Love - A Breath of Song

Published on: September 17, 2025

204. May the Way Open Before You with Guest Singers

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:29
Start time of reprise: 00:13:05

Lyrics:

May the way open before you.
May you see beyond darkness and light
to the love you are;
to the love you bring into the world.

Song: May the Way Open Before You
Music by: Ana Hernández

Guest singers: Sadie Jones, AJ Banach, Cameron Brownell, Rebecca Csuy

Notes: Recording this was a complete treat, because I had four friends in the studio with me -- Rebecca Csuy, Cameron Brownell, AJ Banach, and Sadie Jones learned the song and loved it. AJ catches me when I make a note mistake in the harmony, which is fabulous -- friends who have your back! Next week, I have the privilege of talking with Ana and learning about her extensive background and why community singing matters to her... for now, please enjoy this, which she calls "a simple blessing," and her wish for everyone in the world.

Songwriter Info: Ana Hernández is a composer, recording artist, retreat leader, and activist song leader creating and collecting tunes to build living and just communities through skillful action. A theomusicologist with NYS Poor People’s Campaign, Ana is also the author of The Sacred Art of Chant: Preparing to Practice (Skylight Paths/Turner Publishing).

Sharing Info: The song is free to share in public resistance actions and oral tradition groups. Please contact Ana for recording, streaming, or performing permission.

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:29
Start time of reprise: 00:13:05

Links:
Ana's website: https://anahernandez.org
Ana's Patreon: www.patreon.com/anahernandez
Listen on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/in/artist/ana-hernandez/214582777
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0NGPpe3jeQqHFeFArIqYEH
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/anahermusic
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-p9kisJu1ISLW7w6Wy2lVA
Also look for HARC (with Ruth Cunningham): https://anahernandez.org/album/inside-chants/
The Miserable Offenders: https://anahernandez.org/album/keepin-the-baby-awake-music-for-advent-and-christmas/
Eternal Spirit (w/ Sr. Helena Marie, CHS): https://anahernandez.org/album/eternal-spirit/
Banquet of Love (w/ Ike Sturm and so many friends!): https://anahernandez.org/album/banquet-of-love/

Nuts & Bolts: 6:8, major, 2-part harmony

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Published on: April 16, 2025

186. The Riddle Song

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Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:20
Start time of reprise: 00:12:08

Lyrics:

I gave my love a cherry that had no stone,
I gave my love a chicken that had no bones,
I told my love a story that had no end,
I gave my love a baby with no crying.

How can there be a cherry that has no stone?
How can there be a chicken without no bones?
How can there be a story that has no end?
And show me, where's the baby with no crying?

A cherry in the blossom, it has no stone.
A chicken in the pippin, it has no bones.
The story that I love you, it has no end...
A baby, when it's sleeping, has no crying!

Song: The Riddle Song
Music by: traditional

Notes: I find myself feeling like we live in a bit of a riddle right now -- how can this impossible thing be so, and what will resolve it? I literally learned this song at my mother's knee... it's one of the earliest I remember singing, and I was so delighted by the riddle form! As a young teen, it was one of the first songs I learned on guitar. I sang it to kids I babysat in college, where I learned about the Child Ballads and Cecil Sharp's collecting in southern Appalachia. I sang it with my children, with our granddaughter -- and now I get to sing it with you! There's a through-line for a song.... what songs have travelled with you your whole life?

Songwriter Info: Patricia was born in Boulder, CO, and is grateful to the burgeoning folk music scene that encouraged family music, which is how she learned this song.

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:20
Start time of reprise: 00:12:08

Links:
An intriguing discussion board about trad music: https://mudcat.org/
An introduction to Child Ballads: https://folkways.si.edu/playlist/child-ballads
Text of Child Ballad #46 (which The Riddle Song is believed to have come from): https://sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/child/ch046.htm
The Cecil Sharp collection of The Riddle Song: https://archives.vwml.org/records/CJS2/9/2688
Doc Watson's recording: https://youtu.be/fRO6egtKipg?feature=shared
Carly Simon's recording: https://youtu.be/4O_Lu_khQDM?feature=shared

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, strophic (3 verses)

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Published on: March 5, 2025

181. Extraordinary Magic with singer Rebecca Csuy

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Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:35
Start time of reprise: 00:15:14

Lyrics:

I see you, I hear you,
I hold this space for you;
and I am a witness
to your extraordinary magic!
(repeat 3x)

I see you, I hear you,
I hold this space for you;
and I am a witness
to the extraordinary magic in you!

Song: Extraordinary Magic
Music by: Judy Tse

Notes: Judy describes the act of witnessing beautifully -- and this song is one that feels so good to have echoing in my head as I practice holding space for other people... really being present and seeing them fully. That seems to get harder and harder as people get older and make choices we disagree with or are harmful. But wishing them well, looking for the extraordinary magic that is in them, even while being clear-sighted about behaviors -- while not always easy, it feels like a way of being I personally aspire to!

