The Kitchen Musician ~ March 2019

Hello friends,

I dove into the rich treasure trove of Greek mythology for songwriting inspiration this month. Come into the kitchen and I will show you why Erebos, the god of darkness, plays an important role in my song of hope and encouragement!


Index
  NEWS:
  THIS MONTH’S MUSIC: “With Erebos Rejoicing”
  UPCOMING SHOWS
  FEATURED NON-PROFIT: AmpleHarvest.org

Photo: Dan Tappan


NEWS

In a couple of weeks I will be headed to Florida to spend the rest of March in the sun with family and friends. I will try not to taunt my homebound northern friends by posting too many sunshine and beach photos to social media.

In January I released “I’m Gonna Use My Hands” with a music video, CD and supporting teaching and learning materials. The response has been remarkable – thanks to a great “street team” of teachers, social justice workers, family and friends. If you would like to help us keep the energy up to “make the world a better place”, please share the following link with your contacts and social media.
http://TomSmithMusic.com/hands


THIS MONTH’S MUSIC
With Erebos Rejoicing


“With Erebos Rejoicing” © 2019 Tom Smith (ASCAP)
Thanks to King Yee (video), Steve Friedman (audio),
and the good folks at the Roslindale Open Mike
Lyrics in the comments below.

I am a big fan of Cosy Sheridan – a remarkable songwriter, singer, guitar player and teacher. I am also very happy to say that Cosy has become a great friend and songwriting mentor and partner. So earlier this month when I was looking for inspiration, I overheard a little voice in my head say, “Cosy has written some great songs that were inspired by Greek mythology. Why don’t you look there?” For example, a quick review of Cosy’s huge catalog of songs reveals the following titles, “Eurydice Goodnight”, “Demeter’s Lost Daughter”, “Icarus”, “Iphigenia”, “The Underworld”, and an album entitled “Eros”.

I am not really a scholar of mythology but my quick look into the list of gods that Cosy has not yet written about revealed an interesting description of the primordial deity Erebos, the embodiment of darkness and the son of Chaos. Long time readers of “The Kitchen Musician” won’t find it difficult to believe that I quickly concluded that Erebos is the perfect subject for a song that speaks to current events.

Most of my songwriting mentors tell me to always make sure my songs can be easily understood without an introduction, and the title should always be obvious from the song itself. Looks like I broke both of those rules this month. Taking my lead instead from the old folk ballads, the title is simply the first phrase of the song.

For those of you who are not acquainted with Cosy, here is one of her many wonderful songs. No Greek gods here, but it certainly fits my theme this month.


“My Fence and My Neighbor” © 2017 Cosy Sheridan Cosyng Music

As we in the northern hemisphere begin to notice lengthening daylight, and eagerly anticipate the season when growing things take over the earth, I hope you will join me in my belief that we can work together to make a positive difference in this troubled world.

Borrowing a bit from Dr. Martin Luther King,
“The moral arc is long and to justice it will bend
But let it be recorded, we bent it with our hands!”

Tom

(If so inclined, I invite you to leave a comment by scrolling to the end of this page.)


UPCOMING SHOWS:
Click this link to view upcoming shows


FEATURED NON-PROFIT: AmpleHarvest.org

AmpleHarvest.org “is a unique nationwide resource that is eliminating the waste of food, the outcome being a reduction in hunger and malnutrition along with an improved environment. It is accomplished by utilizing the Internet to enable 42 million Americans who grow food in home/community gardens to easily donate their excess harvest to one of 8,397 registered local food pantries spread across all 50 states. These food pantries help nourish the one out of six Americans (including a quarter of all kids under six ) that rely on these pantries.”

Please join me in supporting AmpleHarvest.org.

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1 Comment
  • Tom
    February 26, 2019

    With Erebos Rejoicing
    © 2019 Tom Smith (ASCAP)
    Note: The video was recorded using preliminary lyrics. The following are the finished lyrics. Small but important differences.

    With Erebos rejoicing the triumph of the dark
    He rose to shoot from ambush at the true of heart *
    Ignorance his arrows. Hatefulness his bow
    To forge the spears of chaos with every hammer blow

    REFRAIN: Repeat last line of every verse

    —–
    I too have felt his arrow deep within my chest
    Pierced through my spirit, all hope drained from my breast
    Tempted to surrender to an endless night
    I summon all my courage and turn to face the fight

    —–
    I have heard the stories, the fables and the myths
    That justify the evil in this world in which we live
    They tell them loud and often until lies become their truth
    But they’ll be undisguised when their lies come home to roost

    —–
    I put my faith in goodness. I put my faith in light
    And in that faith empower the strength to make it right
    I’ll not give in to hatred, to failure or despair
    For there is nothing broken that love cannot repair

    —–
    To all who are disheartened, discouraged or confused
    Mistreated or oppressed, abandoned or abused
    The moral arc is long, and to justice it will bend **
    And let it be recorded, we bent it with our hands

    CODA:
    The moral arc is long, and to justice it will bend
    And let it be recorded, we bent it with our hands

    ================
    Notes:
    Erebos was the primordial god of darkness, the son of Chaos.
    * From Psalm #11: “For see how the wicked bend the bow and fit their arrows to the string to shoot from ambush at the true of heart”.
    ** From Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (and others)
    “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”