tig ChoirCalm flow, great for continued listening- mute-fuse

Inspired by a timeless spiritual paradox, "The Open Gate" is a blues-folk story that suggests the most profound truth isn't hidden away for the chosen few—it's accessible to everyone.

Using the ancient parable of a loving father saving his children from a burning house, the song explores the idea that the greatest wisdom doesn't require immense skill or a lifetime of practice, but simply an open heart. With a soulful, acoustic groove, "The Open Gate" is a reminder that the path to peace is not a steep mountain to be climbed, but a door standing wide open for all.

Lyrics

(Intro - Acoustic guitar and a single, long slide guitar note)

(Verse 1)
Some folks try to climb a mountain, thinkin' that's the only way
Practice hard for countless ages, just to see a brighter day
They believe you gotta be a scholar, or a saint of high degree
That only the strongest souls can find the key to be set free
And for them, that road is true, but it's a hard and lonely state
It takes a will of iron just to get past the first gate

(Chorus)
But the Teacher, in his wisdom, he turned it all around
Said the truest, deepest teaching is for the lowest ground
Some paths say you must be worthy, before you even start
But the real Truth is a river, for every broken heart
It don't depend on your own power, your wisdom or your might
It's the power of the Love itself that brings the darkness into light

(Verse 2)
They tell a story 'bout a Father, watchin' his whole house burn down
His children played inside with toys, the most distracted kids in town
He called out, "I've got precious treasures, wonders to behold!"
A loving lure to save them from that ruin, weak and old.
But he didn't give those separate gifts, when they were safe and near, 
He gave them one great open road, and put an end to all their fear.

(Chorus)
'Cause the Teacher, in his wisdom, he turned it all around
Said the truest, deepest teaching is for the lowest ground
Some paths say you must be worthy, before you even start
But the real Truth is a river, for every broken heart
It don't depend on your own power, your wisdom or your might
It's the power of Love itself that brings darkness into light

(Bridge)
In these modern, troubled days, the world is full of strife
The old maps are all faded, they've lost the power for this life
So you don't need a grand cathedral, don't need a scholar's mind
The only thing that's asked of you is the faith that you can find
Just a simple act of trust, a whispered prayer or tune
To awaken that bright Spirit, that's been sleeping in the gloom

(Outro)
Yeah, the gate is standin' open, for the sinner and the saint
For the fisherman's child, the warrior, for the weary and the faint
The truest teaching... is for the open gate...

The Open Gate

A blues-folk meditation on the exhaustion of trying to earn your worth through endless striving. This song walks through the valley of good intentions gone sour, calloused hands and hollow prayers, until a stranger by the roadside offers an ancient truth: the light you've been climbing toward was inside you all along.

Written in the tradition of confessional Americana, "Lay Your Shovel Down" explores what happens when our attempts to help others become mirrors for our own ego, and how grace arrives not as a reward for effort, but as a gift to the weary.

Inspired by contemplative spiritual traditions but rooted in universal human longing, this is a song for anyone who's ever tried to light their own house with the fire they gave away.

For the broken-down, the burnt-out, the ones still climbing in the dark—this one's for you.

[VERSE 1 – The Labor and Dissatisfaction]
I woke up this morning, 
climbed the highest hill, 
tried to make it right.
Dug every garden, 
gave my neighbor water, 
waited for a sign of light.
I hauled stone and timber, 
built a fire to keep folks warm,
But when the long shadows stretched and the day was gone, 
I was empty, soaked, and worn.
I found my kindness was just a mirror, 
cracked and gray, Tryin’ to light my own damn house with the fire I gave away.
Yeah, I worked all day long, but when the moon rose high— My spirit still wasn’t satisfied.

[CHORUS – The Cry and the Lifeline]
My hands are calloused, 
but my prayers taste like a lie,
I’m standin’ in the dust, 
watchin’ every good deed drift on by. My giving was hollow, 
hidin’ what I hoped to get, I’m drownin’ in my own well-meaning, 
and the shore ain’t found me yet.
Practice ain’t enough, Lord—
I need the truth I can’t achieve,
I need the word that saves me from the man I thought I had to be.

