Songs
Singing simple songs together is a magical way to bring a group together and lift their spirits. We often begin and end our gatherings with singing.
The songs in this section are mostly adapted from existing songs to make them simple and able to be learned quickly in the moment. Sometimes they are only a chorus or maybe a piece of a song repeated.
Georgia Rose Maxwell (Park), who has so generously recorded the melody of these songs for us with Jesse Manno, taught us many of these and the others came from the travels of the TTW team over the years.
Song List
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Sing, Dance, Come on, Come on - Learned in the oral tradition from Ysaye Barnwell
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When I Rise - Excerpt from Plum Village song written by Thich Phapttoa
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Deep Blue Sea - Words: Adapted by John Bell. Song: American folk song built from an English ballad
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All I Ask of You - Adapted from a Quaker hymn by Gregory Norbet merged with a fragment of a Sufi song in Arabic
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Woke Up This Morning - Adapted from an African American spiritual by Rev. Osby of Aurora, IL
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Peace Like a River - Traditional African American Spiritual
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The Rolling Sea - Excerpt from a Bahamian Spiritual via Ysaye Barnwell
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So Glad I’m Here - Traditional African American Spiritual from the Georgia Sea Islands via Bessie Jones
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Break ‘Em On Down - A Round by Harmony Grisman
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If We Ever Needed Love Before - Adapted from gospel song by Thomas A. Dorsey
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Love Grows - Adapted from a longer song by Carol Johnson, taught to us by my granddaughters, Jayda and Lila
Knowing Love
Adapted from a song by Kay Gardner
Knowing love, my heart is open to the light
Knowing love, my heart is open to the light
Knowing love, my heart is open to the light
Knowing love, my heart is open.
Knowing joy, my heart is open to the light…
Knowing peace, my heart is open to the light…
Knowing play, my heart is open to the light…
Knowing dance, my heart is open to the light…
Knowing you, my heart is open to the light…
Knowing love, my heart is open to the light
Sing, Dance, Come on, Come on…
Learned in the oral tradition from Ysaye Barnwell
Sing, dance, come on, come on
Sing, dance, come on, come on
Sing dance, come on, come on,
Come on sing and dance.
When I Rise
Excerpt from Plum Village song written by Thich Phapttoa
When I rise (When I rise)
Let me rise (Let me rise)
Like a bird (Like a bird)
Joyfully (Joyfully)
Joyfully (Joyfully)
And when I fall (And when I fall)
Let me fall (Let me fall)
Like a leaf (Like a leaf)
Without regret (Without regret)
Gracefully (Gracefully)
Deep Blue Sea
Words: Adapted by John Bell.
Song: American folk song built form an English ballad
Deep blue sea baby, deep blue sea (three times)
Now there’s peace in all the land and o’er the deep blue sea
Sleep my child you are safe and sound (three times)
Now there’s peace in all the land and o’er the deep blue sea
Love of life finally turned the tide (three times)
Now there’s peace in all the land and o’er the deep blue sea
All I Ask of You
Adapted from a Quaker hymn by Gregory Norbet merged with a fragment of a Sufi song in Arabic
All I ask of you is forever to remember me as loving you.
All I ask of you is forever to remember me as loving you.
Ishq Allah Mahabud Líllah, Ishq Allah Mahabud Líllah
(Sounds like: Ish kha-a lah may eh bood leh lah)
(repeat from the top)
Woke Up This Morning
Adapted from an African American spiritual by Rev. Osby of Aurora, IL
Well I woke up this morning with my mind
stayed on freedom (three times)
Hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah!
Well it ain’t no harm to keep your mind
stayed on freedom (three times)
Hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah!
Well I’m walkin’ and talkin’…
Well I’m teachin’ and workin’…
Well I’m singin’ and dancin’…
Peace Like a River
Traditional African American Spiritual
I've got peace like a river
I've got peace like a river
I've got peace like a river in my soul
I've got peace like a river
I've got peace like a river
I've got peace like a river in my soul
I've got love like an ocean
I've got love like an ocean
I've got love like an ocean in my soul
I've got love like an ocean
I've got love like an ocean
I've got love like an ocean in my soul
I've got joy like a fountain
I've got joy like a fountain
I've got joy like a fountain in my soul
I've got joy like a fountain
I've got joy like a fountain
I've got joy like a fountain in my soul
I've got peace like a river…
The Rolling Sea
Excerpt from a Bahamian Spiritual via Ysaye Barnwell
I was on the rolling sea when my heart spoke to me
I was on the rolling see oh let it roll
I was on the rolling sea when my heart spoke to me
Let it roll, let it roll, oh let it roll…
So Glad I’m Here
Traditional African American Spiritual from the Georgia Sea Islands via Bessie Jones
I’m so glad I’m here,
So glad I’m here,
So glad I’m here,
Everyday
Well I’m so glad I’m here
Yes I’m so glad I’m here
So glad I’m here, every day
I’m gonna sing while I’m here
Sing while I’m here,
Sing while I’m here
Everyday
Sing while I’m here
Sing while I’m here
Sing while I’m here, every day
And I’ll dance while I’m here…
And I’ll love while I’m here…
And I’m gonna laugh while I’m here
Break ‘Em On Down
A Round by Harmony Grisman
Break ‘em on down, Break ‘em on down
Break ‘em on down these walls between us (two times)
B r e a k ‘em on down,
Break ‘em on down these walls between us (two times)
Break these walls
Break these walls down (two times)
We Are The Rising Sun
We are the rising sun
We are the change
We are the ones we’ve been waiting for
And we are dawning
We Gather Together
We gather together to celebrate life
We gather together to celebrate love (x2)
We bring a new way to walk on the earth (x2)
If We Ever Needed Love Before
Adapted from gospel song by Thomas A. Dorsey
If we ever needed love before
We sure do need her (it) now
We sure do need her (it) now
Oh we sure do need her now
If we ever needed love before
We sure do need her (it) now
We need her every day and every hour
If we ever needed joy before…
If we ever needed hope before…
If we ever needed freedom before…
If we ever needed friends before…
If we ever needed friends before…
If we ever needed our hearts before…
Love Grows
Adapted from a longer song by Carol Johnson, taught to us by my granddaughters, Jayda and Lila
Love grows one by one
Two by two
And four by four
Love grows round in a circle
And comes back knocking on my heart’s door