Pamela Jane Gerrand Music The Sound of the Dove

NEW! The Sound of the Dove

Genre : Pop

Released Date : 1 / May / 2014

1. Prairie Sky
2. Unadorned
3. Enough Already
4. Let Go
5. The Buddha Smiles
6. The Sound Of The Dove
7. Shine
8. Scarborough Fair
9. Emerging
10. I’ll Meet You There
11. Pearly Gates

THE SOUND OF THE DOVE

INSPIRATION

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
– Robert Frost

When I reflect on the journey of making this record, I am reminded of this quatrain from the Robert Frost poem, and the refrain, “I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Since I began writing the songs for this record, some of them over five years ago, this music has taken me again and again to the fork in the road, and over and over again, I seem to have chosen the road ‘less traveled’ by. The other records I’ve made had a certain linear progression, with one producer/studio and a relatively timely turnaround from start to finish. This music has had a life of its own, beyond space and time, and has shown me that the artist and our art is shaped by the degree to which we release all expectation, and are willing to let go of the shore of our fear, and any outer voices of judgment, and surrender to the deeper love, which is the siren song of the muse within.

I began recording this record over two years ago in Toronto, then there was a sojourn south to a studio in Wisconsin; both of these times I was working with very gifted musician/producers. Each one of these early collaborations was a foundation for the record, and the sonic signature is present on the record in Gary Craig’s exquisitely anchoring drum track on ‘Shine’, and the beautiful strings of Hans Christian, and the strongly sweet voices of the girls’ choir on ‘Enough Already’. Both times, I came to the fork in the road, and an inner voice directed me to release these creative partnerships. Both times, I resisted this inner direction for some time, as I had wonderful working relationships with these collaborators, but something deeper was asking me to trust. The music was calling me to step up, speak up, and speak my truth. This felt like a ‘breakdown’ for a few weeks, but then it was revealed that this was the opening to ‘breakthrough’.

A series of sweet and breathtaking synchronicities came knocking within days of me surrendering to this deeper voice of truth and trust. A dear friend sent me a link to a musician/producer in the Niagara area, Mark Lalama, and within two months I was standing at a microphone in his studio. From the very first day we began working on the material, there was a wordless, effortless free fall into a creative collaboration that can only be described as energizing and inspiring. We recorded the album in the summer and fall of 2013 and had lunches from Mark’s garden of sun-ripened tomatoes, basil and zucchini. In all the months of recording, the sun shone brightly, every day but one or two. Before I went in to record the vocals for a track, it became my ritual to lay down on the grass and invite the sunshine, the ‘light of a thousand suns’ to blaze through me. I would then stand before the microphone, lit from this radiance, and I would let the song sing me. That’s how it went. We would take breaks from recording, and go visit the chickens on Mark’s acreage, and laugh at their chicken antics, and see how many eggs they had laid that day. There was something so idyllic and sublime and joyful about these months of making the record…”I shall be telling this with a sigh/two roads diverged in a wood/I took the one less traveled by/And that has made all the difference.” We worked long days, sometimes well into the night, but the undercurrent of the recording process was one of discovery, delight, and a dedication to the deeper story and honesty in each song.

We were joined by a truly remarkable band at Old Sumbler Road last September: Kevin Breit and his many-stringed one man band, Davide Direnzo on drums and percussion and cheeky jokes, and holding it all down on the bottom end with his grounded energy and great bass lines, Rich Moore. The bed sessions were magical and mesmerizing and truly magnificent. The songs came apart and back together and were miraculously woven into a new musical landscape that took me to a deeper place to sing these songs from. Again, the phrase that comes to me is…”the songs sang me”…

The inspiration for these songs has been the greatest journey of all…born of sweet and sanguine moments, colliding with despair and joy, beauty and pain, and meeting the hearts of fellow travelers, sages, wanderers and troubadours. I have never written a song about my prairie homeland, and several years ago visited Saskatchewan near the end of June, the time of my wedding anniversary. Gazing up at the endless, intimate and wide open ‘Prairie Sky’, I recalled the fire of a first kiss, and was warmed by the knowing that I carry in my bones…”oh this sky has taught me to trust what I know…”

