POET MAN (4:34) (Featuring Robert Miranda)
J. Wilkinson - Keena Bear Publishing (BMI)
Vocals: Jo Wilkinson
Acoustic and electric guitars: Robert Miranda
Produced by Eligh
Poet Man on silk black wings
Soaring high above all things
Coming ‘round he sometimes sings
Oh, oh, Poet Man
Streaks of colors light the sky
Trails of lyrics leave you high
What he sees and how and why
Oh, oh, Poet Man
Words like stars tumble down
Rumbling thunder through the ground
In the middle he is found
Oh, oh, Poet Man
Robes of orange, robes of gold
Walked the earth so long ago
Listen, watch, that’s how you’ll know
Oh, oh, Poet Man
Child of beauty, child of grace
Truth his eyes, Love his face
Crow wings take him any place
Oh, oh, Poet Man
Words like stars tumble down
Rumbling thunder through the ground
In the middle he is found
Oh, oh, Poet Man...
BY AND BY (4:57) (Featuring The Grouch and Paul Daute)
E. Nachowitz - Greycrow Publishing (ASCAP); C. Scoffern - Get Yours Publishing (ASCAP); J. Wilkinson - Keena Bear Publishing (BMI)
Vocals: Jo Wilkinson, Eligh, The Grouch
Violin: Paul Daute
Produced by Eligh
Jo:
Skip and run, jump and fly
We can get there if we try
By and by, by and by...
Eligh:
I just might just take off and go;
stay free of the shackles that way down my soul
pull in the chips then stack them up high,
so the castle walls rugged when I’m ready to roll
rolling thunder hear my cry when I’m on the road;
cuz I got a personality to keep me
in the fold, in the cut, in the back..
used to be I had to roll a blunt from a sack,
just to interact with the sun in the west..
just a lost young man with a gun to the chest till the fun went south,
and my heart went north..
wingspan grew as a young man knew,
realized that it’s all in the back of
his eyes..the Universe is bigger than you’ve ever dreamed,
as your swimming in the evergreens,
and the dimmers on the rise to the brightest that you’ve ever seen,
as you formulate a better dream..
some people scheme to the guillotine..but I cant cut off my God
cuz he’s in a man, he’s everywhere..
a divine hand, gratitude in my attitude when I take off and fly,
cuz I made up my mind,
I’m not mad at you, if you cant keep up with the speed of a hawk
with his eye on the prey as I fly in and slay all the liars astray
in the fires of today we can get away..
take my first step off the ledge, then use my flow to alternate,
my wingspan flaps inside my head
to take my fans to altered states
take you to that place of peace
where you won’t be scared to face that beast;
win that battle for your soul,
I’m here in the armor made of platinum and gold don’t run.
Grouch:
when life’s too fast, I gotta move slow,
until I grow my wings and then that’s when I’m a fly,
I’ve seen the other side, I got people waiting on me,
feeling my story so I’m sticking with Eligh
dropping more leaves, trees grown wise..
I didn’t wanna lie..never said this shit was easy know that baby’s gonna cry..
and then she’s gonna smile big for me cuz I’m perfecting my path,
after I come up with my answers, then I’m checking my math
I know to crawl before you ball, believe just half of what you saw,
perceive the glass is almost full, but you can fill another glass..
still another calf laughs, he’s just a part of the herd,
but we ain’t gotta butt heads, I get much farther with words
I’m just an artist tryin’ to run and jump, a dreamer who can skip and fly,
I seen you losing grip and I came zippin’ by,
dippin’, hittin’ switches something vicious, then I double back..
ain’t no trouble, that’s just in my nature, lets get there, we'll take you..
Eligh
Jo:
By and by, by and by........
Get up, get up, get up, get up....
