83
Will
You Follow?
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher, after Ruth Stone)
Don't
confuse hunger with greed*
though your life is full to brimming with things you do not
need
Listen to the howling in the hollow!
It is calling!
It is calling you!
Will you follow?
©2006
Emily Melcher
*"Don't
confuse hunger with greed" is a line in the poignant
poem "Advice," by Ruth Stone. In Cries of the
Spirit, Marilyn Sewell, ed. (Boston: Beacon Press, 1991),
p. 37
In
the Mystery
(Words and music by Emily Melcher)
The
gods we envision
are always too small.
That's why some have told us:
Make no images at all.
A
picture, a word or a concept
may help us to feel God close.
Close and closed in, God's wearing thin
a window's becoming a wall.
Maybe
the force of the universe
coursing through us is too much to bear,
So we give it all up to gods of projection:
the source and the destiny somewhere out there.
A
king on his throne or a father,
even a goddess is just a way in.
The god that's held up as a destination
should be a place to begin.
The
gods we envision
are always too small.
That's why some have told us:
Make no images at all.
But
maybe the force of the universe
coursing through us is too much to bear.
When the pulse of life throbbing
through laughter and sobbing
renders us weak-kneed in fear,
then we give it all up to gods of projection:
the source and the destiny somewhere out there.
Projection, protection, till we've no recollection
the universe pulses right here!
And
suddenly there we stand
with gods of our own making.
We will do anything we can
to keep ourselves from waking
in the mystery.
©
2005 Emily Melcher
Thick
Humanity
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
Forgive
me
my thick humanity
the things I do not hear
the things I can not see
oh, forgive me.
Forgive me.
Oh, forgive me.
Forgive
me and give me
open eyes to see
open ears to listen
and the love to set me free,
oh, forgive me.
Forgive
the pain I cause
through my not knowing
the ways I close my heart
so I can keep my fear from growing
oh, forgive me.
(Forgive me.)
(Oh, forgive me.)
Forgive
me
my thick humanity
the pain I can not feel,
the suffering I can't heal,
oh, forgive me.
Forgive me.
Oh, forgive me.
Forgive
me and give me
an open heart to feel,
a mind that's free of judgment
and the love I need to heal
oh, forgive me.
There
must be a better way
far beyond my vision
a love that sees the whole
and admits of no division.
(Oh,
forgive me.)
Open me, give me
the faith I need to see,
the trust I need to listen
and the love, oh, the love to set me free.
©
Emily Melcher 2005
There
is a Love
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
There
is a love here to hold you
through darkness and fear,
There's a faith that can nurture
the dreams you hold dear,
For your longings and questions
are all welcome here,
in this circle of faith and love.
©
2004 Emily Melcher
All
That is Not Given is Lost*
(Words and music
by Emily Melcher)
All
of us are stewards of the gifts we each possess.
Each gift that is given benefits the rest.
Many have been here before us;
There are many who follow behind.
Each one who's nurtured here nurtures another,
and so we are all intertwined.
May we open our hearts to receive,
for only an open heart gives.
What we clutch in our fearfulness withers and dies;
What we offer in gratitude lives.
And a hand and a heart that are open aren't weighing the cost.
All that is not given is lost.
A hand and a heart that are open aren't weighing the cost.
All that is not given is lost.
All that is not given is lost.*
©
2004 Emily Melcher
*"All
that is not given is lost" is an Indian proverb
The
Body Remembers
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
The
body remembers
things that the mind will not.
Open the floodgates,
Dance your dance
or sing your song.
The body will lead you
to what's been lost too long.
Let
someone hold you
through a dark and lonely night.
Let their arms recall you to right.
And in that embrace,
melt once again into light.
The
body remembers
things that the mind will not.
Open the floodgates,
Dance your dance
or sing your song.
The body will lead you.
Let the body lead you.
Let the body lead you.
The
body remembers.
©
2003 Emily Melcher
Where
Faith Lives
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
Where Faith lives,
the hay grows tall,
and cattle graze the golden hills.
As she tells me the tales of her childhood here
the tears fall
but the joy shines still
as she tells me of riding her horse to school,
raising a song in the fullness of love
for the feel of the horse,
and the smell of the hay,
and the gold hills rising to the blue.
Where
Faith lives,
no fancy suits
can do the work of jeans and boots.
When a cow wanders in through the garden gate,
Faith knows when to move,
and when to wait.
And it seems as if Faith has a feel for how
to get close enough without spooking the cow,
so she calls and she lows
till the cow makes her way
to the gold hills rising to the blue.
Where
Faith lives,
two houses stand,
the past and present, hand in hand.
And her husband believes in a future here,
in flowers that bloom
year to year,
So he waters them deeply both night and day
tending his hopes for the future that way.
And they tend to their dreams
of life on the land
in the gold hills rising to the blue.