[VERSE 2 – The Scene of Collapse and Grace]
I tried to pull the world up clean from the mud,
But the weight of their sorrow mixed in with my blood.
My high aspirations sank down in the mire,
My water turned bitter—
I forgot the true fire.
I fell by the roadside, 
cold dread in my chest,
When a stranger laid a parchment right upon my weary chestc.
He said: “You been tryin’ to earn the daylight, 
climbin’ in the dark,
The wellspring you been diggin’ for’s already in your heart. Now close your weary eyes, child—
let these words carry you home.”

[CHORUS (REPRISE)]
My hands are calloused, 
but my prayers don’t taste like lies, I’m standin’ in the dust, 
watchin’ grace come rollin’ by. My giving was hollow once, 
hidin’ what I hoped to get, But I’m drinkin’ from that same well now—
and I ain’t drownin’ yet.
Practice ain’t enough, Lord—
but faith is what I see, I found the word that saves me from the man I tried to be.

[BRIDGE – The Revelation and Assurance]
Then a whisper cut through the drought,
Said, “The gold you’re diggin’ for—
it’s what you’re made of, child, no doubt.”
You been pullin' on a door that never was locked,
Bleedin’ for the light when it’s burnin’ inside.
The fire was in the wood all along,
The song was in your skin.
The debt was paid before your birth—
You just gotta let the mercy in.

[OUTRO – The Final Release]
You don’t gotta carry nothin’, 
just lay your shovel down and sigh.
The worth you were lookin’ for, child, 
was shinin’ in your own eye. You don’t gotta earn the grace—
just stand still and breathe.
I climbed that high hill, 
but now I sit down flat, And the quiet that holds me deep—
is the peace I chased at last. I stopped the striving, let the light just stay—
I walked out of my own shame today.
“No more... cold dread..."

Lay Your Shovel Down

A blues-folk confession about carrying the weight of our own minds. Starting in the darkness of recognition and moving toward the light of shared burden, this song traces the journey from isolation to acknowledgment—where simply naming what we carry begins to break its hold.

Inspired by Chapter Twenty-Four of the Lotus Sūtra, "The Delusion Chain" catalogs the six afflictions—greed, anger, ignorance, jealousy, stinginess, and arrogance—that obscure our clarity and peace. But the song's real subject is what happens when we stop carrying these burdens alone.

In the tradition of Robert Johnson's crossroads darkness and Mississippi John Hurt's front-porch wisdom, with early Dylan's confessional storytelling throughout, this is a song about how recognition becomes liberation, and how asking for help is itself the answer.

"The moment that I name what's holding me / I ain't carrying this delusion all alone, you see"

Acoustic fingerpicking, upright bass, harmonica. Recorded with intention and honesty.

Lyrics: 

[Verse 1]
Woke up this morning with a weight I can't name
Six different devils all playing the same game
Got greed in my pocket, got anger in my bones
Jealousy whispering through the telephone

[Verse 2]
Stinginess counting every coin I save
Arrogance telling me I'm too good to behave
Ignorance smiling like an old, old friend
Can't see the teaching through the fog I'm in

[Chorus]
I'm dragging this delusion chain
Link by link in the pouring rain
Too much greed and not enough wisdom, Lord
Can't find the key to break this chain

[Verse 3]
Tried to read the good book, couldn't see the page
My attachments got attachments keeping me in this cage
Every desire's got a desire of its own
I'm obscuring my own path, reaping what I've sown

[Bridge]
Now, I ain't saying I'm the only fool
Who mistakes his confusion for something cool
But when you're carrying six kinds of heavy all day
You start to wonder if there ain't a better way

[Chorus]
I'm dragging this delusion chain
Link by link in the pouring rain
Too much greed and not enough wisdom, Lord
Can't find the key to break this chain

[Verse 4 - tempo softens, opens up]
So I'm singing you this song, laying my burden down
Telling you the truth I finally found
The moment that I name what's holding me
I ain't carrying this delusion all alone, you see

[Verse 5 - gentle, clear]
Recognition's like a question asked out loud
Breaks the spell of walking in a cloud
When I show you all my greed and jealous ways
The teaching starts to shine through the haze

