Planting Trees (3:13)
(words and music by ODNT)
Ordinary people like Jadav Payeng, the “Forest Man of India,” make a difference in the world by acting daily on their passions. That’s how miracles begin. “Planting Trees” has become ODNT’s theme song.
Each day in India
A man walks alone
For forty years he’s planted trees
Where none before have grown
With sticks and seeds
He farms gray sand
Now elephants roam a forest
Born from one man’s hands
Each day in Indiana
A woman tries to reach
A child locked in his head
By the limits of his speech
When a sentence comes
Every word he says
Is like a jewel in a crown
Placed on her head
You don’t have to be a Mother Teresa
You don’t have to die for anyone’s sins
Just embrace what you love
Do each day the thing that you love
That’s how miracles begin
Each day in Philadelphia
A man takes broken glass
Making art of what he finds
To heal his broken past
Now people come
To walk within his dream
And know in their hearts
The man who was redeemed
You don’t have to be a Mother Teresa
You don’t have to die for anyone’s sins
Just embrace what you love
Do each day the thing that you love
That’s how miracles begin
Begin … begin … begin … begin
James Howe – hand percussion / vocals
Mark Davis – acoustic and electric guitars / vocals
Mark Dann – bass
Paul Harris – flute
Eric Parker – drums
When It Goes (3:24)
(words and music by ODNT)
The first song we wrote, and a personal one, was influenced by the poems of another married couple: Jane Kenyon’s “Otherwise,” and Donald Hall’s “Summer Kitchen.”
Another day
Get out of bed
Start up the coffee
Make sure the dog is fed
Take my shower
Put on my pants
Laugh at an old joke
Water the plants
When it goes it’s gone
When it goes it’s gone
Don’t hold on
Open to the mystery
Of all that is yet to be
Lunch at the diner
Across from a friend
Smile at the waitress
Ask how she’s been
Time at my desk
Walk the dog in the rain
Think about age
The sound of the train
When it goes it’s gone
When it goes it’s gone
Don’t hold on
Open to the mystery
Of all that is yet to be
Twilight fades
You’re home from work
We light some candles
You talk of what hurts
We wash up the dishes
Turn out the lights
A day of grace
Turns now to night
When it goes it’s gone
When it goes it’s gone
Don’t hold on
Open to the mystery
Of all that is yet to be
Mark Davis – acoustic guitar / vocals
James Howe – cello / vocals
Mark Dann – bass
God Is Love (3:32)
(words and music by Karen Peris)
We greatly admire the always beautiful and always kind music of the Innocence Mission. Karen Peris’s dreamy, watercolored lyrics and melodies transport us to another world.
Mark Davis – acoustic guitar / vocals
James Howe – cello / background vocals
Mark Dann – bass
Paul Harris – flute
Eric Parker – drums and hand percussion
The Sweeper (4:48)
(words and music by ODNT)
Every morning on the way to the train we passed the sweeper. Who was this man in his tattered robe?
The man down the street
His yard is concrete
Not a blade of grass to be seen
In his robe and bare feet
He sweeps that concrete
Faded flannel, vacant stare
Every day he is there
Like a figure striking the hour
The broom’s motion exact
Each moment a pact
Whatever holds him in its power
Sweep them away
Sweep them away
The dirt and the leaves
The days and the weeks
Sweep them away
The man down the street
Whose yard is concrete
Never looks up as I pass
He doesn’t speak, just stares at his feet
Keeping his story inside
Whatever holds him in its power
Sweep them away
Sweep them away
The dirt and the leaves
The days and the weeks
Sweep them away
I come and go
Each day the same
Running in place
Catching the train
Catching the news
Dodging the pain
Passing him by
The man down the street
Sweeping away
In his yard of concrete
Whatever holds us in its power
Whatever holds us
Sweep them away
Sweep them away
The dirt and the leaves
The days and the weeks
Sweep them away
The man down the street
His yard is concrete
Mark Davis – acoustic and electric guitars / vocals
James Howe – cello / background vocals
Mark Dann – lap steel guitar and bass
Pete Levin – piano
Eric Parker – drums
Quiet Girl (4:13)
(words and music by ODNT)
Inspired by Debbie Tung’s charming and thoughtful graphic memoir, Quiet Girl in a Noisy World, this song is a “shout-out” to introverts in our raucous culture.
