This is a draft based on the "Communal Title" activity from Carnegie Hall's Musical Exchange program.

Musical Exchange: Born Beautiful

MODERN MONA LISA
lyrics by Deidre Rodman and Sara Trenary
performed by The Melting: 
Deidre Rodman on keyboards/vocals, Joe Davis on guitar, Dan Glynn on bass, Michael Nelson on drums

LYRICS:
My eyes
My hands can feel the walls close in
My eyes that stare, don't know or care

All the while
I see them smile
With passing looks that mock my pride
Can I confide in aging walls that must come down

Modern Mona Lisa
Modern Mona Lisa

Wandering
Away from all the days that hold my past at bay
These ragged edges frame my face
They know their place

Modern Mona Lisa
Modern Mona Lisa

Trapped in glass
I see them pass
They say someday I'll be taken down
By eyes that stare
Don't know or care
They don't know or care

Modern Mona Lisa
Modern Mona Lisa
Modern Mona Lisa
Those eyes don't know or care
Or care
About Lisa
About Lisa
About Lisa


Modern Mona Lisa

A meditative song with melodica, saxophone, trumpet, bass, drums and vocals. Mixing free improvisation with structured, "through-composed" music.

LYRICS:
When the rain follows near me
Washing fire out to sea
I then become my pure self
To those who find me
I come from far away
And I sail through darkened ways
And I wait for you
In the rain 

Deidre Rodman, piano/melodica/vocals
Tony Malaby, sax
Russ Johnson, trumpet
Bob Bowen, bass
Mark Ferber, drums

From the album Simple Stories, Sunnyside Records, 2003


Pure One

The intro track to my album Simple Stories, on Sunnyside Records. Performed by The Neighborhood School Choir. 

Lyrics: 
When simple stories call
At doorways ripe for a fall
Will you open them wide to light?

Prelude

A solo, improvised piano piece from my album Simple Stories (Sunnyside).

Solo

A song about death and rebirth. 

Lyrics:
This song I write for you
With flame and forehead bowed
By the river that we knew
By the soft and browning ground
Many snows have fallen wide
And hidden walks grown green
In all the days when vows were made
Beneath the verdant boughs
Beside the waters clear and vibrant

And now I play for you
Here in another town
Far from the ones we knew
And the sun is fallen down
I play a lot of places now
You'd laugh to see them smile
And all the while I try to breathe
In whispered reverence
Beside the waters clear and vibrant

CHORUS:
How will I know
If winter grows too long
Will you remember 
My pure and reaching song

I'll meet you
'Ere sun has found its rest
Be well, my friend
When the day has passed far west 
You'll find me wandering
Following through

This song I sing for you
While all the rest sleep sound
To bring us to our places
Beside the seasoned ground
Beside the waters clear and vibrant

Sleeping Ground

A song written from the perspective of a cat in a shelter.

LYRICS:
Tammy joined the rodeo
Clare's left with a Broadway show
And April's in Paris as far as I know
All the girls I've lost

Marge became a circus clown
I waved to her as she left town
On a shiny new future
While the sun came down
On all the girls I've lost

Hard to let them go
But they must live their lives, I know
Close my eyes and sleep
I'll see them in my dreams

Wake up to another day
See someone look just my way
With shaded eyes that seem to say
I know what you have lost

Maybe there are places yet
Where I belong
(I won't forget you)
Hold me close and say you''ll never leave
(I'll never leave)
Somehow I believe
This time
Somehow I believe

All The Girls

SISTER RODMAN
Words and Music by Deidre Rodman Struck
copyright 2015, MissDreMusic

I never met a vice I didn't like..to fight
I went to church every Sunday for a better take on life
And listened to the missionaries
Talk about saving the world
(Amen)

No
Caf-
feine
Now I drink coffee five days a week
I go to sleep every night with my boyfriend and keep
No promise but my own
No tomes of wisdom 
But the ones in my pocket

(No doctrine, Sister Rodman)
Yes brother, I'm changing the rules
A little more every day
But I have to say, I still pray

