ORIGINAL SONG LYRICS - HELENA NASH

Bless This Home

I would wish for us 10,000 moons
To ask our questions and play our tunes
For the birds and the trees of this mountain land
And the love that joins our sweet strong hands

And I would play all the notes for you
And you'd sing the lyrics to carry us through
I would wind down that river and know that it's gold
And reach for the hearthstone whenever we're cold

Chorus:
Bless this home – bless this home – bless this home

Full moon riding bareback and free
Race ya to the frog pond, water and just me
Swimming through the starlight, sunshine and rain
When lightning draws close we will gather the flame

(Chorus)

We can swim the Grand Canyon
And hitchhike in France
Learn Athabaskan
See Lipizzans dance

We can climb the Himalayas
Look an emu in the face
But there's no better spot
Than our little place

(Chorus)

You can take all my money
Though I'd rather you don't
And take my daydreaming
Though I know you won't

I'll give you all my kisses
And drop to my knee
Just to look up at you
And say what I see

(Chorus)

Even Tumbleweeds Travel Far

Growing up in a one horse town
Edge of the world when the sun goes down
City boys come out to play
Kick up the dirt and the roses fade

12 years old, what to believe
Learnin’ life from a TV screen
Waiting for the world to come through her door
Looking for God in the big mall store

Chorus:
Have a little faith for the way things could be
Shine a little light through the crack of an open door
Blow a little hope to her heart when it hurts
Throw a little rope, she'll climb through your words
Hey yeah - oh yeah...

He’s stealing time to run away
The neighbors know why he doesn’t stay
Love at home comes and goes
The shade between the sunshine grows

Let’s take them to the meadow breeze
Peaches from the homestead trees
Write a song about the pain
Let the ink dry with the rain

Chorus:
Have a little faith for the way things could be
Shine a little light through the crack of an open door
Blow a little hope to his heart when it hurts
Throw a little rope – he’ll climb out through your words
Hey yeah – oh yeah...

I heard them say…
At least the stars at night don’t fade
Send up a prayer for better days
Wish a wish upon this star
Even tumbleweeds travel far

Chorus:
So, have a little faith for the way things could be
Shine a little light through the crack of my open door
Blow a little hope to my heart when it hurts
Throw a little rope – I’ll climb out through your words
Throw a little rope – I’ll climb out through your words
Hey yeah – oh yeah....

Grace of God

This meal comes to me through the grace of god
This new home is here through the grace of god
My gratitude flows over
And I lift my palms to say
Thank you

These tiny hands were born from me through the grace of god
This little heart will grow to see through the grace of god
A spirit living through us all
That doesn't want a name
Thank you

Chorus:
And I pray, I pray

*Bismillâh ir-rahmân ir-rahim
**Susila budhi dharma
***Sono benedetto, come lo sei tu
****To-hi-du

When one day death comes to me through the grace of god
I'll know I lived blissfully in the grace of god
Suffering I have grown
Song and laughter feed my bones
I thank you

(Chorus)
*****Om Mani Padme Hum

This day has come to me through the grace of god

Translations:
*Bismillâh ir-rahmân ir-rahim
Translation from Arabic:
(This phrase is said to contain the true essence of the Qur'an.)
In the name of Allah, most Loving, most Compassionate.

**Susila budhi dharma
Translation from Sanskrit, pronounced Indonesian:
Susila: Good Action
Budhi: Inner Heart
Dharma: Dedication
To follow the Will of God with the help
of the Divine Power that works both
within us and without, by way of
surrendering oneself to the will of
Almighty God.

***Sono benedetto, come lo sei tu
Translation from Italian:
I am blessed, as are you.

****To-hi-du
Translation from Cherokee:
Good peace: "a state of body, mind and spirit."

*****Om Mani Padme Hum
Translation from Sanskrit, pronounced Om Mani Peme Hung in Tibetan
'Aum, to the Jewel in the Lotus, hum' In Buddhism,
saying this mantra out loud or silently to oneself invokes
the powerful benevolent attention and blessing of Chenrezig,
the embodiment of compassion. Through this method and wisdom
a being can transform impure body, speech and mind into the pure,
exhalted body, speech and mind of a Buddha.

Mama Paris

Oh, I love you son
Mmmm, my time has come

It's not that I'm ready to leave you, son
It's not that I wish to die
It's my time to become an angel star
When you need me that angel won't be far - walk on.

The world here is fading for me
All your life my light has shone for thee
Now it's time to give my light to the sky
Lift your eyes, I'll sing you a lullaby - walk on.

