The Songwriter - Chapter 15

The Songwriter

Chapter 15

 

Signing Off

 

After 40 years of writing songs and all of the travelling I did . It wasn’t about money or fame . It was a journey of sharing the gift I had been given as very young boy .

I did my best to promote that every where I went ,

St Francis of Assisi once said, you must give before you receive and that is one of the golden rules of life . I gave everything I could without expecting anything in return for the gift I had been given .

I had gone without food and shelter for years just to share my songs with others .

Somebody else once said to do to others as you would want them to do to you . I’ll tell you something , I always had that intention in what I did .

I have done this and I did that . I went here and there and everywhere ,

I have done all I can and as best that I could for every woman and every  man that I met .

From me to you in all honesty , I have to say it was well worth it . Now as it’s almost time to sign off , everything’s ok.

I have made it through the dark night of the soul to a place where the light of day has brought happiness my way everyday . I have found love and a family  

The top drawers of my memory banks have been addressed and life is good .

Somebody once said if at first you don’t succeed, then you must try again .

So I thought about my songs and how I could share them now in a different way .  With well over a thousand songs written I began to see how they all accompanied me in my life and now these songs had grown old with me .

It seemed like it was the right to bring them into nursing homes and to sing them for all the residents who lived there  . I started to perform in dementia lock up units and was amazed at the response from the residents . In fact I discovered that music was the number  one resource to provided stimulation and recreation to resident with dementia

That inspired me so I began to work as a recreations officer where I could share my songs with people with dementia  . I could see the difference it made in their lives . As I was involved with this work I noticed how many different cultures working as various roles in nursing homes as , nurses and in the laundry and kitchen . How amazing it was to see all these people from different backgrounds working together as one .

So I wrote a song entitled “Together As One” which was used in a video showing how many cultures can work together for the same achievable outcome .

 

 

 

Together As One- by Paul McCann

 

In this world , we’re living in , 
we need no more segregation ,

to live as one we must become 
a more tolerant nation .

Together as one you and me .
Love will overcome ,you will see .

Brothers and sisters , we are one 
everyone’s equal in the end , 
ashes to ashes and dust to dust , 
when there’s no time left and the world’s gone bust .

Put away our differences whatever they may be , 
and find a way to live together as one
on a common ground under the same sun ,
together as one .

How can we build a safer world 
and respect each living thing , 
wisdom to choose from right and wrong 
and justice for the suffering .

Together as one , you and me .
Peace will overcome ,you will see .

Liberty and charity to everyone 
then fortune in the world will come 
and the virtue that we find will bring peace of mind 
to live together as one .

Put away our differences whatever they may be , 
and find a way to live together as one
on a common ground under the same sun ,
together as one .

 

The video was shown to residents in aged care facilities and the response from residents and staff was great .   After this event an awareness of cultural diversity surfaced in the way we can live together .  In a nutshell it comes down to love . The most powerful force in the universe is love . The more I looked at the theme behind most of the popular songs every written , I discovered that love was the key to those songs . The love theme sells more songs and books that any other genre .
Poets and artists have found various ways to express love in the medium of their art form in every generation. The topics and themes poets and songwriters use frequently when composing thoughts about love in a nutshell are four . These are the most common themes you’ll find behind the lyrics of the most popular love songs every written .

Theme 1 Boys looses girl .

Theme 2 Boys finds girl .

Theme 3 Girls looses boy .

Theme 4 Girls finds boy .

With true love there is nothing conceded or jealous about the experience shared . Love bring many things to a relationship . Love can bring growth to a relationship , it can bring tears to our eyes .
Love can bring laughter and joy .
It can bring people together by forgiveness and healing .
Love can bring understanding and trust .
Love can bring friendships that never fade .
Love can bring justice and trust in conflict/

Love can bring peace and hope .

Love can bring us together in all our differences .
Love can bring answers to all the problems we face in life .

Love can also take things as well .

Love can take your breath away .

Love can take away selfishness .
Love can take time , anything from a minute to a lifetime .
Love can take anger away .
Love can take down the barriers between opinion and beliefs.

Love can take the first step .
Love can take your fear away .
Love can take you to the top after you’ve hit rock bottom  .
Love can take you from the beginning to the end .

As well as taking things love will also give back so many things.

Love can give you a reason to carry on .
Love can give you strength, faith and the courage you need .
Love is lost and found and if you look around you will see

Love can be lost through an angry word or a broken bond .
Love can be lost through betrayal .
Love can be lost when we get hurt .
Love can be lost through greed .
Love can be lost through fear .
Love can be lost in rejection .
Love can be lost through selfishness and greed .
Love can be lost in grief .
Love can be lost in confusion and hate .
Love can be lost in slavery .
Love can be lost in cruelty and crime .

