Click here: To see my home video version of this song

I’m A Rich Man | 4/8/09 | Song # 395

I don’t have a lot of money at the moment in the bank
But I am so abundant that I easily give thanks
I got a soft, warm bed to sleep in and a roof over my head
Got fresh cream for my coffee and butter for my bread
Well the sky is free for breathing and the ground is free to walk
I got a voice for singing and words with which to talk

I’m a rich man, I’m a rich man, I’m a rich man, I’m a rich man
I’m a rich man ‘cause I have you for friend.

I’ve got the sun to warm my body and the moon to soothe my eyes
Every day that passes helps to make me realize
Life is full of moments that we sometimes do not notice
The blossom of a dandelion rivals any lotus
There is so much wealth around us, abundance that surrounds us
That sometimes it’s a challenge to maintain our focus

I’m a rich man, I’m a rich man, I’m a rich man, I’m a rich man
I’m a rich man ‘cause I have you for friend.

When things don’t go as planned we can shout out our demands
Shake our fist at heaven or Uncle Sam
But good times ebb and flow it’s impossible to know
What you’ll reap before you ever sow
So patience my dear friend we will break if we don’t bend
This is the beginning not the end!

I’m a rich man, I’m a rich man, I’m a rich man, I’m a rich man
I’m a rich man ‘cause I have you for friend.

Well the world is full of magic and the world is full of pain
Learn the lessons from the tragic or repeat it all again
We never know who we will meet as we move through our days
All I know is it’s a treat to share the path with you a ways
Well this song may be too simple and it may be too sweet
But this song helped me through a day when I was in defeat

I’m a rich man, I’m a rich man, I’m a rich man, I’m a rich man
I’m a rich man ‘cause I have you for friend.

Please Note: this song is dedicated to (in no particular order) Karen Clark, Andy Ross, Beverly Sastri, Gene Moore, Joe Mennonna, Milli, Joanne Dunsing, Michelle Huse, Maureen Carney, Bethany Bryant, Michael Bower, Dorothy Cochran, Martha Evarts, Adrienne Thomason, Rob Bronson, Michael Guerin, Melanie Rudolph, Terry Maguire, Martha Maguire, Chris Gaunya, Claudia Lampert, Art Mollengarden, Julie Braun, Renee Ginnetti, Matthew Browning, Phoebe Browning, Elisabeth Mammon, Gessi Schultz, Valeria Roncoli, Mark Carranno, Peaches Quinn, BJ Frazier, Kim Kasperian, Angelus Perez, Renee Baldo, Rob Friedman, Peter Hawes, Bill Sadick, Dee Devore, Kathy McAfee, Marie Cox, Dorothy Ruggiero, Jeff Tottenham, Deanna Cherrone, Lorna Patterson, Karen Gregaitis, Michael McDermott, Bill Wright, Sandy LaBrecque, Joe Schroder, Todd Rolland, Frank Rosa, Rosemary Nichols, Norko & Gerry Greene, Joe D’Ambrose, Secret Agent Man Mike, my sister Lynn, my Dad, my children and

All my groovy Twitter Followers and Friends: (BTW Follow Me On Twitter! )

Here’s just a smidgeon of my beloved Tweeps: @P10S @KenShimizu @JujuMama @lifecruise @txvoodoo @marenhogan @urbancrafter @UltimateWAHDads @ReikiAwakening @purplehayz @megaRmease @GaryLoper @spiralgypsy @LaurieStJ @KimberWitch @CafeNirvana @ravenpearlink @Evangelic_Diva @PoeticHeart34 @VisionarySpirit @srndur @raedelsol @k0zm0zs0ul @gbrast @create2inspire @MrsPelephant @RT_steve_jobs @tionex @whitelotus01 @CouncilmanTech @terrillwelch @PaintsNature @kiltweaver @MermaidsMuse @poetryc

anyone else out there who has touched my life in a positive way. I truly wish you all the best. Thank you for your love and support!….(and patience) )

I’m A Rich Man by Mark Shepard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Click here: To see my home video version of this song

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What Would it Be Like? | Song # 349 |Jan. – Feb. 2006

What would it be like to be your lover
And have the love we make fill up the day?
What would it be like to make you “suffer”
In the most intimately pleasurable way?