Where
Faith lives,
the hay grows tall,
and cattle graze the golden hills.
As she tells me her dreams for the future here
the tears fall
but the joy shines still.
In this place that's held her forever,
this place that always will,
Faith is at home where the hay grows tall,
Faith is at home where the cattle graze,
Faith has come home
to the gold hills rising to the blue.
©
2003 Emily Melcher
What's
Eternal
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
Love
bridges past and future,
Love bridges heaven and earth,
Love underlies all creation
From birth unto death and rebirth.
©
2003 Emily Melcher
Lyrics
to songs on my CDs begin here.
Click
on the song titles to link to particular texts, or simply
scroll down.
Links
to sound bytes with each individual text.
Breathe
Me Open
Breathe
Me Open (2002)
How I Live (2001)
Wash Over Me (2000)
Hearts Expanding (2001)
Maybe There's Hope for
Faith (2001)
I Will Give Birth Dancing
(2001)
Hold Your Children (2001)
Into This Canyon (2002)
The Bee and the Flower
(2002)
Rest in Love / Love's Midwife
(2002)
You Will Find Your Way (2002)
Supple Spirits (2002)
Many Arms (2002)
Out Beyond Questions (2003)
On and On in Grace (2003)
Your Gifts (2001)
All
Here!
The
Whole of Me (2000)
For Bonnie,
Who Found Me Dancing (1999)
Rock Me, Gently Rock
Me (2000)
I Won't Forget (1999)
Something Strong in
Me (2000)
Invitation to little
em (2000)
Fledgling (2000)
Ten Today (2000)
The Enemy (2001)
Losing My Illusions
(2000)
My Grandmother Lives
in Me (2000)
All Here (2000)
Calling
My Wisdom Home
Finding
Myself (1998)
Calling My Wisdom Home
(1999)
To My Therapist (because knowing
about transference doesn't save me from it) (1999)
Hang on to Your Lover (1995)
Lost Your Mind Somewhere Along the
Way (1995)
The Right Hand of God (1995)
A
Talk While Dancing
Due to
copyright restrictions, I am unable to post lyrics or sound
bytes
for my translations of Evert Taube's songs.
Full lyrics of the translations are included in the CD booklet.
Lyrics
for Songs on Breathe Me Open
Breathe
Me Open (Sound
Byte)
(Words
and Music by Emily Melcher)
Call
me forth,
breathe me open.
Gently and lovingly
beckon to me.
Sing in my song
until my soul knows
that the song that you sing
and the breath that you breathe
are the spirit of life in me.
Call
me forth,
breathe me open.
Gently and lovingly
whisper in me.
Sing in my song
until my soul knows
that the song that we sing
and the breath that we breathe
are the spirit of love in me.
Call
me forth,
breathe me open.
Gently and lovingly
kiss me goodbye.
Live in my song,
and sing in my soul,
for the song that I sing
and the breath that I breathe
are nothing more
and nothing less
than God in me.
©
2002 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
How
I Live (Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
I
know how I live
how I love and let go
how I grieve and rejoice
how I dance lightly and how I fall
How
I lay myself down on this good earth
tears flowing into the soil
nourishing seeds I have sown
Soon bring a blossoming
and then another loss
I
know how I live
how my heart will break
with each opening
I
know how to welcome
the loving
and the breaking
Breaking open
Making room
for love
Breaking
open
Making room
for love again
©
2001 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
Wash
Over Me (Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
There
are things I won't believe,
There are things I will not do,
There are things I will not take into my soul.
Deeds that are unkind,
Words that are untrue,
I'll let them just wash over me and leave me whole.
©
2000 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
Hearts
Expanding (Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
Every
once in a while, you understand my questions
Every once in a while, something softens in your eyes
Every once in a while, I feel the father in you
as he holds the child within me while she cries
Every once in a while, I see a flash of anger
or the healing tears of sadness in your eyes
Every once in a while I rock a child gently
knowing in those moments just how hard he tries
One
moment we are laughing children, playful as the rain
But then the sadness hits us and it seems we can't refrain
from hurting both ourselves and each other in our pain
Each of us longing to feel loved again
Every
once in a while, I look up from my sorrow
and I see that you have been here all along
Every once in a while, I dare to glimpse tomorrow
and I picture this love growing free and strong
Every once in a while, you break your isolation
and you find you have a home where you belong
Every once in a while, you dare to trust this loving
you've been longing for and searching for your whole life
long
In
those moments we are loving partners, water running clear
But then doubts rise up within us and we find ourselves in
fear
It's difficult to reach out. We've learned to persevere
Each of us trying to help love to reappear
Every
once in a while, we sense we're growing stronger
as we reach across the chasm that divides us
Now that once in a while seems to last a little longer
with the loving that our reaching out provides us
And the loving leads to deeper understanding
every time we choose to share and not to hide
As we open up, we feel our hearts expanding
and our love and our faith growing deep and wide
In
those moments we are gentle healers, water flowing free
and we're honest and we're open and we're loving tenderly
And the loving leads to deeper understanding
every time we choose to share and not to hide
As we open up, we feel our hearts expanding
and our love and our faith growing deep and wide
©
2001 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
Maybe
There's Hope For Faith (Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
All
the world over, for thousands of years
faith has helped people to live with their fears.