Songwriter Info: Judy Tse participated in the A Breath of Song retreat in 2024! About this song, Judy says: "Being a witness to someone; really being present for a person by listening actively + not trying to fix or 'make better', is one of the greatest gifts one person can give another."

Sharing Info: The song is free to share in oral tradition groups, but please contact Judy for recording and/or performing permission. (You can write Patricia at patricia@abreathofsong.com to be connected with Judy.)

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:35
Start time of reprise: 00:15:14

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, major, unison or harmonized

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Published on: February 5, 2025

178. My Body

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Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:31
Start time of reprise: 00:14:09

Lyrics:

My body is fly
My body is beautiful
My body is bold
My body is mine

Song: My Body
Music by: Alexandra Sarton

Notes: Singing this week brought me into my body in a joyful, appreciative way... our bodies, our existence are such miracles, and this song fully celebrates and owns this. For anyone who has ever felt ashamed of their body for any reason, this is a medicine song, a reclaiming, remembering song. Alexandra Sarton Love, who wrote it, has lived with alopecia since age 10, causing baldness. Maybe you're going through a medical treatment that makes it difficult to feel ownership of your own body? Maybe there's a relationship which leads to doubt about your body's beauty or validity? Maybe media or social gatherings has harmed your connection to your own body? Maybe you're a nursing mom? I don't know what you bring to this song... but I'm sooo glad you're bringing it! Join me and you bring you, I'll bring me -- let's sing these words together!

Songwriter Info: In 2011, Alexandra Love was inspired to assemble a 12-woman chorus to sing the harmonies she had written for her solo project, In Curses. She created a festival, The Festival of Light and Sound (April 2012), to debut this project and to bring Beautiful Chorus together for a one-time performance. The ladies practiced each week leading up to the album release. The festival was a huge success and after that night, Love decided to keep the project going. She booked tours for Beautiful Chorus around the country, hosted crystal singing bowl meditations w/ the ladies, lead vocal workshops and more. It was then that BC wrote + recorded songs, and have since become the most successful independent group of their kind. Fusing elements of electronic, choral, deep bass, hip hop and jazz, Beautiful Chorus is unlike any other. They have albums that span from wordless symphonies to full rhythmic songs, w/ sound healing frequencies and love-centered messages. They even have a wordless holiday album, a lullaby album, and a multitude of singable hymns and mantras. Beautiful Chorus is currently residing in Orlando, FL where they are developing a new live experience, hosting spiritual conversations, and preparing for their upcoming full album release, High Frequency Love Music, due out 7/26. Beautiful Chorus is currently made of Alexandra Love and four other members (Patty, Anisha, Yuki and Veronica).

Sharing Info: When sharing in a money-making venture, like a workshop, class, or performance, please contact Beautiful Chorus for permission and rates.

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:31
Start time of reprise: 00:14:09

Links:
Beautiful Chorus website: https://www.beautifulchorus.com/
Alexandra Love website: https://www.alexandra.love/

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Mixolydian, unison with optional harmony

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Published on: January 22, 2025

176. An Open Heart

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Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching, song 1: 00:04:26
Start time of teaching, song 2: 00:08:51
Start time of reprise: 00:12:16

Lyrics:

Original:
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.

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.

Song: An Open Heart/Gonna Let Life Move Me
Music by: Scott Grace

Notes: Learning songs in an oral tradition can be a little like playing telephone, as they take on a life of their own, responding to the people singing them, growing, evolving... I learned "Gonna Let Life Move Me" in a song circle, and loved it. Eventually, I wanted to share it with my Pocket Song singers. So I tried to find out who had written it, so I could ask their permission/blessing and send some financial exchange their way.... and it took a quite a bit of searching before I turned up Scott Grace (Kalechstein)'s original song. This one had shifted quite a bit, so I got in touch with Scott directly to ask how he felt about the changes... I quote his generous answer directly in the episode. Enjoy two songs this week, and see which one lands for you!

Songwriter Info:
WARNING: Scott Grace, who has been described as a cross between John Denver, Robin Williams and Dr. Seuss, is wanted by the authorities for creating the peace, as well as defying the law of gravity with levity.
Contact with Scott is likely to be hazardous to your misery, as he has provoked outbreaks of joy in four out of five laboratory humans.
It is alleged that Scott’s work has so threatened to cut into the sales of anti-depressants that pharmaceutical companies have offered him millions to retire.
Scott gives keynotes using a stolen identity, a.k.a. the Spiritual Dr. Seuss. His feel-good viruses on YouTube have infected over 2.5 million people with just four of his Seussian videos.
Scott has been known to practice life coaching without a license, eluding the police by working over the phone, Zoom, or FaceTime. He fancies himself an intuitive, and smuggles wisdom and guidance over the border from beings he calls spirit guides, who are also not licensed, and who have allegedly not filed a tax return in several lifetimes.
As a front, Scott does do various legal, above the board activities. He has written four books, his latest being Mindful Masculinity.
Scott also has recorded nine CD’s (remember CD’s?) of his original music. He presents as an inspirational guest speaker and singer at churches, non-profits, schools, and corporate events. As an occasional stand-up comedian in the Bay Area, he has shared the stage with Dana Carvey and Robin Williams.
But don’t be fooled. His rampage of Song Portraits, custom-made personalized song-gifts that honor people for their birthdays, anniversaries, or for no reason at all, have been killing people softly with their song since 1987.
Authorities would very much like your help in apprehending Scott. Try catching him on the web at https://www.scottsongs.com, or on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/user/skalechstein

Sharing Info: The song is free to share in oral tradition groups, but please contact Scott for recording and/or performing permission. Scott says, "This song is my deepest prayer from my heart of hearts."