‘Unadorned’ is a tribute to my dog Henry, and my friend’s dog Cosmo…I had been in Toronto singing at a peace event where two young men, who had declared themselves war resistors after serving in the U.S. army in Afghanistan, spoke of how they would not be able to return to their home country for twenty-five years. These men had witnessed and waged acts of violence they could not reconcile…and because they refused to go back, were give a sentence to become exiled from their own country. I came home and heard that my friend’s beautiful golden retriever had died suddenly…as I walked my own dog in the woods, somehow Cosmo’s death offered a cosmic crack in my heart, and I wrote “Unadorned” from the perspective of our four legged’s unconditional love. Somehow, this song has become the greatest solace for me, and I hear others echo this, that when the craziness of our world of war and woe gets too much…remembering that place where we are loved without question or objection…is a soft place to land.

‘Pearly Gates of Song’ was born the morning after hearing Peter Gabriel in concert with the New Blood orchestra…I felt like he was sitting in the passenger seat of my car on the drive home…whispering the words and wisdom of the new earth orchestra…”we have journeyed for so long/here to the pearly gates of song”. The chorus for this same song was inspired by don Miguel Ruiz, author of ‘The Four Agreements’. I sang at an event in Toronto, ‘Dialogues of the Heart’ and don Miguel declared that we are all ‘angels in disguise’ and asked me to pen a song with that message…his invitation became the chorus for ‘Pearly Gates’. I was ‘vocationally aroused’ after hearing Barbara Marx Hubbard and Bruce Lipton speak at a Global Dialogue Forum in Philadelphia, and when I returned home, the song ‘Emerging’ emerged from a Sunday afternoon at the piano.

I’ve been singing versions of ‘Scarborough Fair’ for years in concert. This version is a crazy, cool hybrid from the vocal session at Hans’ studio in Wisconsin, married with his remarkable Nyckelharpa melodies, and the ‘in the moment’ spoken word poem that Kevin Breit captured and Mark Lalama wove so beautifully into the track. After hearing the song, Kevin said, “just a minute, I need to go get something”… We thought he was going to his car to get a mandolin or guitar. He returned fifteen minutes later, from a meander through the forest, where he wrote the counterpoint poem, the voice of the masculine ‘hero’…and recorded it on his phone. It has become the subtle and sublime signature undercurrent of the song…and to this day, I will never forget the moment he walked in the door and brought this gem to the song.

Finally…’Let Go’ was the gift of ‘letting go’ of the shore of my fear and indecision and embracing the gift of the fork in the road that led me to Old Sumbler Road and working with Mark Lalama. One August evening, after working with Mark for about a month, I sat down at my keyboard, with a glass of wine and a new perspective on life, and this song just poured out of me, like a waterfall of happiness. “to rise like the phoenix, you’ve gotta go through the fire/to go where you’ve never been, you’ve gotta trust your desire.” In two words, this record ‘The Sound of the Dove’ has been about this invitation to trust, to leap…to ‘let go’.

LYRICS

Prairie Sky

I can feel the thunder rolling in
And I can taste the raindrops before they begin
There’s a storm a ‘comin, I can feel it in my bones
Oh, this sky has taught me to trust what I know
Deep inside, this is my prairie sky

This is where you kissed me, sweet and slow
Put my heart on the horizon, and I let it go
This is where you held me, under the stars above
And I knew I was falling, I was falling in love

Deep and wide, you are my prairie sky

And when you’re feeling weary, worries got you low
I’ll take you where the river runs sweet and slow
Lay you down in the tall grass
Take you by the hand
Stars above will whisper
This is where…this is where it all began

Deep and wide, you are my prairie sky

I can feel the thunder rolling in
You can taste my teardrops before they begin
There’s a love between us, I can feel it in my bones
Oh this sky has taught me to trust, to trust what I know
Deep and wide, this is my prairie sky
Deep and wide, you are my prairie sky
Deep and wide, you are my prairie sky
Deep and wide…my prairie sky

Unadorned

No burden of words, oh the silence is deep
There’s a give and take to this love that’s so sweet
There’s a smile in your eyes as we walk through the woods
The day has begun and it’s so good

This is a love unadorned
And when the battles are won and I walk through that door
You are my shelter from the storm
You ask no questions
Raise no objections
Offer affection…unadorned
Unadorned

No matter the sorrows that lie ‘round the bend
With you by my side I know I have a true friend
You share my burdens, you sing my joys
You hear the colours, the colours in my voice

This is a love unadorned
And when the battles are won and I walk through that door
You are my shelter from the storm
You ask no questions
Raise no objections
Offer affection…unadorned
Unadorned

You are my best friend…you are my best friend
You are my, you are my best friend
Until the bittersweet end
Unadorned…unadorned

Enough Already

How many pairs of shoes do you need?
How many cars, how many square feet?
Is it a case of want or need?
Or are we awash in an ocean of greed?

