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    243. Mountain River

    Song: Mountain River

    Music by:  Kjersten Hallin


    Song Learning Time Stamps:


    Start of teaching: 00:03:19

    Start of reprise: 00:22:16



    Lyrics:


    Love flowing like

    a mountain river

    Above and below

    Without, within

    We mirror the light

    Glowing from the sun

    and the stars

    So let it be known:

    We are here to be who we are (back to the top)


    (Undercurrent)

    Love Flow, Light Glow


    Image description

    Notes: I absolutely adore the way this song embodies a river by having a low, slow undercurrent that lasts longer than the bubbling, swirling upper layer -- and the two layers sound different on top of each other in different places. As I sing it, I can feel into being the light sparkle on top and the dark fertile below... both needed. Which part calls to you to sing today?

     

    Songwriter Info:

    Kjersten Hallin (Pronounced Shares-ten Ha-leen) is a Community Song Weaver, Artist and Beauty Activist, Grief Tender, Earth Steward, Producer of Cascadia Song Rise, Eco-Edutainer and Youth Outreach Specialist. Kjersten is of Swedish/Norwegian ancestry, born on Lakota/Anishnaabe land (Minneapolis, Minnesota) and currently living/singing/practicing in the unceded Kalapuyan homelands of Champinefu (Corvallis, Oregon).


    Kjersten’s songs spring from an intimate relationship with the beauty of the living world and her/their name literally translates to “Love Stone”. Attuning and tending to the aliveness of all beings, seen and unseen, past-present-future, human and more-than-human, is at the core of Kjersten’s work and purpose. She/They believes that songs themselves are living beings that are fed by our singing.


    Kjersten leads monthly CommUnity BlesSings song circles and Community Grief Rituals in Champinefu/Corvallis, produces an annual song gathering in the Cascadia Bioregion, offers musical climate action presentations to local schools and youth groups, tends to several gardens and two grown children, and makes art and beauty of all kinds, walking humbly and gently on this precious planet.


    Sharing Info: The song is free to share but Kjersten always welcome financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved.

     

    Links:

    Kjersten's Music: https://kjerstenhallin.bandcamp.com/music

    Kjersten's GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-the-songs-and-love-flowing-in-corvallis

    Kjersten's Instagram: @kj_creatrix https://www.instagram.com/kj_creatrix

    Eco-Edutainment: https://nofoodleftbehindcorvallis.org/videos/

     

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, minor, 2-part round with different length parts

     

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    242. Ribbon 19: Down to the River

    The Sunday after this episode is released, July 26th, 2026, at 4 p.m. Eastern time, there will be an online gathering of folk who use song to help navigate life -- and we'll sing through this Ribbon of Songs with live-looping! To learn more, click here, or sign up right now to join us!

    Lyrics & Links to the original episodes for the songs in this ribbon.

    Image description

    176. An Open Heart

    by Scott Kalichstein

    travelled version (song 2)


    I'm gonna let life move me,

    I'm gonna let life stir me deep,

    I'm gonna let life wake me 

    from an ancient sleep.

    I'm gonna laugh all my laughter,

    I'm gonna cry all my tears.

    I'm gonna love the rain as deeply as

    the sun when it clears.


    Image description

    96. Beautiful Rain 

    with singer Rebecca Csuy

    mysterious origins

    Patricia wrote 2nd part


    Rain, rain, rain, rain, 

    beautiful rain.

    Rain, rain, rain, rain, 

    beautiful rain.

    Rain falling down on the plains,

    On the roofs of our towns,

    Beautiful rain.


    Rain, rain, rain, rain, 

    beautiful rain.

    Rain, rain, rain, rain, 

    beautiful rain.

    Rain falling down on the plains,

    Rooftop raindrops, 

    rooftop raindrops falling,

    Beautiful rain.


    Image description

    218. The River

    by Coco Love Alcorn


    Bass part:

    Dum t-ka dum dum dum k

    Dum t-ka dum dum dum k

    Dum t-ka dum dum dum dum

    Dum t-ka dum dum dum k


    Melody:

    1. The river is a healer, 

    the river is a sage.

    The river knows no end and 

    the river feels no age.

    The river is a leader 

    every single day,

    It's living in the moment and 

    it always finds a way.


    Chorus:

    Water heal my body, 

    water heal my soul.

    When I go down down to the water,

    by the water I feel whole.


    2. The river calls me over, 

    it's calling out my name

    In the day and in the night 

    I hear that river all the same.

    It's calling me over, 

    calling out my pain,

    oh a river gathers tears 

    just like a river gathers rain.


