Fire - A Breath of Song

Published on: October 29, 2025

209. We Shall Be Known with Flow Singers

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Melody: 00:04:20
High harmony: 00:07:16
Low harmony: 00:11:34
Whole song: 00:15:05

Lyrics:

We shall be known by the company we keep
By the ones who circle round to tend these fires
We shall be known by the ones who sow and reap
The seeds of change alive from deep within the Earth

It is time now
It is time now that we thrive
It is time we lead ourselves into the well
It is time now
And what a time to be alive
In this "Great Turning" we shall learn to lead in love
In this "Great Turning" we shall learn to lead in love

Song: We Shall Be Known
Music by: Karisha Longaker of MaMuse

Notes: I could not be more delighted than to bring you this beloved song in a real-life song-sharing situation. My Flow Singing folk were singing "We Shall Be Known" for the third week -- so we simply recorded! You'll sing with them as they review the main melody, learn the upper harmony for the first time -- and then I inserted a quick teach of the low harmony -- and then we get to sing "in the room" with the Flow Singers, who were leaning into the song in such a beautiful way. I feel so lucky with the company I get to keep... and next week, I find myself in a Zoom room with Karisha Longaker and Sorah Nutting themselves, talking about the "insanely fun, incredibly connected" first years, and what it means in practical terms to "believe in kindness as our common wealth."

Songwriter Info: MaMuse (“Ma” as in Mamma; “Muse” as in the one who inspires) was born out of a collaboration between songwriters Karisha Longaker and Sorah Nutting. 2008 was a year of great alchemy. Fires erupted in Northern California, a great wind of inspiration blew through, catalyzing a series of songs written from the soil and rivers, ash and heat of Chico where these two musicians met.
In the early days these troubadours toted instruments around town by bicycle and shared their songs at farmers markets, community gatherings, small cafes and festivals. Not too long after, these two voices became iconic to the Chico community, representing idyllic values of friendship, community, love for nature and care for Self and World. The love spread, sisterhood held strong through two decades of LIFE: children, relationships arriving and dissolving, making home in many new places.
MaMuse songs such as “We Shall Be Known” and “Hallelujah” have sprouted wings and are now sung at the bed sides of birthing mothers, round campfires, at weddings and funerals... All places where people are gathered to celebrate and to mourn. These are songs born of the Folk lineage; songs for all of us.

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

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Melody: 00:04:20
High harmony: 00:07:16
Low harmony: 00:11:34
Whole song: 00:15:05

Links:
Show info, bookings and newsletter signup: www.mamuse.org
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mamusemusic
Patreon: www.patreon.com/mamuse
Download and contribute to recorded music funds: mamuse.bandcamp.com
Lisa Littlebird's page for We Shall Be Known: thebirdsings.com/we-shall-be-known/
Burlington, VT Flow Singers: www.juneberrymusic.com/flow-singing.html

Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, major, 3-part harmony

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Published on: October 15, 2025

208. Estrellitas

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Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:39
Start time of reprise: 00:13:14

Lyrics:

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh… (bis 4x)

Deja, deja, deja que las estrellitas
Que las estrellitas, se lleven tu dolor

Deja, deja, deja,
Ve y enciende el fuego,
Deja, deja, deja, tu duda y tu temor

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh… (4x)

Let it go, let it go, let the little stars,
Let the little stars carry away your pain.

Let it go, let it go, let it go,
Go and light up the fire,
Let it go, let it go, release your doubt and fear.

FURTHER LYRICS:

La tristeza esa, Pa’ las estrellitas
La preocupación y el dolor del corazón
Deja, deja, deja que los queme el fuego
Deja, deja, deja y vuela alto por favor

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh… (4x)

Deja, deja, deja, que los queme el fuego
Y las estrellitas transmuten tu dolor
Deja la tristeza, las dudas, el miedo,
Pide a las estrellas que te curen por favor…

Outro: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh…

ENGLISH:

That sadness—give it to the stars,
The worry and the ache within your heart.
Let it go, let it go, let the fire burn them,
Let it go, let it go, and now please, fly high
reaching the skies up above

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh… (4x)

Let it go, let it go, let the fire burn it,
And let the stars transmute your pain.
Leave behind sadness, the doubts, the fear,
Please ask the stars to heal you…

Outro: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh…

Song: Estrellitas
Music by: Ana Lucia Divins

Notes: Singing this song of grief and the lifting of grief connected deeply with my heart this week. No matter what grief is in my heart at the moment, the wordless "O", followed by the shaping of Spanish words for sorrow, doubt, and fear as well as let go and little stars -- letting all the grief light the fire and then the sparks carry it away -- oh, it felt good to sing this. Soft and strong, velvet and spark, ache and motion. I'm grateful Ana Lucia gifted us this song to sing, and excited that once you've learned the core of the song with me, you get to sing all of it with her if you follow the Bandcamp link!

