1. |
Witness
04:17
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You’ve been given sight, enough to glimpse the abyss
Both the dark and the bright, that other people miss
And I know it’s harder to live on that cliff
To see the world with those eyes, is it a curse or a gift?
I’ll take your hand
I’m by your side
I’m reaching out
Oh, you’ll find a place to call home
But oh the heavy weight you hold: I witness it
And you need to know: You’re not alone
As you push into light, and can’t step back
Friends wonder why, but don’t know how to ask
The clouds grow darker and press in thick
As the mist from the sky and your loneliness mix
I’ll take your hand
I’m by your side
I’m reaching out
Oh, you’ll find a place to call home
But oh the heavy weight you hold: I witness it
And you need to know: You’re not alone
I’ll take your hand
I’m by your side
I’m reaching out
I’ll take your hand
I’m by your side
I’m reaching out
Oh, you’ll find a place to call home
But oh the heavy weight you hold: I witness it
And you need to know: You’re not alone
I witness it
You’re not alone
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2. |
Good Country People
03:23
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We’re good country people, you and I
We’re keepin’ to the Bible’s teachin’
'Least for most of the day.
By the time I leave I’ll have your arm and leg
Inside my bible briefcase and you’ll
Have the satisfaction:
Of knowing God don’t hate you.
(even though he wants to)
Rest easy sleep at night;
I don’t know why you try to fight
With the one who holds your life.
Us good country people do it right
Spurn evil keep to right lanes
People won’t infect our parade
We’re not needy people
Give to God, greedy people
Say we’re not good, we’re evil
And we still have too much but
Our Father hears our prayers.
(our father lord of liars)
I’ll rest easy sleep at night;
I give just enough and never fight
With the one who holds my life.
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3. |
I Had to Dig
04:32
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Through squinted eyes and gritted teeth
A hermit priest once said to me
Some words now seared in my conscience
He said “kid, it ain’t so clear to me
Who is on the winning team
Or if there is a winner, we may never know for sure
I’m Catholic, right, but don’t know why
My people think they’ll reconcile
The whole of humankind within our borders
Cause we all just grew out of the earth
Tried out sounds, formed some words
Clumped up into cultures, made some art, and went to war
And now out there are a million tribes
Who never heard the words of Christ
Do you think that when they die they’ll just simmer
Or could it be that Jesus meant
He’d live in strands of every nation
Through their own traditions bring the Way, the Truth, The Life
And I know that I’ll never find the secrets
Nobody ever held before
But I’ve found that life is in the seeking,
Love cannot be stagnant,
And we’ll always crave more
So I’ll savor the good that I’ve been given,
Hold loose the things I’d like to keep,
And I’ll give all I have in search of freedom
And live to set other prisoners free
Now I won’t pretend to hold the truth
Of who is reconciled and who
Is destined for eternal flames or torture
Cause the most hellish atrocities
Were caused by men like you and me
Who, in the name of God desecrated human dignity
And I don’t believe we’ll ever heal
Until we learn to see and feel
The pain in the eyes of our victims
Cause this mystery and sacred text
So many men said had thought they’d pegged
But disagreed on what it said like what defines humanity
And I know that I’ll never find the secrets
Nobody ever held before
But I’ve found that life is in the seeking,
Love cannot be stagnant,
And we’ll always crave more
So I’ll savor the good that I’ve been given,
Hold loose the things I’d like to keep,
And I’ll give all I have in search of freedom
And live to set other prisoners free
Of course God is a mystery,
Beyond human capacity
But you know I can’t pretend He’s non-existent
He or She or It or We
Divine Abyss or Ground of Being
All is infant language that we use to comprehend
Providential serendipity
That sometimes tells us where to be
But never gives our pain an honest answer
But amidst this ambiguity
Divine belonging might just lead
A few fearless lovers to bring heaven here to earth
And I know that I’ll never find the secrets
Nobody ever held before
But I’ve found that life is in the seeking,
Love cannot be stagnant,
And we’ll always crave more
So I’ll savor the good that I’ve been given,
Hold loose the things I’d like to keep,
And I’ll give all I have in search of freedom
And live to set other prisoners free
And then he handed me a seed and said
Your task is now to plant and tend
To every truth your teachers tried to give you
Cause the path that leads to life is thin
But if you keep pursuing it, there’s no doubt in my mind
You’ll discover how a saint is made
And when he’d said his final word
He gave a peaceful smile and turned
And disappeared into his little cabin
And all the truth he shared with me
He packed into that little seed,
Laid it in my palm, and I knew I had to dig
And I know that I’ll never find the secrets
Nobody ever held before
But I’ve found that life is in the seeking,
Love cannot be stagnant,
And we’ll always crave more
So I’ll savor the good that I’ve been given,
Hold loose the things I’d like to keep,
And I’ll give all I have in search of freedom
And live to set other prisoners free
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4. |
Just a Little Longer
04:06
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Love is the glue of all existence
Reversing entropy and pain
But does that mean love has no endings?
Does it mean hearts shouldn’t break?
It’s strange, the circumstance we’re caught in
Where one and one cannot make two
Where conversation causes tension
And honest doesn’t equal true
And I – know that words will never do
Cause I – know you fear the same things that I do
We tried, but maybe love is not enough to hold us through
But let’s try, just a little longer, lover,
Would you hold me like you do
I’ve never been one for tears at endings
But sometimes tears are all we’ve got
And maybe tears will bring us comfort
Once they’ve showed us where we are
So as our love is torn to pieces
Across pacific border lines
May this heartbreak pour redemption
On aching hearts in the divide
And I – I know that words will never do
And I – know you feel the same things that I do
We tried, oh but love was not enough to hold us through
But let’s try, just a little longer, lover,
Would you hold me like you do
So though I’d love to keep you
Some things can’t reconcile
Goodnight, but just a little longer, lover,
Would you hold me like you do
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5. |
Give Yourself a Break
04:46
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Just get your feet to touch the floor
Slowly remember what you woke up for
Take in the silence for a minute more
One breath is more than we could ask for
Might help to write yourself a list
A couple of friends you’re glad you have today
And don’t forget to give yourself a little grace
Cause we were never meant to live this way
Hurricanes and wars being waged
Will our species be erased?
Surely all these worries betray
How they change your life today
So when you feel afraid
Like everything won’t be okay
Take a breath, and just address
what’s here today
Don’t eat the whole damn cake
Just take a piece and walk away
That’s plenty existential questions
for a day
Give yourself a break
I’d bet your words could change the world
May even shift the course of history
But it’s okay if you don’t write a word today
Humans don’t refuel with gasoline
Sturdy work is fading away
Will I somehow be replaced?
Worry for the bills to be paid
Never made them go away
So when you feel afraid
Like everything won’t be okay
Take a breath, and just address
what’s here today
Don’t eat the whole damn cake
Just take a piece and walk away
That’s plenty existential questions
for a day
Give yourself a break
Use your heart, don’t think too hard
Let the stars and sky align you
So when the lofty words don’t work
And when you walk away confused from church
Just let your body draw your spirit to the earth
You can rest a little; give yourself a break
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Brother James Los Angeles, California
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