Maisha Ni Safi   Next Song | | Solo Recordings |
May 24, 1995/July 30, 1995

I had been practicing some very basic Swahili with a young friend. One
night as I lay down to sleep, the phrases running around in my head grew
melodies, and this song emerged. There was no stopping it until I had
dragged myself out of bed and written it down.
Lui - vocals, Martin guitar
Frank - electric bass
Rob - percussion
Billy - soprano sax
Jeff - electric guitars
chorus arranged and conducted by Robert I. Hugh
Chorus: Katrina DeGraff, Ben Fink, Eric Miller, Julia Rubin-Cadrain,
Gretchen Upholt, Cross Woodfield

Hujambo, hujambo! Hello my friend, I greet you!
Hujambo, hujambo! I greet you, friend, hello!

Habari gani? What's the news, how are ya'?
Habari gani? How are ya', what's the news?
Nzuri. Na wewe? Just fine and how about you?
Nzuri. Na wewe? Just fine and how 'bout you?

        Friends from so far away, joining together
        I'll teach you my language, you teach me yours.
Hujambo, hujambo! Hello my friend, I greet you!
Hujambo, hujambo! I greet you, friend, hello!

Ni napenda wewe. I love you, I love you.
Ni napenda wewe. I love you, yes I do.
        Hearts are like music, they need no translation
        The colors of our skins blend in sweet harmony.
Maisha ni safi, life is sweet and life is good
Maisha ni safi, life is sweet and good.
Nashukure, I am ever grateful.
Nashukure, grateful am I.

        In either language a mama's a mama
        Vijana or children, they're all dear to me
        Do you tuck yours in with a soft lala salama
        Or whisper a goodnight and sleep peacefully? And a
Ni napenda wewe, I love you, I love you.
Ni napenda wewe. I love you, yes I do.

©1995 Molly Gamblin Music (BMI)


Friendship Waltz   Next Song | | Top | | Solo Recordings |
April 3, 1992

This was one of those long car trip songs. Around four hours into the
drive, around Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the first verse spun into my head
so fast I careened the car to a halt at the side of the road to scribble
down words and melody. The rest of the song had written itself on the
steering wheel by the time I got to Blue Hill, Maine, where I finally could
get out my guitar. I'd barely had a chance to put the song together when I
got on stage that night and opened my set with it.
Lui - vocals, Taylor guitar
Jeff - mandolin
Frank - fretless bass

I would welcome your presence back into my life
With an ear to ear grin I would greet you on sight
I would dance until dawn, I would laugh at the rain
I would welcome your friendship again.

I can hear your soft voice on the telephone line
I can see your sweet smile as it flits 'cross my mind
I can feel your heart, so full within mine
But I cannot look into your eyes.

        Though I well understand our paths drawn apart
        I still feel the longing deep in my heart
        I must patiently wait till faith, hope, love, the trine
        Can allow us together in time.

We have chosen this distance, from a deep place of knowing,
That each one of us may have space for growing
And the mirror we turn, and the honor we share
Hold a promise to always be there.

        Though I well understand our paths drawn apart
        I still feel the longing so deep in my heart
        I will patiently wait till faith, hope, love, the trine
        Will invite us together in time.

Then I'll welcome your presence back into my life
With an ear to ear grin I shall greet you on sight
I will dance until dawn, I will laugh at the rain
I will welcome your friendship again
I will welcome your friendship again.

©1992 Molly Gamblin Music (BMI)


Gold Upon the Trees   Next Song | | Top | | Solo Recordings |
September 27, 1992

Lui- vocal, Taylor guitar
Jeff - lap steel
Donna - fiddle
Jeremiah - accordion
Frank Gravis - fretless bass
Rob - percussion
Joan and Greta -harmony vocals

The leaves are turning golden, the autumn call is heard
And I'd be going south now if I only were a bird
But I live in New England, it's here I found my voice
Though I sometimes think of leaving, I know I stay by choice.

I mourn the summer's ending, the loon call in the morn
The moon upon the water, the fire on the shore
But the children have gone back to school, cold winds will blow in soon
For the summer days have fallen, it's the time of harvest moon.

        Harvest moon in New England, and the nights are crisp and cold
        But have you seen the sunshine? It's a glory to behold
        Late afternoon it slants in and touches on the leaves
        There is treasure in the autumn light, gold upon the trees
        There is treasure in the autumn light, gold upon the trees.