But faith has been damaged by bloodshed and tears
in every land, through all the years.
I
know of children whose minister raped them,
battered bodies and souls as they cowered in shame.
One of those kids used a bullet to silence
the fear that he might be to blame
for what he endured in God's name.
But
ministers, too, offer refuge to children
and safety from all of the harm that they face;
A listening ear or a word of compassion,
or shelter or food, or a loving embrace.
Maybe their gifts are God's grace.
Maybe
there's hope for faith after all
in churches where children are raised to stand tall,
and nurtured and guided with out shame or fear.
Children are cherished here.
Maybe there's hope for faith.
But
women are threatened and beaten and killed
for seeking abortions or showing their skin.
God's mighty avengers believe they serve justice
even when killing their kin
to punish what they see as sin.
And
then there are people supporting all women,
believing that each must make her own choice
and seek her own truth and be true to her wisdom,
and speak from her own precious voice.
Perhaps lift it up to rejoice.
Maybe
there's hope for faith after all
In churches where women and men can stand tall,
and raise up our voices, each one sounding clear,
a place where we listen and hear.
Maybe there's hope for faith.
And
yet, God is invoked to justify hatred
of heretic, Muslim or Jew, infidel.
Countries are ravaged and people are tortured
and driven from homes where they dwell.
Whole nations are banished to hell.
Still,
others build homes and bring people together,
building bridges of metal and hope to repair
the damage that's caused when hatred is nurtured,
the souls that cry out in despair.
Maybe they build as a prayer.
Maybe
there's hope for faith after all
In churches where people are free to stand tall.
Where all paths are open, all doors are flung wide,
both faithful and doubter inside.
Maybe there's hope for faith.
I have enough faith to hope.
©
2001 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
I
Will Give Birth Dancing (Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
In
the quiet stillness I can feel
the mother in me rising
full and whole,
soft and ripe,
warm and welcoming.
So
drape me in robes
of purple and gold
and I will sing and I'll dance and I'll moan.
And I will born dancing,
and I will give birth dancing.
And
I will feel the sun and rain upon my body
like blessing that caress me,
the gifts that I give.
And I'll embrace this power
that is flowing strong within me.
With my roots growing deep into the soil
I will live.
For
I am the earth,
and I am of the earth.
Singing and dancing I am born
and give birth.
Oh,
I am the earth,
and I am of the earth.
Singing and dancing I am born
and give birth.
Yes,
I am the earth,
and I am of the earth.
Singing and dancing I am born
and give birth.
Singing
and dancing I am born,
Singing and dancing I am born,
Singing and dancing I am born.
I
am woman,
I am lover,
I am daughter,
I am mother,
And as I am born,
I'll give birth to another.
And she will be born dancing.
I will give birth dancing.
I
am woman,
I am lover,
I am daughter,
I am mother,
And I will give birth dancing,
I will give birth dancing,
I will give birth dancing,
I will give birth dancing.
©
2001 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
Hold
Your Children (Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
A
mother holds her children
Rocks them as they weep
Shines the light of love into their spirits as they sleep
Plants the tiny seeds for the harvest they will reap.
Oh, mother, hold your children.
And
weep for us now, mother.
Weep for the pain we have caused one another.
Weep for us now, mother.
A
father holds his children
Listens when they cry
Offers loving guidance to their tearful question "why?"
Nourishes the dreams by which they learn to fly.
Oh, father, hold your children.
And
cry for us now, father.
Cry for our failure to dream and to bother.
Cry for us now, father.
Weep
for us now, mother.
Weep for the pain we have caused one another.
Weep for us now, mother.
Cry
for us now, father.
Cry for our failure to dream and to bother.
Cry for us now, father.
Weep
for us now, mother.
Weep for the pain we have caused one another.
Weep for us now, mother.
Cry
for us now, father.
Cry for our failure to dream and to bother.
Cry for us now, father.
Mother,
hold your children.
Father, hold your children.
©
2001 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
Into
This Canyon (Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
If
you gave everything I ask for,
told me you love me,
told me you'll grieve when I go,
told me you've rarely been touched so deeply,
told me to trust what I know,
I'd
still be
perched on this precipice,
trying to find my way around it,
trying to find a way to stay.