[Chorus - modified, lighter]
I'm naming this delusion chain
Speaking it out loud eases the pain
Still got greed, but I got wisdom growing, Lord
And sharing the burden starts to break this chain

[Outro - quiet, intimate, almost spoken]
Six links make a chain
One voice breaks the hold
The asking is the answer
The telling makes me whole
Brother, can you hear me?
I'm not alone no more

THE DELUSION CHAIN

The Cure I Couldn't See | The William Altig Choir

A blues-folk meditation on the physician's parable from the Lotus Sutra. This song tells the story of a soul searching desperately for healing, only to realize the remedy was offered all along—but pride and delusion kept them from believing.

Inspired by ancient Buddhist wisdom translated through the language of Delta blues and Appalachian folk, "The Cure I Couldn't See" explores themes of suffering, recognition, and the bittersweet moment when we finally accept the truth that's been waiting for us.

Raw acoustic guitar, mournful harmonica, and vocals that carry the weight of the journey from darkness into light.

For those who wander, for those who doubt, for those who finally see.


lyrics: 
Verse 1 I've been walking these roads with a poison in my veins Searching every hollow for someone to ease my pain Knocked on a thousand doors, cried out a thousand names But the remedy was sitting right there in my father's hands

Chorus Oh, the cure I couldn't see Was waiting there, waiting there for me Too proud, too blind, too lost in my disease To believe in the cure I couldn't see

Verse 2 He showed me the medicine, said "Son, just take this pill" But I shook my head and wandered off across another hill Thought I knew better, thought his words were just old tales While the poison kept on spreading and my body growing frail

Chorus Oh, the cure I couldn't see Was waiting there, waiting there for me Too proud, too blind, too lost in my disease To believe in the cure I couldn't see

Bridge Now I'm falling to my knees in the dust Everything I thought I knew just turned to rust And I hear his voice calling through the years: "Child, I never left you, I was always here"

Verse 3 So I took the medicine, felt it burn and then turn sweet Recognition flooding in like mercy at my feet All that wasted time, all those miles I roamed alone When the doctor was beside me, trying to lead me home

Final Chorus Oh, the cure I finally see Was waiting there, always there for me No more running, no more disbelief I've found the cure, and the cure has set me free Yeah, I've found the cure, and the cure has set me free


The Cure I Couldnt See

The Forgotten Promise | By The William Altig Choir

We all carry something ancient within us—a promise made before memory, a purpose that calls to us through the noise of daily life. "The Secret Vow" is a heavy blues meditation on the profound loss we feel when we've forgotten why we're here.

Drawing from the Buddhist teaching of the Bodhisattva vow—the commitment to return to this world of conflict to benefit all beings—this song explores what happens when life's preoccupations bury that sacred purpose so deep it becomes a secret even to ourselves. The weight we carry isn't a burden to escape, but a key waiting to unlock our deepest calling.

Through haunting fingerpicked guitar, wailing slide, and raw vocal testimony, the song journeys from confusion and heaviness toward the breakthrough moment of remembering. It's about waking up to the realization that we didn't come here by accident—we came on purpose, with purpose.

For anyone who's ever felt simultaneously lost and called, burdened by a mission they can't quite name, preoccupied by a thousand distractions while something sacred whispers from beneath it all—this song is for you.

The secret vow was never hidden. It was sleeping in your heart. And today's the day you start.


Lyrics
Verse 1
[Fingerpicked acoustic guitar, sparse and haunting]
I wake before the dawn breaks, with weight upon my chest
Something whispers in the silence, won’t let my spirit rest
There’s a promise in my bones, carved deeper than my name
But the preoccupations of this life have smothered out the flame
I walk these streets like shadows, familiar but alone
Each face I pass, a question mark, each moment overthrown
By bills and fears and anger, by the grinding of the day
While something sacred calls to me from ages far away

Chorus
[Full band enters: slide guitar, upright bass, brushed drums]
I made a vow, I made a vow
Before I can’t remember when
To walk into the fire, to come back here again
But the secret’s grown so heavy
That I’ve buried it from me
I made a vow to all of you
But I’ve forgotten how to see

