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All songs (GD Paul 1999-2001, Ivanhoe Road Music (ASCAP)
Except "We Three Kings," Trad. Arr. Paul.
Trad. Arr. Paul
DADGAD, Capo V
We three kings of orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star
Born a king on Bethlehem's plain
Gold I bring to crown him again
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign
REFRAIN
Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading still proceeding
Guide us to they perfect light
Frankincense to offer have I
Incense owns a deity nigh
Prayer and praising, all men raising
Worship him, God on high
Myrrh is mine, it's bitter perfume
Speaks a life of gathering gloom
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying
Sealed in the cold stone tomb
REFRAIN
Glorious now, behold him arise
King and god and sacrifice
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Sounds through the earth and skies
REFRAIN
(GD Paul 1999, Ivanhoe Road Music (ASCAP)
CGDGBD
Winter's turning came with wind and cold
The ground covered with ice and snow
But the days are getting longer again
You can feel winter slip away
As the day turns to twilight
I pull Brighid's Cloak around me tight
Out under the stars tonight
I'll take my place in it all
I am a leaf on a branch of a tree with many rings
I am a word in a book of many pages
And I am a hill on the land
I am the fingers of one hand
As the moon rises higher
Gather kindling and lay a fire
I seek the warmth of the flames
To strengthen me on my way
As I surrender to the moonglow
I pull Brighid's Cloak around me close
And forget everything I know
As I sink into it all
I am a leaf on a branch of a tree with many rings
I am a word in a book of many pages
And I am a drop in the sea
I am a salmon's silver leap
When the fire starts to burn
Drink from the cup, but a measure reserve
Saying I offer this portion to you
To whom we all must return
And as the flames leap to banish the dark
I pull Brighid's Cloak around my heart
I'm safe as though I'm in her arms
And I give thanks for it all
I am a leaf on a branch of a tree with many rings
I am a word in a book of many pages
And I am the strength in a name
I am a candle's dancing flame
I am a leaf on a branch of a tree with many rings
I am a word in a song passed down for ages
And I am a light in the sky
I am a poet's raging fire
( GD Paul 1999, Ivanhoe Road Music (ASCAP)
DADGAE
They meet at the appointed hour
Like they're waiting for a sign
The knight on his quest and the lady with the answer
She will wait only for so long
In the breath of a moment they will come together
With the skin and the soul, and the heart and mind
In the breath of a moment is the key to wonder
Is this how it begins?
She says, "Would you like wine or water?"
He is paralyzed with doubt
She waits patiently for his answer
But she will wait only for so long
In the breath of a moment it could fall asunder
The fate of the world in the blink of an eye
In the breath of a moment is the time to wonder
Is this how it begins?
He wonders does he want to taste the high and mighty ways
And try to force the world into his vision
Or is he content to serve the pure heart of the world
And try to make things better
When he finally knows his heart's desire
And can speak it for himself
He says, "Lady, what I want is water
A drink of water from an ancient well"
In the breath of a moment we'll decide the future
The fate of the world in the blink of an eye
In the breath of a moment we can come together
And now it really begins
( GD Paul 2000, Ivanhoe Road Music (ASCAP)
CGDGBD
Weaving in and out of a circle 'round a pole
Colors of the spring fly in a dance of old
Eyes meet in the music, the rhythm takes flight
And hopes are sealed in the golden glow of the May fire bright
REFRAIN
And the melody beckons from the ancient past
And there is a rhythm that takes us back
In the footsteps of the elders
'Round a cherished, well-worn path
This line is not unbroken, some gaps are very long
No gap is too wide to be bridged by the power of song
This dance is celebration, this dance is pain
This dance honors the life that springs again
REFRAIN
The lovers are alone now when the dance is at an end
To step to another dance that turns the wheel again
Eyes meet in the rhythm, desire takes flight
And a love is sealed in the golden glow of the heart's true light
REFRAIN
( GD Paul 2001, Ivanhoe Road Music (ASCAP)
DADGAD
( GD Paul 1999, Ivanhoe Road Music (ASCAP)
DADGAD
The kiss of a footstep on soft earth
Holy ground
The path like a secret into the green
Shadows surround
And it's cool and dark and quiet
And it soothes my troubled soul
I move like a ghost through the whispers
Into the wind
I fill my lungs 'til they burst and then
I fill them up again
Slipstream into the dreamtime
Where the silver-sweet water flows
REFRAIN
And there are more things between sky and soil
That we'll never understand no matter how old we grow
And there are things we can't deny
Especially what happens within the eye
Canopy above me spinnin' higher
Out of control
I seep into the undergrowth
Into the roots and stones below
Sweet Mother, hold me
Bring me safely home
REFRAIN
Bright knowledge brings me home now
Memories infuse my blood
Mystery resolves itself
Into that which cannot be told
I rise to grace in the moment
Ready to embrace it all
REFRAIN
( GD Paul 1999, Ivanhoe Road Music (ASCAP)