    3. The river is a traveller, 

    always on the go

    A river never worries 

    if it's fast or if it's slow

    River take me 

    to where I need to go,

    Oh and I will just relax 

    and let the river flow.

    Image description

    39Stand In That River

    by Moira Smiley


    Chorus: 

    Come and stand in that river, 

    Current, gentle and slow,

    Send your troubles down water, 

    Down on that water flow.


    Verse: 

    When you stand in that river, 

    Angels sing in your head.

    Secrets beyond every worry. 

    Dreams beyond every dread.

    Image description

    176. An Open Heart

    by Scott Kalichstein

    original version


    I wanna let life touch me, 

    wanna let life move me deep, 

    Wanna let life stir me,

    from an ancient sleep.


    May I laugh all my laughter, 

    may I cry all my tears, 

    may I love the rain as deeply as the sun when it clears.


    Living my life with an open heart.

    Image description

    129. Inner Peace

    by Kate Valentine


    I am the deep peace I seek, 

    I am, I am,


    Look upon the rolling ocean

    Look above the sky unfolding

    All around the tide is turning

    Right here I am standing.



    

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    241. Sing Your Roots with guest singers

    Song: Sing Your Roots

    Music by:  Eileen Hazel


    Song Learning Time Stamps:

    Start of teaching: 00:02:44

    Start of reprise: 00:13:13


    Guest Singers: Becky Peterson, Karen Chickering, Molly Moerdyk


    Lyrics:


    Sing your roots into the soil, deep within the earth


    Sing of sea and sky and land, all that gave you birth


    Sing a song of earthly praise,

    sing it to the stars


    Sing your truest inner song, remember who you are




    Image description

    Notes: There's a slightly strange sound quality in this one, as something weird was going on with my mic when recording... maybe we were so rooted and grounded singing this that we changed the electricity in the room?! I invited three friends over to sing Eileen's round with me, and a little delightful chaos ensued... pick a place to start singing the song, with one of us or in between us, and see what happens. I wonder how we would all be if we felt that sense of deep rootedness, combined with a rise to the stars?

     

    Songwriter Info: After many years of singing, composing, and performing, Elieen discovered her deepest love in community singing. The joy and deep connection found in singing together deeply fed her soul. Since 2023, Elieen has been facilitating community song circles in the East Bay. She especially loves co-facilitating with other song leaders and cultivating spaces that feel joyful, welcoming, and harmonious. In the last few years, Eileen's connection to the Muse has opened in new ways. The songs flowing through her are now largely created for community singing—meant to be shared, experienced, and sung together. The songs she creates emanate from a place of spirit, drawing inspiration from her profound connection to the natural world, and to our communities. Visit her website (eileenhazel.com) to see what’s coming up.

     

    Sharing Info: Yes -- The song is free to share but Eileen always welcomes financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved.

     

    Links:

    Eileen's Website: eileenhazel.com

    Bandcamp to buy music: https://eileenhazel.bandcamp.com/.

    More music on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/eileen-hazel

    Eileen's own recording of Sing Your Roots: https://soundcloud.com/eileen-hazel/sing-your-roots

     

    Nuts & Bolts: 3:4, minor, round

     

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  • Published on

    231. Road Trip: Kingston Three-fer

    Song Learning Time Stamps:


    Lifted

    Intro: 00:04:42

    Start of teaching: 00:09:40

    Start of reprise: 00:47:37


    Present Moment, Sacred Moment

    Intro: 00:14:01

    Start of teaching: 00:20:03

    Start of reprise: 00:48:30


    I Am Grateful Deep Down

    Intro: 00:31:56

    Start of teaching: 00:32:45

    Start of reprise: 00:49:04

    Lyrics:


    Lifted

    by Wendy Luella Perkins

    something’s been lifted

    and now I know

    been carrying so much

    so much on my own


    in circles of friendship

    story and song

    in circles of earth, sun, moon

    we keep rising with the dawn


    Present Moment, Sacred Moment

    by Steph Drouin

    Part 1

    Present moment, cha-cha

    Sacred moment

    Ah-ah-ah, ah-oh-wa!


    Part 2

    We are living in a

    Sacred moment

    Ah-ah-ah, ah-oh-wa!


    Part 3

    Present moment

    Only moment

    Sacred moment

    This moment

    Ah-ah, ah-oh-oh-oh-wa!


    I Am Grateful Deep Down

    by Paul Barton

    I am grateful deep down, deep, way down deep.