Verse 2
[Guitar builds intensity, adding distortion on the edges]
Some nights I dream of battlefields where suffering runs deep
Of reaching out my hands to hold the ones who cannot sleep
Of stepping through the doorway into conflict and to pain
Not running from, but running toward, to help them break the chain
But morning comes with coffee, with the traffic and the news
With a thousand small distractions and a thousand small refusals
To remember why I’m here at all, what mission brought me through
The veil between the worlds I’ve known to stand here next to you

Chorus
[Heavier, with harmonica wailing between lines]
I made a vow, I made a vow
Before this flesh and bone
To benefit all beings, not to walk this path alone
But the secret’s grown so heavy
I’m a stranger to myself
I made a vow that mattered once
Now it’s gathering dust on shelves

Bridge
[Music strips down to just voice and acoustic guitar, building gradually]
Wait—
There’s a crack in the concrete
There’s a light beneath the door
There’s a reason I keep stumbling
Like I’ve been here once before
Maybe—
[Drums return, soft but insistent]
All this weight I’m carrying
Isn’t burden, it’s a key
To unlock the ancient promise
That’s been waiting inside of me
[Full band swells]
I came into this world of conflict
Not to add more to the pain
But to hold the hand of suffering
And walk with it again

Final Chorus
[Triumphant, cathartic, full-throated]
I made a vow, I MADE A VOW
And now I’m starting to recall
To come back here in service
To answer when you call
The secret wasn’t hidden
It was sleeping in my heart
I made a vow to benefit all beings
And today’s the day I start
I made a vow to benefit all beings
And today’s the day I start

Outro
[Extended instrumental fade with slide guitar and harmonica trading phrases, like a conversation between the old forgotten self and the newly awakened one. Ends on a single, sustained note of resolution]

The Forgotten Promise

Just to Cater to Your Whim

"Just to Cater to Your Whim" - The William Altig Choir

Sometimes love looks like giving in. Sometimes compassion means meeting someone where they are, even when you know the path they're walking won't heal them. This song is about that impossible tightrope - when your heart can't bear to see someone suffer, so you bend to their comfort, knowing full well it's only temporary relief.

"Just to Cater to Your Whim" explores the ancient Buddhist concept of expedient means through the lens of American blues and folk tradition. It's the story of a parent watching a child cling to what harms them, the impossible choice between truth and tenderness, between what heals and what soothes.

This is an introduction to The William Altig Choir - where Buddhist wisdom meets the American roots music tradition. Where ancient teachings are translated into songs you can feel in your bones.

Featuring intimate fingerpicked guitar, crying pedal steel, and vocals that confess more than they perform. This is blues as dharma, folk as philosophy, and a reminder that sometimes the hardest walk is the one where you don't yet know you're already held.

Production: Acoustic blues ballad Key themes: Expedient means, parental love, enabling, compassion, difficult truths Part of: The William Altig Choir song cycle exploring Buddhist sutras through American music
Listen with headphones. Sit with the ache.

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Verse 1 I see you hurting, see you holding on To something that ain't helping, but it feels so strong I know the truth would set you free But watching you suffer is killing me

Chorus So I'll bend a little, just to ease your pain Tell you what you want to hear again and again I know it's wrong, but Lord, it's hard to win When I'm just trying to cater to your whim

Verse 2 The road to change is steep and long And I can't bear to see you struggling on So I'll meet you where you stand tonight Even if I know it ain't quite right

Chorus Yeah, I'll bend a little, just to ease your pain Tell you what you want to hear again and again I know it's wrong, but Lord, it's hard to win When I'm just trying to cater to your whim

Bridge Sometimes love looks like a compromise Sometimes truth gets tangled up in lies I'm walking this wire, trying not to fall Wanting to save you from it all

Verse 3 But sugar-coating won't heal your soul Even though my heart can't bear the toll One day you'll be ready, one day you'll see 'Til then I'm caught between what is and what should be

Final Chorus So I'll bend a little, just to stop your pain Give you what you need, though nothing really changed This temporary comfort, this familiar sin Lord forgive me, I'm just catering to your whim Yeah, I'm just catering to your whim

Outro (Hummed melody, trailing off with resignation)

Just to Cater to Your Whim

The Thief I Called My Son

"The Thief I Called My Son" draws from one of Buddhism's most startling teaching images—the idea that we've spent our whole lives nurturing a stranger at our table while our true inheritance gathers dust. Rooted in the Surangama Sutra's confrontation with delusion, this slow-burning blues meditation follows a weary traveler who thought his learning made him wise, only to discover he'd been feeding the wrong mouth all along.