Fashion or fortune we’ve all been seduced
More is better, and so we consume
We’re living a lie of endless supply
The clock is ticking we cannot deny
The choice is ours, now is the time

Enough already, enough already
Enough, enough, enough already
We’re living a lie of endless supply
The time has come to simplify

Mother Nature stands at the door
Every day we come asking for more
Soon she’ll say the cupboard is bare
The clock is ticking, it’s time to share
Drive fast, cut down so many trees that we surely will drown
Drown in the tears our Mother Earth has shed, she says,

Enough already, don’t we have enough already
Enough, enough, enough already
Enough already, enough already
Enough, enough, enough already
We’re living a lie of endless supply
The time has come, the time has come to simplify

The earth is ours to inherit, this beautiful green and blue
We’re here to share it…there’s enough for me and you

Enough already, enough already
Enough, enough, enough already
Children’s choir repeat..enough already
For me and you…
Enough, enough, enough. already…

Let Go

Sometimes it feels like you’re the only one
Stuck and scared, and coming undone
Jack pine needs a fire to burst its seed
Butterfly’s gotta trust the dark to get its wings
To see the world you’ve got to walk out that door
To know what your heart’s made of, you’ve got to
Let go, let go the shore

Let go, let go, let go… let go, let go
Don’t hold on so tight
Let go, let go, let go…let go, let go
Come on, give up the fight
Let go, let go, let go…let go, let go
Come on into the light
Aren’t you tired of this white knuckle ride?
Your parachute is waiting for you to dive

To rise like the phoenix, you’ve got to go through the fire
To go where you’ve never been, you’ve got to trust your desire
So come on darlin’, let’s hit the road
‘Cause the journey’s sweeter with a hand to hold
Let’s go where a miracle is but a heartbeat away
Let’s go where the sun melts tears
And the moon beams saving grace

Let go, let go, let go…let go, let go
Just follow the signs
Let go, let go, let go…let go, let go
One step at a time
Let go, let go, go…let go, let go
This is your time to shine
Aren’t you tired of this white knuckle ride?
Your parachute is waiting for you to dive

Let go, let go, let go…let go, let go

Ahhhh…let go…
Let go, let go, let go…let go, let go
Let go, let go, let go…let go, let go
Let go, let go, let go…let go, let go…

The Buddha Smiles

You’re a queen, you’re a blind man, you’re a beggar, you’re a thief
You slip into my room at night and you slip into my dreams
I wake up and my mouth is dry – seems my life is slipping by
The ground is shifting ‘neath my feet
But I won’t fall if I just breathe, I won’t fall if I just breathe

Won’t be beguiled by this parade of things to buy
Buy, buy, buy, buy – try, try, try
Trinkets fade and loves are lost – To be awake, I’ll pay the cost
Dancing closer to the brink
Tears of mercy will I drink – Tears of mercy will I drink

The Buddha, the Buddha, the Buddha, the Buddha smiles

You’re a daydream, a memory, a longing, you’re a whim
Taking me away from this very place I’m in
My feet are walking forward, but my mind is racing back
Where do I begin, to find the strength that I lack
To find the strength that I lack

The Buddha (om mani padme hum) the Buddha (om mani padme hum)
The Buddha…the Buddha smiles
The Buddha (om mani padme hum) Buddha (om mani padme hum)
The Buddha…the Buddha smiles

If death is the beginning, and birth is not the end
A door is but a window, an enemy’s a friend
Black is white without the light, day becomes the night
The secret’s been inside us all the while
The secret’s been inside us all the while

