Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote a poem that went something like this:
“Earth is crammed with heaven,
and every common bush is on fire with God;
but only he who sees takes off his shoes;
the rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.”
Even though the “only he / the rest” piece smacks a bit of elitism, it’s always appealed to me. Who hasn’t seen a beach sunrise, or a blue flowering lupine, and thought “What could heaven have on this?”
You can tell from the blog activity here that I haven’t written a song in a long while. I’ve been working on several, but work’s been busy, life’s been busy, and most of the songwriting I’ve done has gone on in my head, where no one else hears it.
This song had a tempo that was very hard for me to play on the piano with my puny / nonexistent piano skills. I was also worried about how rushed the vocals would sound on the “every bee and wildflower” part, but you know what?
I’ve got a working versions, and now maybe I’m past my “song block” and I can start laying down “Use Me” and “Long Since Forgotten”, the next songs “on deck.”
VERSE 1 F---------C ----- Dm ------- Bb East of Eden, strangers seeking F--------------C -------Bb The road that’ll lead us home F--------C ----- Dm --- Bb Lost in darkness never heeding ----F ---------C -----Bb The map that’s in our souls ///C/// Bb ///C/// VERSE 2 ----F---------C ----- Dm ---- Bb We know that heaven’s all around us ---F -----------C ------Bb In plain and earthly guise ----F----C ------ Dm ---- Bb But only grace so pure astounding -----F ---C ----Bb Can open up our eyes -------C And show us what we need to see CHORUS Bb ------- F Heaven – bursting… --------C ---- F/D ------------Bb----- F ----- C from every bee and wildflower: All creation sings! Bb ---------- F Heaven – bursting… --------C ---- F/D ---------------Bb------- F ----- C From every sudden summer shower, Cov’ring everything…. (repeat) ---------------------- Bb----- F -----C (Tag) Your sweet grace covers everything. VERSE 3 ------F--------C -------- Dm ------- Bb The earth is crammed with Heaven’s glory ------F ----C ------ Bb Each bush afire with God ----F-----C ------ Dm ---- Bb To understand creation’s story ----F -----C------ Bb Recall what we forgot…. ----- C What we forgot so long ago (CHORUS) BRIDGE Eb --Dm ----C------------Eb --Dm ----C---- Open up our eyes, Jesus, open up our eyes (3x)
D/B ////
(CHORUS X2)