The song moves through regret into recognition: that the awareness which finally sees the thief was never the thief itself. What we are was never missing. The prodigal can come home.

Part of an ongoing project translating classical Buddhist scripture into American blues-folk vernacular—bringing ancient dharma to the crossroads where the spirituals meet the twelve-bar truth.

Written and performed by The William Altig Choir.

Lyrics:
[Verse 1:]
They said I was the wise one, had the scriptures memorized
Sat at the Teacher's table, thought I'd won myself the prize
But all that holy learning couldn't save me from my sin—
I raised a thief up as my son and let him right on in

[Verse 2:]
This purple-gold body, shining bright like temple glass
Won't mean a thing when judgment comes, won't give my soul a pass
The lust and muck of lifetimes got me rooted where I stand
I fed the wrong mouth at my table, built my house on sand

[Chorus:]
Oh, the long road keeps on winding, and the wheel keeps turning round
I mistook a thief for my own son, now I'm lost and never found
All my knowing was just showing what I didn't understand—
The treasure was already mine, but I couldn't see my hand

[Verse 3:]
I thought my seeing-heart was living somewhere in my chest
Didn't know the world outside me was a dream I'd self-possessed
Every mountain, every river, every star up in the sky—
Just pictures that I painted on the canvas of my mind's eye
See, I was out there chasing what was never really gone
Crying for my birthright while I'm sitting on the throne
The thief ate at my table every night for all these years
While my true inheritance was drowning in my tears

[Verse 4:]
Now I'm standing at the crossroads where the Lord showed the way
He said, "Son, that mind that wanders—that ain't you, now come what may"
The one who sees the thief ain't the thief, don't you know?
Put down that borrowed sorrow, let your original light show

[Final Chorus:]
Oh, the long road's finally ending, and the wheel can cease to turn
When you see the thief ain't family, there's just one thing left to learn:
What you are was never missing, never born and cannot die—
Come on home now, weary traveler, no more need to wonder why

[Tag:]
(slow, almost whispered)
I raised a thief up as my son...
But the prodigal's come home

The Thief I Called My Son

🎸 Cunda’s Last Supper

Delta Style — Raw, Slow, 12-Bar, Spiritual-Blues Ballad

“Cunda’s Last Supper” is a raw, reverent Delta-style ballad retelling one of the most misunderstood moments in Buddhist history—the final meal offered to the Buddha by the humble blacksmith Cunda. Rooted in the spirit of the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, the song blends ancient compassion with the gritty intimacy of American blues.

The story unfolds through Cunda’s eyes: a working man who offers his best meal to the Buddha, only to later fear that he caused the Teacher’s final illness. The blues tradition of guilt, trembling hands, and honest sorrow becomes the perfect vehicle for this tale. But the song carries the deeper revelation preserved in the sutra—that the Buddha reassured Cunda that his offering was one of the two greatest meals in history, completing the arc of enlightenment with boundless merit.

With minimal Delta blues instrumentation, warm lantern-lit imagery, and a voice soaked in humility and redemption, “Cunda’s Last Supper Blues” transforms a moment of anguish into a luminous teaching on grace. The song honors the working man’s heart, the compassion of the Eternal Buddha, and the quiet dignity of someone who fears they’ve harmed what they most love—only to be lifted by mercy beyond the world.

A blues gospel of forgiveness and awakening, this track reveals the cosmic tenderness at the center of the Nirvāṇa Sūtra: no act of sincere love is ever wasted.

Verse 1

I was just a poor old smith,
Hands burnt, weary, thin…
Cooked a supper for the Teacher,
Didn’t know where he had been.
When he bowed and took my offering,
Lord, my heart began to spin.