Love me, love me son
Let me go now, go now son
When you look up in the sky at night
Mama Paris will be a shining light - mm hmm

She said listen son, hear what I say
You've got a gift to be giving every day
Raise your voice to the heavens and sing
In harmony the universe will ring - will ring (will ring, will ring)

Singing
Walk on, walk on
Shine on, shine on
Take my love and carry on
Put your voice and your spirit in your song - my son

Now Mama's silent and her breath grows still
I'm loving her with all my will
In the space she leaves you can hear her voice
As I sing and the air becomes sweet noise

I'm singing
Walk on, walk on
Shine on, shine on
Oh, Mama Paris, your light lives on
Your voice and your spirit are in my song

I gotta
Walk on, walk on
Shine on, shine on
Oh, Mama Paris, your light lives on
Your voice and your spirit are in my song - you shine on

© 2008 Helena Nash
Album: Painting A Moving Train

Open To

Singing in the darkness
There I find the light
Feeling for the markers
To guide my sight

Beads between the fingers
Prayer flags on the wire
Kneel into the sweat lodge
Breathe into the fire

Hear the raven calling
Fearless in his flight
Rest in his protection
Let the winds tell time

Faith is believing
When the moment arrives
Your feet will stand on something
Or you'll be taught to fly

Chorus:
I am open
I release
I am open to all that the door could
Open to – open to
I… am open to

Take these thoughts of trouble
Feed them to the flame
Speak into the silence
The echo is my name

Bring it to the ocean
Build it in the sand
Let the wind and water
Wash this empty hand

Dive into the sunrise
Grass between my toes
Muscle stretching stronger
The grace within me grows

Tread our trail lightly
Talk with trusted tongue
Love as big as the dipper
That pours a billion suns

(Chorus)

Turn another corner
Write another page
Lift my eyes above
The platform of this stage

Thread another needle
Draw another line
Give the gifts I'm given
Grateful one more time

(Chorus)

Lokah Samastah sukhino bhavantu
Om shanti shanti shanti Om

Translation:
Let all beings be happy
Peace for all

The moon on the lake is a shimmering light
The stars in my eyes are gifts from the night
This quiet I treasure feeds my soul
The forest around me so long my home

The moss on the rocks is the softest of beds
As I lay down my heart and cushion my head
I’ve come here since I was a child
My playground, my teacher, this call of the wild

Now I raise my voice to sing with the frogs
Save us from the logger’s saw

These hills that I climb are as old as the wind
The trees below, the breath I breathe in
Our Children’s Forest plays in the light
Sways with the waters and heartbeats of life

I call into the rain that falls
Save us from the logger’s saw

Bridge:
What is the price of a parcel of air
The value of a tree that lives there
What if a council of creatures could make
A covenant forever, let no logger take

The trees, the wolves, the salmon stream
Ferns and mosses, the owl’s dreams
All daughters and sons, each red-legged frog
Lizards, birds, this home to us all

And now our children speak for us all
Save us from the logger’s saw
Save us from the logger’s saw

Sittin' on the lotus
What does it mean?
Add a little pepper
Make you smile or make you scream

Dive in inspiration
Flying down the stream
Apocalypse these chocolate lips
And see the things unseen

Chorus:
Sittin’ on the lotus
Blinking of an eye
Thinking’s hocus pocus
Like slithering of time

Where to put your motion
Where to plant the seeds
How to intersect this dialect
With all humanity

(Chorus)

Pour a little sugar
Sweetness for awhile
Distraction interaction
Drive a million miles

Jump into the TV
Forget you know to breathe
Or dance the dance of living
Dance the dance with me

(Chorus)

Wandering Seed (Where Is My Home?)

Chorus:
Where is my home?
Where do I belong?
Where am I going?
How can I stay strong?
Where is my home?
Where can I breathe?
Bless me with water
Plant this wandering seed
Where is my home?

He was just seven
When his family changed
Since daddy left them
His heart was never the same
There was a hole
That nothing could fill
So he took to wandering
And he's wondering still

(Chorus)

She's taken the anger
And bottled her tears
Put a spell on the rising wind
To blow her away from here
She says I am weary
Starting again
Like shadows on a moonless night
The darkness sets in

(Chorus)

What I Wouldn't Give

I will never know where the winds have blown before me
I will never see what hands were laid upon you
I can only see the pain you carry with you
In my arms I hold you now

I will never know what highways laid before you
Or the truckers who were your bus ride to school
Scarlet was the color in your dreams, you said
So while you sleep I hold you now

Chorus:
What I wouldn't give to release you
From the thoughts that fly inside your head
What I wouldn't give to simply love you
I am here, I hold you now

I will always look for the good I see inside you
When you're lost in the darkness swimming in your head
And I will lay the rainbow out before you
Rest your mind, I hold you now

(Chorus)

No fear, I hold you now
Breathe with me, I hold you now
Always know I'm holding you...

POETRY

But Please I Must Insist

But please I must insist
on this persistence
and resist the reluctance
that comes as I measure
the mission before me.

Drop the drivel
and stop the swivel
and mount the flowers on the balustrade
to parade the vision
before the masses.

What would I miss
were I to kiss the sweet face
of the entire race that
runs and rolls and strolls
under the sun?

We are wanting of nothing.

