1. |
We Are One
04:41
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A breath of wind, a drop of rain
Sunshine brings hope again
Fallow fields that bloom and grow
In a rhythm nature knows
When we wish upon a star
And we wonder who were are
Will we recognize our place
In the universal space?
And all the walls around us crumble in the sun
And the ties that bind us remind us we are one
Way-o-o-way-o-o Way-o-o-way-o-o
Way-o-o-way-o-way-o-o-o Way-o
Every atom in our bones
Every spark that lights our souls
Navigating space and time
Connecting life of every kind
And all the walls around us crumble in the sun
And the ties that bind us remind us we are one
Way-o-o-way-o-o Way-o-o-way-o-o
Way-o-o-way-o-way-o-o-o Way-o
When we borrow this ole world
From our children we are told
Treading lightly we must go
In a rhythm that God knows
And all the walls around us crumble in the sun
And the ties that bind us remind us we are one
Way-o-o-way-o-o Way-o-o-way-o-o
Way-o-o-way-o-way-o-o-o Way-o
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2. |
The Next Ghost Train
03:21
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I cast my eyes to distant shores across the deep blue sea. And dream of places radiating light and mystery.
I point my sextant to a star and shed no farewell tear. With billowed sail I’ll catch the wind to take me far from here.
And when the walls are closing in it’s more than I can bear. And when the season never changes I’ll sail away I swear.
I walk along the rusty rail and hop the next ghost train. Where I’m bound I won’t be found. I’m free at last again.
And when the walls are closing in it’s more than I can bear. And when the season never changes I’ll roll away I swear.
And now I sit here in my room and watch the birds outside. And dream I grew two feathered wings so I can touch the sky.
And when the walls are closing in it’s more than I can bear. And when the season never changes I’ll fly away I swear.
And when the walls are closing in it’s more than I can bear. And when the season never changes I’ll fly away I swear.
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3. |
Canadian Snow
03:18
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November lingered long, the winds through bare trees whining
We had no heart for song, to sombre scenes resigning
The temper of the gale, that drove dead leaves and litter
Was worse than winter’s mail, more piercing, harsh and bitter
One night the tempest ceased, the blowing braggart sighing
His rampart rule released, behind a cloud lay dying
Out of a burdened sky, silently fluttering down
Myriad, mute and shy, soft the snow fell on the town
Not as the driving rain, dash in deluge brawling
Noiseless, on the porch and pane, mystical snow came falling
Then with the beaming dawn we woke in wonder to see
Glittering garlands drawn garnishing the hedge and tree
Even the humblest thing adopted a grandeur rare
Beauty had fallen to cling bespangled and sparking there
Over the countryside the far flung cover was laid
Give to aid and provide virtues that nature made
Softly, the season throws her cover warm and deep
Lulls the Lady of the Snow into her winter of sleep
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4. |
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There's an island nestled in the bay
Where once a Christian mission prayed
For the Mississauga souls who came
To seek salvation from their pain
Their hearts will always beat to the rhythm of the lakes and trees
Their hearts will always beat in the land where the Ojibway meet
They learned to farm and read and write
In a changing world just to survive
And missionaries some became
In hopes their people they might save
Their hearts will always beat to the rhythm of the lakes and trees
Their hearts will always beat in the land where the Ojibway meet
There's a little girl with raven hair
Who folds her hands in silent prayer
In a chapel where she goes to hear
The word of God to love and fear
Her heart will always beat to the rhythm of the lakes and trees
Her heart will always beat in the land where the Ojibway meet
Their hearts will always beat to the rhythm of the lakes and trees
Their hearts will always beat in the land where the Ojibway meet
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5. |
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In the year of our Lord, Eighteen Hundred Nineteen
On the Twenty-ninth of August, on Sunday I mean
Joy and exuberance in the air all around
Would soon turn to sorrow at Adolphustown
The people were all in good health and in prime
All modestly clothed in apparel so fine
To church they were going, their God to adore
To reach the said place on Hay Bay they crossed o'er
The boat was small and their number eighteen
To go altogether they all ventured in
They launched away singing a sweet exercise
But danger before them was hid from their eyes
The voice of Jehovah speaks to us all
Always be ready to go at his call
And when we remember these mournful times o'er
Death may be waiting to enter your door
The boat being leaky the water came in
To bail with their hats they too late did begin
They looked at each other and began for to weep
The boat filled with water and sank in the deep
Their friends on the shore then for help flew with speed
Eight of the number from the water were freed
There were brothers and sisters and parents also
But soon the sad story would fill them with woe
There was John and Jane German, Peter Bogart also
There was Mary and Jane Detlor in the waters below
Matilda Roblin and Betsy McCay
Betsy Clark, Huldah Madden and sweet Mary Cole
Their coffins were open for all public view
That all might behold them and bid them adieu
But now we must leave them beneath the cold ground
Till Gabriel's trumpet shall ring the last song
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6. |
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From Muskegon to Kincardine to the Port of Napanee
Twas n'ere a schooner strong and fast that sailed the inland sea
Than the Lyman Davis fore n aft, a thoroughbred to all
Alas she met a savage end on her last port of call