What would it be like to kiss your fingers
More thoroughly than they’ve been kissed before?
What would it be like to be the singer
Whose voice and words touch you to your core?

Refrain:
I want to touch you, I want to fill your mind
I want to break your resistance open wide
I want to focus you and breathe you up my spine
Beyond the petty cages of our lives
Beyond the confines

What would it be like to share a secret
With a simple look across a crowded room?
What would it be like to cross the threshold
On a winter’s night illumined by the moon?

What would it be like to make you dinner
And to knead your aching muscles for dessert?
What would it be like to kiss your temples
And soothe away your troubles without words?

Refrain:

Bridge:
Beyond the confines of who we used to be
Out to the edges of our sensuality
Where a man and a woman can set each other free…

What would it be like to touch your shoulder
In a way that turns you totally a round
What would it be like to whisper something
In your ear so softly there’s no sound?

What would it be like to paint your picture
To memorize the features of your face
What would it be like to take you walking
And show you something new, some secret place

Refrain:

What Would It Be Like by Mark Shepard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Please leave a comment below! thanks – Mark

I See The Blue Breaking Through | Song # 401 | 10/7/09

Now what? We begin to begin again
Now that the rain has decided to end
And our hearts are certainly on the mend

(Can you comprehend?)

How good it feels to look up and see
Blue sky begin to break through and The
Clouds of grey beginning to blow away

Gravity. Sometimes drags you down
Relax. Stretch out upon the ground
Look up. And watch the blue break through

Refrain:
I see the blue breaking through
Do you catch a glimpse of it too?
What’s it like to be brand new?

I can’t say I knew it would work this way
Had a moment when I had to keep fear at bay
But at the end of a very long day

(I have to say we found a way)
To have fun while we got the job done
And I want to thank everyone
Who joined in and helped us with our play
(hip hip hooray)

Refrain:

So what’s next?
Where do we go from here?
Climb with me up to where the air is clear
And watch the blue break through for you…

Refrain

Commentary: This song arose out of a conversation I had with Playwright and Director, Jill Jayson of Center Stage Theatre Company reflecting back on the intense week of rehearsals and 4 performances of “Letters To Daddy, Jr” with 19 amazing elementary school age actors. Saturday We did 2 performances in Westport CT. It poured rain all day. But that did not dampen anybody’s spirits! The rain let up just as we had to break down the set and pack it into a half dozen parent’s cars for the NYMF performances in Manhattan on Sunday. Sunday dawned clear and beautiful and everyone and every thing got to New York City by 9 am! We set up. We did a run through for lighting cues. We checked the sound. The kids did two great shows (although by the 4:00 pm show you could tell they were tired (I know I was exhausted!).

Then we had to break down the set and pack it all away in all the different cars and head back.

It’s all a blur now but, Tuesday morning Jill and I were discussing future projects and while we were speaking the sun broke out of the heavy clouds and blue sky began to show through…I said to Jill, “I see the blue breaking through…”

“There’s a new song!” she said.

So here it is still in a bit rough form but you get the basic idea. Can you imagine 19 kids belting out the chorus?

I just want to send out a special thank you to Jill Jayson, and the Parents of all the cast members! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Copyright by Mark Shepard

I See the Blue Break Through by Mark Shepard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Please leave a comment below!

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Happy Birthday Song | November, 2007 |  Song # 373

Refrain:
Happy Birthday we love you
And may all your dreams come true
As the sun burns off the dew
May your world shine ever new

Another year has come and gone
So many nights so many dawns
Our time is short to sing this song
But our love is long

Refrain:

Here’s a toast to all who live
Who come to life with gifts to give
And here’s a toast to all who’ve passed
Before us on this path

Refrain:

Let us celebrate your start
With love and joy in all our hearts
Every breath leads Home again
Happy birthday my sweet friend

Refrain:

Mark Shepard’s Happy Birthday by Mark Shepard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Commentary: Originally wrote this song in November when my daughter Tia and several friends of mine have birthdays. I’m posting on my sister’s 50th Birthday, which a Friday the 13 in February. It turns out to be a very lucky thing to be born on a Friday the 13th. Happy Birthday Lynn!

Please share this song with someone you love on their next birthday!  You can download it and play it everywhere you go! ) Every moment is a gift. And the ride is too short for all there is to see and do and experience. Seize the day!