    Image description

    Notes: Our first road trip stop is Kingston, Ontario in Canada, where I got to meet up with three delightful songleaders – and we sang SO many good songs over the weekend! It was impossible to narrow down to one, so this episode is a three-fer, and you get three very different songs, one from each songleader. You hear us playing; making up harmonies on the spot, trying to get the words in the right order – this is an unrehearsed, “what-can-happen-when-you-put-four-people-who-love-songs-into-one-room?” kind of moment. We had such a good time doing it and hope you get to catch our joy as you sing with us.



    Song 1: Lifted

    Music by: Wendy Luella Perkins


    Songwriter Info: Wendy Luella Perkins founded SOULFUL SINGING (singing meditation for all) in 2002. An ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, she shares "short-on-words, long-on-meaning; easy-to-learn, hard-to-forget" songs in the oral tradition. Soulful Singing fosters depth and uplift, resonance and healing, connection and community. 


    Enjoy singing in community? Had a fourth grade teacher who told you to mouth the words? Dedicated shower singer? Shy about singing out loud? Love to belt it out? Committed chorister? Everyone is warmly welcomed into the circle of song. Wendy Luella strongly believes that connecting with our singing voices has beneficial effects on many, many areas of life, including enhancing our capacities to trust ourselves and to learn and grow with others. 


    Back in March 2020, Wendy Luella, who is based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada responded to the call of our times by taking Soulful Singing online "for a couple of weeks until this whole pandemic thing blew over". She has been singing via zoom every single morning at 9am, and Thursdays at 6pm (ET) since then. EVERYONE is welcome to attend these gatherings. More than 200 of her original Soulful Singing songs are available on tiktok @wendyluellaperkins. She is also working on an online song library of her original songs. Find out more at info@wendyluellaperkins.com. 


    Sharing Info: The song is free to share in oral tradition groups, but please contact Wendy for recording and/or performing permission. When sharing in a money-making venture, like a workshop, class, or performance, please contact Wendy for permission and rates.


    Song Learning Time Stamps:

    Intro: 00:04:42

    Start of teaching: 00:09:40

    Start of reprise: 00:47:37


    Links:

    Wendy's website: www.wendyluellaperkins.com

    Soulful Singing with Wendy Luella: info@wendyluellaperkins.com


    Nuts & Bolts: slow 4; major, unison, harmonies optional



    Song 2: Present Moment, Sacred Moment

    Music by: Steph Drouin


    Songwriter Info: Steph Drouin (she/her) is a community song leader, singer, songwriter, and Expressive Arts Therapist based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. For over a decade, she has guided people of all abilities into easeful, joyful, and healing singing experiences. She has helped sow the seeds of community singing throughout Toronto and across Ontario with groups such as Sing for Joy, and in 2019 founded her own social enterprise, Fiercely OK.


    Through Fiercely OK, Steph offers weekly in‑person and online song circles with her partner, Paul Barton, as well as special events with visiting artists such as Coco Love Alcorn and Luke Wallace - all in the spirit of nourishing a vibrant, connected singing community. Her most recent project includes co‑creating Kingston Pop Choir with Paul.


    Informed by a lifelong relationship with anxiety, Steph writes and teaches songs that help people embrace their full, messy humanity and stay connected to their sense of being OK. She is known for her warm, playful presence and her ability to create spaces where people feel safe to show up exactly as they are.


    Steph completed the Community Choir Leadership Training program and Lisa Littlebird’s Flight School in 2018, and is a graduate of the three‑year Expressive Arts Therapy program at the CREATE Institute. In 2024, she moved back to Kingston to be closer to family and to share her gifts with her home community.


    Sharing Info: Steph says:

    "I encourage (and am trying to remember to practice) a slow culture of learning and sharing songs - taking time to embody the notes, rhythms, and stories behind them, and to build relationships with the people who wrote them. Please take your time and enjoy singing this song, and if you feel moved to share it, please do. You have my permission! 


    Keep it as close to the original as you can to start. If your group wants to play with adding other layers or harmonies later, this is most welcome. This songs invites being in the present moment; whatever comes out being in the moment while singing this song belongs in it! I just ask that the song be taught first as it came to me (and my nephew). If you would like to teach it differently from what you heard on A Breath of Song, please reach out.


    I encourage forms of reciprocity that align with your gifts and context. Here are some I love:

    - Tell me or show me what it was like to share the song with your community. It's fun to see how songs travel! 

    - Come sing with us (Paul and me), in person or online. Learn the songs directly from us and hear their stories. This feels important - it means so much when folks carry the songs with an intimate sense of their origins and intricacies.