Verse 2

Later on I heard him coughing,
Saw his robe fall to the side…
A cold wind blew through Pāvā,
And the whole world turned its tide.
I said, “God forgive these hands of mine—
Was it my food that made him die?”


Chorus

Oh, I thought I broke the Holy One,
Thought I crushed a living sun…
Cried, “Lord, I didn’t mean no harm—
I was only trying to feed someone.”
But the Buddha sent word through Ānanda:
“Child, your love and shame weigh none.”


Verse 3

Ānanda found me trembling,
Said, “Brother, don’t you fall apart—
The Blessed One is eternal,
Can’t no sickness touch his heart.”
He said, “Cunda, your gift was sacred—
From the start, child, from the start.”

Verse 4

He said there’s two great meals in history:
One began the rising dawn…
Given by sweet Sujātā
On the day Enlightenment shone.
And the other one, the final one—
Brother, your hands carried it on.


Chorus

Oh, I thought I broke the Holy One,
Thought I crushed a living sun…
Cried, “Lord, I didn’t mean no harm—
I was only trying to feed someone.”
But the Buddha sent word through Ānanda:
“Child, your love and shame weigh none.”


Bridge (slow, spoken-blues)

He said, “Cunda, don’t you sorrow—
Your heart is clean as morning rain.”
Said, “Your gift will echo through all worlds,
Beyond all life, beyond all pain.”
And right there my burden melted—
Mercy washed away my shame.


Final Verse

Now I walk these dusty backroads,
Head bowed low, but spirit high…
‘Cause the Buddha said my offering
Helped him reach the other side.
I ain’t a sinner nor a killer—
I’m the man who helped him rise.


Final Chorus (soft, warm)

Oh, I never broke the Holy One,
Never dimmed that shining sun…
I just fed him like a brother,
Did my work, then it was done.
And he whispered through the silence:
“Cunda, child… you and I are one.”

Cunda’s Last Supper

The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom The William Altig Choir

A choral meditation on the Buddhist Heart Sutra, the oldest and most beloved teaching on emptiness and liberation.

For 1,600 years, the mantra "Gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā" has been chanted in temples across Asia—a song of going beyond, of crossing to the other shore where suffering cannot reach. Now The William Altig Choir brings this ancient wisdom to life through the soulful harmonies of gospel and blues tradition.

Gone, gone, gone beyond. Gone all the way beyond. Awakening. Hail!

From the book "The Heart Sutra Reborn: An American Blues Interpretation" by William Altig.

(Slow, steady beat—like a heart finding its true rhythm)

Verse 1:
Avalokiteśvara sitting all alone, Deep in wisdom on that glory throne. Looked at the world with a spiritual eye, Saw the truth of things beneath the sky.  He looked at the body, looked at the mind, Searching for a self he could not find. Five big heaps where a man used to be, Saw them all empty, saw them all free.

Chorus (Call and Response):
Yeah, the body is empty, like a passing cloud, Feelings just a whisper, though they scream so loud. Thoughts are like the wind, blowing through the trees, When you see they're empty, Lord, you fall to your knees.  Suffering is gone, pain don't stand a chance, When you join that rhythm of the freedom dance. Avalokiteśvara saw it clear as day, Emptiness washes all the tears away.

(Up-tempo now, driving rhythm—like a train gathering speed)

Verse 2:
Oh Śāriputra, hear what I say, Form and emptiness are the same way. Ain't no difference between the two—What you see is empty, and empty is you.  No eyes to see, no ears to hear, No nose to smell, no doubt to clear. No tongue to taste the bitter or sweet, No solid ground beneath your feet.

Chorus (Building power):
Tear it all down, let the walls fall flat, Tell me Śāriputra, what you think about that? No wisdom to find, no prize to be won—The work is over, the journey is done.  No suffering here, no cause to be found, No end to the pain, no path on the ground. When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose—That's the secret, brother, of the Emptiness Blues.

Bridge (Slower, building to the release):

So the Bodhisattva walks with a stride so bold, Breaking the chains that the mind can't hold. No fear in the heart, no cloud in the sky, Waving all your illusions goodbye.