If
I believed in my own knowing,
felt I was ready,
knew that my foothold was strong,
If I could trust this path of growing
we've walked together so long,
I'd
still be
perched on this precipice,
trying to find my way around it,
trying to find a way to stay.
Maybe
I can hold this ground forever,
clinging to the hope that I will never have to leave.
Or maybe I can fall headlong into this canyon
and grieve.
Let
myself fall into my sorrow,
tell you I'll miss you,
tell you it hurts me to leave,
tell you I've rarely been touched so deeply,
tell you I'm grateful
and grieve,
tell
you I love you
and grieve,
tell you goodbye
and leave.
©
2002 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
The
Bee and the Flower (Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
When
I came to you in my darkest hour
I was broken and lost, unaware of my power.
When the student is ready, the teacher appears,
and bees come buzzing to a blossoming flower.
So
I learned to hear by watching you listen,
I learned to see through your steady gaze.
Somewhere deep in my soul, I found the measure
of my work and my life and my love and my days.
I've
learned to dance on the edges of my growing,
to rest for a while in the safety of my knowing
that this life is a breath, constantly flowing,
and this love is a light, steadily glowing.
I am bathed in its warmth through the coming and the going
of our time.
Now
I am with myself, I'm not by myself,
I am standing in my own power.
When the student is ready, the teacher appears,
and bees come buzzing to a blossoming flower.
So
I remembered love through letting you show me.
I learned to trust in your steady ways.
Way down deep in my soul, I know the pleasure
of my work and my life and my love and my days.
I've
learned to dance on the edges of my growing,
to rest for a while in the safety of my knowing
that this life is a breath, constantly flowing,
and this love is a light, steadily glowing.
Bathed in its warmth, I am coming through the going
of our time.
Now
I am with myself, I'm not by myself,
I am standing in my own power.
When the student is ready, the teacher appears,
Now I am the bee, and I am the flower.
With
myself, I'm not by myself,
I am standing in my own power.
When the student is ready, the teacher appears,
Life is the bee, and I am the flower.
Oh,
bees, come buzzing to this blossoming flower!
©
2002 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
Rest
in Love / Love's Midwife (for Mary Ann Macklin)
(Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
There's
nothing wrong with holding on in this moment,
just as long as I can also let it go when I must.
It seems to me if I am ever to learn to trust,
I must learn to rest for a moment in love.
You
told me:
"Walk, don't run, let it unfold.
There is nothing that you need to prove.
What's begun is yours to hold.
You'll know when it's time to move."
When
I cried you moved in closer,
and I didn't have to hide.
With your arm around my shoulder
I could touch the pain inside.
You
said:
"I know it hurts! Of course it hurts!
You're right where you need to be!"
Then you told me I'd given you just what you wanted
in letting you be there with me.
You
told me:
"Walk, don't run, let it unfold.
There is nothing that you need to prove.
What's begun is yours to hold.
You'll know when it's time to move."
When
I stand on the brink of my feelings,
on the edge of my joy or my pain,
when I start to act out in confusion,
when I need to find home again,
I find myself posing your question,
and it makes everything come clear:
What would I do if I acted from love and not fear?
What
would I do if I acted from love and not fear?
What
would I do if I acted from love not fear?
©
2002 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
You
Will Find Your Way (Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
You
still believe that I've dismantled your defenses,
but I've seen you take the bricks down one by one,
asking, "Can you still love me?"
and "Would you please hold me?"
learning not to hide and not to run.
I've
seen you longing for more than just survival,
wondering how it feels to thrive,
reaching out to let my love
caress those tender places
where your sadness helps you know that you're alive.
I
have faith enough for both of us for now.
I have seen a blossom burst forth from a bud,
felt the hardness in a heart grow soft in love,
and I believe that you will find your way somehow.
I
have heard you weeping in your sleep,
heard you cry out in fear in the night.
I believe that something opens deep inside us when we dream
so I resist my urge to wake you from your fight.
And
yet I'm with you, just as you've been with me,
loving me as I've learned to thrive,
keeping watch beside me
as I wrestled with my demons,
rejoicing with me when I came alive.
So
I have faith enough for both of us for now.
I have seen a blossom burst forth from a bud,
felt the hardness in a heart grow soft in love,
and I believe that you will find your way somehow.
There
are places we each must walk alone,
there are lessons for which there is no guide.
But I will love you as you travel on the journey that is yours,
as you come to know the strength you have inside.
I
will be with you, just as you've been with me.
I'll be loving you, as you learn to grow.
I'll be trusting and believing in you
even when you falter,
rejoicing in all you come to know.
I
have faith enough for both of us for now.
I have seen a blossom burst forth from a bud,
felt the hardness in a heart grow soft in love,
and I believe that you will find your way.
You
still believe that I've dismantled your defenses:
I believe that you are finding your way.