HONOR ME (4:59) (Featuring Pigeon John)
E. Nachowitz - Greycrow Publishing (ASCAP); J. Wilkinson - Keena Bear Publishing (BMI); Pigeon John - Pigeon John Publishing (ASCAP)
Vocals: Jo Wilkinson, Eligh, Pigeon John
Electric guitar: Robert Miranda
Produced by Eligh
Jo:
I’m your friend, will you be a friend of mine
Be true to yourself, let your bright light shine
Life is here to take a hold
You gotta find a way to let your story unfold
When you honor yourself, you honor me
We are all one, everything we see
Eligh:
pay attention to the sweet hymns of angels on your shoulder blades
you’re crying out for help, but you’re lyin’ to yourself... cuz God can only walk beside you,
while you’re higher than a stealth bomber, letting off shots that ricochet through your armor
this will play, like the calm before the day and its drama, you can stay if you wanna
but the black glass is calling
I was falling to my knees, balling out like a child, calling out to his mother when he’s
lost in a crowd...always shrouded by the guilt of what I’m doing to myself
I can’t keep pace with my disease, it out runs me, out guns me, out smarts me, out hearts me
then leaves me to rot, even though I know I got much more, I can’t reach out, now I’m stuck,
what the f–k...
Pigeon John:
Here I stand, my arms are always open wide
Why do you run away and hide, oh you silly man
You stand so tall, your tower reaching toward the sky
But you’re scared to answer why, until you fall...
I’m lyin’ on the floor once again, I’m so familiar with the scenery,
they greet me at the door, walk me in, sit me down, and hit me with the reality
that I’m alone in a room of runaways, and broken down kings, and black-eyed queens,
and now I know, the longer that I stay, the more that I sink into a pitch black haze...
Blended choruses
THE PRAYER (4:28)
J. Wilkinson - Keena Bear Publishing (BMI)
Vocals: Jo Wilkinson, Ed Davenport, Shanti Foster, Pigeon John, Kevin Pakulis, Anne Renaud
Acoustic and electric guitars: Robert Miranda
Bass: Sabra Faulk
Pedal Steel: Louie Levinson
Violin: Shanti Foster
Keyboard: Duncan Stitt
Drums: “Uncle” Dave Jeffrey
Produced by Jo Wilkinson and Duncan Stitt
Little bird flies to the river
Little bird sits on a cottonwood tree
Little bird sings out a prayer to Heaven
It’s a prayer for humanity
“Let the river flow from the mountain
Let it flow to the sea
Let the peaceful water wash
Away the human misery”
I have seen the blood stained desert
I have flown through fiery skies
I have heard the mothers wailing
I have seen the children die
“Oh, let this river flow from the mountain
Let it flow to the sea
Let the peaceful water wash
Away the human misery”
Little girl sits down by the river
Little girl watches the river flow
Little bird sings out high above her
Sings so loud that God will know
“Let this river flow from the mountain
Let it flow to the sea
Let the peaceful water wash
Away the human misery.”
[“You better quit coming in my room! Get out! I’m recording!” Eligh’s sister Sara, at age 7, annoyed by her big brother Eligh, at age 10.]
SARA (4:46) (Featuring Jiro Yamaguchi of Ozomatli, and Robert Miranda)
J. Wilkinson - Keena Bear Publishing (BMI); E. Nachowitz - Greycrow Publishing (ASCAP)
Vocals: Jo Wilkinson
Acoustic and electric guitars: Robert Miranda
Extra Percussion: Jiro Yamaguchi
Produced by Eligh
Twinkle, twinkle little star
How I wonder who you are
Once a diamond in the sky
Wisdom shining through your eyes, Sara
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
Child from space you came to me
Sailed on wings of eternity
Brought the moon and brought the stars
I’ll never know just who you are, Sara
Sweeter than the sweetest bite
Darker than the darkest night
Steady on her path she goes
We have learned from all she knows
Grey skies find you with a smile
Sun comes out you pout a while
Dancing in the foggy mist
Say a prayer, you’ll get your wish, Sara
Willful child from ages past
Coming here her fate was cast
Lovely swirling dancing girl
Sparkling spirit in this world, Sara
Graceful, steady, sure and slow
Unafraid of where she goes
Painting pictures we can’t see
Open eyes to what can be
Sara, oh, Sara, Sara, oh, Sara...oh...