My garden never did produce, it's overgrown with weeds
I barely gave it any time after I sowed the seeds
There's plenty in the orchard, we'll eat well anyway
And my harvest for the summer need not be stored away.

For I have grown much stronger, and clearer every day
My feet upon the ground now in a very different way
My blossoms are the songs I've written all throughout the year
My fruit I give unto you, to bring you winter cheer.

        Harvest moon in New England, and the nights are crisp and cold
        But have you seen the sunshine? It's a glory to behold
        Late afternoon it slants in and touches on the leaves
        There is treasure in the autumn light, gold upon the trees
        There is treasure in the autumn light, gold upon the trees.

©1992 Molly Gamblin Music (BMI)


Surrender   Next Song | | Top | | Solo Recordings |
February 2, 1992

Lui - vocals, Gibson guitar (DADGAD)
Jeff - electric guitars
Billy - pennywhistles
Donna - fiddles
Frank - 6-string bass
Rob - percussion
Bill - field drum

The ocean does not cry aloud when she is asked to leave
She does not fight the moon's pull, the tugging on her sleeve
The time has come for parting, she's only just arrived
Surrendering to the moon's pull, the ocean stays alive.

The moon, it is her constant call, she rests not in one place
No claim on her the shore holds, it but reflects her face
A mirror to her visage, she knows herself in love
Thus looking outward finds herself - then comes the call from above:

        "Surrender," the moon calls, "these boundaries are not your own
        "Surrender," the moon calls, "and I shall lead you home."

The ocean does not question why she's drawn from shore to shore
She does not ask the Heavens, "Then which do I love more?"
For she is not possessed by the west nor by the east
Her life is held in mystery, the secrets of the deep.

In deepest, darkest waters precious gems of life are born
In depths of secret longing the ocean births her own
The coral grows beneath the waves, the pearl is forged anew
As far below the surface ocean's beauty reigneth true.

        Surrender, the moon calls, these boundaries are not your own
        Surrender, the moon calls, and I shall lead you home.

The ocean does not cry aloud when she is asked to leave
She does not fight the moon's pull, the tugging on her sleeve
And trusting in the parting, and knowing self in love
Surrendering to the moon's pull, the ocean stays alive.

        Surrender, the moon calls, your boundaries are your own
        Surrender, the moon calls, and I shall lead you home.

©1992 Molly Gamblin Music (BMI)


Step Into the Water   Next Song | | Top | | Solo Recordings |
June 26&30, 1992

The two bodies of water mentioned here were 1) a swift-flowing creek in
North Carolina, with a bed of stones so rounded and slippery that, combined
with the treacherous current, I could barely keep my footing, and 2) a
pristine pond in southern New Hampshire on a clear bright July day. As I
swam alone out into the center of the pond, my eyes took in the rise of the
wooded mountains from the shoreline, the hot sun over my head, and the
children playing far off on the sand. Suddenly, in a panic, I realized I
was being followed by a large black "something" at the bottom of the pond.
It was my shadow.
Lui - vocal, Gibson guitar
Billy - soprano sax
Jeff - dobro
Ron - banjo
Frank - fretless bass
Rob - percussion
Linda, Joan and Greta - harmony vocals

Chor.Step into the water, feel the current swirling 'round
        Step into the water, feel the power nearly pull me down
        Step into the water, feel the river running strong
        Let the waters bring me home where I belong.

Seated on this cushion of moss 'neath a rhododendron tree
Tucked beneath her branches in a womb of reverie
The creek flows fast and muddy, and the bed is rocky and wild
But the water calls me in, "Come and join me for awhile."
        Chor.

One foot then the other, it's a tentative approach
With both feet on the bottom I think I can hold my own
But as I lift a foot to step ahead the force grabs onto me
Still I'm drawn to the deep of the middle, where the current's flowing free.
        Chor.

And standing in this deepest place, my life is under siege
I gather strength to ground myself and open to receive
There is a power in the waters, and I can take it in
There's a wisdom in the Universe carried on the wind.
        Chor.

And later in a northern pond, the voice again I hear
A summons to immerse myself and swim out past my fear
My body glides in fluid grace, a mermaid in this inland sea
I swim back over years and years as I move with strength and ease.
        Chor.