Songwriter Info: Music has been a lifelong companion for Ana Lucia Divins, who has witnessed its healing power and the strength of community connections. This journey led her to explore sound and therapeutic music studies. She is a Certified Music Practitioner by MHTP and a Holistic Voice Therapist with the British Academy of Sound Therapy. Since 2022, she has integrated healing music into her offerings, singing by patients’ bedsides and sharing therapeutic music in the community for restoration and relaxation. In 2023, she received the Arts and Science Council Creative Renewal Fellowship and in 2024, the Arts and Science Council Artist Support Grant, enabling her to delve deeper into music’s healing potential and produce new works. Ana Lucia’s exploration of her voice has taken her to national and international workshops and retreats in Greece, Spain, the UK, and Colombia.
In the summer of 2024, Ana Lucia and Carlos Crespo, an Ecuadorian guitarist, released their debut healing music album, “Emerging,” in collaboration with other talented musicians. Available on all digital platforms, "Emerging" offers a deeply relaxing and uplifting sound bath of original new-age world music. It is a sonic journey mirroring life’s ebb and flow, from dawn’s gentle awakening to night’s tranquil embrace, remembering the cycles of healing, new beginnings, and transformation.

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

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:39
Start time of reprise: 00:13:14

Links:
Ana Lucia's website: https://www.adivins.com
Divins Music Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divinsmusic/
Azul Healing website: https://www.azulhealing.com
Azul Healing Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azulhealing/
Emerging album on Bandcamp: https://divins.bandcamp.com/album/emerging

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, minor, unison

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Published on: May 14, 2025

189. Hearth

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Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:53
Start time of reprise: 00:13:08

Lyrics:

Part 1:
Fire at the center in my heart
Rise of the night spark fly away
Smoke twines together in the sky
Oh how the dark times light my way

Parts 2&3:
Fire in my heart
Praise be to the dark

Part 4:
Dreaming in an endless night
Living in an endless dream

Song: Hearth
Music by: Yuri Woodstock

Notes: Yuri Woodstock knows how to start and tend fires -- and this song sings the magic of smoke and spark. He's managed to make it feel dark and joyous, with a sinuous, smoky sound to remember the mystery, the dream of being alive. Next week is a conversation where Yuri brings his high energy take on community singing and how he found his way into the world through a combination of friends and mentors and skills so deeply embedded it's hard to remember how he got them. By the end I was wishing I could visit his song groups -- I may have to plan a road trip!

Songwriter Info: Yuri Woodstock is a community song leader based in Asheville, NC, who has run the now 180-member Hark! Community Choir for the past seven years. It is a non-performing, non-auditioned group that sings for joy and connection. He specializes in quick teaches of layer songs and SATB bangers that are easy to learn and fun to sing. Often Hark! feels like a singing dance party.

Sharing Info: Free to share!

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:53
Start time of reprise: 00:13:08

Links:
Yuri's website: https://www.weringlikebells.com/
Yuri's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weringlikebells/

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, minor, 3-layer, one layer harmonized

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

Help us keep going: reviews, comments, encouragement, plus contributions... we float on your support. https://www.abreathofsong.com/gratitude-jar.html

Published on: March 25, 2024

140. The Feast with Guest Heidi Wilson

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Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:04:00
Start time of reprise: 01:01:08

Lyrics:

Holy Fire in the sun
Water in the river, and Wind within my lungs
Oh holy Earth beneath my feet
All of us are offerings and also at the feast

Song: The Feast
Music by: Heidi Wilson

Notes: A lively songwriter conversation about gratitude, helping, useful questions, tending a group, getting traction with things we're passionate about, collaboration, caves & crankies and so much more! Heidi shares The Feast -- a gratitude song that intermingles the elements and us, and we get a special glimpse of 7-year-old Heidi songwriting and going big.