Photo from Bold Street Project

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Street People  |  March 1978 | Song #15

Come into the silence of the crowded street
There are some faces I’d like you to meet
The ones that look like locked doors
Concealing what’s inside
The ones who don’t reveal to you
The music of their minds
That man knows his beer glass
Like a jeweler knows his jewels
Another man knows his empty pockets
Like a school boy knows his rules
And the young man who just passed us now
Is searching for a friend
Who understands his solitude
And knows how to make it end…

Refrain:
Stand inside the echoes
Of this cold concrete
It’s like an ever moving photograph
Never to be complete
Hold the silence in your hand
Feel that it is wise
Assemble all your senses
and place them in your eyes

That girl knows the sidewalk
Like a songbird knows its cage
She’s a year from home and tired
Of lying about her age
The business men who know her best
Don’t know her very well
They’re too caught up inside themselves
With what she has to sell

Refrain:
Stand inside the echoes
Of this cold concrete
It’s like an ever moving photograph
Never to be complete
Hold the silence in your hand
Feel that it is wise
Assemble all your senses
and place them in your eyes

See the old man with the spaniel dog?
He loves it like a son
And sometimes in his room at night
He dreams that he is young
Some “victim of society” just stole a lady’s purse
He eats the ground with his strong legs
And accelerates in bursts…

Refrain:
Stand inside the echoes
Of this cold concrete
It’s like an ever moving photograph
Never to be complete
Hold the silence in your hand
Feel that it is wise
Assemble all your senses
and place them in your eyes

© Mark Shepard 1978-2008. All rights reserved.

Commentary: Pretty self explanatory. I just wrote it as I saw it in my mind’s eye. Any photographers out there willing to collaborate with me on a slide show or video for this?

As always, please share this post and help me get these songs out into the ears of people who might appreciate them! Thanks! – Mark

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This song is from Eyes On The Horizon CD.
Get the whole CD (plus a full length Bonus CD of my newest songs) for only $20 postpaid!

Stand Tall |  Fall 2003, Winter 2004, Fall 2004 | Song #340

A rainy day and it’s not yours
You had to face a few slammed doors
So you sit and hang your head (wondering how to earn some bread)
Was it something someone said?
Or is it a picture in your head?
Was it a feeling in your gut
Was it an open door you imagined shut
You decide.

Refrain:
Stand tall. Force a grin. Forget the loss and count the win
Hold fast. Dig down deep. First you sow and then you reap
Look up. Breathe it in. You’ve got the gold of Solomon
Look left, Look right. Brighten up your inner light

When did you decide to lose?
Don’t you know we always choose
To retreat or to go forward
To move away or to move towards
So pick yourself up off the boards
Give yourself an award
You gave it your best shot and now it’s time to dig down deep
And pull out just a little more, pull out just a little more.
You decide.

Refrain:

What just changed? Not the world, the world’s the same
You just rearranged your perception
You shifted your focus and in the process chose to let go of some old pain.
That’s right! Take it, shrink it down, fade it out, push it far away and Let it go!
Rearrange it into something you can learn from.
Now you know. And it just goes to show…
It’s lost its power over you hasn’t it?
And every thought has become a friend
Like the cripple throwing a way his crutch or
The shy kid reaching out his hand
And looking you right in the eye with an open smile and warmly inviting you to dance…It’s the shy kid inviting you to dance…
You decide. You decide.

© 2004-2009 by Mark Shepard ASCAP All Rights Reserved

commentary: I wrote this song at a time when I was really struggling just to get by even though I had invested thousands of dollars and thousands of hours in learning NLP specifically so that I would be able to break through the junk that was holding me back. Little did I know at the time that I was “deep in the process” of learning and practicing tools and techniques that would enable me to “hang in there” and eventually get back to my original “purpose” which was to share my 30 years of original songs with people who would not only appreciate them but who would benefit from the songs, the story as well as the NLP concepts and techniques…

Please share this with your friends and loved ones.

all the best! – Mark

January & The Summer Folks

January 1978  |  Song # 14

January comes to my town just once a year
Visits for a while and then kicks on out of here
Leaving ice on the telephone wires
And a blanket of snow on the dormant backyard sapphires
Of the swimming pools, the summer jewels…