And she needs a quiet place
Peaceful, calm
Quiet girl in a noisy world
It takes silence to stay strong
A good book, a pot of tea,
And she is free, she is free
Come on girl, let’s work together
Come on girl, ten heads are better
It makes such good sense
Brainstorming’s so intense
Loads of cool ideas
Let me share them with you now
Let me share them with you now
Oh God please, I’m dying to share them with you now
And don’t forget Amber’s party
It’s going to be a blast
80’s music is so fun
Amber’s not to be outdone
Let’s network and make some friends
Really tie one on
I’ll bring the jello shots
And, may I say, in a different dress you could be looking hot
And she needs a quiet place
Gentle, calm
She lives in a noisy world
Seeking silence to stay strong
A long walk, a wizened tree,
And she is free, she is free
Work hard and play hard
See you at Pilates
You can sleep when you’re dead
Now tone up that body
Free time is nice
For some I suppose
But in the void
Us doers, we decompose
Facebook, twitter, and tumblr
2000 friends and couldn’t be humbler
Scroll through my pics,
My lists, my life
All is great, there is no strife
I hope to reap a load of “likes”
Give me “likes” or take a hike
How many friends do you have?
How many friends do you have?
How many friends do you have?
And she needs a quiet place
Private, calm
Quiet girl in a noisy world
She needs silence to stay strong
A good book, a cup of tea
And she is free, she is free,
She is free, she is free
Mark Davis – acoustic guitar / vocals
James Howe – background vocals
Alyssa Dann – background vocals
Mark Dann – electric guitar and bass
Pete Levin – piano
Eric Parker – drums
I’m Away (5:10)
(words and music by ODNT)
Returning home from vacation and taking his “I’m Away” message off his email, Jim was struck by his mixed feelings in reconnecting, even with people he loves. Writing the words to this song helped him explore the need for both connection and the interior life.
It’s not that I don’t like you
Or want to be your friend
But life keeps getting shorter
And one day it will end
I need time for moving slowly
And time to dream each day
So I’ll have something worth saying
In that final “I’m away”
So take my hand
And trust my heart
Whenever we’re apart
Whenever we’re apart
I am never very far away
Hear my words
My silence, too
They’re reaching out to you
To tell you what is true
That I am never very far away
I’d say I’ve gone fishing
But I don’t fish
It’s more like I’ve gone wishing
For time in which to wish
Or maybe I’m just missing
And that’s okay
If I disconnect and hit reset
And tell you “I’m away”
So take my hand
And trust my heart
Whenever we’re apart
Whenever we’re apart
I am never very far away
I’m away
I’ll be back someday
I’ll write, I’ll call,
I’m away, that’s all.
For today, for today, I’m away
James Howe – vocals
Mark Davis – acoustic guitar / background vocals
Mark Dann – bass
Eric Parker – hand percussion
Ode to Harold and Maude (5:15)
(words and music by ODNT)
Viewing the cult classic Harold and Maude at the UT Austin student union in 1986 was catharsis for Mark. He came out the next day as a gay person and sentient being. We could have called this song “Go and Love Some More.”
Poor Harold, poor Harold
He didn’t have much in his life
Poor Harold, poor Harold
Strangers’ funerals and mock suicides
But the hearse was a good ride
Death a beguiling bride
Poor little rich kid
If only he could marry the right girl
Give that Maserati a whirl
A government career perchance?
A road from which to advance
Or join the Army
Could this cure Harold’s ennui?
Poor little rich kid
But, then came Maude
Chorus:
And Maude said:
Break your ropes
Shed your skin
Set your course
Begin again
Break your ropes
The window’s open
The breeze is blowing
Unlock the gate, unseal your fate
Break your ropes
They met at a funeral
The circle of life so beautiful
Maude rose from the sorrows of her past
To the beauty of life she held fast
She took and she gave
She feared not the grave
It was not quite love at first sight
But the connection was right
The sad kid and the octogenarian
A new take on the old Pygmalion
Harold learned music is the cosmic dance
And that life holds romance
And to go and love some more
To go and love some more
[Repeat Chorus]
I found a teacher to lend a hand
To break impoverished thoughts
To help me understand
That this gay boy is a man
That this life is my own
All the stories overblown
But the stories I create
When I unlock the gate
Thank you Maude
Thank you Maude
[Repeat Chorus]
Mark Davis – acoustic guitar / vocals
James Howe – background vocals
Mark Dann – bass and electric guitar
Pete Levin – piano
Eric Parker – drums and hand percussion
The One Who Knows (3:14)
(words and music by Dar Williams)
Dar Williams is our musical hero. The perfect song to follow “Ode to Harold and Maude,” “The One Who Knows” is an instruction on how to love some more.