Sister Rodman's coming home
Sister Rodman's coming home

Now when they come to my door I let them in
They talk of school, and sin, and
“Sister Rodman, how have you been?”
Well, thank you I've been fine
Drinking wine 
And having the time of my life

A church, a cult, a guarantee of eternity
A prophesy
Maybe all, maybe none of these

Me? I'm living kind of large
In charge of everything I see

I see God in all of the leaves
I see beauty changing in the trees
I see God in all of the leaves
I see beauty changing in the leaves

Sister Rodman

BLUEBERRY MOMENT
Deidre Rodman Struck c2016

It's been raining all morning
The forecast called for sun
A storm seems to be forming 
And there's nowhere to run
Let's take a break
Take ourselves
To a place beyond the gray
Together we can reinvent this day

Let's have a blueberry moment
Just you and me
And our love makes three
And we'll chase the clouds away
Let's have a blueberry moment 
It just takes one
To bring back the sun
And create the month of May

I can tell you've been down
And you can't tell me why
Maybe you've forgotten
How it feels to touch the sky
Let's retreat
Find something sweet
The rest of the world can wait
With you I've got the whole world on a plate

CHORUS

It seems crazy that blueberries
Could put an end to the blues
After all, they're just tiny morsels
Which seem ordinary at first, it's true
But you can have them anywhere
A coffee shop
Under the stair
 A traffic stop
The county fair
The top of a ferris wheel
All it takes is a little faith
For the magic to become real

Blueberry Moment

Inspired by the words of Michelle Obama, "We Go High" is an uplifting song reminding us all to be strong and hopeful, even when days seem dark. 

Written by Deidre Rodman Struck (piano, vox) and Byron Isaacs (bass). Allison Miller on drums. Additional vocals by Rebecca Pronsky and Mirabelle Struck. Engineered by RIch Bennett at ACME Hall Studios. Mastered by Justin Colletti. c2017missdremusic

WE GO HIGH
Struck/Isaacs

Lyrics:
How do you find hope on a new day?
How do you find hope when it's raining all around?
You gather up the tools of your trade
You don't give up on the promise you made
You come out of the shade

CHORUS
When they go low, we go high
From the river up to the sky
And we're not giving up
Love is a struggle
Hope is a fight
When they go low, we go high
Gotta remember how to fly
And we're not giving up
Love is a struggle
Hope is a fight

How do you escape a hall of mirrors?
Echo chamber voices don't make it any clearer
You smash through the glass
You sweep up the tears
You slam the door in the face of your fears
Our moment is here

CHORUS

Perspective
Finds us where we are
As a collective
When we reach for the stars
But they're just out of reach
How do we teach our children better?
We take to the street
We march to the beat

CHORUS

We're not giving up
Love is a struggle 
But we are the light

We Go High

In honor of the great Liz Lemon! An homage.

TINA FEY

There she goes, stealing my heart
Wrinkly nose, cute little scar
She's a star
But she seems just like a regular gal
Maybe I could be her pal

I wear glasses too-I wanna be just like you
Hey hey hey Tina Fey 
Tina Fey

Making waves all over town
Earning raves-c'mon, give her a crown
She's waging war on frowns
She'll never let me down

Yeah I wanna be Tina Fey
I'll meet her one lucky day
My music will help me say
"I love you, Tina Fey!"

I thought I wanted to be Joss Whedon, in the Buffy-verse
Or Sarah Jessica Parker
I thought I wanted to be Tim Gunn, saying "Make it work!"
But no one works harder
And no one is smarter than her

I thought I wanted to be Jon Stewart, kicking up a stir
Or Sarah Jessica Parker
I thought I wanted to be Steve Carell, cutting up at work
But no one works harder
And no one is smarter than her

If I play her this song
Will she say, "Hey Dee-come along
to the studio.."
I just want her to know

That I wanna b e Tina Fey
I'll meet her one lucky day
My music will help me say
I wanna be Tina Fey...

deidrerodman

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