Life Through Music:”Before Your Time” by Krista Herring

Well, it finally happened...

You never know when exactly certain songs will connect with you. I have had my friend Krista’s new music for quite some time now, but it wasn’t till this week that I really connected to one of her songs. This is not to say that I haven’t enjoyed her music from the get go, but to really connect with a song for me sometimes it takes some time. 

It was on the drive to Sauvie Island with my sister yesterday when it happened. At some point during our drive I took over the music being played. I plugged in my iphone and just allowed my music library to play music on shuffle. I play music on shuffle most of the time when listening to music these days because I find it better to let the songs come to me rather than me trying to pick certain songs. 

First, my phone had blessed us with a few classic songs that we both like to hear in the summertime. Then the moment came when my phone played the song I picked for my song of the week. The song is titled “Before Your Time”. This song is written and sang by the lovely Krista Herring whom I have written about before (http://just-pure-d-lite.blogspot.com/2013/10/life-through-music-free-by-krista.html). The song I picked is from her newest collection of songs that came from her Kickstarter project from awhile back. A project that I happily pledged support for. 

I wish I had taken a picture looking out the sunroof of my sister’s car as we took the scenic route from the westside of Portland out to north Portland and beyond. Along the winding road of skyline we were so wonderfully tucked below the canopy of the lush green trees that are so well known in the Pacific Northwest. With a balance of forest green, sky blue, and a dash of sunshine to brighten all that was around us it created a moment to allow this song right into my heart. 

Let us look more closely at the lyrics to help explain this moment to you. 

“Before YourTime” by Krista Herring

We're all finding our way home 

Sometimes we feel so alone 

What's the right road 

We don't know 

All I know 

Is love will get us there 

(What a great way to open the song up. How true is this first part of the song. I know that it rings true for my heart.)

So, don't you hide those pretty eyes 

When the storm clouds cross the sky 

(Yes, I cannot allow these eyes of mine to hide no matter how hard the struggle gets.)

Get on those horses, babe, and ride 

So they don't call you back home 

Before Your Time 

The tide goes out 

Don't be afraid 

It always comes back in again 

It's the beauty of the end 

In the emptiness 

Is where new life begins 

(I’m so impressed with how in tune this woman is. How true. One ending is another beginning. Be patient.)

So, don't you hide those pretty eyes 

When the storm clouds cross the sky 

Get on those horses, babe, and ride 

So they don't call you back home 

Before Your Time 

We all fall beneath the weight of the world 

But it ain't easy making diamonds and pearls 

(Yes, it is not easy, but so worth the effort.)

So, open up those pretty eyes 

You make the sun shine when you smile 

(This part was really hooked me and brought tears of joy to my eyes and a smile to my face. Yes, your smile is greater than you know. Smile more. Do whatever brings that out into the world because lord knows we need more of it. = ) )

Get on those horses, babe, and ride 

So they don't call you back home 

Before Your Time

So that’s it peeps. Get on that horse and keep riding. We can keep the love alive for all of us. 

I encourage anyone who hasn’t heard Krista Herring’s music to seriously go check it out. Here is a link if you don’t know where to find her (http://www.kristaherring.com). She is one of us. Take a listen and breath it in. Love is all around us. 

As always I bring this to you with so much love and pure D-lite. = )

Life Through Music: "You Make the World Go Round" by DJ Cassidy

It’s been a very emotional and weird week for me. Such a week that I don’t even think I have the right words to put together to help explain what it is that I mean by saying that. All I know is we had the super moon going on this week and boy did it effect me. So instead of digging too deep this week I wanted to pick a song that has been a bright spot for me over the last few weeks. Something a bit more up tempo and that is a bit more fun if you will. In a way the song I picked is kind of a pep-talk for myself during this whirl wind of change that has been going on in my life. It’s a song that really helps me remember that I have an affect on others by doing the things I do and keeping the positivity going for the rest of the world. In essence you (Derrick Heine) help the world go round.

Speaking of making the world go round thats exactly what the song I picked for this week talks about. The song is conveniently titled “You Make the World Go Round” by DJ Cassidy and is featuring R. Kelly. This song has a great dance feel to it that from the moment I heard it I was hooked. The music video has some beautiful strings to open up the song to get your attention, but trust me when DJ Cassidy hits play on the small boombox your ears are hit with a fantastic dance track that is far from the slow string intro it begins with. A dance track that I love very much and have already listen to many times since I found it. So lets get right at it shall we? To the lyrics we go!

“You Make the World Go Round” by DJ Cassidy

Featuring R.Kelly

When I'm going through, you seem to know just what to say

To turn it all around and put a smile a smile right on my face

To me you are a blessing and I sure appreciate

How you change negative to positive and brighten up my day

(I sure hope that I do that for anyone that reads my words. I try to put a positive spin on anything that I write about or in life in general.)

And we never argued, I can't lose my will to carry on

I just look at you 'cause you give me the reason to be strong

If it wasn't for you, I just don't know where I would be

So tonight I'm gonna celebrate your love for me

(You know what? Yes, let us celebrate love tonight or today because we don’t celebrate it enough.)

Because

It's people like you

That make the world go round

Oh yes, it is

It's people like you

That make the world go round

Make it go round, and round, and round

(Not just me. I’m looking at you too. There is a reason you are here reading my words so you must be making the world go round too.)