CGDGBD
People drive this interstate highway
Like they think you're a sworn enemy
Like they don't care if you get to where you're goin'
I ain't goin' anywhere I really need to be
REFRAIN
So I'll take the backroads
Follow the tractors
Roll down the windows
Wave to the farmers
I'll take my time, yeah, I'll take it slow
Follow my roots home, I'll take the backroads
I love to watch the unfolding of the spring
When the rich dark earth comes to life again
The trees stretch up and the leaves uncurl
Like the hand of a baby reaching out to the world
And it's out on a backroad
High summer sweeps over the lush green plain
Same heat that gives us life can cause such pain
Thunderhead rises over ocean of green
Wild wind and lightening and cold hard rain
REFRAIN
Frost cover looks like a quicksilver dream
Car wheels crunch over fallen leaves
Orange and gold and bright blood red
Give thanks to the Mother for the harvest
When you're out on a backroad
Twilight kisses frozen air
Snowflakes cling to the branches bare
Crystals glow in the pale moonshine
Otherworldly beauty suspending time
REFRAIN
Field and forest, steam and pond
Playground of the Goddess and the Laughing God
This journey is precious, this moment so rare
Oh, the destination doesn't matter anymore
REFRAIN
( GD Paul 1999, Ivanhoe Road Music (ASCAP)
DADGAD
Battle-weary, can't seem to lay down
This sword of mine
Past exhausted and starving
Can't seem to clear my mind
Just when I'm ready to walk away
And let some other fool take my place
I raise my defeated eyes and see
Hope returning
REFRAIN
In the light of a thunderbolt
In the light of a thunderbolt
Oh the night lights up in a flash of wonder
In the light of a thunderbolt
A figure in bright armor
Wielding a silver spear
With every step he takes toward me
The darkness disappears
He touches my armor, my strength reborn
And I kill the dragon with a single blow
Sometimes just a touch is all it takes
To feel the power
REFRAIN
It's good to know when to hang on
When to let go
Sometimes in your darkest hour
You'll find your greatest hope
Just keep believing what you believe
And live your life as best you please
Keep your heartlight burning for all to see
And trust the power
REFRAIN
( GD Paul 1999, Ivanhoe Road Music (ASCAP)
DADGAD, Capo V
The Time Between Times
( GD Paul 1999, Ivanhoe Road Music (ASCAP)
DADGAD
Once you get so far there ain't no turning back
Doesn't mean it gets any easier
There's something missing here, I'm not just sure what it is
But I'm having trouble getting much further
REFRAIN
All I want is a chance to taste it
Do a little more than just get by
Sweet freedom call my name, I'm like a moth to a flame
And I'm sittin' here stranded in the time between times
I've gone to far now to give it up for failure
Success is still such a long way off
See, there's this gap between where I am and what I need
And I don't know how I'm gonna cross it
REFRAIN
BRIDGE
They say these are the times when you learn what you're really made of
When the whole world seems crazy
Suddenly you find all these things that you can do
And you may never doubt yourself again
There something magical about this kind of struggle
That keeps you moving through your tears
It's the difference between doing something meaningful
And simply spinning out your years
REFRAIN
( GD Paul 1999, Ivanhoe Road Music (ASCAP)
CGDGBD
With only what's within me, carried long inside
I am going on a journey into the wild
To travel cross the borders of everything I know
With only what's within me I am ready to go
There has been a hunger underneath my skin
Deep inside and secret since I don't remember when
Now it's raging like a fire, barely in control
It's the strongest desire I have ever known
REFRAIN
To run across the borderland, headed for the OtherWorld
There is no map, there are no rules
Only what you know, your life, your truth
Will guide you through
For months now I've been hearing a message in my dreams
To surrender to the wildness means to be set free
So what am I afraid of, what have I got to lose,
Except this restless hunger that's driving me to move?
REFRAIN
Now I'm standing at the gateway of all I leave behind
Taking only what I carry in the pockets of my mind
And once I cross the border I'll never be the same
It's the dream that leads me on now to the wildness I claim
REFRAIN
( GD Paul 1999, Ivanhoe Road Music (ASCAP)
DADGAD, Capo IV
A child this day is born
A child of earth and sky
Born each year this morning
The divine son of light
By countless generations
Loved, worshipped and revered
In and endless procession
For thousands of years
REFRAIN
Hold him up, hold him high
He's the king of the summer sky
Now his strength and power grow
Born of winter snow
Hold him up, hold him high
He's the light of truth that shines
A child this day is born
This cold winter morning
She waited with such patience
Her lover to receive
For the love of the whole world
This child was conceived
And now she turns around so slowly
With the blessing of that night
What she conceived in darkness
She brings forth in light
REFRAIN
Now we wait in this dark chamber
In prayer all through the night
Like the ancestors before us
For this morning's first light
And now awake with breathless wonder
The first rays do appear
And we shout, "Hallelujah!
The new king is here!"
REFRAIN
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