EMBRACE (5:13)
J. Wilkinson - Keena Bear Publishing (BMI); E. Nachowitz - Greycrow Publishing (ASCAP)
Vocals: Jo Wilkinson
Child voice: Katia Lewin
Produced by Eligh
Are you afraid? Afraid of what?
Afraid of the dark – don’t be afraid.
Embrace the night and all you see
Look how the stars shine for you and me
I think you came from way up there
And brought your gift for the world to share
Come here and cuddle, my sweet little boy
My angel, my pride and joy
Close your eyes and hold real still
Happy thoughts will come, I know they will
Monsters aren’t real, just thoughts in your head
They like to pop up when it’s time for bed
Change those monsters into friends
They’re in your head, so just pretend
Good things come from the darkest night
Love and laughter, bright moon light
Embrace the night and all you see
Look how the stars shine for you and me
Night time falls so we can rest
Everyone sleeps, it’s for the best
Half-way around the word, it’s day
And there are children at school and play
When it’s time for you to wake
The sun will rise and day will break
It’s time to play when you open your eyes
While the others listen to lullabies
Momma, Momma, would you put me to bed
Will you chase those monsters out of my head?
Maybe they’re lonely and scared too
And maybe they need to cuddle, like you and me
Embrace the night and all you see
Look how the stars shine for you and me
You came from way up there
And brought your gift for the world to share
Shhhh... go to sleep..... stars..... nightime.... is a beautiful
Go to sleep....don’t be afraid....close your eyes.....hmmm
Good night......
Are you afraid? Afraid of what?
Afraid of the dark? Don’t be afraid.
Momma, Momma, let me sleep in your bed
There’s monsters and things jumping around in my head
What if they get me?
What if they do?
Momma, Momma, please, let me sleep with you!
[Embrace is a lullaby I wish were true – that the only thing children need to fear are “monsters” in the night; not domestic violence, hunger, disease, or the horrors of war. – Jo]
STARCHILD (4:37) (Featuring The Grouch and Mark Bell)
E. Nachowitz - Greycrow Publishing (ASCAP); C. Scoffern - Get Yours Publishing (ASCAP); J. Wilkinson - Keena Bear Publishing (BMI)
Vocals: Jo Wilkinson, Eligh, The Grouch, Mark Bell
Electric guitar: Robert Miranda
Produced by Eligh
Jo:
Do you know who you really are?
You come from the moon and the stars.
Grouch:
what’s inside implies, when the pen slides left to right, don’t fight the current tide
for insurance just check the way it feels, if it’s uneasy you probably ain’t comin real..
know where you comin from, summon the sun, the moon, the earth, the stars cuz we ain’t tryin to
dumb it down.. f--- that respect, that’s the number one, yourself and others, give the drummer some, sucker..
what you expect for the center to be, after a war or more sure, what’s in it for me..I gotta center myself, like a grown man’s gotta keep food on the shelf..
God, help my ego, can’t turn out like some people we know, I was a seagull, now I wanna
be an eagle and so my eyes focus upon soaking up strength by the length of this light, I give thanks..
Eligh:
we’re let loose on the grounds of earth without the means to speak,
left foot, right foot, yet so many discoveries in our reach,
many of us didn’t have anyone around to tell and teach,
without no mom, no dad, so sad you’re out on a stranded beach,
a desert isle with sand for miles and not a word to preach,
it’s so absurd to speak to no one, loneliness it creeps,
your search engine is broken hoping and praying for ships in fleets,
to anchor up to the shoreline send parties out in sweeps,
then hopefully you’d be located by radar when it beeps,
awakening in a beautiful dream like a whale does when it sleeps,
then kissed awake by his mother cuz you never had that love,
you wanna feel that velvet touch, you wanna feel that glove,
brush up against your face to let you know that you’re alive,
and that you come from the stars and after birth you can survive,
you’re not alone, you’re not alone in the zone..