Whenever I was cold, you knew just how to keep me warm

And you were my shelter in the middle of my storm

And whenever the mountains came crumbling down on me

There you were out of nowhere to lift me and set me free

And whenever I thought that I could not go any more

Girl, you came into my life and you opened up more doors

And now I don't have to look no more for women when it comes to love

‘Cause girl, you are a gift sent down to me from up above

Because

It's people like you

That make the world go round

It's people like you

That make the world go round

It's all I can find

Someone truly, truly real

A soul so divine

The love should not be based on color

Girl, take my hand

And tonight we’re gonna show the whole wide world how to dance

(Love is the truth. Lets show the world how to dance to that rhythm.)

Let it blow

(Love the trombone solo. Such a sucker for some good horn music in a song.)

You feel good, I feel good

So hot

We're gonna step around the world tonight and step into the light

It goes 1, 2, 3

(If you aren’t grooving to this song by this point then there is something wrong in your life.)

Step step step step to the side

Step to the left, and step to the right

Step step step step to the side

Step all night, and step to the light

Step step step step to the side

Step to the left, and step to the right

Step step step step to the side

Step all night, and step to the light

(I like the thought of stepping into the light. Lets brighten up this world!)

Step step step round and round

We gonna step all night to the funky sound

Step step round and round

We gonna step all night till the roof comes down

Step step round and round

We gonna step all night to the funky sound

Step step round and round

We gonna step all night till the roof comes down

Because

It's people like you

That make the world go round

Oh yes, it is

It's people like you

That make the world go round

Make it go round, and round, and round

(Yes, People like you.)

It's all I can find

Someone truly, truly real

A soul so divine

A love should not be based on color

Girl, take my hand

And tonight we’re gonna show the whole wide world how to dance

Party people

If you wanna keep the world going round and round now

Sing it now

Round and round, we go

Round and round, we go

Round and round, we go

(Thats right people lets keep this world going round and round.)

I hope that you enjoyed this song as much as I did or maybe you have another song that you have been listening to that does the same thing for you or maybe you have another avenue that inspires you. Regardless we got to keep the positivity going people. 

As always I send this to you with so much love and pure D-lite. = )

Life Through Music: “Sailing” by Christopher Cross

It’s funny to me how a song that I have heard many times over the years can still seem different. I have talked about music doing this to me before and I will probably never get over this kind of thing happening because it’s what I really love about music. 

One of the other songs I listen to many times during the month of June, besides last week’s song of the week, was this wonderful soft jam by Christopher Cross called “Sailing”. Some call his style of music “Yacht Rock” which I find hilarious, but I love the song anyway. The song I picked from him represents part of a new me that has come around recently. 

I don’t know if it was because of the process of me lightening the load (that is my life) last month so I could preparing to move out of the place I lived in for the last 5 years. Maybe it was the repercussions of just me changing my focus in life quite a bit since my mother passed on. Well, it’s probably been a combination of both and its setting me up for a much different path that I have ever thought myself to go down. That is the thing I have learned with the loss of my mother is that I have no idea what is next and because of that I have spent less time trying to figure that out.

I really have tried less to plan life out and instead find more peace with riding the flow of life. That is why I connected to this song so much recently because it has the similar sense of flow to it that matches how I have been feeling in 2014. Like a grain of sand blowing in the wind I am. 

I’m not a sailor by any means because quite frankly the deep ocean creeps me out, but something about being on the front of a ship with nothing more than the wind and sun on my face sounds so wonderful to me. That feeling of having a magnitude of openness that is right in front of me with the feeling I can go anywhere.

To be able to feel the openness and the unknown that life gives you in every moment of our lives. I feel my soul lifting just a bit more. This new found freedom is such a breath of fresh air. I need more of this. This feeling is the one thing that I will strive to get more of for the rest of my life. 

I have no idea what is around the next corner and for me there is some peace in that. The possibilities are so abundant and waiting. If the wind is right....

Lyrics:

"Sailing"

Well, it's not far down to paradise, at least it's not for me

And if the wind is right you can sail away and find tranquility

Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see

Believe me

(It is simpler and simpler for me to feel like I’m in paradise these days. To really appreciate what is here right now instead of what I think should be. If you want you can come along and find your peace as well. I believe. Do you?)

It's not far to never-never land, no reason to pretend

And if the wind is right you can find the joy of innocence again

Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see

Believe me

(Sure I could wish and hope to go back to the good times all I want, but it’s more important to create more of what I miss from those past moments into the present.)

Sailing takes me away to where I've always heard it could be

Just a dream and the wind to carry me

And soon I will be free

(It’s more than a dream. I will be free.)

Fantasy, it gets the best of me

When I'm sailing

All caught up in the reverie, every word is a symphony

Won't you believe me?

Sailing takes me away to where I've always heard it could be

Just a dream and the wind to carry me

And soon I will be free

(The peace and joy that I have heard many talk of is possible and the winds of change are washing over me to show me that it is real.) 

Well it's not far back to sanity, at least it's not for me

And if the wind is right you can sail away and find serenity

Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see

Believe me

Sailing takes me away to where I've always heard it could be

Just a dream and the wind to carry me

And soon I will be free

(Free)

Life is an open canvas...what will you paint next?

Thanks for coming along this journey with me. As always I bring this to you with so much love and pure D-lite. =)