I Love To Be Your Friend

Transcription

1 I Love To Be Your Friend Hopes and Dream This is one of my favorite songs. I wrote this in 2007 while teaching 3 rd grade in Hagerstown, Md. This class was such a cool class! They became such a community, during this school year and it was clear to see, early on, that they respected one another. They did argue and disagree, but they argued and disagreed while valuing each other s opinions. This song became our theme song that year and we sang it together frequently at the end of the school day. And while we sang, the students would put their arms around each other s shoulders and sway to the beat. You make me smile if I m feeling bad You make me laugh if I m feeling sad Well, you re the coolest friend I could ever find You pick me up when I fall on my behind Because I love to be your friend I love to be your friend You say nice things to me every day You listen to everything I say You ve got a heart as pure as gold I hope we still hang out when we get old Because I love to be your friend I love to be your friend We re like peanut butter and jelly We re like shoes and socks only we re not that smelly Well, I ll be patient with you, I ll never rush I ll share my toothpaste, but you re going to have to get your own brush. Because I love to be your friend I love to be your friend

2 The Beautiful Things Here is a song that was written on the way to the recording studio. The first five songs of this album were originally released in I had 4 songs to put on the c.d., but on the ride down on the last day of recording, this song popped in my head! I wrote the lyrics while driving down Rt. 45 from Martinsburg to Shepherdstown. By the time I arrived at Echoes Recording Studio in Sharpsburg, Md, I had the chorus, and first verse of this song. It took one more recording night to get the rest of the song completed. And with Travis Fouch on Harmonica, putting his stamp on the final minute, this song was definitely A Beautiful Thing! Take time to notice the beautiful things That were put here for you and me Take time to notice the beautiful things that you can taste, touch, hear, smell, and see. What do you hear with your ears? What do you see with your eyes open wide? What do you taste on the tip of your tongue? What does your nose smell when you fill up your lungs? What do you feel deep inside, when somebody hugs you with all of their might? Take time to notice the beautiful things That were put here for you and me Take time to notice the beautiful things that you can taste, touch, hear, smell, and see. Listen to the sounds all around. Look at the trees dancing with the breeze. Taste the rain falling from the sky. Breathe in the wind as it passes you by. Let the sun warm you when you re cold feel it on your skin and in your soul. (Chorus 2 times)

3 Hopes and Dreams I loved how this song came together. It started out as a little tune that I was singing to my daughter one summer morning in I immediately recorded about 30 seconds of the chorus, that actually sounded a little different than it does on the album. It started coming together in January. As I sang the chorus over and over, it reminded me of the story, The Little Engine that Could. This is what I based the main lyrics off of. The music had this bluesy/gospel feel to it, so I knew it needed an amazing choir to fully capture the essence of this song! I called a good friend and mentor, Paul Mason and he directed me to Zion Baptist Church. From the moment I sang the ending chorus to them, the members of this choir made this song SING! Here s a story of a little steam engine that was carrying a heavy load of toys. She was chugging along on a beautiful day and everything, everything was going fine. Well then on down the line something caught her eye. Now this was a bit of a big surprise. It was an enormous mountain; one gigantic mountain. With one humongous, humongous, steep incline. So she paused for a moment until she made up her mind. Then she gathered up all the courage she could find. She started up that mountain. She started up slow and steady and her wheels, they began, they began to spin. And from behind her the toys all cried out in chorus they were singing, We think you can! We think you can! We think you can! So she kept on moving forward until she reached the top. She was singing, I know I can! I know I can! I know I can! And she did!! She had hopes and dreams. She had hopes and dreams. She had hopes and dreams to help her climb up that mountainside!

4 Today What do you do when you re off school with your daughters on a snow day? You write a song!! This song was written in January while I was off from school because of snow. We were all in the living as I started playing the main guitar part to this song. My girls were dancing around the room with their arms flailing every which way! I then broke into the chorus and instantly came up with the words! Then it just wrote itself from there. We sat in the living room all afternoon singing this song until it was time for lunch! Wake up! The sun s beginning to rise. Well it s time to get out of bed you sleepy head! There s a new day in front of you and the possibility that today is going to be wonderful, today it could be great! Well, today is the best day. To go after your dreams. Make, make, make them happen Make them as real as anything. You might set out on adventure. You might set out to learn to read. You might set out to learn to ride your bike and crash land along the way. You might set out to write a story or learn to play guitar. You might set out to build a rocket ship that soars among the stars! Well, today is the best day. To go after your dreams. Make, make, make them happen Make them as real as anything. All throughout my life, well I ve heard people say, Don t put off for tomorrow, what you can accomplish today! Well, today is the best day. To go after your dreams. Make, make, make them happen Make them as real as anything.

