Field of Dreams

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

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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!

Stand Tall

This song goes well with the post I wrote today over at www.ModernJedi.com about "Failure"

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

Children of the Drum

Here's a high quality studio version of the song featured in my previous post  "A Drum For X-Mas: A Mark Shepard Christmas Story"

Download this mp3 for a limited time FREE! (my gift to you)
Right click the link below and choose "save as" or "save link as"

Download Children of the Drum

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

I just wanted a drum for Christmas...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!

Please leave a comment below or "Stumble" or "digg" or "facebook" this or share the link by e-mail. Thanks! - Mark