(Call and Response, soulful and loud—congregation rising)

Verse 3:
So here is the magic, here is the spell, To break you out of your personal hell. The wisdom that shines like the morning sun, Showing you the battle's already won.  Listen to the words that the Buddhas say, To wash your troubles and your cares away. It ain't no secret, brother, it ain't no lie—It's the wings you need if you want to fly.

The Mantra (Chant it slow, let it build):

Gate Gate—Gone, gone away! Paragate—Gone to a brighter day! Parasamgate—Gone all together! Bodhi Svaha — Awake forever!

(Repeat—with growing power)

Gate Gate—Leave it all behind! Paragate—Clear your worried mind! Parasamgate—Cross to the other shore! Bodhi Svaha—Don't you cry no more!

Final Verse (Slow, settling into peace):

Gone, gone, gone beyond, To the place where we all belong. Awakening is here, the dream is through— The Emptiness Blues is the song for you.

The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom

At 3 AM when your mind won't stop running—replaying every failure, every hurt, every argument—there comes a moment when you catch yourself. 

This song is about that moment.

"Get Your Head Right" draws on 2,500-year-old wisdom: your mind writes the first verse of your life. What you feed it determines what grows. The Blues has always known this—now The William Altig Choir makes it plain.

What are you thinking about tonight?

[Verse 1]
Woke up this morning with my troubles on my mind
Said I woke up this morning, troubles heavy on my mind
Been thinking hateful thoughts all night
Now I'm falling way behind

[Chorus]
'Cause your mind writes the first verse
Your hands just play along
Yeah, your mind writes the first verse, baby
Your hands just play along
Better get your head right, honey
Or your whole life's a sad, sad song

[Verse 2]
I was cursing at my enemies while laying in my bed
Reliving every wrong they done, playing movies in my head
Didn't raise my hand, didn't make a sound
But I poisoned myself instead

[Chorus]
'Cause your mind writes the first verse
Your hands just play along
Yeah, your mind writes the first verse, baby
Your hands just play along
Better get your head right, honey
Or your whole life's a sad, sad song

[Bridge]
The wheel follows the ox, the ox don't follow the wheel
What you're thinking 'fore you move is what you're gonna feel
Your shadow sticks to you from morning until night
So fill your mind with kindness if you want to walk in light

[Verse 3]
Three in the morning, phone glowing in the dark
Replaying every failure, every miss, every mark
But I caught myself this time—I know how this thing goes
What I'm feeding in my head is what my tomorrow grows

[Chorus]
So your mind writes the first verse
And the body sings the tune
Yeah, your mind writes the first verse, baby
Body just sings the tune
Better get your head right, honey
Or your whole life's a sad, sad song

[Outro]
What are you thinking about tonight?
'Cause that's what tomorrow's made of.
Get your head right.
Everything else follows.

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📿 Based on Dhammapada Verses 1-2
🎵 The William Altig Choir
🪷 Lotus Sutra devotees | Awakening through American Blues

Get Your Head Right

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Welcome to the musical world of The William Altig Choir, where ancient wisdom meets contemporary sound.

Inspired by the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and infused with deep spiritual themes, my music blends the rich traditions of blues and folk with modern elements, creating a unique fusion that resonates with both the heart and soul.

I've been captivated by the Lotus Sutra's messages of compassion, wisdom, and transformation since my youth. It's a journey of self-discovery that has found its voice in my music. Each song is a reflection of my own spiritual awakening and a celebration of universal truths.

My style is characterized by emotive storytelling, powerful lyrics, and a commitment to exploring the depths of human experience. Featuring contemplative blues, acoustic slide guitar, saxophone melodies, and the harmonies of a gospel choir, my music reflects a quest for enlightenment and a better understanding of the self.

Join me on this musical journey. Together, we can explore the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, finding solace, hope, and a deeper connection to the world around us.

#SpiritualMusic  #LotusSutraMusic  #ContemplativeBlues  #BuddhistGospel #AcousticSlideGuitar  #GospelChoir  #Self-Discovery  #SpiritualAwakening  #Hope  #The_William_Altig_Choir

Get Your Head Right

The William Altig Choir

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