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  • Published on

    242. Ribbon 19: Down to the River

    Cycles Earth Gentle Motion Ribbon Water

    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

    39. Stand 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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    239. My Body is Perfect

    4:4 Abundance Acceptance Sing Be Grateful Belonging Empower Gentle Heal Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Call & Response

    Song: My Body is Perfect

    Music by:  Kaitie Ty Warren


    Song Learning Time Stamps:


    Start of teaching: 00:02:54

    Start of reprise: 00:14:00



    Lyrics:


    Your body is perfect

    (my body is perfect)


    Just the way it is

    (just the way it is)


    Your body is perfect

    (my body is perfect)


    Just the way it is

    (just the way it is)


    Image description

    (feel free to sing "your body is perfect" or "my body is perfect" according to the needs of the moment.)

    This song is a good zipper song. Here are some suggestions:


    my health is perfect

    my timing is perfect

    my offer is perfect

    my singing is perfect

    my voice is perfect

    

    Notes: Kaitie started quite a discussion around our house with this song. What is perfect? Who gets to decide? And why is it so darn comforting to be told you're perfect, anyway? But when I first sang this song with Kaitie at Heather Houston's Global Summit many months ago, I was struck by how much better I felt after singing it to myself -- and I have continued to sing it through a flare of pain that I'm still seeking answers for and is constricting my way of life -- and I continue to find it comforting! Maybe you will, too? Next week, I get to talk with Kaitie directly about all kinds of things, including the ways we're trying to move away from the harm done by white colonial cultures and toward a vibrant, inclusive kind of presence that hums with life and generativity.


    Songwriter Info: Kaitie Ty Warren (any pronouns) grew up on Tongva and Ohlone lands, by the ocean and often dreams in fishes and songs. She is a songwriter, songleader, writer, collage artist, cartoonist, minister, and performing artist. She is the founder of Living Room Choir, Be Heard! Voice for Parkinson's, and East Bay Song Fest, all on Ohlone lands in the Bay Area CA. She has a background in theater and music. She goes by Mama to the most awesome little songleader. KaitieTyWarren.com for more; follow on Patreon and socials @KaitieTy.

     

    Sharing Info: Kaitie's songs are available for free to humans for the sole purpose of using it with their choir(s) and song circles. For commercial and for-profit uses, please contact Kaitie via LivingRoomChoir.com. This is not for AI training or use.

     

    Links:

    "My Body is Perfect" on Kaitie's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/kaitiety/posts/new-song-my-body-137978799

    Kaitie's Patreon: www.patreon.com/kaitiety


    Living Room Choir's Instagram: www.instagram.com/livingroomchoir

    Living Room Choir's Website: LivingRoomChoir.com/song-library


    Kaitie's Website: https://kaitietywarren.com/

    Kaitie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaitietywarren/

    Kaitie's Bandcamp: https://kaitietywarren.bandcamp.com

     

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, call and response, major

     

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  • Published on

    203. Towo Kalona

    3:4 Ancestors Beauty Dreams Earth Gentle Heart Light Lullaby Night Prayer Rain Sky Song Form: Harmonized Stars Water
    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:01
    First full singing: 00:10:40
    Start time of reprise: 00:20:16
    Just piano: 00:21:20

    ​Lyrics:

    Towo kalona, kaini x 2
    Torano, kamawo,
    Wera, wera
    Manatlo

    Towo - your
    Kalona - heart
    Kaini - beautiful
    Torano - thunder
    Kamawo - sorrow, deep sadness
    Wera, wera - rain, rain
    Manatlo - spray of blossoming flowers

    (Find more English lyrics for the full song on Alix's Bandcamp page)
    Picture
    Song: Towo Kalona
    Music by: Alix Thorpe

    Notes: I did something a little different in the way I shared this -- I took time with the proto-Celtic, so you could be comfortable singing in a Bronze-Era language... and then there's the usual looped section, with a harmony above and below -- but then at the reprise, I sing just the melody with piano, and then just the piano so you can sing the melody yourself, and allow me to accompany you. I find this song of Alix Thorpe's beautifully addictive, and there's something about singing in a bone language that feels like healing perspective to me. After you are snagged by the melody and parts on the podcast, buy it from her on Bandcamp, where you can hear the full English lyrics! 

    Songwriter Info: Alix is a mother, a birth doula and a shiatsu practitioner who lives in Devon in England. She found her voice and began writing songs only a few years ago. Song for Alix is a way of prayer and an expression of soul.  She has written several songs in proto-Celtic; a kind of "spirit language" and ancestral mother tongue made of the earliest traceable fragments of the Celtic languages, dating back around 4000 years. Dreaming with proto-Celtic has been a powerful vehicle for kindling connection with her ancestral roots. Alix's songs are particularly inspired by whales, the spirit of the rose, Buddhism and honouring sacred rites of passage.

