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Mark Shepard Sings

A Life In Song: 4 Decades of Original Music

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LIS 020-Born To Dance

“Life In Song” #20: Born To Dance is a lot of firsts. It’s the first significant love song I wrote. It’s also the first song that really opened up what I could do on the guitar accompaniment. This guitar part is light years beyond anything I’d done before. I was smitten with a young lady named Jackie Lieberman who was also being pursued by a couple of other guys. Hence the idea that I had to wait my turn to dance. I think ultimately the girl was less important at that time than the idea of being in love. I was lonely and socially awkward. I was constantly put into the “friend zone” by the girls I wanted to date. In other words the same story as a gazillion other guys in high school (and life) who weren’t “naturals” with women. Anyway, I sang this song for my girlfriend the other day and all these years later it still conveyed exactly the right kind of emotion. Hope you enjoy it as much as I’ve enjoyed playing it.
PLEASE NOTE: There is a BONUS early studio version of this song below so make sure you grab it for your personal collection.

PLEASE! Use headphones or decent speakers to listen to this instead of your tinny little computer speakers. It’s recorded in crystal clear digital sound and the headphones really make a difference!

Video:

Audio:

To download your mp3’s for personal use simply right click the download link and choose “Save As” or “Save Link As”
BONUS AUDIO DOWNLOAD: This is from my first studio LP “Songs Through A Window” Let me know what you think!

Lyrics:

Born To Dance | May 1978 | Song #20

I am a part of the darkness
Of the dust and of the ice
I travel to you from that great unknown
They call poetic device
I’ve walked the tightrope of social acceptance
And I found that it wasn’t for me
So I learned to journey into myself
And my choreography

I was born to be a dancer
I do it all the time
I dance in the upstairs room
Where my words don’t have to rhyme

I see by the way that you move
That you are a dancer too
Perhaps we can share a few of our steps
And the joys of risking anew
And although I want to be near you
I don’t want to step on your toes
So it would help if you’d softly tell me
When I’m getting to close

Your were born to be a dancer
I see it all the time
You dance in the open air
Where your words just naturally rhyme

I feel like I’m drowning in contradictions
‘Cause I sometimes can’t dance without you
But I know that if I ever held you too tight
Our love would not be as true
And I want to be able to give to you
Without asking a thing in return
So if someone else asks you to dance
I’ll try to, try to, try to, wait my turn…

We were born to dance
Come on let’s do it one more time
Let’s dance inside and out
With or without the rhyme

Tuning: EADGGD


Creative Commons License
“Born To Dance” by Mark Shepard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
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Some reviews & testimonials

You write some great songs!

Hi Mark, You write some great songs! I really enjoyed listening to all of them on Spark and Flame. Thank you for all that you do. Keep up the good work! All the best.

Susan

Just awesome…

Your music is taking over my life and it’s awesome!

Eric

Your lyrics embody everything we hold sacred…

Your lyrics embody everything we hold sacred and dear as a faith community.

Gina Sullivan, Sisters of the Congregation of St. Joseph

I loved the song and listened to it 3 times….

Hi Mark, I just had to tell you this. I emailed my 3 granddaughters the song you wrote who are sisters with the youngest being 11 years old, has cerebral palsy and is very smart, is able to talk, very funny, uses a computer, is able to write, now is learning to play drums, emails me ‘Thanks. I do.’ I loved the song and listened to it 3 times.

Gail Russ

Love the “Key To Your Cage” album…

Love the “Key To Your Cage” album. I hear so many different influences and styles woven throughout the songs, really keeps it interesting from start to finish!

Dan Z

Enjoying your songs so much…

Hello Mark. I am enjoying your songs so much! I’d love to see you play live somewhere.

Marianne

Total awesomeness!!!

‘Let’s Run’ is MY FAVORITE so far.. I LOVE THIS ONE.. great job.. total awesomeness!!! I thank Jana Stanfield for introducing me to your gifts. I am grateful.

Merril

Never fails to move me…

Your incredible music never fails to move me. Thank you, Mark.

Paula

I Love listening to all your songs…

Mark, you really are an amazing songwriter! I Love listening to all your songs and sitting in the creative aura they create!

Cheri

You have put a grown man in tears…

Mark, this song and message really hit home for me today. You have put a grown man in tears. Thank You for what you do. Sometimes I think you sound kind of cheesy, and then others, I think you are a genius, and I’m beginning to realize that you actually care about helping people. So hard to “get out of your own way” sometimes…thanks for the reminder.

Jeremy

They love (your song) and ask to listen to it, ALWAYS.

My name is Cecile. I teach kindergarten at OMSD. I had the pleasure of using your song Together We Can Change The World to help my students make a difference in this wonderful world! They love it and ask to listen to it, ALWAYS.

Cecile Arvizo

Your song was just perfect to start my day…

Mark, your song ‘Freedom (It’s Been  Long Road)’ was just perfect to start my day. I LOVE IT!  Thank you, Thank you.  Blessings to you and much gratitude for your musical gift.

Judy

Love your lyrics!

Love your music! Love your lyrics!

Robin Bridgeford

Been singing the chorus since the first day I heard it…

I sh*t you not when I say I’ve been singing the chorus to Honest Rock since the first day I heard it. I sing this every single day. Many times a day. Seriously. It’s like a mantra to me. It soothes me:-)

Gene Moore

For me these songs are transformational lessons in self-love…

Dear Mark, THANK YOU for sending *Spark & Flame*!!!! This CD certainly is a compilation of Conscious Love Songs! As I listen I am transported to memory after memory past, present and future, fulfilled and unfulfilled. I was flooded with many different emotions. I cried, laughed, held my breath and also breathed deep heart-centered breaths of connection to the Divine. I feel joy, grief, sadness, compassion, love, awe, freedom, kindness, gratitude and appreciation. For me these songs are transformational lessons in self-love, releasing, acceptance for what was, what is and who I am. Knowing that I am enough and that I am Divinely Loved.

J

Brilliant!

Brilliant! I LOVE seeing the words to all these beloved songs, thanks!

Mary F.

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