I'm A Rich Man To Have You For A Friend

Here’s the studio version of Rich Man, thought it would be appropriate for Thanksgiving. Sending it out to all my friends new and old who have made such a positive difference in my life this year (and it’s been just a weee bit of a challenge for a lot of us.) Please share with someone you love!


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) :o )

Creative Commons License
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

Please leave a comment below and share this with your friends

Ocean of Dreams

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Ocean Of Dreams | 5/28/08-6/22/08 | Song #382

Sometimes I feel so fragile
That the merest hint of a breeze
Could pick me up and scatter me
Across the ocean of dreams…

Sometimes I cannot find
The strength to smile
And I am filled with dis-ease
Then a look from you
Could shatter me
Across the ocean of dreams

Across the ocean of dreams (X3)

Sometimes I feel like I’m made of glass
Sometimes I feel like I’m never gonna last
And I want to see you…one more time…before I go
Yes I want to see you…one more time…before I go

Across the ocean of dreams (X3)

And then I remember
As I stumble through the shards
That I assemble myself
From my dreams
And I decide what they mean…
(and it lifts me up)

Across the ocean of dreams (X3)

Sometimes I feel like I’m made of glass
And I was born To allow the light to pass
Right through me To illuminate your eyes
Let the light through me to illuminate the skies

Across the ocean of dreams (X3)

Sometimes I feel so powerful
That I can smash right through
Any obstacle that blocks my way
Or obscures what is true…

Across the ocean of dreams (X3)

Sometimes I feel like I’m made of glass
And I was born to allow the love to pass
Right through me to illuminate your eyes
Let the love through me to illuminate the skies
Let the love through me to illuminate your eyes
Let the love through me to illuminate the skies

Across the ocean of dreams
(X3 high intensity, then 1x soft and low)

Commentary: This song brings to light a process of healing and transformation that epitomizes the NLP process. It starts with a frank acknowledgment of pain and struggle. Then, in the middle of the song the very image of fragility, feeling like glass gets turned on it's head. Instead of it being about being fragile or brittle or broken it becomes a powerful thing. The ability to be transparent. Glass may be fragile but it also allows light to pass through it. So what starts out as a defeat, as a giving up song becomes a song of empowerment and victory. This song reminded me once again that the very writing process that songs emerge from is inherently healing for me. The next step ( the one that has eluded me for 30 years) is to share it congruently with other people who can get value and healing from listening or singing along.

Please share this song! You can e-mail it, or post it to social bookmarking sites or even embed it in your own blog with the little widget thingys at the top of the page.

To find out how you can get instant access to Ocean of Dreams as well as the 12 other songs I wrote in 2008 for free please register in the box at right ====>

Creative Commons License
Ocean of Dreams by Mark Shepard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Field of Dreams

Take a ride with me to your field of dreams...

Play the Song. Download it Free. Share it.

This song is from Thirsty For The Sky: Songs of Empowerment and Healing

Field of Dreams (Take A Ride With Me)  | 7/21/2002 | Song #320

When I was a young boy I dreamed a mighty dream
But I told it to the dream thieves and they laughed and called me “green”
They told me I should wake up to reality
They said that I had better take responsibility

So I got myself a good job I and went to school at night
I followed to the letter all their sound advice
I got a better job and then a bigger house and car
I had my benefits and a dozen credit cards

Refrain:
Take a ride with me, Take a ride and see
Take a ride with me, To your field of dreams

One night I could not sleep and so I went out for a walk
It seemed as if the moonlight and the stars began to talk
They whispered and they sang about my long forgotten dream
They told me I could live it. It was mine still to redeem

The moon said I should listen to that still small voice inside
Instead of to the dream thieves because the dream thieves have to lie
They have to steal from you ‘cause they’ve been robbed right to the bone
But if you dare to live your dream, they just might find their own

Refrain:

Bridge:
Why do you see the possibilities?
Why do you live a mighty dream lately?
Why do you listen to your own wisdom?
Why do you know to ask the right questions?

So if you are a young boy or a young girl in your heart
Now is the time to give that mighty dream of yours a start
If you come to a crossroads where you need to choose
Choose the “path with heart” and it will give you dancing shoes

Refrain:

Why do you see the possibilities?...

Tuning: EBBEBE

Copyright 2003-2009 by Mark Shepard. All Rights Reserved.

Commentary: All my life I've struggled with the conflict between what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be versus what I felt others wanted. I think that is a natural part of growing up. We are told so many things by well meaning parents, teachers, friends, society. We hear "You can't always have what you want..." We hear, "Well how are you going to pay the bills?" We hear, "be sensible, be practical."  We are told constantly to "settle". So we do. Until it starts to fester inside. Many people get cancer. I'm taking a course with Dr. Bernie Siegel. In the first class he says one of his cancer patients said, "My mother's words have been eating away at me..."

A few radically change their lives. They start living for themselves instead of for all these others. Healing occurs. We discover that when we are being true to ourselves, we have excess love and energy for others. When we try to be who we think others want us to be we stifle and start dying. We close up. We dry up.We get sick.

I ask myself every day, what would I do if I only had 6 months to live. Not always easy to answer or to live according to my truth.

I was put here to write and sing songs. I'm a storyteller. I'm a healer. But first and foremost I'm a songwriter. "Every one knows it's impossible to make a living as a songwriter." Particularly now. Bah, blah, blah, blah, blah

That's fine. I'm going to do it anyway. What would you do if you could not fail? If you were guaranteed to succeed? That's what you should be doing. Sometimes you will miss the mark. I would rather go for what I want and fall flat on my face than to be miserable thinking "if only I had...."

You are not getting any younger. As Bernie Siegel's mom said to him everyday. "Do what makes you happy."

May I ask you a favor?

If you got anything out of this song, I'm hoping you'll do something for me:
Pass it along to someone else. E-mail the link. Download it to your computer. Burn it to a CD. Play it for a friend like you used to. Share with them how it made you feel. Ask them to listen to it. Maybe you can sing along to it together.

Maybe they need to hear this song today. Maybe you need to connect with someone you care about who you haven't touched in a while. This is one way.

We (these songs and I) need you. We need your friends too.

A song does no good unless it is heard. Spread the word.

Thank you so much!

Thanks! - Mark

p.s this song can be found on my Thirsty For The Sky CD

p.p.s. Please leave comments or reviews below!