©
2002 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
Supple
Spirits (Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
There's
an opening,
a strengthening,
a softening
in choosing to know who we are,
When we stop running,
and hiding,
and reaching for comfort
and listen instead to our hearts.
There's
an opening,
a strengthening,
a softening
in choosing to lay down the fight,
knowing that pain flows through us
in the darkest night,
as surely as ,joy flows through us
in the morning light.
There's
an opening,
a strengthening,
a softening
in facing our pain and our fear,
When we stop seeking
distractions
from hurt and discomfort,
and let all our feelings flow clear.
There's
an opening,
a strengthening,
a softening
in choosing to lay down the fight,
knowing that pain flows through us
in the darkest night,
as surely as joy flows through us
in the morning light.
There's
an opening,
a strengthening,
a softening
in dancing our joy and our bliss,
When we hold lightly,
believing
that life's ever-changing,
and all that we have now is this.
There's
an opening,
a strengthening,
a softening
in choosing to lay down the fight,
knowing that pain flows through us
in the darkest night,
as surely as joy flows through us
in the morning light.
There's
an opening,
a strengthening,
a softening...
©
2002 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
Many
Arms (Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
There
are many arms to hold you,
let us hold you now.
There are many ears to listen,
many hearts that know.
There are shoulders strong enough
to carry you now.
Let it go,
oh, let it go.
©
2002 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
Out
Beyond Questions (Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
Lunch
with Dad,
Oh, what a day!
How shall I dare
to speak out and say
that I still have questions
burning inside me:
Do you still love me?
And is there room in your life for me?
I
tell myself no one can rob me
of gifts that I freely give.
And so these questions
burning inside me
tell me there's something
that I need to take back to live.
Lunch
with Dad,
Oh, what a day!
How shall I dare
to speak out and say
that out beyond questions,
far beyond answers,
deep in my soul I know:
Words cannot free me,
I don't need this lunch,
Don't need your promise of undying love.
I
must open my heart,
open my hand,
and let you go
so I can know
the love beyond questions,
the silence that offers release.
Deep
in my heart,
all my questions dissolve into peace
in the love that lies beyond answers,
the silence that offers release.
Deep
in my heart there's a place that I know
where my questions dissolve into peace.
Deep
in my heart there's a place I can go
where my questions dissolve into peace.
©
2003 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
On
and On in Grace (Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
On
and on and on and on,
Love goes on and on and on and on…
Wherever
I go, I will recognize love
'cause I've known it here in your embrace.
And wherever love shows, and wherever love flows,
love brings grace.
I
do not leave you easily,
but I leave you knowing this:
We do not do justice to the love in our trust
when we hold it in.
There
is someone else who needs you,
there is someone else you need.
And in this way, love goes on and on.
There are others out there needing
what I need to give,
and your love flows to them through my song.
So
wherever I go, I'll be singing the love
that I learned to know in your embrace.
For wherever love shows, and wherever love flows
love brings grace.
While
I do not leave you easily,
I leave you knowing this:
We do not do justice to the love in our trust
when we hold it in.
There
is someone else who needs you,
there is someone else you need.
In this way, love goes on and on.
There are others out there needing
what I need to give,
and in sharing this love, we grow strong.
And
so when I am gone, you'll be passing along
the love we have shared in our embrace.
For wherever love shows, and wherever love flows
love brings grace.
And
wherever I go, I'll be sharing the love
that has held us all in its embrace.
For wherever love shows, and wherever love flows
it goes on and on and on and on,
Love goes on and on and on and on,
Love goes on and on and on and on in grace.
©
2003 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
Your
Gifts (Sound
Byte)
(Words and music
by Emily Melcher)
May
you know the joy of work that feeds your heart and mind,
may you bring your gifts to bear on all you do.
And as you do the work you love,
I hope that you will find
that gratitude and love will come to you.
Gratitude for all the things you do,
and love, may it grow strong in you.
©
2001 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
Lyrics
for Songs on All Here!
The
Whole of Me
(Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
Reconnect
the part of me
that knows just who I am.
Reconnect the heart of me,
that full-of-passion part of me.
Reconnect the soul of me,
the whole of me.
©
2000 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
For
Bonnie, Who Found Me Dancing (Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
One
Saturday night I was dancing alone
in a room full of people, a dance of my own.
I got out of a taxi the very next day,
and a radiant woman came walking my way,
and she said, "Last night I danced with you!
You didn't see me, but I danced with you!
In your bright tie-dyed shirt, an incredible pace,
you were dancing and twirling all over the place,
and your eyes, they were closed, I saw God in your face!
And your bliss drew me to you,
the joy that shone through you,
your bliss drew me to you,
your ecstasy."
When
I called you weeks later, choking back tears,
the bliss was long gone, consumed by my fears.
And you said, "Don't talk 'round what you're feeling
inside.
I'm listening, Emmie, you don't need to hide."