©1992 Molly Gamblin Music (BMI)


Blessing   Next Song | | Top | | Solo Recordings |
Donna Hébert

Many thank yous to Donna for this exquisite song.
Lui - vocal, Gibson guitar
Jeff - mandolin, electric guitar
Frank - fretless basses
Rob - percussion
Greta and Joan - harmony vocals

May the Eastern breezes bless you
Lift your spirits make them fly
May the Southern sun shine on you
Warm your heart and help you try

May the western waters cleanse you
Washing over all you feel
Northern Earth be yours to stand in
Ground you so you know what's real

Overall be strength and beauty
Food and friends and music fine
Work you love and pleasant duty
Love to make your spirit shine

All of these I wish upon you
Multiply them three times three
Draw a circle all around you
And forever blessed be.

©1992 Donna Hébert


Guinevere and the Fire   Next Song | | Top | | Solo Recordings |
Fred Small

This song is based on a true story told to Fred when he was touring in
Australia. The lyrics stick very close to the story as told until the last
verse. Fred himself introduced the idea of the black woman coming to the
funeral, allowing her to give voice to a concept that would never have
occurred to the family at the time. As Fred told it to me, the story was
passed down in the family, and everyone would exclaim what a tragedy it was
that the child didn't dare pass the Aboriginal village to go for help. It
was not until after many many retellings that it even occurred to anyone to
suggest that Guinevere might have gone TO the Aboriginals themselves for
aid.
Lui - vocal, Gibson guitar (EADGBE)
Frank - fretless bass
Donna - fiddle
Jeremiah - accordion

My grandmother was born in 1900
On a farm in New South Wales
She wed a dairyman
Who liked to raise a pint of ale
The first child came when she was twenty
Five more babes in seven years
That first daughter was my mother
They called her Guinevere

Little Gwen would play beneath the willow
"Yes the queen would like some tea"
Helped with chores that never ended
Tried to mind tried to please
Sometimes she heard the music
Wild and strange in the summer night
"They're dirty people" warned her mother
"Never go near their campfire light"

Chorus
Stay away from the camp of the blackfellas
Little white girls have disappeared
They drink and dance when the moon is red
Better never let 'em see your golden hair"

Came the winter of '27
So cold the milk froze in the pail
Her mum hung the nappies by the hearth
Her dad in town for a round of ale
A spark leapt from the fire that night
Wrapped her mother in a gown of flame
Flailing dancing in a frenzy
Falling down in voiceless pain

Stillness and the stench of burning
Then so soft 'twas like a ghost
"Fetch the Cunninghams" she whispered
"Bring me aid or I am lost"
The Cunningham house was not two miles away
And they the nearest whites
Past the camp of the Aboriginals
Past the demons of the night

Chorus

"I will run to save my mother
I must go now I must fly"
Still she heard her mother's tales
Of the Devil's drums and the evil eye
Her mother's breathing ever fainter
Gwen frozen in her fright
Seven hours till dawn she waited
For the safety of the light

Now she runs till her feet are bleeding
To the house upon the hill
Now comes the doctor's wagon speeding
To her mother cold and still

They laid her down in the Nowra graveyard
From the Bible read a verse
Children sent to aunts and uncles
Some to Melbourne some to Perth
Gwen packed her canvas satchel
could not hold the salt tears back
Turned to leave her home forever
Faced a woman gnarled and black

"Child our hearts are heavy
Grieving for your loss
We live so close by you
Why did you not come to us?
We have salves to heal the burning
We have herbs to stop the pain
We could have helped had we but known
To make your mother whole again"
Chorus

©1993, Pine Barrens Music (BMI)


Stone by Stone   Next Song | | Top | | Solo Recordings |
for Gkisedtanamoogk and Miigam'agan, Cjegkitoonuppa, Manitonquat
and my brothers in the Open Circle at Somers (now Osborne) Prison
written June 1, 1993 - May 6, 1994

Cjegkitoonuppa (Slow Turtle) and Manitonquat (Medicine Story), two
Wampanoag elders, lead sweat lodges and medicine circles for the inmates of
several New England prisons. As a member of Beechtree Medicine Circle, a
group which supports their work, I have had the privilege of participating
several times in the medicine circle in one Connecticut prison. It has
been a profoundly moving experience for me to hear the men speak in the
circle and to share my own truth with them. In the spring of 1993, members
of Beechtree gathered at our home, where we were led in ceremony by
Gkisedtanamoogk, another Wampanoag elder, who came with his Miqmaq wife
Miigam'agan and their two children. A council fire burned throughout four
days, and we celebrated First Light ceremonies each morning, along with
holding numerous councils. The stones for our sweat lodge were carried
from old stone walls and set into the fire.
According to Gkisedtanamoogk, at one time all of our ancestors knew the
circle, knew the fire, and lived in sacred connection to the Earth and all
of her creatures. Some of us have forgotten our origins. There are those,
such as the Wampanoags, who still remember and who reverentially hold the
memory for all, until such a time as we may return to that place of respect
and connection with all our relations.