    - Song swaps! If you also write songlets, let’s exchange. I love being in meaningful song‑sharing relationships with other song leaders. This kind of reciprocity feels alive and good.

    - Financial reciprocity. If you have room in your budget or are making oodles of money (more than a living wage), we'd love for you to send a little our way. For non-performing groups, folks generally send $25-50 per song or $1 per singer (whichever is greater). Performing or recording rates would be a little higher. For Canadians, e‑transfer works well; otherwise, Wise is my preferred option.

    - Follow and share our work. Join the Fiercely OK mailing list, follow us on social media, and help spread the word to folks who would enjoy what we offer.

    - Patreon. I’ll be adding my songs to Patreon this year, and I’d love for you to join me there as a monthly patron.

    If you have any other ideas, send them my way!"


    Song Learning Time Stamps:

    Intro: 00:14:01

    Start of teaching: 00:20:03

    Start of reprise: 00:48:30


    Links:

    Join the Fiercely OK Mailing List!

    https://forms.gle/97Y9hQn55HHL1kHP7 

    Website: https://www.fiercelyok.ca/ 

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephdrouin3973 

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fiercelyok/ & https://www.instagram.com/therestlessinchoirer/ 

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FiercelyOK/ 

    Join our online song circles! The next series begins May 11th, 2026.

    https://www.fiercelyok.ca/online-weekly-song-circles 

    If you're ever in the Kingston-Toronto area, come sing with us in person! We offer weekly song circles and a monthly pop choir in Kingston, and occasional workshops in Toronto.

    I'll be getting my songs up on Patreon this year. There's nothing up there yet, but you can be the first to get updates here:

    https://patreon.com/fiercelyok?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink 


    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, mixolydian, 3-layer song

     


    Song 3: I Am Grateful Deep Down

    Music by: Paul Barton


    Songwriter Info: Known by some as a musical “wizard,” Paul makes clever use of his education in Jazz guitar and experience as a professional musician to help song circles run seamlessly. His songs, infused with his passions for the environment, community, and mental health, are among the most requested songs in the Fiercely OK singing community. His simple melodies carry deep truths right to the heart.


    Sharing Info: The song is free to share but Paul always welcomes financial and/or networking support if/when folks are so moved. The best way to support Paul's songwriting is on Patreon.


    Song Learning Time Stamps:

    Intro: 00:31:56

    Start of teaching: 00:32:45

    Start of reprise: 00:49:04


    Links:

    Paul's website: https://www.paulbarton.ca/ 

    Paul's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/paulbartonmusic 


    Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, major, harmonized

     


    Extra links: 

    Lone Wolf by Steph Drouin and Aimee Ringle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SFrSkZ-0Hs 

    Thich Nhat Hanh: “Present moment, wonderful moment” https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/710946/present-moment-wonderful-moment-revised-edition-by-thich-nhat-hanh/9781952692239 

    500 Days in the Wild https://tctrail.ca/dianne-whelan-documentary/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21899380530&gbraid=0AAAAABzGiwLd2QCJzToHLUN4HbIpFlKx_&gclid=CjwKCAjwtcHPBhADEiwAWo3sJpemebM5-j0FsOefQ1hxcS4-spp7nBB2-QlQnybCRxiX9UxcfU5bQxoCO68QAvD_BwE

    Present Moment, Sacred Moment movement video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZedwiqraNQ



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  • Published on

    228. All Call This Home

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:06
    Start time of reprise: 00:15:28
    Lyrics:

    Rock dove roosting on a roofline
    Willow thicket on a highway island
    Dandelion in a sidewalk crack
    Muddy puddle with a raccoon track

    You are never alone, and
    We all call this home, and

    You, are, never alone
    We, all, are wild animals


    -Plainfield, VT April 16, 2025
    Picture
    Song: All Call This Home
    Music by: Heidi Wilson

    Notes: Heidi Wilson has devoted herself to the craft of songweaving -- and it shows! My groups have all loved this song -- a great mix of almost-rap with sweet harmony swells, and trading back and forth playfully. Once it's in your head, it stays, providing a rhythmic counterpart to walks and a sweet sense of neighborliness with all our more-than-human kin.

    Songwriter Info: Heidi Wilson has a passion for sharing songs in service to community and the wild world; songs that celebrate the seasons, bring groups together, offer thanks, muster courage, and make room for healing. She is drawn to the potent and surprising journey of deep-listening and collaborative emergent music making. Heidi has been leading community singing groups in Vermont for the last 15 years and currently sings with the vocal trio Heartwood. 