And I heard what you said, and my heart opened wide,
and I took what you offered, and I cried and I cried.
And I wept with a sadness for too long denied,
'cause your warmth drew me to you,
the love that shone through you,
your warmth drew me to you,
Bonnie.
Now
I'm thinking of you and the sadness you feel.
You're going through changes and trying to heal.
And I'd love to give back what you've given to me:
A comforting presence, peppermint tea,
or a song or a dance for the sadness you feel.
If you let it flow through you,
the dance can renew you,
and bring you back home to yourself.
For when sadness flows through us,
the bliss can come to us,
and bring us back home to ourselves.
We'll let sadness flow through us,
so bliss can renew us
and bring us back home to ourselves.
It will bring us back home to ourselves.
©
1999 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
Rock
Me, Gently Rock Me (Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
When
you see my light dimming,
and you see the darkness hover,
When you feel me put my walls up,
and you see me run for cover,
Well, then, grab me quick and hold me
as you would a little child
who's lashing out in anger and in fear.
Pin my arms down if you're able,
till the rage and shame in me subside,
and then rock me,
gently rock me
in your arms.
Rock me,
gently rock me
in your arms.
Help
me know that I'll find comfort
if I speak of all I hold inside.
Help me know I'll be delivered
by my tears.
Hold me in your eyes and love me
as you would a little child,
and then listen,
gently listen
to my fears.
Listen,
listen gently
to my fears.
For
it's only in surrender,
when I lay my head upon your chest,
when I share my darkest shame with you,
I will find rest,
When you hold me close and love me
as you would a little child,
and then rock me,
gently rock me
in your arms for a while.
Rock me,
gently rock me,
rock me in your arms.
©
2000 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
I
Won't Forget (Sound
Byte)
(Words and music by Emily Melcher)
My
wings are beating wildly,
your feet are stuck in clay.
I can teach you how to fly,
you can teach me how to stay.
And
I won't forget to love you,
even when I cannot see you,
when my wings are beating wildly,
and I'm soaring on my own.
And
I won't forget you love me,
even when you cannot listen,
when the beating of my wings
makes you afraid you'll be alone.
For
I've always needed grounding,
and you have longed to fly.
We both have fought the learning
without understanding why.
But I'll no longer turn my face
and hide in shame,
I'll no longer close my eyes
in your embrace,
for I know now that you love me,
even when my wings are beating,
so although I fear the landing,
I will look into your face.
And
I won't forget to love you,
even when I cannot see you,
when my wings are beating wildly,
and I am soaring on my own.
And
I won't forget you love me,
even when you cannot listen,
when the beating of my wings
makes you afraid you'll be alone.
You
can always trust I love you,
though your feet are stuck in clay.
Even though my wings are beating,
I will never fly away.
©
1999 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
Something
Strong in Me (Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
If
you're not there when I need you,
a part of me lays down and dies.
But if you are gentle and loving with me,
you may help something strong in me rise.
You may help something strong in me rise.
And
if I felt sad when they hurt me,
disappointed when they let me down,
well, I might have known it,
but I would not have shown it,
'cause a smile was required to keep them around.
So
I smiled through the fear when they hit me,
or battered each other in rage.
My knuckles went white, and my jaw was clenched tight
round the fear that I dared not engage.
And I grew hard to soften the blow,
thought I could cushion the fall.
When the pain was too great, I hid and I ate,
or I slammed my soft body hard at the wall,
or pounded my fists on my head
to silence the voices that wished I were dead.
For
many years self-righteous indignation
was the weapon that I wielded to defend myself from fear.
Like a porcupine begging for attention,
while making certain no one could get near.
Now I long to lay my armor down and weep.
But my mind's a restless warrior
still looking for the danger,
and I'm not at rest, not even when I sleep.
It's
a very old habit I'm trying to break,
this killing what rises within me.
But I know it's my own precious life that's at stake,
and if I don't kill me, I'll win me.
So
if I can be there when I need me,
to witness my own inner cries,
If I can be gentle and kind with myself,
I may help something strong in me rise.
I may help something strong in me rise.
I may help something strong in me,
strength that belongs in me,
help something strong in me rise.
I may help something strong in me rise.
©
2000 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
Invitation
to little em (Sound
Byte)
(Words and music by Emily Melcher)
You're
the angry one,
the blessed one,
You're the one who laughs and cries.
You're the loving one,
the playful one,
You're the one who's never bent herself to lies.
You're
the one who's had to learn to shout,
the one I've tried to live without,
You're the one I hope to welcome back today.
So
won't you laugh with me?
Tumble in the grass with me?
We can spread our wings
and twirl until we fly!
And if you fall to fear,
I will hold you near,
I will hold you close and listen when you cry.
You're
the one who's had to learn to shout,
the one I've tried so hard to shut out,
You're the child who shoots off sparks,
who sparkles in my grown-up eyes.