March 31, 3010

Butterfly

We gather our strength
and our voice
for this profound and humble
flight.
Creature of habit
we burst forth
from the cocoon of ineptitude,
drawing forth
our most beautiful patterns and hues.
Swish.
The wings extend
toward the sun and
the winds come
to carry the butterfly safely
to the light.

August 15, 2005

i am

i am
the anchor to the sun
the sprinter before the run
the pause before the night
the wing that longs for flight

i am
the marrow that loves the bone
the seed the fruit has sown
the ant the eater eats
the presence of peace

i am
the asking without words
the honey the bees have stirred
the tendril entwining light
the black that knows the white

i am
the dreamer dreaming dreams
the rock that guides the stream
the heat that burns the fire
the shaman reaching higher

i am
the heartbeat in the tone
the hearthside of the home
the hope in hopeless nights
the rooster who will not fight

i am
the bird who calls the dawn
the lover loving long
the weight that lifts the stone
the wish that finds its home

March 24, 2010

I Come To You

I come to you
and a landslide of joy
rumbles and releases
smoothing
any roughness of my landscape

My heart
lies under here
open
and amazed
by the new fallen snow

December 29, 2009

MANTRA

Aad Guray Nameh
Aad Guray Nameh
Jugaad Guray Nameh
Sat Guray Nameh
Siri Guroo Dayvay Nameh

I bow to the Primal Wisdom
I bow to the Wisdom of all the ages
I bow to the True Wisdom
I bow to the Great Invisible Wisdom

This is a mantra for protection. (Sanskrit, Sikh)

Gayatri Mantra
Om bhur bhuvaha svaha
Tat savitur varenyam
Bhargo devasya dhimahi
Dhiyo yonah prachodayat

This is a highly revered mantra in the Hindu tradition and translates to something like this: Praise to the source of all things. It is due to you that we attain true happiness on the planes of earth, astral, causal. It is due to your transcendent nature that you are worthy of being worshipped and adored. Ignite us with your all pervading light. (Sanskrit, Hindu)

Hare Krishna Mantra
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama
Rama Rama, Hare Hare

This mantra also known as the Maha mantra, or “Great" mantra. It's a sacred poem recited for its ability to promote higher consciousness and God-realization. The mantra consists of the repetition of the names of three Hindu deities – Hare, Krishna and Rama. Hare refers to either the energy of Hari (Lord Vishnu) or Hara (Krishna's consort, Shakti). Krishna and Rama are the names of two avatars of Lord Vishnu. (Sanskrit, Hindu)

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Nam derives from the Sanskrit word 'namu' or 'namas' meaning 'to devote oneself'. Myoho:- Myoho literally means Mystic Law – the eternal truth or principle that permeates all phenomena.

Another translation would be "I devote myself to the Lotus Sutra" or I devote myself to the Buddha inside me and awaken it to experience life at its deepest level. (Sanskrit, Buddhist)

Om (also spelled Aum) is believed to be the origin of all sound.

Om Asatomo
Om asatomo satgamaya
Tamasoma jyotir gamaya
Mrityorma amritamgamaya
Om shanti shanti shanti

Translation:
Lead me from darkness to the light
Lead me from death to immortality
Om peace, peace, peace

Take us from the false to the truth, from darkness to light, from poison to nectar. (Sanskrit, Hindu)

Om Gum Ganapatayei Namah is a Sanskrit mantra that is typically translated as “salutations to the remover of obstacles.” It is one of many mantras chanted to the Hindu god, Ganesh, who is also known as Ganapati or Ganapatayei and is recognizable by his elephant's head. He is, as the mantra suggests, the remover of obstacles who brings success, but he is also the god of beginnings and is associated with arts and sciences, knowledge and wisdom. (Sanskrit, Hindu)

Om Namah Shivaya calls upon the highest, purest Self. This mantra may be considered an act of respectfully bowing to Shiva as the “true Self,” identifying that each person is eternal, even after the body is destroyed. (Sanskrit, Hindu)

Sat Nam means True Name, which is one way to say "God." (Gurmukhi, Sikh)

Shima
Shima shima shima shima
Shima shima
Shi- maya

Shima means love. (Hopi)

Tikun Olam
Tikun Olam, Tikun Olam
Tikun Olam, Bakesh Shalom

Tikun Olam is a Jewish concept defined by acts of kindness performed to perfect or repair the world. Bakesh Shalom means to work for peace. While this is not a traditional chant, Tikun Olam is a deeply held concept in the Jewish tradition and can be sung as a chant. (Hebrew, Judaism)

Wahe Guru can be translated as "I am in ecstasy when I experience the Indescribable Wisdom" as we go from darkness to light, from ignorance to true understanding. Wahe Guru is the Infinite teacher of the soul. (Gurmukhi, Sikh)

Note: There are many translations and interpretations of these chants. Those offered here are sourced from a number of resources. In parenthesis at the end of each chant is the language and tradition from which the chants originates, to the best of my knowledge.