Song Lyrics
Listen to a track from Sanctuary
Browse lyrics by clicking song titles.
Inspiration for the Songs
1. Little Hope Flower
Not
long before my dad Kevin passed away from cancer in 1999, we walked together
through the bush. This big strong man of six-foot-four stopped and picked the
tiniest and most delicate wildflower. Being so ill at the time, the golden
flower seemed to smile like a beacon of hope. After Kevin died, I spotted these
wildflowers here and there in the bush throughout every season. Even in the
darkest day of Winter, a bright yellow happy-looking flower peeked out from the
barren branches - as if to remind all that Spring was just around the corner.
Against unimaginable odds, the indomitable human spirit
can astonish by soaring above and plucking a new possibility right out of the
impossible.
2. They Never Ask You or Me
Sometimes
I feel like I am walking upriver against a rushing flood. Join me and we can
turn the waters!
Blades
of grass stubbornly grow through the cracks in a concrete path (steadily making
the cracks bigger). They are like the grassroots movements that spring up to
challenge the status quo. They show the resilience of the Wild. Sometimes the ‘Oohs’ in the chorus are a lament and sometimes they
are joy and triumph.
Each
blade of grass is each person making everyday choices. If everyone bought
free-range eggs, battery cages would phase out fast. If we refused to buy
cosmetics and household products tested on animals, these cruel practices would
change quickly. If we want to save the environment and bring about social
justice for all living things, then it is time to change our ideas about
mobilizing groups for social action. The little choices we make at home, at work
and at the supermarket are critical. They make the difference. Time is running
out for leaving it to ‘them’ to fix. What each individual does - matters.
Because they never ask you or me - it is up to us to tell them.
3. Keep on Walkin’
I
relax on a warm wooden verandah gently strumming the guitar while crickets sing
along with their percussive chirping. The sun is setting and leaves one final
triumphant warm red glow before it drops below the horizon. Simple things make
me smile – a little sparrow singing -
a scruffy dog wagging its tail just for me when I get home. Stand strong through
the ups and downs (which are guaranteed). Embrace your own ideals. Be willing to
be wrong and reconsider. Walk your own pace. If you are pushed to walk a little
faster, then … deliberately… walk… a… little… slower.
4. Glimpse the Beauty
Sometimes,
when I am still, and the ripples on the lake become calm, the Lady silently
emerges with her sword – I only ever see her hand - and there is a glimpse of
something so beautiful that it makes me weep.
‘There
is this incredible beauty out there in the mountains, in the forests, to teach
you its silence, its beauty, its humility.’
Stuart
Wilde (1996) Infinite Self
‘To
see a World in a Grain of Sand
And
a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold
Infinity in the palm of your hand
And
Eternity in an hour.’
William
Blake
5. Ruby Blade
Ruby
Blade is about a love affair bound by a passion for social justice. It is based
on the true story of Australian woman Kirsty Sword who took on the alias of
‘Ruby Blade’ in East Timor’s underground resistance movement. A Ruby
flashes with a fire like passion and a Blade (like Excalibur) evokes honour and the cutting truth. Kirsty Sword, who is now married to President
Xanana Gusmao, thought it rather sad that her actions were viewed as heroic. She
said she was simply telling the truth and doing what was right. Her story
inspires others to never give up.
6. I Think I’ll Stop for a While
While
sitting under a shady old tree on a hot summers day I pondered … Taoism is a
Chinese philosophy that dates back even further than Confucianism. Its basic
precept is wu-wei. It means to take action through non-action. The first step forward must be a step backwards. Stop for a
while – consider – then act. What a better world it could be!
7. Free (the Shaman’s song)
Shamans
have been present in most, if not all, indigenous cultures including the ancient
Celts. They are sometimes called Clever Women or Men in Australian Aboriginal
clans. Shamans are the women or men
who are healers and mystics. This song is dedicated to Medicine Crow, a native
Indian (and modern day) Shaman who prepared me for a Vision Quest. The Quest
involved spending three days and nights completely alone in the bush without
shelter, food or sleep. This I did. I experienced the Shamanic worldview that
moves beyond the idea that we live in harmony with our environment. It teaches
that all living things are related to each other (identical to current
Ecological theory!) Shamans say
that even the tiniest creature can help us understand the greatest mysteries.
Close your eyes … Fly with bird ... Free.
8. Song for Charlie
This song is about an indigenous person
who has passed away. Permission has been given by his family to sing this song. Dr Charles Perkins was a
remarkable Australian who left a significant legacy. He was both loved and
hated because he rattled the status quo.
'We all stand on the shoulders of the giants who have gone before us',
Daryl Guppy.
9. Fool’s Gold
Fool's
Gold was inspired by the Ch'ing Dynasty poet, Hsi Pei Lan, who posed a question
a long time ago that still resonates today: if the whole world cannot buy one
single Spring day, to what avail do we seek yellow gold? Prominent author and
scientist, David Suzuki, suggests that consumerism is the new religion. The
emptiness of existence is fulfilled by continually buying new trinkets and toys
- ‘fools gold’. We are fools when we seek as much yellow gold as possible at
the expense of full-scale environmental degradation. Over fifty percent of the
world’s forests and animals have already vanished.
10. Hippy Hippy Happy High
A
Hippy Hippy Happy High is being delighted by the dazzling iridescence of the
wings of a dragonfly. A Hippy Hippy Happy High is being exhilarated from a
ground-shaking thunderstorm. A Hippy Hippy Happy High is being overcome with awe
by the sheer enormity of the universe when you look up at the stars.
For
Ray, a ray of sunshine and the proprietor of Happy High Herbs
His
clothes of bright colours are often outrageous
His
eye has a twinkle - his laugh is contagious
He’s
a jester who juggles good times and verve
Traveling
to festivals with his dog Merve
And
Ray has got guts fighting big boys in court
For
the forests, for his herbs –freely giving us his all
Perhaps
to some he’s just another old hippy
In
an old worn out van looking quite trippy
But
Ray’s so successful – he could teach business school
He
may be a jester but he’s definitely no fool!
11. Sanctuary
Within
an enchanted forest, sit quietly upon a magnificent exposed root of an enormous
gnarled old tree. The tree, like a lined old face, tells its own story.
Listen.
Nature
opens my heart, speaks to my soul and renews my spirit.
This
song was written in the bush near my home. I go there often.