Jo: Do you know who you really are? You come from the moon and the stars.
Eligh:
fear is an obstacle that I will over come but it might take a lifetime,
but I take time out just to get my lines out, get my head out of my rear,
we might be nearing the end, but fuck it man, I’m here with my friends,
so we disappear in the beat that I made and reappear in the send off,
fake it until I make it, I might have to break it before it’s fixed,
climbing out of cocoons, you gotta make room for the assist,
and if you don’t get the gist of this and it really don’t make sense,
just leap to my side of the fence to make it more intense..hence the phrase..
Grouch:
Barefoot balanced in the backyard and open, to L.A and Maui then back
up to Oakland in a caravan, I’m a nomad with a family,
Range Rover move over, dare you to understand me,
give me the finer things that’s dandy, don’t mean designer things,
I’ve seen eye candy, it’s all air brushed, plus she looks manly,
mother nature made you and that’s what’s fancy..
Mark Bell:
Do you know who you really are?
You come from the moon and from the stars.
Listen close, speak through your higher voice
In peace and in love you will rejoice
SAFE (6:08) (Featuring Slug of Atmosphere and Pigeon John)
E. Nachowitz - Greycrow Publishing (ASCAP); J. Wilkinson - Keena Bear Publishing (BMI); Pigeon John - Pigeon John Publishing (ASCAP); S. Daley, Upsidedown Heart Music (ASCAP)
Vocals: Pigeon John, Jo Wilkinson, Slug, Eligh
Produced by Eligh
Pigeon John:
I was in your little belly, you were in Kansas in a hotelly,
you were worried cuz you were late, and he didn’t know,
you paced back and forth looking out the window..
make sure he’s not around when you make the phone call,
your hands shaky you don’t know if it’s the wrong call,
already got one angel sleeping quiet on the bed,
innocent child, curly hair on his little head...
and you were once one, didn’t know you still were in all,
a daughter of a king sitting in a dark ball,
your silhouette shines thin through the curtain,
the phone’s to your ear, nothing’s for certain..
you got the number, got the plan, hear the dial tone,
it sounds loud and it rings through your thin bones,
7 digits and the whole deal’s fixed quick,
but you’re froze cold, and you feel sick;
you looked at your angel again,
you slowly put the phone back on its hinge,
you lie down right next to my big brother, you try not to
cry when you got under covers ,you had no money,
had no plan, barely had a call ,but it was funny you didn’t worry about it all,
you fell asleep in your bed with your new son, I felt your hand on my head
it was all done..
Jo:
I love you, yes I love you...
Slug:
momma, momma, your boy tipped over, but this cross ain’t your
burden to shoulder, it’s not your fault that the joker, can’t find
his own way home when he’s sober,
most minutes, strictly business, wanna do great, wanna make a difference,
but when the liquor hits, shifted, gonna put this any where that it fits..
no regard for love and safety, gave face as a place to hate me,
you made me and named me, but have you seen me lately? I’m not
the same baby..nah, I take the whole blame, I made the choice to try to play this old game,
soul got wet from cold rain, when I meet the devil, I’m a say my full name..
free fell, ain’t a thing to tell, you know this world, and you’ve seen its hell,
chin up, kinda like yourself, too much pride inside this ain’t a cry for help,
I wanna be comfortably numb, and I’m in the cycle with the life I run from,
can’t speak on the crimes I’ve done, I’m afraid that you won’t recognize your son.
Jo:
I love you, yes I love you...