She was built by Swedish shipwrights in the year of seventy-three
On the shores of great Lake Michigan from the finest white oak trees
When Chicago rose from ash and ruin, the timber she did haul
And all around the upper lakes to every port of call
The schooner men who took her helm they marveled at her grace
She cut through stormy waters and she shed the spume and spray
Nine taut sails she proudly wore, the mainsail standing tall
Her cordage whistled in the wind speeding to her port of call
Sail on, sail on. Rise from the bottom, sail on
Sail on, oh sail on. For your captains and crew sail on
In later years she shuttled coal on Lake Ontario
To Kingston and the Quinte ports from the docks of Oswego
She pleased her owners everyone, money found them all
Up to the day when she was sold to her last port of call
So off she sailed Toronto bound in nineteen thirty-four
Where she was set ablaze one night and the crowd let out a roar
Peanuts, popcorn, cracker-jacks amusement for them all
When the Lyman Davis sank below her last port of call
Sail on, sail on. Rise from the bottom, sail on
Sail on, oh sail on. For your captains and crew sail on
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7. |
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In little packages kindness comes
Delivered to us one by one
No fancy fanfare to beguile
Just a kindly word and friendly smile
To ease our heavy hearts awhile
And on this sad and mournful day
When comfort we so crave
A simple act of kindness comes
Along to ease our pain
And in the light of God's good grace
All gathered round we pray
And to our good friend bid farewell
To meet again one day
In little packages kindness flows
To one another to and fro
No shiny bows or wraps to tear
Just a simple act that someone cares
To ease our troubled souls we bare
And on this sad and mournful day
When comfort we so crave
A simple act of kindness comes
Along to ease our pain
And in the light of God's good grace
All gathered round we pray
And to our good friend bid farewell
To meet again one day
To meet again one day
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8. |
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Gentleman Bruce and Roughshod Jim
Wily Wild Bill and Big Bad Ben
Four of the toughest bootleg men
Bearing gifts Canadian
Go Rumrunners across the lake to the thirsty United States
You better be quick and you better be bold
When the gunboats come for the liquid gold
Sitting on top of Main Duck Isle
Ole King Cole with a great big smile
He makes his money from the fishermen
Running whisky, beer and gin
Go Rumrunners across the lake to the thirsty United States
You better be quick and you better be bold
When the gunboats come for the liquid gold
Packing up crates of Corby booze
From Prince Edward County we cruise
To Sodus Bay on the U.S. side
To keep the gin joints from running dry
Go Rumrunners across the lake to the thirsty United States
You better be quick and you better be bold
When the gunboats come for the liquid gold
Now I count my money when the day is done
And thank my honey for a coke and rum
And understand in the land of the free
You can't get a drink there legally !
Go Rumrunners across the lake to the thirsty United States
You better be quick and you better be bold
When the gunboats come for the liquid gold
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9. |
The Sunflower Prayer
02:13
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The Sunflower Prayer (Sonyashnykova Molytva)
Bury me in the garden blooming. Set me free where the air is sweet. Shed no tear in this darkened hour. My way is clear as the light draws near.
I touch the sky on an angel soaring. Way up high to another life. I walk with him in the hallowed garden. Where flowers brim in the light of him.
I send my love to a family grieving. Thinking of them from high above. We'll meet again when the Lord is ready. We'll meet again in the garden.
Find your peace in a flower's beauty. Yellow fields and a sky of blue. I'll be there when the fields are blooming. And the sunflowers smile on you.
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10. |
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Like an old family portrait hanging proudly on the wall
A faded brick facade looks out by the waterfall
And as the wheels of change keep turning in our town
We remember Gibbard Furniture the day it got torn down
We survived the Great Depression and the fires we withstood
But now a flood of cheap imports has shut us down for good
And even though the writing was written on the wall
I never thought I'd ever see so many teardrops fall
Built before Confederation, Eighteen Thirty-five
We remember Gibbard Furniture each time we stroll on by
There's a certain pride I must confide when a craftsman handles wood
To fashion into furniture, the finest in the world
A long and lasting legacy made in Napanee
Still I hear McPherson cheer, "Horah to quality!"
Underneath the picture window in my living room
Stands a solid walnut desk, an antique and heirloom
Many cards and letters were written through the years
Written on this Gibbard desk with laughter, love and tears
Built before Confederation, Eighteen Thirty-five
We remember Gibbard Furniture each time we stroll on by
From across the street I say goodbye and pay my last respects
With every brick that tumbles down I bury my regrets
For like a phoenix rising from the dust and ash
There rises up a District new while honoring our past
Built before Confederation, Eighteen Thirty-five
We remember Gibbard Furniture each time we stroll on by
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Stephen Bruce Medd Music Greater Napanee, Ontario
Stephen Bruce Medd is a performing songwriter of historical Folk ballads and spiritual songs. Stephen assisted Avril Lavigne in her early development by writing 3 songs for her that were Avril's first-ever studio recordings. His songs are inspired by the remote and beautiful Canadian landscapes that he traveled as an exploration geologist; historical events and civil rights issues. ... more
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