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: 00:04:00
Start time of reprise: 01:01:08

Links:
Heidi's Website: www.heidiannwilson.com
Heidi's Patreon: www.patreon.com/HeidiWilson
Heartwood Trio's Website: www.Heartwoodtrio.com
Sarina Partridge's Website: www.sarinapartridge.com
Heinavankar: Songs of Olden Times -Estonian Folk Hymns and Runic Songs: https://www.discogs.com/release/17138368-Heinavanker-Songs-Of-Olden-Times-Estonian-Folk-Hymns-And-Runic-Songs

Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, Aeolian, (harmonic minor in the harmonies), unison harmonized optionally

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: December 13, 2023

128. Prayer for Peace

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Song: Prayer for Peace
Music: Gitanjali Jain

Lyrics:

In this world that's ripped apart,
there's a calling in my heart.
Prayers for justice,
prayers for peace.
May we all have love and ease.

In this world,
in my heart;
there is peace.
There is love.

Notes: Gitanjali Jain pours heartbreak, tension, anger, confusion all into this prayer for peace, which has some of the scrunchiest harmonies we've ever done on A Breath of Song. And although you could call these stacked harmonies, I decided to call them melodies -- because it's not clear to me that there's a single melodic voice -- to me it is the voice of many combined. Feel the frustration of the sounds hitting against each other; all those wishes we carry for peace, love and ease. Then notice how you feel after you've sung it... is there connection to Gitu, to me, to others feeling all the complexity of our beloved world?

Songwriter Info: Gitanjali Jain is a multidisciplinary artist specializing in music and theater. Born in Mexico City to her Mexican mother and East Indian father, she has focused a significant part of her work on the study of her ancestry and lineage. Other formative experiences include seven years in Hawai’i, where she worked as an aerialist, actor, and dancer in the award-winning production 'Ulalena.

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

Links:
Gitanjali on Bandcamp: https://alicuanta.bandcamp.com/

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:03:35
Start time of reprise: 00:17:08

Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, mostly harmonic minor, harmonized call & response

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: October 18, 2023

121. Make Good Trouble

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Song: Make Good Trouble
Music: Elizabeth Melvin

Lyrics

Part 1:
Stand up and make good trouble
Speak up and make good trouble
Get up and make good trouble
Rise up and make good trouble

Part 2:
Never, ever be afraid
to make some noise, make some noise

Part 3:
This is the struggle,
the struggle of a lifetime
(Make good trouble)

Notes: John Lewis says bluntly, "Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part." Elizabeth gives us an equally blunt, strong song inspired by the life and words of John Lewis, reminding us to be unafraid to make the noise that needs to be made -- to stand up, and make good trouble -- to not give up because change doesn't come quickly, but rather see it as a lifetime struggle. I share all the parts together eventually, but you could pick and choose to sing only one or two of the parts, depending on which you needed. You'll hear some chromatic notes (close together in pitch) in one of the parts, which create some lively harmonies. I teach it at a slightly slower tempo, then put all the parts together a little faster -- you can see which speed feels best in you!

Songwriter Info: Elizabeth Melvin holds a deep belief in the power of music to provide transformative, joyous experiences on the individual and community level. She brings a lifetime of study and performance in world music to her work as a choir director and song leader. A multi-instrumentalist, she has performed on marimba, keyboards and percussion in a wide variety of genres. She is the founding director of The Freedom Choir, a 60-voice world music community choir in Annapolis, MD. During the height of the pandemic she led the weekly Rise and Sing online community sing featuring guest song leaders from the U.S., Canada, Europe and Africa. Elizabeth is a graduate of the Community Choir Leadership Training in Victoria, B.C., Canada. She has led vocal music workshops around the East Coast and Canada and is passionate about helping everyone find their voice and claim their birthright to sing.

Sharing Info: The song is free to share in oral tradition groups. Please contact Elizabeth Melvin if you plan to perform, record or film it with a choral ensemble and she requests that you/your group make a donation to any social justice or voting rights non-profit of your choice in honor of John Lewis. When using this song and the YouTube video (produced by Lea Morris) in a worship or educational setting, please purchase a license at https://www.hopesingseternal.me/songs/makegoodtrouble The license includes the YouTube video, mp3 & mp4 learning tracks and a score.

Links:
Elizabeth's choir Website: https://www.thefreedomchoir.com
The Freedom Choir on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFreedomChoir
Elizabeth's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@rhythmsis
Elizabeth's Instagram: @liberateyourvoice
YouTube Video of Make Good Trouble: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nGomUt8gLQ

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:04:58
Start time of reprise: 00:14:52

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Dorian (ish), 3 layer, harmonized

Join the A Breath of Song mailing list 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 (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!

Tags

209. We Shall Be Known with Flow Singers

208. Estrellitas

189. Hearth

140. The Feast with Guest Heidi Wilson

128. Prayer for Peace

121. Make Good Trouble