The Buddha (om mani padme hum) the Buddha (om mani padme hum)
The Buddha…the Buddha smiles
The Buddha (om mani padme hum) the Buddha (om mani padme hum)
The Buddha…the Buddha smiles
The Buddha (om mani padme hum) the Buddha (om mani padme hum)
The Buddha…the Buddha smiles

You’re a queen, you’re a blind man, you’re a beggar, you’re a thief
You slip into my room at night and you slip into my dreams

The Sound of the Dove

Oh my darling, waste not a single tear
Not a moment more of your radiant heart on this fear
The door is open, but you’re still inside
The cage ‘round your heart is cracking
And you’re bleeding light

I am here beside you, and I’ve heard you cry in the night
You’ve danced so long in this darkness
Aren’t you ready to dance in the light

The sound of the dove can break you open
And the sound of the dove can make you cry
It’s when it’s darkest that you’ve got to sing
Baby this bird has got your wings

The wolf song within you is rising up
Seeking your holy grail, you’ll not give up
Gather the fierce and fertile song of your soul
You are beauty, you are love
You are whole…whole

And I am here beside you, and I’ve heard you cry in the night
You’ve grown your wings in this darkness
And I know, I know, I know…you’re ready to take flight..Fly…

The sound of the dove can break you open
And the sound of the dove can make you cry
It’s when it’s darkest that you’ve got to sing
Baby this bird has got your wings

Lay down your weary bones and burdened breath
This being human has put you to the test
Sleep now…sleep now…love will do the rest…love will do the rest…rest…

Shine

Sisters, do you remember who you are?
You are the water from the ocean
You are the light from the stars
It’s there in every baby’s cry, at the moment of their birth
The dream in every mother’s heart, for peace on earth

Can you feel the fire down deep in your soul?
Feel it burning so bright?
Can you feel the darkness give way to the light?
Sing your song on high
Shine on Sister….Shine

The time has come to listen to the wisdom in our hearts
The heaviness of hatred has kept us in the dark
The time has come to heal the pain
For the truth to be revealed
Together we are stronger, only love is real

Can you feel the fire down deep in your soul?
Feel it burning so bright?
Can you feel the darkness give way to the light?
Sing your song divine
Shine on Sister…Shine

One heart…one truth…
One love… me and you…
We are rising up…we are shining, shining shining
Shining like the sun

Give way to the light…sing your song divine
Shine on Sister…Shine
One love…one truth

Scarborough Fair

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me, to one who lived there
Who once was a true love of mine

Tell him to make me a cambric shirt
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Without no seams or needle work
Then he’ll be a true love of mine

Tell him to buy me an acre of land
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Between the salt water and the sea strand
Then he’ll be a true love of mine

Tell him to reap it with a sickle of leather
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
And gather it all in a bunch of heather
He’ll be, he’ll be
Then he’ll be a true love,
A true love of mine

Will you be my true love
Be my true love…

Emerging

I am the fire, I am the spark
I am the light, I am the dark
You are the poem, you are the prayer
We are the truth, we are the dare

We are, we are, we are, I am
We are, we are, we are, I am…I am

I am the dark embrace of night
I am the music of the light
You are the space between the notes
We are the one, the all, the most

We are, we are, we are, I am
We are emerging
We are, we are, we are, I am
We are emerging
We are merging with the light
We are the light

And in the chaos is revealed
A beauty and perfection
We know we’re moving in the right direction
Mercy and compassion
Opening our hearts
We are all connected in this dance of light and dark

We are, we are, we are …
We are, we are, we are, I am
We are emerging

I’ll Meet You There

If I could take every tear that you ever made me cry
Turn them inside out, fill my heart with light
Oh, I’d see all the knots we tied
 The times we didn’t see eye to eye
 The story made us blind
 Love is simple, love is kind

Out beyond the struggle between my wrong and your right
There’s a field filled with light
I’ll meet you there … I’ll meet you there

If I could take every tear that I ever made you cry
Turn them into stardust, fill your heart with light
Oh, I’d loosen all the knots we tied
 Look you right in the eye
 The truth we’d find
 Love is simple Love is kind

Out beyond the struggle between my wrong and your right
The tangle of this tug of war, this long dark night
There’s a field of forgiveness filled with light
 I’ll meet you there … I’ll meet you there