Eligh:
Even if I lost my life a million miles from home, my heart would hold you like a locket
encrusted in diamonds and chrome,
that’s the way I keep from depression under pressure with bullets whizzing past my ears
in this battle zone I’m alone,
I love you like the wind, and yes we’ve just begun, the wind because it blows me close to you
when I’m on the run, I’m moving through this desert, the sun is chapping my back, Iraq is no joke,I lack, no hope, I’m playing my part, you’re safe in my heart, so keep me on your mind, I’ll keep you in my thoughts, I’m moving through this desert, the sun is chapping my back, I’ll keep you
on my mind, you keep me in your thoughts..
Jo:
Pipelines pumping oil or smack
you get rich off my kid’s back
You take my son and make him pay
Keep him harnessed either way
Drugs, booze, your dirty war
He’s not sure what life is for
With your greed you keep him bound
He’s so lost he can’t be found
A mother knows her child’s true worth
From the very moment she gives birth
The only choice I ever made
To give you life, now how you’ve paid
A mother’s love runs deeper still
Than all the oil in all the drills
They may take your body, not your soul
You’re safe in my heart
I won’t let go...
Safe, safe in my heart
We’re never apart...I love you, yes I love you...
OCEAN OF LOVE (4:24)
R. Miranda - 17 y J Songs (ASCAP); J. Wilkinson - Keena Bear Publishing (BMI)
Vocals: Jo Wilkinson
Electric guitar: Robert Miranda
Vibes: “Uncle” Dave Jeffrey
Pedal Steel: Louie Levinson
Keyboards: Paul Krueger
Produced by Duncan Stitt and Jo Wilkinson
When I close my eyes
And roll off to sleep
There’s one place where I’d like to be
That’s safe in my boat
On a deep blue sea
Sailing on an Ocean of Love
Ocean of Love
The end of the day
I close my eyes
I’m ready to sail
On an Ocean of Love
Peaceful and calm
Moonlight above
Never a storm
On an Ocean of Love
The wind and waves
Rock me to sleep
The dolphins they watch over me
I’m safe in my boat
Happy and free
Sailing on an Ocean of Love
En mis sueños me voy
Al mar de amor
La luna me llena de paz
La mano de Dios
Me ampara sin fin
Las estrellas brillan por mí
Sleep now baby, close your eyes... You’re sailing on an Ocean of Love...
Sueña con los angelitos
ANGELS (5:56) (Featuring Shanti Foster)
J. Wilkinson - Keena Bear Publishing (BMI)
Vocals: Jo Wilkinson
Acoustic guitar: Robert Miranda
“Sound scapes”: Eligh
Violin: Shanti Foster
Keyboards: Paul Krueger
Produced by Eligh
The skies opened up and the angels came
I felt the wind, I felt the rain
The angels appeared in drops of gold
They swept me up into their fold
They swept me up into their fold
I felt my body turn to air
Like a cloud, a feather, one strand of hair
They sang so sweetly their heavenly song
Well, I knew right then I had been all wrong
I knew right then I had been all wrong
We soared over oceans and deserts and trees
We laughed and we sang as we sailed on the breeze
Was I dead or alive, I didn’t much care
I was with the angels, neither here nor there
I was with the angels, neither here nor there
The weight that’s held me down so long
Was suddenly lifted like a joyful song
And when they placed me down again
Well, I knew I’d see them, just didn’t know when
I knew I’d see them, just didn’t know when
Oh, you who have no faith, take heed
The Universe has more than you’ll ever need
Just lay yourself down and stare at the sky
And the angels will come and open your eyes
The angels will come and open your eyes
PRAISES (6:04) (Featuring Mark Josephson, Jiro Yamaguchi of Ozomatli, and Robert Miranda)
E. Nachowitz - Greycrow Publishing (ASCAP); J. Wilkinson - Keena Bear Publishing (BMI)
Vocals: Jo Wilkinson
Electric guitars: Robert Miranda
Violin: Mark Josephson
Congas: Jiro Yamaguchi
Prayers: Padam Khanna, Lenny Stein, Eligh
Produced by Eligh
Prayers...