5 What a Wonderful World for You and Me Hopes and Dream Go skip through some puddles. Lie on your back and look at the stars or stare at the clouds. Climb a tree as high as you can go. Just make sure you know how to get down! I was thinking of activities I enjoyed doing with my friends when I was younger. We were outside all the time! If we weren t climbing trees or sloshing through puddles, we were riding our bikes or playing some sport in a nearby field or basketball court. There are many wonderful things in this world. Sometimes we just need to open our eyes and look around (Verse 1) Lying on our backs, you and I Watching the clouds as they fly by Discovering the shapes high up in the sky Thinking, what a wonderful world for you and me Skipping through the puddles after a rainy day Here comes the sunshine to melt them away We re heading home for supper then back outside to play Thinking, what a wonderful world for you and me (Pre-Chorus) I can see everything that this world has to offer And if you want to see it to, just open your eyes and look around At this wonderful world for you and me It s a wonderful world for you and me (Verse 2) Lying on our backs you and I Counting the stars hanging up in the sky Throwing out our wishes on the ones passing by Thinking, what a wonderful world for you and me Climbing up and oak tree you and I Reaching out our hands to capture the sky We can t quite reach it but we re always going to try Thinking, what a wonderful world for you and me (Pre-Chorus)

6 You Got to be You What do you get when you have a little boy that dreams to be a dinosaur, a little girl that loves to wear what makes her comfortable, and a little boy that wants to change the world? You get a song! I was thinking of how many times we, as adults, tell children what they can or cannot be or what they can or cannot do. Although we want what is best for our children, sometimes we need to let them figure some things out on their own and encourage and guide them as best we can. And most importantly, let them be kids When I was little I dreamt of being a t-rex dinosaur Instead of eating meat, I was going to be one happy herbivore And when it came time for me to roar my mighty roar I was going to sing a sweet song, instead of roar No body s going to tell me what I can or cannot be Because I m going to be me A little girl comes bouncing down the front steps of her house She s got her rain boots on even though the sun is shining down And there s a princess crown on her head and she s sporting a purple skirt A second later you can find her digging worms in the dirt A little boy was playing war outside with all his friends He said, One day I m going to change the world with my words instead. His friends all laughed at him as they continued to play And that little boy grew up and did exactly what he said and he said Nobody should tell you what you can or cannot do Because you ve got to be you No body s going to tell me what I can or cannot be Because I m going to be me

7 I ve Got a Dream The way this song came together was amazing. I had written the 1 st verse and chorus to this about a year before we recorded it, but could not think of a 2 nd or 3 rd verse. I handed a copy of the song to Madalyn Martin. The following week, she came to the studio with the verse on the CD! Then I thought, it needs a rap as the third verse. So, I tried getting in touch with famous rappers. I even contacted a friend of mine who had a connection to KRS-1. Thankfully, none of that panned out! Just as all this was going on, I received an from, Eric Gaitan, asking about recording. So I invited him to sit in one evening while we recorded this song. I asked him if he could write a rap to this song. He immediately began writing! The following week, he came in and recorded the third verse to this song. The most special part about this whole story, is that both Eric and Madalyn were both my 4 th grade students during my first year teaching! I ve got a dream these are some mighty, mighty powerful words Because when you ve got a dream, your dreams can lift you up just like the wings of a bird I ve got a dream these are some mighty, mighty powerful words because when you ve got a dream, your dreams can grow up and change the whole world. Take your dreams Hold them high Never let them go Never let them die I ve got a dream! (Maddy Martin) Take your dreams Hold them high Never let them go Never let them die I ve got a dream! (Erik E-Drop Gaitan)

8 Put Something Good in the World Hopes and Dream Here is a song that was inspired by Shel Silverstein s poem Put Something In. I knew that after I wrote it, there was going to be something big intended for this song. Then I found a flier on the ground 1 day in October I found a discarded flier from a student at the school I work in. The flier was advertising a fund raising event for a local girl named Jessica that was dealing with cancer. I called the number on the flier and 8 months later Jessica Rocks for Timmy s Fund, adopted this song as their theme song and created This song has finally found it s home Paint a pretty picture for your best friend. Say hello to everybody you can. Write a friendly letter to someone you know. Wear a smile on your face wherever you go. (chorus) Put something good in the world today that wasn t there yesterday And when you learn to shine You know you ll always be walking with the sun. Make up new words to a song you like to sing. Give your friend an extra push on the swing. Place a pretty flower in an empty space. Tell a funny joke that will put a smile on a sad face. (Chorus 2 times)

9 Keep Hope Alive This song is the most personal, song I wrote for the Hopes and Dreams album. About 1.5 million children in America are homeless and many more are living in poverty. It s difficult for a child to find hope when a child has to worry from day to day, where they are going to sleep or where will their next meal come from. But there is Hope! A hope that there IS something better! (Verse 1) A little boy sits on the curb of his street He s got holes in the soles of his shoes and barely enough food to eat His parents seem to argue more and more each day And he speaks all the time but most people don t listen to what he has to say (Pre-chorus) I know sometimes life can feel like a thunderstorm But with every dark stormy cloud, well there s bound to rain a sunny day I hope you keep hope alive in you Don t let despair get the best of you Because there s a light of hope on every road (Verse 2) Sometimes that little boy finds it hard to sleep at night And then he thinks of his dreams and those dreams turn the darkness into light He s got a vision like a seed that s planted in his head And he knows that dreams can keep you from losing hope instead, instead of feeling lost and lonely (Pre-chorus) I know sometimes life can feel like a thunderstorm But with every dark stormy cloud, well there s bound to rain a sunny day (Bridge) And we all go through times when our life doesn t go quite the way we want it to And it may feel like nothing is ever going to go our way But even when we re down and life it seems won t ever get better There s always HOPE that can help pull you through and pick you up and put you back up on your feet!