Mark Davis – acoustic guitar / vocals
James Howe – cello / vocals
Pete Levin – piano
Still Life (6:33)
(words and music by ODNT)
Starting out as a musical exploration of the multiple meanings of the phrase, “Still Life” became as well a meditation on aging and the passage of time. Donald Hall’s personal essay, “Out the Window,” from his collection, Essays After Eighty, set the scene.
He sits by the window every day
He watches the wind blow the leaves away
And he remembers a boy on a swing
And he remembers everything
Some bathed in sunlight
Some darkened by rain
His memories a still life
His life in a frame
Still
A clock on the table, tea in a cup
A book lying open from which he looks up
The clock is ticking, the tea’s growing cold
The stories inside him have mostly been told
But deeper than stories
And deeper than fear
Is the stillness within him
That says I am here
Still
I am here
James Howe – cello / vocals
Mark Davis – acoustic guitar / background vocals
Don’t I Know You (4:07)
(words and music by ODNT)
Mark’s exchanges with a flower vendor in Grand Central Station got him thinking about the small kindnesses that connect us, even in rush hour. Though strangers, we know each other.
All you see, all you hear
All you touch, all you fear
Don’t I know you, don’t I know you?
When we pass on the street
And our eyes chance to meet
I don’t know you, but I know you
Don’t I know how your dreams have gone
up in smoke
How the cash in your pocket is your last
best hope
How life is a treasure and life is unfair
And we’re connected by air
Connected by air
All we do, all we ask
Each new day, each new task
I don’t know you, but I know you
In your shop along the way
A warm hello on a busy day
I don’t know you, but I know you
Don’t I know by the way you move down
the street
Getting old is a mystery, being young is
so sweet
And life is a treasure and life is unfair
And we’re connected by air
Connected by air
The air that we breathe
The space that we share
The moments we’re here, here
All I see, all I hear
All I touch, all I fear
You don’t know me, but you know me
Don’t we know by the sound of our songs
How we all yearn inside for a place to belong
Where life is a treasure even when it’s unfair
And we’re connected by air
Connected by air
Mark Davis – acoustic guitar / vocals
James Howe – cello / vocals
Mark Dann – bass
Paul Harris – flute
Pete Levin – piano
Eric Parker – doumbek drum
Solitary Singer (4:34)
(words and music by Phoebe Hunter Gilkyson and Terry Gilkyson)
It was love at first hearing when Eliza Gilkyson performed this song by her father and grandmother at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival years ago. We immediately arranged a cover and have been singing it ever since.
Mark Davis – acoustic guitar / vocals
James Howe – cello / background vocals
Mark Dann – bass
Paul Harris – flute
Eric Parker – drums
Here We Are (3:53)
(words and music by ODNT)
The deep affection and familiarity felt during a dinner with old college friends, whom Mark hadn’t seen in years, moved us to write this song.
We sit around the table
Ten years or is it more
Our college days long behind us
The parties, the broken hearts, the lore
Why do we care so much
Our lives cast far apart
Little time to keep in touch
The mysteries of the heart
Here we are
Where we’ve been
Checking in, checking in
It’s been years
We’ve traveled far
Yet here we are, here we are
Now it’s been thirty years
Let’s raise a glass again
To the bitter and the sweet
And the fact that we’re all still friends
Why do we feel so at home
We did right from the start
How do I know you so well
The mysteries of the heart
Here we are
Where we’ve been
Checking in, checking in
It’s been years
We’ve traveled far
Yet here we are, here we are
Life keeps moving forward
We don’t know what’s in store
But we’ll sit again at the table
And laugh and cry once more
And when one chair is empty
When fate has played its part
We’ll raise a glass and toast
To the memories of the heart
Here we are
Where we’ve been
Checking in, checking in
It’s been years
We’ve traveled far
Yet here we are, here we are
Mark Davis – acoustic guitar / vocals
James Howe – background vocals
Mark Dann – electric guitar and bass
Pete Levin – piano
Good Night (3:00)
(words by W.S Merwin, music by ODNT)
We often turn to poetry in thinking about how we want to approach our songwriting. W.S. Merwin’s poems are particularly lilting and musical. “Good Night” called out to us to be a song. It’s one of our favorites to perform.
Mark Davis – acoustic guitar / vocals
James Howe – cello / background vocals
Mark Dann – bass
Paul Harris – flute
Eric Parker – drums and hand percussion
Go In Peace (1:33)
(words and music by Sam Baker)
Sam Baker is a treasure. His spare songs are full of tenderness and compassion for the human condition. We think of this song as a benediction. There was no question that it would be the last song on this album. Go in peace.
James Howe – cello / vocals
Mark Davis – acoustic guitar / vocals