Out of the Driveway

God’s Eye

Friendship

Quilted

This collection of original songs celebrates friendship, romance, refreshment, balanced with loss, temptation, war, and political divide. In other words, it celebrates Life.

Paint Me a Song

Here's a sneak peek into a recent phone conversation between my 93-year-old mother and me:
Me: “Hey mom, what should I write my next song about?”
Mom: “How about Guardian Angels?”
Me: “Hmmm....ok, what about guardian angels? What do you know about them?”
Mom: “Well. I use to assign one to each of you (8 of us in total) when you were born.” 
Me: “OK. Now, how exactly does that work?” “What would you say to these angels?”
Mom: “Oh nothing much…just, ‘I can’t do this on my own. I am going to need you to help me raise this child’”
(‘Always good to admit when you need a little help!)
This was the conversation that sparked the song, "Guardian Dear". 
Whether or not you believe in guardian angels, I hope that you will enjoy this song and feel a little peace from it. 

"Guardian Dear" is a part of my 2023 compilation called, “Quilted: a colorful patchwork of original songs and the stories that stitched them”. The subject of this song folds nicely into my “God’s Eye Quilt” hope chest. *

The sound recording was made via remote collaboration between my home studio (ReisUpStudio) and that of Wernaldo Productions in Lakeland, FL. during the pandemic lockdowns of 2020. Werner Alsanger created the dreamy and beautiful musical arrangement, so fitting for a bedtime prayer. 

LYRICS: Guardian Dear
Verse 1:
Angel of God, my guardian dear
To whom God’s love commits me here
Ever this day, be at my side
(to light, to rule, to guide)

Mother can’t do this alone
She’s asking you
To bring me home
Safe and sound
With your boots on the ground
Angel, boots on the ground

Verse 2:
Angel of God, my guardian dear
To whom God’s love commits me here
Ever this night, my path to light
(Togaed, to rule, to guide)

The Devil has something for me
An apple from the Knowledge Tree
So guard my mind
With your sword held high
Angel, sword held high

Chorus:
Angels, they never sleep
Angels, our souls to keep
Guardians of us all
Guarding us from the fall, my guardian, dear
Be near, be near, be near
Be near, be near, be near

The lyrics to "Guardian Dear" were adapted from the “Angel of God” Prayer, by Reginald of Canterbury, 11th Century
I wrote the song for my mother, who “assigned” angels to all of her children at birth. I am grateful for that!

*What is a "God's Eye Quilt"?
God’s Eye Quilt: https://www.nps.gov/home/planyourvisit/quilt-discovery-experience.htm
America was founded on the principle of religious freedom, so quilts that reminded the homesteaders of their devotion to God were especially meaningful. The trip to new land was filled with danger and daily challenges which tested even the strongest men and women. It was a rare person who did not lose a family member, often a child, along the trail.
The practice of using quilts as burial shrouds was fairly common among westward travelers. Wood was often scarce for coffins, so families used what was available and appropriate. Wrapping a loved one in a quilt was a way of not only preparing the body for burial, but of giving reassurance to the living that the decreased person was still linked to his or her family. A quilt that carried a Biblical name was a source of comfort, and with their enduring faith, kept the family going.
Other popular quilt patterns were Jacob's Ladder, Cross and Crown, Bethlehem Star, Crown of Thorns, David and Goli-ath, Eastern Star and Star of Eden.

Music Video:
I like to make videos for my songs and have a youtube channel @dotreiser. 
Please view and share my "Guardian Dear" video here:
https://youtu.be/dd06XPTuSKU
Please subscribe to my YouTube Channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvRmSss7xTumfXvdQvLKfMA

Guardian Dear

“Brother’s Keeper” was born out of tragedy: the death of a 19-year-old college freshman following a fraternity hazing ritual. I pondered the meaning of “brotherhood” in the college Greek system. I worried for my sons, rapidly approaching college age, and interested in Greek life. 

During our daughter's Freshman Orientation, Fordham University President, Fr. McShane spoke firmly to the incoming class about being their “Brother's Keeper”. "If you see your friend leave the party alone, then YOU leave the party too, and get him/her back home safely. Be your Brother’s Keeper.” 