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching, song 1: 00:04:26
Start time of teaching, song 2: 00:08:51
Start time of reprise: 00:12:16

Links:
Scott's website: https://www.scottsongs.com
Scott's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/skalechstein

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, minor, 3 layer or unison

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Published on: January 15, 2025

175. One Foot/Lead with Love with guest Melanie DeMore

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Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:56
Start time of reprise: 01:12:05

Lyrics:

Chorus:
You gotta put one foot in front of the other,
and lead with love, put
one foot in front of the other, and lead with love.
(2x)

Verses (call and echo)
1. Don't give up hope,
you're not alone!
Don't you give up --
keep moving on.

2. Lift up your eyes,
don't you despair!
Look up ahead;
the path is there.

3. I know you're scared
and I'm scared, too!
But here I am
right next to you.

Song: One Foot/Lead with Love
Music by: Melanie DeMore

Notes: Melanie DeMore both entrances and intimidates people -- she is direct, funny, a fabulous story-teller, and fierce and broad in her love. I have to apologize to listeners for the sound quality of this interview -- we had some microphone glitches on both sides that means despite the best sound studio wizardry I could come up with, there's some distortion, and it's not the usual quality of sound. But the quality of content -- where it counts -- is top-notch. Melanie shares One Foot/Lead with Love, including the story of what sparked its creation. She talks about her family, and how the wisdom and experiences of her parents shaped the way she approaches people who hold different world views. We talk about coyotes, kids, accolades, how she takes care of herself on tour as a "4-star, card-carrying introvert". She sends us out with a charge: “Here’s what you need to do, people out there: keep your head up. Keep your heart wide open. Remember to breathe, and keep doing the work. Sing on.”

Songwriter Info: Melanie DeMore is a 3 time Grammy nominated singer/composer, choral conductor, music director, and vocal activist who believes in the power of voices raised together. In her presentations, DeMore beautifully brings her participants together through her music and commentary. DeMore facilitates vocal and stick-pounding workshops for professional choirs, and community groups as well as directing numerous choral organizations across the U.S, Canada, and beyond. She is a featured presenter of SpeakOut!-The Institute for Social and Cultural Change, the Master Teaching Artist for Music at UC Berkeley/CalPerformances; works with everyone from Baptists to Buddhists, and was a founding member of the Grammy-nominated ensemble Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir. She is Music Director for Obeah Opera by Nicole Brooks and will be touring with the company to South Africa. She is a charter member of Threshold Choir founded by Kate Munger, a mentor to the Jerusalem Youth Chorus and conducts song circles with an emphasis on the voice as a vessel for healing. In her own words: "A song can hold you up when there seems to be no ground beneath you."

Sharing Info: The song is free to share in oral tradition groups, but please contact Melanie for recording and/or performing permission.

Song Learning Time Stamps:
Start time of teaching: 00:02:56
Start time of reprise: 01:12:05

Links:
Lady of Peace – written by Melanie for her mom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94Clq6DHpNA
Threshold Choir: https://thresholdchoir.org/
Children’s Music Network: https://childrensmusic.org/
Bessie Jones: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1BUnRZrkCS0NoTiXefkW6U
Ella Jenkins: https://ellajenkins.com/
Oakland Youth Chorus: https://www.oigc.org/oyc
Obeah Opera (South African/Toronto) – about Tituba: https://obeahopera.com/
All One Tribe collective album: https://open.spotify.com/album/1EEVSonqRIjEB0DapNIRs8
Melanie's GoFundMe for a home in Taos, NM: https://gofund.me/6be198cb
Taos pueblo – Tewa people: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tewa
Bebe & Cece Winans – gospel singers: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3WNUkxJcJeliFx9KXWXMgs
John Lewis: https://civilrightstrail.com/experience/rep-john-lewis/
Margaret Nes - visual artist: https://www.ventanafineart.com/margaret-nes
Something Moving by Mary Watkins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3RTzI4-j64
Whirimako Black: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0dzCFvKwiJQ4w9ViwLzs49
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melanie.demore/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/butchyg3/
Melanie's email: melaniedemore(at)earthlink.net

Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, major, call & echo, chorus & verse, 3-part harmony on chorus

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Tags

204. May the Way Open Before You with Guest Singers

186. The Riddle Song

181. Extraordinary Magic with singer Rebecca Csuy

178. My Body

176. An Open Heart

175. One Foot/Lead with Love with guest Melanie DeMore