The streetlights through my window
Look like ghosts veiled in snow
Haunting the cars that struggle through
The drifts of the road below
The wind sounds like an interstate.
It threatens to take my home away
And a friend or relative asks me to play
A “summer song”…a “right where they belong” song…

So I create…

Kids playing tag outside the screen door
They laugh a little now and they laugh a little more
The grass is green in the yard and
There’s plenty to eat from the garden
Sing a summer song for the summer folks
Sit into the night on the porch telling jokes

Watching the moon and the starts for hours or
Sitting inside during thunder showers
Singing of blue skies and ice cream cones
Bare feet on sun warmed stones
Sing a summer song for the summer folks
Sit into the night on the porch telling jokes

But no matter what song you sing
You must have patience in the end
Because sooner or later Spring will push
Winter round the bend…

January comes to my town
Once a year
Visits for a while and then
Kicks…on…out of here….

Tuning DADGAD

© 1978-2009 by Mark Shepard, ASCAP. All Rights Reserved

Commentary: This is one of the early ones. Pretty self explanatory. I was 17 years old when I wrote this. recorded it sometime in the 1990’s. I hope it helps to make it through the tough months if you live somewhere cold. If you live somewhere warm…well send us some sun okay? – Mark

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This song is from the CD “Thirsty For The Sky: Songs of Empowerment & Healing vol 1″

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Children of the Drum | 11/27/2001 | Song # 323

(dedicated to Kevin “Kazi” Oliver, Master African Drummer)

He was born in Trenton New Jersey
Where the boom box ruled in the streets
He was born in Trenton, New Jersey
But he lived for an older beat
Kevin wanted a drum for Christmas
Kevin wanted a drum (2X)

I was born in suburbia just
Wondering what I was worthy of
I was born in suburbia
With a passionate rhythm love
I just wanted a drum for Christmas
I just wanted a drum (2 X)

Refrain:
Play on my brother
Play on my friend
Play on my brother
We are brothers of the drum

Kevin joined the marines for music
They said that he could march in the band
Kevin joined the marines for music
But they put a gun in his hand
I got a job just to pay the rent
And soon I felt like a rat in a race
I got a job just to pay the rent but
My dream still showed on my face

Refrain:

Life somehow brought us both together
To the beat of an African drum
Life somehow brought us both together
Two souls playing as one
Sometimes it takes a while to live
The dreams you had as a kid
Sometimes it takes a while to live
But aren’t you glad that you did…

Last Refrain:
Play on my brothers
Play on my friends
Play on my sisters
We are children of the drum

Kevin wanted a drum for Christmas
Kevin wanted a drum
I just wanted a drum for Christmas
I just wanted a drum…

© 2001-2008 by Mark Shepard. All Rights Reserved. ASCAP

I need your help to get this music out into the world where it can do some good!

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Falling Snow   |   December 15, 1995   |  Song # 247

It was dark but it was not yet late
We took a walk in the falling snow
Holding your hand
Made me feel like a very rich man
And we had nowhere we had to go.

You pulled my face close
Gave me a kiss
Your nose was cold
But your lips were warm…

Time itself seemed to have stopped for us
As the world got very quiet
As we held each other
Our breath hung in the air
And we became more than we had been…

You pulled my face close
Gave me a kiss
Your nose was cold
But your lips were warm…

Days come now, swifter than e’er before

and we sometimes stand bewildered
At the days come and gone
Already turned into song
What else is there left for me to say?

You pulled my face close
Gave me a kiss
Your nose was cold
But your lips were warm…

It is dark but it is not yet late
We take a walk in the falling snow
Holding Your hand
Indeed I’m a very rich man
And we have nowhere we have to go.

You pull my face close
Give me a kiss
Your nose is cold
But your lips are warm…

© 1995-2008 by Mark Shepard, ASCAP. All Rights Reserved

Commentary: I was scheduled to perform at a Westchester Arts Council Artist in Residence Program in Yonkers, NY in December of 1995. Because it was threatening to snow, no one showed up. I was under contract to provide an hour of music so I basically sat noodling on my guitar. At some point it started to snow and even though it was only 3:30 or 4:00 o’clock in the afternoon it got really dark and the snow came down heavier and started sticking. So I kind of channeled this song imagining what it might be like for an older couple to reminisce about a romantic walk in the snow they’d taken when they were young. And then thinking back on the time that had past and now talking a walk again  together and the love still being fresh and transformative. This is a song I just love to sing and though I had recorded it previously the tape it was on had gotten damaged. So in November I recorded it at Joe Mennonna’s studio in White Plains NY, not far from where I wrote it.

