Robert Stone
night creatures
no sorrow
there’ll be no sorrow on that shore
there’ll be no woes, no woes at the cabin door
we all be there and I will see you care
we’ll be calm and still in that land so fair
in the same kind of raiment
in the same kind of shoes
we’ll all sit together
in the same kind of pews
there’ll be no distinction there
there’ll be no distinction there ...
(lyrics in parts based on an African-American spiritual)
we pause
you pause for a while
your eyes make a smile
and I rest, I rest
my head in the sky
you cry for a while
your eyes never lie
and I sigh, I sigh
and fall from the sky
this is all I know
this is all I can say
when the heart is sore
we wait
and nothing more
one line
your hands
your hands told me more
than i wanted to know
and I followed one line
how it runs deep
like a dry river bed
waiting for the rain
this line, this line runs deep
deep through your skin
so clear and thin
this line, this line runs deep
deep through your life
sharp as a knife
a long way home
it’s a long, a long way home
it’s a hard thing to do
putting on my walking shoes
and get my heart into the right place
put an end to the chase
and to face it all
put an end to the haze
yes to face it all
and I tried, tried looking away
but I couldn’t keep it at bay
and I tried, tried running away
it always came back in another way
now I stand not afraid
ready to face it all
now I knock not afraid
ready to face it all
the chase, and the haze and the hidden gaze
the fear and the tear, letting no one near
my white robe
I’m going to try on my white robe
when the first trumpet sounds
I’m going to try on my white robe
when it sounds so loud
and where shall I be
when the first trumpet sounds
when it sounds so loud
they wake up the dead
I’m going to try on my white robe
(lyrics based on an African-American spiritual)
from the sea
this wind comes from the sea
hear the waves brush the tree
when you listen with the heart
every leaf will play its part
let the wooden fences creak
let the things begin to speak
trees and plants begin to swing
sing and cradle everything
now it comes, and now it goes,
then it rests, and then it flows
watch this constant play unfold
silence, rustling, shy, then bold.
the heart always finds a way
to the island far away
the heart always finds a way
to the island far away
night creatures
wild creatures ride
the warm monsoon
like moths they swirl
around the moon.
I hear them hum
throughout the night
this dance will draw them
close to the light
I am mesmerized
this sight of play
seems all inside
yet far away
no certainty
for those who dream
to float like moths
close to the beam
I hear them humming
I a gentle drumming
a lullaby
I'm ready to fly
around the moon ...
a “craft of crazy hope”
to face the sea
and trust the boat
too small for flights
like these
takes courage more
than boats can give
built for the shore
not for a trip
… across the sea
now charged with crime
now charged with crime
now charged with crime
“the crime of hope”
... to face the sea
a craft of hope
a craft of hope
a craft of hope
of crazy hope
(the quotes come from Tejule Cole, ‘Tripolo’, Blind Spot, 258-259)
1816
the year without summer
made the birds go wild
made the mothers cry
beneath a cold grey sky
“with hills barren like winter”
it all was froze
with a dry fog hanging deep
It “nipt the buds (the buds) of hope”
And the snow was red
And the ground was cold
And a veil covered the land
and hungry they went to bed
(Quote from Nicholas Bennet
and "Crops," American Beacon(Norfolk, VA), September 13, 1816, 3
don’t be misled
the air is filled with voices
the wind becomes a storm
I feel a sudden longing
to turn and walk back home
wait, wait, don’t be misled
by the notes inside your head
wait, wait, don’t be afraid
by the sound of a falling star
I see a shadow dancing
it passes right through me
it’s strange, but not surprising
how fluid my life can be
for you
I found this flower on the floor
all blue and pink, the last in the store
I took it home for you to see
you thought I had stolen it from Mrs Lee
but it’s all for you
that I crossed the sea
that I climbed up this tree
but it’s all for you and me.
in Gilead
there’s balm, a balm in Gilead
to make the wounded whole
there’s balm, a balm in Gilead
to take the wounded home
and, you won’t stop me
I am right on my way
my face is shining,
pointing the right way
and you, you won’t stop me
and you, you won’t hold me back
I am running, I am walking,
set on my way
waiting
... and what if he has been waiting too?
iceland
Iceland, I'm coming.
Will you be there? Will you be waiting?
I've got to cool down, to slow down.
Iceland, I'm coming.