You're the one who dares to live without disguise.
So
won't you play with me?
Celebrate the day with me?
We can splash our dreams like sunshine
in the skies!
And if you fall to shame,
I will call your name,
When you lift your gaze, I'll look into your eyes.
You're
the one I haven't dared to see
who dreams of all that I can be,
You're my little one,
potential,
possibility.
So
come and dance with me!
Won't you take a chance with me?
When you need me, little one,
I will be here.
You're the child I have longed for,
I'm the one you've sung your song for,
And I will be the one to hold you through your fear.
I will be the one to welcome you, my dear.
My little one,
you will find welcome here.
©
2000 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
Fledgling
(Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
Just
when I feel myself start to settle in,
I hear you telling me it's time to leave.
But my tears aren't even dry yet,
and I don't know how,
how to live the truths I'm coming to believe.
And
just when I notice how much I feel at home,
I sense you pushing me to try to fly.
But my wings aren't even dry yet,
and I don't know how,
how I'm ever going to dare to say good-bye,
when I've finally found a gentle love
to hold me when I cry.
And
I know my anger hurts you
'cause I've turned it inward, too.
And you've reached into my darkness sometimes
and pulled me through.
But it's different now.
I don't know how.
But I can't feel you there.
I can't feel you care.
And
if the universe provides all my lessons I know
that my longing for you is a longing to grow
deep within me where
my soul lies bare,
so my own love can carry me through
my own fear which keeps me from you.
And
if your role in my life is to nurture the seed
of love in my soul, then I have just what I need
when I can't feel you there,
I will learn to care,
and my own love will grow strong and free,
as I learn to be all I can be.
And
these wet, tender wings will dry in the flight
as I soar with myself through the darkness and light.
And I will feel you there,
I will feel you care,
when my own love is lifting me high,
there's no love that I will deny,
when my own love is lifting me high.
©
2000 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
Ten
Today (Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
They
say I was always grown-up for my age,
wise far beyond my years,
As soon as I could, I raced right through each stage,
ignoring my questions and
fears.
And
it's true, I was always grown-up for my age,
capable, confident, strong
As soon as I could, I raced right through each stage
missing each chance to belong.
They
say I was hungry for life and adventure,
and I had no patience to stay.
I believe that it's true, but I see myself, too,
running forward and running away.
I
was thirteen, going on thirty then,
racing, just to get through.
Today I am forty, going on ten,
and all of the world looks new.
Today I am forty, going on ten,
and all of the world looks new.
Today
I am young and hopeful and scared,
I'm playful, receptive and free.
I don't have to be grown-up, don't have to be tough,
I just have to learn to be me.
I will see what this time holds for me.
I
was thirteen, going on thirty once,
now I'm forty, going on ten,
I have a chance now to learn all about
all the things I missed out on back then.
I won't race through it again.
There
are days I believe I can care for myself,
I am certain I know who I am.
But that doesn't mean that I should or I must
do it all alone, just 'cause I can.
Today
I'm a ten year old, longing for love,
but tempted to push it aside.
I struggle between my desire to be seen
and my longing to just run and hide.
But the struggle is sweet this time, blessed as it is
with wisdom, compassion and care.
I don't want to stay lonely and locked in myself,
Now that I know I'm welcome to share.
So
I'll linger here as long as I need to,
I'll ask all the questions I once put away.
I will cherish the warmth when I feel a blush rising,
grateful that I'm ten today.
I
will cherish the glow of the young woman rising,
grateful that I'm ten today.
©
2000 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
Entrenched
in my position,
I think you're the opposition:
You're the only thing that's standing in my way.
My fingers in my ears are sprouting roots,
and I can't hear a single word you say.
What
used to be a fleeting thought
has now become a keeper.
Tiny wishes grow much bigger
as I dig in deeper.
You're
the enemy!
This is a fight!
I will not give an inch
till you acknowledge I am right!
You're the enemy!
This is a fight!
Surrender, or you're sleeping
in the guest bed tonight!
What's
that you say?
You want to hear exactly how I feel?
Well, I sincerely doubt that!
This can not be for real!
'Cause
you're the enemy,
I'm sure it's true!
Stand up and fight!
We'll spend the night
proving what I know is right!
What's
that you say?
You're listening?
you're laying down your shield?
inviting me to lay aside
the weapons that I wield...
But
you're the enemy!
I'm not insane!
If I lay down my weapons
not a trace of safety will remain!
What's
that you say?
You understand me and you want to hear
about my dreams and hopes and thoughts,
about my pain and fear?
Surely
I am not the one
who's standing in my way,
keeping my own hopes and dreams
so deeply locked away,
holding them so close they'll never
see the light of day.
Well, maybe you're not standing in my way.