Since writing this song, my awareness of the travesties done to aboriginal
nations all over the world by "civilized" nations has grown, so that I now
understand that the shame is not relegated to "so long ago," but continues
to this day. I urge you to read Jerry Mander's book In the Absence of the
Sacred: The Failure of Technology and the Survival of the Indian Nations.

Lui - lead and background vocals, Martin guitar (EADGBD)
David - cello, background vocals
Frank - bass
Joan - background vocals
Rob - percussion

I'd met only briefly this wise humble stranger
Who soon with his family would visit my land
I awaited their coming with some hesitation
For feelings may surface in ways never planned.

Would they accept me despite what my people
Had done to their forefathers so long ago?
Could I cleanse in the sweat lodge the shame I had carried
And reaching 'cross cultures some common ground know?
        Could we take down the wall, stone by stone by stone
        What once divided now shall unite, in the fire we are transformed.

My ancestors landed on shores of abundance
to shamelessly claim them as true rightful heirs
They were met by a people who welcomed and gifted them
honored the land, and shared what was theirs.

But my ancestors sadly neglected their duties
The sacred was lost in the misuse of will
In betrayal of trust and the land raped and pillaged
The heart is soon empty, the prisons are filled
        Take down the wall, stone by stone by stone
        What once divided now shall unite, in the fire we are transformed.

Now the elders come weekly to sit in the circle
where inmate and visitor join hand in hand
I hear each one speak as the talking stick passes
The truth falls unhindered from the mouth of each man.

Your pain reflects mine, as you speak in the circle
though my prison is one that I carry inside
Unlike yours which holds you in obvious bondage
I endure mine in secret, but it can't be denied.
And when later I walk free through gate and locked doorway
I feel in my heart the depth of your care
For there in the circle with hands and heart open
brother to brother I've seen your love shared.

The love that connects us, the truth of our being
Its strength is the power to move mind and will
And joining together in sacred communion
Our mutual gift is the love that can heal.
        As we take down the wall, stone by stone by stone
        What once divided now shall unite, in the fire we are transformed.

In support of the circle that meets in the prison
We gathered to honor Creator and Earth
We gathered for council and ceremony
To honor each sister's and each brother's worth.

Each came with an old wound, or burden of grief
Some pain from our past, some need to be healed
Grace came in the sweat lodge, sacred release
As we lay down our armor, we lay down our shield.
        Take down the wall, stone by stone by stone...
        What once divided now shall unite, in the fire we are transformed.

Now I sit by the council fire, burned down to ashes
So carefully tended these four sacred days
The heart of our gathering, now carried within us
The promise of love in the joining of ways.

For we are the captives here on Turtle Island
Our captors the people of the old sovereign states
And one day, no matter how much we resist it
Our path will return us to the Longhouse again.
        As we take down the wall, stone by stone by stone
        What once divided now shall unite, in the fire we are transformed.

©1994 Molly Gamblin Music (BMI)


Midnight   Next Song | | Top | | Solo Recordings |
February 21, 1993

Written on the coldest night of February 1993, right after a concert at the
Roaring Brook Nature Center. A song of hope and the strength of love.
Lui - vocal, Lowden guitar
David - cello
Joan - keyboards

It's midnight and I'm still awake, my pencil in my hand
For lying next to you alone is more than I can stand
Though my eyes are barely open I'd not come to easy sleep
So yet awhile I'll linger here and late night watch I'll keep.

What holds me here, I wonder, with our days so filled with pain
This cold and silent home we share, what reason to remain?
Some empty hope for future joys or memory of the past
Our long neglected bank account of love we have amassed?

        In those early days of passion, freely bonding our two souls
        I swore there'd be no marriage vows, no filling worn out roles
        Then came the day I wanted you to have and you to hold
        And the birthing of our children and the building of our home.

Now these roles of wife and mother I have sought so well to fill
Though my mother's unacknowledged rage came against my will
And the pattern recreated here, it was not my intent
But I've fought the culture's power till my energy's near spent.

My strength, my creativity, my passion and my play
These qualities I claim unto me more with every day.
But the joys that once we shared I now can find only alone
And I wonder, when self's divided, can it reconcile as one?