Love will always find a way to return .

Love can be found in a kiss .
Love can be found in a sunrise or a sunset .
Love can be found in a hardship .
Love can be found in the heart .
Love can be found in a smile .
Love can be found in a touch or a word .
Love can be found where ever there is a need .
Love can be found in the home .
Love can be found in the sacrifice we make .
Love can be found in the songs we sing .

For all the great moments of time we often are able to reflect back through the years through a song or a piece of music . What ever you do or who ever you are , music is life and life is music . Take the time to listen and appreciate the music of life and the lyrics of the song in whatever profession to are in .  
Your position in life could be Military , Religious , Education , Politics , Sport , or even in music itself , but one thing remains the same we all recognise music and song has made some kind of impact on us .

Soldiers who had a mission to go and fight for had a song in their heart or a song to come home to .  When Johnny came marching home , he found it there .

For those who have answer the call to religious vocations, they have also been assisted with music and song , in hymns and gospel songs that have brought together congregations in a spiritual experience to the presence of a loving and compassionate God .

In a world where we are building a new legacy for peaceful tomorrows there are songs to usher in an end to war and justice for all in a world with no frontiers where poverty and hunger and third world debt can be a thing of the past and already songs and music have assisted through the awareness of band aid and live aid  and songs that make the world aware of the hardships some have to  endure every day .
These songs and music that have been written to address poverty and famine that has riddled many countries show how change can come .

Today we share an image of what life is like for us so that in the future another generation may see how it was and that music and song made a difference . A living legacy is what we can leave to the future with the songs of today . We can tell the future generations how it was in the place and time that we now find ourselves .

 

Songwriters ,. poets and artists have always found various ways to express love in their own medium to inspire every generation .  Their songs leaves this world a musical heritage and there will always be a composer or songwriter or musician to continue the tradition .

Passing on love songs and tunes to audiences all over the globe  with lyrics to touch every heart and soul in delivering a warmth of emotions .

Beautiful songs never demand your attention , they just are there and will  always will be .

 

What is it that makes a song great ?

Is it the melodic hook, the lyrical content, the rhythm or the, the special arrangements and production?

What is it that brings presence to a songs performance that brings the listener a shiver up the spine , or  a teardrop to the eye .

Who owns the song that comes to the composer . Has it always out there waiting to be found . Can anyone really say they own it or was it gifted to them by God ?

 

Why does one song in particular mean so much to many people . Has it said the unspoken words we cannot say or has it touched our heart in a way and made a connection to the secrets our inner space ?

Yes we all need to hear a song that says it all and we attach ourselves to that song . It becomes our very own anthem to life .   

Life is a much easier road to travel with a song that means something to us and today , with the resources of digital recording in studios and live performances songs translate to the world a very high level of the musical art form and a presence that can give a glimpse of heaven . Long may that continue to live in every heart .

When songs can become a light for love in every home and with every new composition that can be a light for the whole world to bring peace and love then the world can be a better place for every woman and man from every tribe and we can sing together as one with one sound .

We must never become lost or confused amidst all the aggression that surrounds us in the world today . Let us sing those songs of freedom and may songwriters continue to be inspired to write those songs that unite us and may musicians find new horizons to create something that invites that glimpse of heaven in a vision of hope , so we all can be part of that experience in the time we are living in  .

May the world sing strong against oppression and let us all give an expression of how we feel in this world where we live .
Isn’t that the message of life and love and all that is possible?

Yes we can is the answer. C’est La Vie , a sense of mysticism in the world .

I wrote a song called one sound and asked people from different cultures to be part of a project to show to residents and staff in nursing homes here in Australia how we can be united together through music .

 

Life is a song , lets sing and bring love and harmony wherever we go  .  

 

One Sound  - By Paul McCann

 

 We are equal in Gods eye no different you and I  ,

The same coloured blood is in our veins ,

the same coloured tears that we cry .

The breath we take and the love we make

is something strong and true

and all of the songs around the world are the same for me and you  .

One sound , one sound ,

we are young and we are old

but in our hearts we  hold one and the same dream ,

to get along  and sing our song  .

When we laugh we all sound the same , one big happy family

life can be good when we’re understood

and living with equality  ,

One sound , one sound ,

we are rich we are poor  but in this world

we share a future we’ve never seen

to get along and sing our song .  

When all of our voices blend as one

what a beautiful song we share

when we have an equal say in things

there’s harmony in the air .

 

One sound , one sound , 

Sing as one you and I and we can see eye to eye there’s no

no reason to shout and  scream ,

when we sing along making one sound

 

The End

 

The Songwriter   - By Paul McCann

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