'39 by Queen lyrics In the year of thirty-nine Assembled here the volunteers In the days when lands were few Here the ship sailed out into the blue and sunny morn The sweetest sight ever seen And the night followed day And the story tellers say That the score brave souls inside For many a lonely day Sailed across the milky seas Ne'er looked back never feared never cried
Don't you hear my call Though you're many years away Don't you hear me calling you Write your letters in the sand For the day I'll take your hand In the land that our grand-children knew
In the year of thirty-nine Came a ship in from the blue The volunteers came home that day And they bring good news Of a world so newly born Though their hearts so heavily weigh For the earth is old and grey little darlin' we'll away But my love this cannot be Oh so many years have gone Though i'm older but a year Your mother's eyes from your eyes cry to me
Don't you hear my call Though you're many years away Don't you hear me calling you Write your letters in the sand For the day I'll take your hand In the land that our grand-children knew
Don't you hear my call Though you're many years away Don't you hear me calling you All your letters in the sand Cannot heal me like your hand For my life, still ahead, pity me.
And a little bit about the song.
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This being the week of Thanksgiving, I wanted to start off today keeping the attitude of gratitude in the forefront. With that in mind, here are "Thankful" by Josh Groban and "Gratitude" by Nichole Nordeman.
Thankful (lyrics)
Somedays we forget To look around us Somedays we can't see The joy that surrounds us So caught up inside ourselves We take when we should give.
So for tonight we pray for What we know can be. And on this day we hope for What we still can't see. It's up to us to be the change And even though we all can still do more There's so much to be thankful for.
Look beyond ourselves There's so much sorrow It's way too late to say I'll cry tomorrow Each of us must find our truth It's so long overdue
So for tonight we pray for What we know can be And every day we hope for What we still can't see It's up to us to be the change And even though we all can still do more There's so much to be thankful for.
Even with our differences There is a place we're all connected Each of us can find each other's light
So for tonight we pray for What we know can be And on this day we hope for What we still can't see It's up to us to be the change And even though this world needs so much more
There's so much to be thankful for
Gratitude (lyrics)
Send some rain, would You send some rain? 'Cause the earth is dry and needs to drink again And the sun is high and we are sinking in the shade Would You send a cloud, thunder long and loud? Let the sky grow black and send some mercy down Surely You can see that we are thirsty and afraid But maybe not, not today Maybe You'll provide in other ways And if that's the case . . .
(Chorus)
We'll give thanks to You With gratitude For lessons learned in how to thirst for You How to bless the very sun that warms our face If You never send us rain
Daily bread, give us daily bread Bless our bodies, keep our children fed Fill our cups, then fill them up again tonight Wrap us up and warm us through Tucked away beneath our sturdy roofs Let us slumber safe from danger's view this time Or maybe not, not today Maybe You'll provide in other ways And if that's the case . . .
(Chorus)
We'll give thanks to You With gratitude A lesson learned to hunger after You That a starry sky offers a better view if no roof is overhead And if we never taste that bread
Oh, the differences that often are between What we want and what we really need
So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace Move our hearts to hear a single beat Between alibis and enemies tonight Or maybe not, not today Peace might be another world away And if that's the case . . .
(Chorus)
We'll give thanks to You With gratitude For lessons learned in how to trust in You That we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream In abundance or in need And if You never grant us peace
But Jesus, would You please . . .
Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are strictly for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted.
Murs is an undisputed hero of underground rap. But is he qualified for president?
My favorite L.A. rapper Murs recently released a new album, Murs For President. I was excited about this, as his last three solo efforts (Murray's Revenge, 3:16, End of the Beginning) have been stellar. His collaborations with Slug (Atmosphere) and his 3 Melancholy Gypsies album (with Scarub and Eligh) are thoroughly enjoyable, as well (I will sheepishly admit I have heard next to nothing of his original group, Living Legends).
Unfortunately, the new album is thoroughly underwhelming. As I listen to it again, I try and pinpoint what went wrong. My first impression is that it was rushed; rushed for the real world election so Murs could use his clever title, or so he could get a little soapboxing in, I'm not sure.
And soapbox he does, especially on "The Science" (whose title seems a little late in the game for hip-hop activism). Don't get me wrong on this, I don't ever mind hearing people speak the truth, and I understand that if you have the power of celebrity, you are within your right (and possibly obligated) to use it towards curing social ills. I guess my problem is that I'm no stranger to conscious hip-hop, and I've seen it done better by Dead Prez, The Coup, Nas, Immortal Technique, KRS-One, Public Enemy, and even NWA.
Murs' strengths have always been ballad raps, as I like to put it. He tells cohesive stories with multiple characters and often poignant social and political critiques from his first person view. So when he rhymes about the history of the CIA introducing crack to American ghettoes, I feel like I've heard it expressed better musically. I want people to know about these travesties, but I think Murs should stick to rapping about what he knows best.
Murs is one of the most insightful modern philospher/musicians when it comes to the music industry, touring, money, girlfriends and love, city life, and violence. But he does it best on a small personal scale.
An instant warning flash when I heard about his new album was his collaborations with will.i.am, FFA (Frequent Fergie Abettor) and Snoop Dogg-- I'm going out on limb here, I know, but I've never really liked Snoop. His voice annoys me, his raps are bland... he's listenable at best, but I digress-- Murs has always seemed like a proponent of indie raps, so my first instinct is to cry "sellout".
Instinct is powerful apparently. "Lookin' Fly feat. will.i.am" is the weakest song of the record, and maybe Murs' weakest song ever. Fuuuuuck. It has top 40 disease all over it. Recycled simplistic beats with hi hats in all the right places and dull ass chorus (By the way, I've listened to this song at least 5 times now, and can't find a verse that will.i.am performs. Maybe just having a feat. credit ruins a song).
"Time is Now feat. Snoop Dogg" fares much better. It's a pretty strong beat, but damned if Snoop's verse isn't as dull as ever. Are you really still rhyming "next episode"? I know it's probably a huge selling point to feat. Snoop, but I'm so done with this.
That being said, there are a few gems on Murs For President. "Everything" has one of those uplifting major chord beats that makes you want to go save the world, and features classic personal anecdotes and real world postulating.
"Road Is My Religion" is another straight-talk first person ideology rap that conjures up Atmosphere's anthem "Cats Van Bags".
This is not a bad album, but could've used some more time and some better guests. Those chosen for talent, not for selling power. But that's not the way to campaign for president, as we are all learning on a moment-to-moment basis. And the way things are going, Murs is definitely not the worse candidate out there.
I'm definitely looking forward to the next album, and will never stop listening to End of the Beginning! Or loving L-dot-A-dot!
Click the play button above to hear me read this poem.
This poem was inspired by some beautiful photos of lily pads that I saw recently.
Concert From the Lily Pads
On warm summer evenings, backyard bullfrogs sit on their lily pad patios under jutting flower umbrellas in bright colors of purple and pink.
They dine on moths, lightning bugs, and dragonflies, visit with their neighbors, and watch the pollywogs play a darting game of tag.
As the sun goes down and twilight creeps in, the backyard bullfrogs tune up and settle in, croaking and crooning in rhythmic cadence. Crickets and katydids join in the chorus.
They perform a concert of contentment in the spotlight of the moon. Angel fans gather in the concert hall skies and light the stars, holding them up high in appreciation of the music.
A peaceful calm settles over the pond where the backyard bullfrogs sit and sing under flower umbrellas on their lily pad patios.
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Just in case there is someone reading this who has never heard the song of a bullfrog, here's a sample of what it sounds like.