        Can I loose the ties that bind me, can I really be that brave?
        Can I shake myself from anger and create the life I crave?
        And now that we have grown so close, I long to let you see
        The woman that you fell in love with when we both were free.

For though we argue so, I truly think we're of like mind
And once we get past our differences, our purpose be aligned
To heal the old resentments and to call on life anew
May this love we hold between us be enough to bear us through.

©1993 Molly Gamblin Music (BMI)


Pretty Bird   Next Song | | Top | | Solo Recordings |
February 21, 1992

Lui - lead and harmony vocals, Martin guitar
Jeff - dobro
Frank - bass
Rob - percussion

Chor:
        Pretty bird fly in my window
        Come set by my chair
        Song to ease my troubled heart
        And a feather for my hair.

Owl flies in the nighttime
Hawk flies by day
I'll fly to you any old time
If you'll come home to stay.

Robin nests in the lilac
Crow nests high in a tree
Build a nest with you my love
Just for you and me.

Eagle flies from the mountain
Gull flies over the sea
I'll fly to your arms my love
When you come home to me.

Geese fly south for the winter
Though the tiniest titmice stay
I'll hold you in my heart dear
While you're so far away.

©1992 Molly Gamblin Music (BMI)


The Vision   Next Song | | Top | | Solo Recordings |
April 19, 1992

I am consistently nourished by spending quiet time in places of power. The
hardest part is remembering that when I am in the midst of my angst! I
used to think Sky was something far above my head, until one day I realized
it actually comes all the way down to meet and touch the Earth.
Lui - vocal, Gibson guitar
David - cello
Joan - keyboards
Frank - bass

My grieving is a quiet shade of longing
A shadow of sadness passing over my day
No wailing, moaning, muffled by my pillow
No flood of tears to raise the Husik Bay.

Reminders cleared from honored places gracing
Your heart out of my pocket's warm embrace
I'll not wait for the phone to ring this evening
Nor read the words in ink your hand has traced.
        Can I live my life for me awhile, I'm hoping?
        Call my body to the dance all on its own?
        Can the song sung in my head be satisfying?
        Can I claim my dreams and summon them home?

Water tumbling sweetly sang upon my ears
White birch portals welcomed me to sacred space
Mother earth inviting gently drew me on
Red hawks circling, screaming, crying out my name.
        Can I live my life for me awhile, I'm hoping?
        Call my body to the dance all on its own?
        Can the song sung in my head be satisfying?
        Can I claim my dreams and summon them home?

I am open to the future, to tomorrow's joy
To creation and love, ecstatic and bold
From earth draw life, breathe sky into every cell
Waters quench my thirst, the flames ignite my soul.
        Can I live my life for me awhile, I'm hoping?
        Call my body to the dance all on its own?
        Can the song sung in my head be satisfying?
        Can I claim my dreams and summon them home?

        Can I live my life for me awhile, I'm hoping
        Letting go of everything I've ever known?
        Can I claim my dreams and summon them around me
        Trusting in the vision I've been shown?

©1992 Molly Gamblin Music (BMI)


Lovers' Fire   | Top | | Solo Recordings |
May 27, 1992

Lui - lead and harmony vocals, Gibson guitar
Jeff - electric guitars
Frank - bass
Rob - percussion/drums
Joan and Greta - harmony vocals

Summertime is close upon us
Scent of lilacs fills the room
We made love this afternoon in a meadow
Tonight we'll lie together 'neath the moon.

Your shoulder warm with sun upon it
Grass beneath us prickly on our skin
You'd think that we were newly lovers
To see the sparkle and the grin.

Chor. And after all these years together
        Our love is a brightly burning blaze
        We have fed the spark that opened our hearts
        And it'll burn till the end of our days, of our days

Feels like I have just begun to know you
As the years go swiftly spinning by
Seems our love is like an oak tree
Deeply rooted reaching for the sky.

Branches stretching out unto the heavens
Leaves to catch the sunlight and the rain
Weathering the passing of the seasons
Taller, sweeter, stronger every day.

        And after all these years together
        Our love is a brightly burning blaze
        We have fed the spark that opened our hearts
        And it'll burn till the end of our days, of our days.

Summertime is close upon us
Scent of lilacs fills the room
We made love this afternoon in a meadow
And tonight we'll lie together 'neath the moon.

©1992 Molly Gamblin Music (BMI)


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