Come walk with me through desert sands
Come together to the healing ground
Walk together, hand in hand
Come together to the healing ground
Walk together, me and you
Come together to the healing ground
Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jew
Come together to the healing ground
Feel the breath of God brush against your face
It’s the breath of One, it’s the human race
Praises unto Oneness, praises unto Grace
Sing, praises unto Oneness, praises unto Grace...
Sisters, brothers, one and all
Come together to the healing ground
Drop your weapons, let them fall
Come together to the healing ground
Feel the heart beat of this world
Come together to the healing ground
Feel the love around you swirl
Come together to the healing ground
Feel the breath of God brush against your face
It’s the breath of One, it’s the human race
Prayers
Peace is coming, coming fast
Come together to the healing ground
Peace and love are here at last
We’ve come together to the healing ground
Feel the breath of God brush against your face
It’s the breath of Oneness, it’s Amazing Grace
Sing praises unto Oneness, praises unto Grace
Sing praises unto Oneness, praises unto Grace...
Prayers...
SACRED GROUND (4:54)
By Jo Wilkinson
Illustrations by Eligh
Read by Jo Wilkinson
Sound effects: Eligh
“Grandmother, Grandmother
Where’s my Sacred Ground?
I live in a city, you live in this town;
How do I find my Sacred Ground?”
Her grandmother smiled as only grandmothers can
With a gentle voice she reached out her hand:
“Go up on the mesa, sit and be still
Quiet your mind in the evening chill
Then with your eyes closed,
And your heart open wide,
Ask for guidance, you’ll find it inside.
Listen real closely, my darling child
The answer you seek will come in a while”
The young girl did as her grandmother said
She climbed up the mesa with the sun crimson red
She sat at the edge of the lake that she loved
And waited for night to fall from above
With sacred feathers clutched in her hands
She sat on the soft green earth and began
The feathers brushed against her golden brown skin
While sage and dust swirled in the wind
With eyes shut tight a bright Light did come
She asked for the wisdom of the old wise ones.
“Come reach me, come teach me,” she spoke without sound,
“Come show me the way to my Sacred Ground”
One by one, ancient faces arrived
Like puffs of smoke, they drifted by
Images laced in billowy clouds
Each one familiar to her, each one so proud
Her body felt warm, though the night air was cold
She knew she was seen by the ancient one’s souls
The warm feeling held her, she knew it was love,
As they floated by in the Heavens above
Soon she heard singing and drums in the night
An ancient village came into her sight
In time with the drums her own heart did beat
From under a blanket, she kept time with her feet
The People gathered in a circle to dance
Around the fire they shuffled and pranced
The shadows of dancers glowed in the night
Her heart skipped a beat at the wondrous sight
With her eyes closed sitting still on the ground,
She gazed at the landscape, the hills all around
Then horses and riders raced into her sight
A golden horse came to her from the dark starry night
His muzzle soft, he pressed close to her face
He snorted and whinnied, he beckoned her to race
She leapt on his back and away they did go
Holding onto the mane of the stallion so gold
With thundering hooves they rode through they night
Across prairies and mesas in the brilliant moonlight
They circled the earth all the way around
Until they returned and brought her back down
As quickly as they had appeared before
She was back on the ground, and they were no more
In the shimmering darkness with the slightest of sound
They appeared in the grass and the rocks all around
She nodded and smiled, then opened her eyes
And she looked to the stars in the Heavenly skies
She felt the feathers touch her skin
While the sage and dust swirled in the wind
The full moon glowed way up high
She thanked Mother Earth and then Father Sky
Her grandmother asked her what she had found?
“That all Mother Earth is my Sacred Ground.”
To the listener:
This project came together through an equal desire on the part of Eligh and me to create something through the genres of music we both love, not to worry if the music didn’t “fit into a box”; to go where we two fishes swim; where we two crows might fly. The result is an album of love, respect, despair, hope, friendship; it’s about conquering addiction, and the possibility of real peace in our world. Lofty ideas? We don’t think so. We believe in the Power of the People! Look who we have for our President!