But
how can I be certain
that this isn't all a ruse?
A manipulation you've devised
to find a way to use
my weakness and my faltering,
my strength and my success,
to fill a void within you,
to help you repossess
the certainty that you've been right,
the chance for you to show
that I am wrong and pitiful,
while you are in the know.
Yes,
you're the enemy,
so take a shot!
Oh, damn it, now I'm here again,
embarrassed I've been caught
thinking you are standing in my way,
trusting in my deepest fears
and not in what you do or say...
I know that you're not standing in my way...
I'm
grateful and I'm scared
as I relinquish my position.
I'm glad to find I wasn't right:
You're not the opposition!
You
hear my dreams and hopes and thoughts,
you hear my pain and fear,
When I have heard you, too, we are both standing,
both still here.
I turn toward you and turn away
from whispers in my ear...
But he's the enemy!
©
2001 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
Losing
My Illusions (Sound
Byte)
(Words and Music by Emily Melcher)
Look
at what I've built here:
This is my dream,
built to give me love
and bring me family.
And
look at what I've built here:
This is my dream,
built to give me hope
and bring me home.
And
look at all I've built here:
This is my dream,
built to give me joy
and bring me meaning.
And
yet look at all that's missing
from this empty chamber.
All the dreams I've built
can't fill this hole.
All the dreams I've built
can't make me whole.
I
am losing my illusions,
falling into fear,
Knowing my insistence
will never bring you near.
I
asked if you would walk beside me
Prayed you would fight to see inside me
Put up my walls and then begged you:
"Find a way through!"
I
thought if you could love me enough
one day I would be healed.
But now I'm facing the emptiness
your loving has revealed.
I
am losing my illusions,
falling into shame,
Knowing how I've hurt you
by holding you to blame.
I
said I wanted a partner,
but I was looking for a savior.
When you couldn't save me from darkness,
I said I'd leave.
When you didn't pull me back,
I couldn't believe
that you could love me long enough
that one day I would be healed.
Now you've loved me half my lifetime,
through all I've kept concealed
behind walls of pain and anger,
in all the blame I've cast,
your loving has been constant
and I'm opening at last.
I
am losing my illusions,
falling into grief.
Feeling as I'm falling
in surrender there's relief.
Now
I am asking of myself
what I have always asked of you.
Hoping you will walk beside me
while I heal this pain inside me,
Praying I will know a love that's true,
When I look within myself, not just at you.
I
am losing my illusions,
falling into peace.
Tending to my spirit,
each time I release
a bit of grief or pain or anger,
every time I rise above
illusions I have cherished,
I am falling into love.
I
am losing my illusions
and falling into love.
©
2000 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
My
Grandmother Lives in Me (Sound
Byte)
(Words and music by Emily Melcher)
When
I was a child, my grandmother's hands
baked cookies and taught me to sew,
She drew clowns and read stories and took me for walks,
and she's still with me now as I grow.
And
I feel her nimble fingers in mine
when I work with a needle and thread.
And I still smell my grandmother's kitchen
when I am baking a loaf of bread.
And
yet I used to tease my grandma
when I noticed to my great dismay
that she was old-fashioned,
and tended her husband,
and I'd never do it that way.
But
the older I get, the deeper I grow,
I embrace what I once was afraid of:
Commitment forever, and love and respect,
all the values my grandmother's made of.
And
my grandparents' marriage has echoes in ours,
for I married a man who can dance!
When he waltzes me round,
when my feet leave the ground,
we're connected to their romance.
I
have tended to think I am different,
But I'm more and more coming to see:
Though our marriage is different,
our love is like theirs,
and my grandmother lives in me.
And
when I am searching for something to cling to,
when difficult thoughts fill my head,
when I find myself longing for someone to sing to,
I think of these words that my grandmother said:
"When my husband died, I walked in the hills
each day as I always do,
and I asked the good Lord
what his plan was for me,
and his message came, quiet and true:
'There
are others who need you,
your work is not done,
you still have so much to give.'"
So she walked through her grief,
offered others relief,
and she learned once again how to live.
I
admire the way that my grandmother's faith
sustains her and carries her through
the hardships she meets face-to-face, full of grace,
the love that informs her view.
And
I sing as I walk with my dogs every day,
for singing's the way that I pray.
And I know that she's walking her dog in the hills,
and she's with me, though I'm far away.
I
have tended to think I am different,
but I'm more and more coming to see:
Though my God may be different,
my faith is like hers,
and my grandmother lives in me.
And
a part of me feels like an old-fashioned girl,
and it gives me great pleasure to know
that my grandmother's values and love live in me,
and my faith will continue to grow.
I
have tended to think I am different,
but I'm grateful each time I see:
Though in some ways I'm different,
I'm also like her,
and my grandmother lives in me.
©
2000 Emily Melcher
Back
to top