Please leave a comment below or “stumble” this. Share it with your facebook friends or twitter friends. or just email it. I truly need your help to share this music. Thanks so much for listening! – Mark

]]> http://markshepardsongs.com/falling-snow/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Play the audio Download "Falling Snow" for only $2 Falling Snow   |   December 15, 1995   |  Song # 247 It was dark but it was not yet late We ... Play the audio Download "Falling Snow" for only $2 Falling Snow   |   December 15, 1995   |  Song # 247 It was dark but it was not yet late We took a walk in the falling snow Holding your hand Made me feel like a very rich man And we had nowhere we had to go. You pulled my face close Gave me a kiss Your nose was cold But your lips were warm... Time itself seemed to have stopped for us As the world got very quiet As we held each other Our breath hung in the air And we became more than we had been... You pulled my face close Gave me a kiss Your nose was cold But your lips were warm... Days come now, swifter than e'er before and we sometimes stand bewildered At the days come and gone Already turned into song What else is there left for me to say? You pulled my face close Gave me a kiss Your nose was cold But your lips were warm... It is dark but it is not yet late We take a walk in the falling snow Holding Your hand Indeed I'm a very rich man And we have nowhere we have to go. You pull my face close Give me a kiss Your nose is cold But your lips are warm... © 1995-2008 by Mark Shepard, ASCAP. All Rights Reserved Commentary: I was scheduled to perform at a Westchester Arts Council Artist in Residence Program in Yonkers, NY in December of 1995. Because it was threatening to snow, no one showed up. I was under contract to provide an hour of music so I basically sat noodling on my guitar. At some point it started to snow and even though it was only 3:30 or 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon it got really dark and the snow came down heavier and started sticking. So I kind of channeled this song imagining what it might be like for an older couple to reminisce about a romantic walk in the snow they'd taken when they were young. And then thinking back on the time that had past and now talking a walk again  together and the love still being fresh and transformative. This is a song I just love to sing and though I had recorded it previously the tape it was on had gotten damaged. So in November I recorded it at Joe Mennonna's studio in White Plains NY, not far from where I wrote it. Please leave a comment below or "stumble" this. Share it with your facebook friends or twitter friends. or just email it. I truly need your help to share this music. Thanks so much for listening! - Mark Love Songs mark@markshepard.com no no http://markshepardsongs.com/thirsty-for-the-sky/ http://markshepardsongs.com/thirsty-for-the-sky/#comments Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:24:23 +0000 Mark http://www.markshepardsongs.com/?p=624

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This song is from Thirsty For the Sky CD.
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Thirsty For The Sky | 9/18/2000 | Song # 310

I’ve been dreaming of birds and leaves,
Clouds of dust and dandelion seeds
And other things that spend their time in the sky
I’ve been working on healing the hurt,
Digging myself up out of the dirt
Mending these broken wings so I can take flight

Refrain:
I feel so dangerous and I feel so alive
I get so receptive to the heavens,
So thirsty for the sky
I feel like a Peregrine Falcon,
Untamed and unbound
It’s been a long time since
I’ve had my heart on the ground

Sometimes when I am talking,
I think I’m brilliant, I think I am stalking
Some great truth but then
I realize the weakness of words…
Though I may be just a candle flame
In a universe too huge to explain
That doesn’t mean I can’t speak
My intent and be heard!

Refrain:

I release myself from the chains of fear
Climb up into the atmosphere
Learn to quiet my thoughts
So that I can see
I give myself to the calling wind
Out to where the horizon bends
Unattached and at ease I set myself free

© 2000-2008 by Mark Shepard. ASCAP. All Rights Reserved

Commentary: This is the second version of a song that originally wasn’t quite so positive! Written several months before I discovered NLP, it is heavily inspired by some of the key Toltec concepts from the books of Carlos Castandea.

Please leave a comment below or “Stumble” or “digg” this or book mark it with any of the sites below. Also feel free to e-mail a friend or 2 (or 20). thanks – Mark