198. Loosen

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Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:12
Start time of reprise: 00:16:10

Lyrics:

Loosen, loosen, baby
You don’t have to carry
The weight of the world in your muscles and bones
Let go, let go, let go

Holy breath, and holy name
Will you ease, will you ease this pain
Oh holy breath, and holy name, will you ease this pain?

Song: Loosen
Music by: Aly Halpert

Notes: Written in 2017, this song by Aly Halpert catapulted its way around songleader circles, shared friend to friend, sung in cars and buses, after dinners, on walks, between dances, around fires, beside rivers and on beaches. I learned it in 2019, and it has accompanied me since through the pandemic, an intense year of many deep losses, over to Europe twice, in groups, with single friends, and alone. Some songs are like sunscreen in summer, a warm coat for winter. You may already know this one; please enjoy singing it with me. It may be new to you -- may it spread wider, carrying its healing, kind reminder to loosen.

Songwriter Info: Aly Halpert (she/her) is a queer Jewish musician, educator, and activist living on Lenni Lenape land in Philadelphia, PA, USA. A singer, pianist, drummer, and guitar player, Aly writes songs for building community and visioning different worlds. Aly leads music and prayer for Jewish community, including Let My People Sing, Kol Tzedek Synagogue, Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action, and Hadar's Rising Song Institute. Her songs have been sung in national gatherings, song circles, and quiet moments of personal prayer, and have moved people all over the world. Her first full-band album Loosen was released in April 2022 with Rising Song Records. Aly believes deeply in the power of music to awaken us to the loss and hope we carry, expand our sense of possibility, and connect us to each other and our collective strength.

Sharing Info: The song is free to share in oral tradition groups. Aly welcomes financial and/or networking support, she would like to be contacted re: recording/performing permissions, and she appreciates donations when used by organizations with means.

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:12
Start time of reprise: 00:16:10

Links:
Aly's website: https://www.alyhalpert.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/alyhalpertmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alhalpal 
Loosen with Aly on Bandcamp (great opportunity to support her directly!): https://alyhalpert.bandcamp.com/album/loosen

Nuts & Bolts: 6:8, minor, 2 layers, optional harmony, optional round

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