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

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:01
    First full singing: 00:10:40
    Start time of reprise: 00:20:16
    Just piano: 00:21:20

    Links:
    Alix's Bandcamp: https://alixthorpe.bandcamp.com/track/towo-kalona 

    Nuts & Bolts: 3:4, melody with 2 harmonies

    Join this community of people who love to use song to help navigate life? Absolutely:  https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/335811/81227018071442567/share

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  • Published on

    158. Quiet At First

    4:4 Be Present Birds Earth Gentle Listen Love Notice Ribbon Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Harmonized Wisdom
    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:04:33
    Start time of reprise: 00:18:11

    Lyrics:

    It's quiet at first,
    this song of love
    for all the living things.
    But once you start to hear it,
    it's quite impossible to pretend
    there's something better
    you could be doing.
    Picture
    Song: Quiet At First
    Music by: Eileen Webb
    Lyrics by: Kai Skye

    Notes: How often do you get to sing with a thrush? Eileen Webb has made that possible for us... and so we get full enjoyment out of it, singing the entire song twice after learning it. The song itself, with words from Kai Skye, is a succinct reminder to drop in to that sensation of connection to all living things and how good it feels. What could be better? Recording this was unusual for me, because instead of loops on Loopy (where I just have to get it sounding right once!), it's layered tracks because of singing with the thrush... so I got to practice staying centered for the entire length of the song... not once, not twice, but three times plus a bit! It was really good for me -- so thank you for singing with me and perusing the A Breath of Song library -- I love the way my sense of responsibility to you keeps me in practice.

    Songwriter Info: Eileen is a consultant and facilitator who helps tech companies build stronger relationships within and across their teams. She loves how music-making helps create deep connections in diverse groups of people, and leads the circlesinging community in Portland, Maine.

    Sharing Info: The song is free to share, but please remember to share the lyrics credit to Kai Skye as well!

    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:04:33
    Start time of reprise: 00:17:52

    Links:
    Eileen's Portland circlesinging group: https://www.meetup.com/circlesinging-portland/.
    Kai's art website: https://flyingedna.com/
    Note: For credit purposes, his NAME is Kai Skye, his PEN NAME (also his previous name) is Brian Andreas, and the site where people can buy his arts is Flying Edna.

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, 2-3 part harmony plus some extras

    Join this community of people who love to use song to help navigate life? Absolutely:
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  • Published on

    148. Oh the Rain

    3 Layer 6:8 Accept Be Present Breathe Calm Gentle Heart Listen Notice Rain Ribbon Scale: Mixolydian Song Form: Layer Trust
    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:12
    Start time of reprise: 00:14:37
    Lyrics:

    1. Oh the rain,
    the rain it comes down,
    and it carries a world
    in its sound.
    Oh the rain,
    oh the rain,
    it comes down.

    2. Some
    times I feel blue;
    I’m
    gonna take a breath or two
    and soften,
    let my heart
    be tender.

    3. Softly,
    gently,
    let it fall as it will.
    Softly, gently
    tender, tender.
    Picture
    Song: Oh the Rain
    Music by: Patricia Norton

    ​Notes: Seems like being able to let things fall is my skill-du-jour. Rain, my feelings, other people's experiences... letting it come down and softening around it. I wrote this song during a week of incessant winter rain... and sang it here during a week of hard things to feel. Both times, it helped me be where I am. Songs that help navigate life. Yup. This is how we do it....

    Songwriter Info: This whole singing thing is just bringing me so much joy and growth and comfort... so grateful to all the people along the way who have helped me find my voice.
    ​
    Sharing Info:     The song is free to share in oral tradition groups, but please contact me for recording and/or performing permission.
    ​
    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:12
    Start time of reprise: 00:14:37

    Links: 
    Juneberry Music website: https://www.juneberrymusic.com

    Nuts & Bolts: 6:8, Mixolydian, 3-layer

    Join the A Breath of Song Mailing list
    (https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/335811/81227018071442567/share)  to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

    Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar
    (https://www.abreathofsong.com/gratitude-jar.html) (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!
  • Published on

    139. Bend and Rebound

    4:4 Accept Change Determination Earth Flex Gentle Heal Mantra Motion Pain Release Ribbon Scale: Ionian (Major) Song Form: Harmonized Song Form: Round Trees
    Song Learning Time Stamps:
    Start time of teaching: 00:03:38
    Start time of reprise: 00:11:42

    Lyrics:

    Bend and rebound, bend and rebound
    ​Gentle strength of the willow is found
    Picture
    Song: Bend and Rebound
    Music by: Heidi Wilson

    ​Notes: Heidi is an incredible resource for songs connected with the natural world -- and this one turns to willows, with their ability to give and spring, bend and rebound. Next week, Heidi and I get to talk about how she accesses her own rebound during winter and other times. We ponder the urge to help, the balance of local and travel, and Heidi describes what she is "on a rampage" about... including a request for listeners regarding a cave! I hope you can join us...

    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, 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: 00:03:38
    Start time of reprise: 00:11:42

    Links: 
    Heidi's Website: www.heidiannwilson.com
    Heidi's Patreon: www.patreon.com/HeidiWilson
    Heartwood Trio's Website: www.Heartwoodtrio.com

    Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Ionian (major), 2-part round with harmony

    Join the A Breath of Song Mailing list
    (https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/335811/81227018071442567/share)  to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

    Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Gratitude Jar
    (https://www.abreathofsong.com/gratitude-jar.html) (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!