I love you, I let you go
 May fair winds greet you wherever you go
Surrender, just surrender
Out beyond the doorway lies your new life
Shimmering and beckoning It’s time for you to fly
 Just remember that field filled with light
I’ll meet you, I’ll meet you
Oh my love, I’ll meet you there

Pearly Gates of Song

Oh won’t you come with me to the pearly gates of song
Where you don’t have to die, to feel like you belong
For the company of heaven, is a chorus here on earth
Each soul with a note to play in this symphony of birth
Welcome to the new earth

And we sing of our deception, and we sing of our disgrace
Centuries of war and greed and the land that we’ve laid waste
But our mother, she forgives us, and her wisdom falls like rain
The winds are blowing stronger now, these are the winds of change
Welcome the winds of change

We are angels in disguise
Starlight falling from your eyes
We have journeyed for so long
Here to the pearly gates of song

We are angels in disguise
Starlight falling from your eyes
Reaching upward through the night
One by one, we find the light

Can you hear the love that’s calling
The old is giving way
The orchestra is everything
And we have come to play
For the company of heaven is a chorus sweet and strong
Each soul with a note to play
Here where we belong
At the pearly gates of song

LINER NOTES

The making of this record has been an epic journey, marked by sweet synchronicities, a free fall of surrendering to the deeper music…and a cast of truly remarkable musicians, artists and supporters. Thank you to my beautiful family for your boundless love and support; you give me roots and wings…and are the reason I sing. ~ My infinite gratitude to Mark Lalama for your musical genius and generosity, your humour and your heart…thank you for revealing the deeper story in each one of these songs, and for the truth and beauty that was the gift of ‘letting go’. ~ Thank you to all of the magnificent musicians who breathed soul into this music, and made the making of this record a pure joy: Mark Lalama ,Kevin Breit, Davide DiRenzo, Rich Moore, Hans Christian, Victor DeLorenzo, George Sawyn, Dane Richeson, and the beautiful girls’ choir: Delilah, Grace, Cabria, Miranda & Julia. Deep appreciation to Phil and Janet at bova sound for your brilliant work in mastering the album ~ My gratitude to Chris Gartner and Hans Christian for your creative collaboration in the early stages of this musical project, and for your grace and generosity. ~ Thank you to the brilliant creative team: Graphic Design and Artwork; Jon Marro, Photography: Donna Santos, Lisa MacIntosh. ~ My love and devotion to my mentors for your inspiration and encouragement: Barbara Marx Hubbard, don Miguel Ruiz, Deepak Chopra, Byron Katie, Bruce Lipton, John McIntosh, Ingerid Chanel Ezhno, Ashok Gangadean, Jennifer Stein, Daniel Guterriez and Marsh Engle. ~ To my dear friend Kim Reid ~ thank you for amazing meals, wonderful massages, and for the message that changed the course of this album. My deepest gratitude to Loretta Macoritti, you remind me every day to ‘follow the signs’ ~ My deep and joyful gratitude to everyone who supported the album fundraising campaign, and to the Stratford Festival Guthrie Committee whose award helped make this album possible. Thanks and infinite love to all of my beautiful friends and family around the world who open your doors when I travel, open your hearts when I sing, and have offered encouragement and inspiration on the journey. Every one of your gorgeous hearts is woven into the fabric of this music… Susan & Kristen Eva, Janet Gunn, Colette Ryder, Dianne Osborn, Lasha Mutual, Tom Cunningham, Wendy Fortowsky, Dee Leifso, Lisa Browning, April Burrows, Jennifer Alexander, Diane Devenyi, Tracey Pennington, Caroline Mills, Karen Cook-Salcedo, Linda Faulkner, Lianne Snow, Ev Scott, Barb Hacking, Tania Tetreault, George Kleopa, Jeffrey & Lois Eisen, Nikki Hayes, Sandra Kyrzakos, Beth McBlain, Alison Dale, Marty Collins, Michael & Janet Hutchinson, Celeste Shirley, Teri Degler, Karen Overholt and Christian Hurst. To Limba, Henry and Rufus ~ thank you for the gift of your ‘love unadorned’.

This album is dedicated to the memory of Kim Corbin ~ “sleep now…love will do the rest…”