    Sharing Info: 
    Heidi says: "I’m on an ongoing journey figuring out how to share songs (that feel like generous gifts from the world) while also making a living as a songweaver. I am happy for the songs coming through me to be shared! If people are singing them in informal, community, or ritual settings that’s awesome, sing away! If people are sharing them in a setting where they are making a bunch of money or there is a budget for educational/repertoire materials and they are able to pass some of those resources my way I appreciate that. I would feel good about that reciprocity coming in the form of a one time donation (venmo: @Heidi-willsing) or by joining me on Patreon and supporting my songweaving work at any monthly level. And if you are interested in recording any of these songs let’s talk!
    Looking for recordings of more songs? I mostly share music through Patreon, an online platform to support artists. On my Patreon site I’ve posted 80+ songs. Each post has downloadable practice recordings of the harmony parts. And through Patreon I also link to a spreadsheet where the songs are organized into categories, so you can listen through and find just the right song for Spring, or Gratitude, or Trees."

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:06
    Start time of reprise: 00:15:28

    Links:
    Website: www.HeidiAnnWilson.com 
    Patreon: www.patreon.com/HeidiWilson 
    Heartwood Trio: www.heartwoodtrio.com 

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, 3-layers

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  • Published on

    225. Walk Me Home with guest Una McCann

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:05:32
    Start time of reprise: 01:28:35
    Lyrics:

    ​Oh wind blow away the doubt circling around my head instead
    Let me know the blessing of my feet upon the ground


    [Chorus:]
    (And) walk me home, 
    (And) walk me home, 
    (And) walk me home again

    (And) walk me home, 
    (And) walk me home, 
    (And) walk me home again

    .................
    Oh moon shine a silver light illuminating all that I would hide 
    Guide me through the shadows, trusting in the steps before me 


    [Chorus]
    .................
    Over and over, your touch at my shoulder, guiding me homeward again
    .................
    Oh mountain, be kind to me, shelter me from storms that would arise, wise and silent, you show me how to follow through

    [Chorus]
    Picture
    Song: Walk Me Home
    Music by: Una McCann

    Notes: What do you do with anger? Can you set shame gently aside so you can get out of the way of what's coming through you and wants to be voiced? How do you move through times of doubt and grief to do what you are called to do? Una shares with us a beautiful song companion for walking each other home, and we explore these questions and so, so much more in this extended conversation. 

    Songwriter Info:
    Una McCann is based in Belfast, Northern Ireland where she works as a choir leader and songwriter.  She has been leading groups in harmony since her school days and has been working with adult choirs for 15 years.  
    Una is a proud and active member of the UK Charity The Natural Voice Network, and works in line with the principle that we are all born to sing.  She is passionate about the power of song and creativity to transform lives.
    Song writing is a part of life that sustains and supports Una.  She writes melodies and words that she needs to hear in that moment and is always delighted when they resonate with other people too.  
    In her spare time, Una enjoys running singing holidays and retreats.

    Sharing Info: Una says: "Please sing these songs; they were born to be sung. If you make money through singing the songs and would like to support me in my work as a song carrier, please purchase songs through my website or drop me an email for more options."

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:05:32
    Start time of reprise: 01:28:35

    Links:
    Website: www.unamccann.org
    Facebook: Una McCann Music
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unamccann47/ 
    Rhiannon: https://rhiannonmusic.com/home 
    Earthsong camps with John Bowker: https://www.earthsong.ie/about-earthsong
    A note in sand or water: https://youtu.be/-CZlrgq8syE?si=VzijHkmvxuPUJ7MD 
    The first song Una remembers singing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QfXXj8RoPk&t=32s 
    Stéphane Grappelli – musicians of the eyes and musicians of the ears: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St%C3%A9phane_Grappelli
    Una’s Soundcloud – Henrietta!: https://soundcloud.com/unamccann/henrietta 
    Tara Brach – teachings of kindness and wellbeing: https://www.tarabrach.com/ 
    Natural Voices Network: https://www.naturalvoice.net/ 
    Indigo Girls: https://www.indigogirls.com/ 
    The Roches: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Roches 
    Airplane: https://youtu.be/MhVcbRldEfs?si=rubOOaeZ2S8lXF-a (from the Indigo Girls 1992 “Rites of Passage” album – my gift to Una was finding the song she loved!)
    Gamelan instrument: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamelan 

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, harmonized (intriguingly, it starts with a descending Phrygian scale...)

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