Most of us, if we dwell among humans long enough, will serve as both the “keeper” and  "kept” from one time to another. 
May we humbly rejoice in our moments as “keeper”.
May we be grateful in our moments as “kept”.

This song is a part of my 2023 compilation called, “Quilted: a colorful patchwork of original songs and the stories that stitched them”. The subject of this song folds nicely into my “Friendship Quilt” hope chest. *

LYRICS: Brother’s Keeper
Verse 1:
Well, I had a plan, but I lost my instructions
and I’m diving deep into this cup of destruction
Watch over me, brother,
Won’t you keep me?

Verse 2:
‘Cause my spirit is broken, I know you can mend it
like a guardian sent to my life, you defend it
more than a friend, brother
you keep me

Prechorus:
But you know it’s crossed my mind
that you’ve done your time
I should let you off the hook,
then you shoot that look, saying

Chorus:
You’re gonna be
your brother’s keeper
and stand right there beside me now
and you’re gonna lead
me home to safety
you say I matter
anyhow

Verse 3:
When the darkness comes calling, I’m too quick to answer
I just let despair grow in my should like a cancer
Don’t let it grow, brother
don’t let it take me
don’t let it take me

Prechorus:
But it’s then you cross my mind
with your words so kind
and for all the bad I see
you find such good in me
so you’re gonna be

Chorus:
You’re gonna be
your brother’s keeper
and stand right there beside me now
and you’re gonna lead
me home to safety
you say I matter
anyhow

Verse 4:
Well I swear someday I will return you the favor
on that day you’re the one crying out for a savior
I don’t wish it on you, brother
to need me
But in case you do, I’d better get through 
so I can be 

Chorus:
My brother’s keeper
and stand right there beside you now
oh and lead
I will lead you home to safety
‘cause you matter
anyhow

*What is a "Friendship" quilt?
https://www.nps.gov/home/planyourvisit/quilt-discovery-experience.htm
The quilts the homesteaders brought with them were a comfort to these women who traded their home, family and friends in the East, for the uncertainty of traveling through vast prairies in the West. A quilt that held special value to the pioneer women was the Friendship Quilt.

Often it was done is secret, and then given to the woman as a going away gift. It usually was a group effort, with each block being sewn by a friend or relative with their name embroidered in the center.

Putting a Friendship quilt on the bed, gave a woman a sense of connection with her former way of life. It kept alive the memory of family and friends, providing comfort and company during the difficult days of homesteading.

One woman homesteader said, "When I get lonely, I read the names on my quilt. "It was like putting her arms around someone and giving them a hug.

Music Video:
I like to make videos for my songs and have a youtube channel @dotreiser. Please view and share my "Brother's Keeper" video here:
https://youtu.be/mFai2KUieiI
Please subscribe to my youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvRmSss7xTumfXvdQvLKfMA

Special thanks to Quinn Music for a male voice, featured in this song. We pushed the harmonies to a new level as the story called for. Everything was assembled through remote means during the lockdowns of 2020, a time of "keeping".

Brother's Keeper

Here's a grateful day: I am walking around a beautiful lake, taking it slow, allowing the presence of God through stillness and nature to accompany me. Remaining in that very “un-alone" feeling, I morph into a bride walking toward a bridegroom. I am happy. I know where I am going because I've been here before. Faith. It's a good thing and I'm BACK.

This song is a part of my 2023 compilation called, “Quilted: a colorful patchwork of original songs and the stories that stitched them”. The subject of this song folds nicely into my “God’s Eye Quilt” hope chest. *


LYRICS: Sweet Return
Verse 1: 
Let this walk be slow
I can see the bridegroom
Let this walk be slow
I can see His smile
I know He’s been waiting for a long long while
Let this walk be slow
To Sweet Return.

Verse 2:
Have I been here before?
Did I almost reach You?
Did You lift the veil?
Did I turn away?
Did the voices on my left and right hold sway?
Well now I’ve found my way
To Sweet Return

Bridge:
Meet me on the dance floor
You lead, I’ll follow
You can set the tempo Lord
I’ll keep pace today, tomorrow

Verse 3:
I just want You to know
That I’ll never leave You
Every step is steady on this pathway straight to You
But if I could take one moment 
Just to savor the view
Well, I would run to You
And Sweet Return
I would run, run, run to You
And Sweet Return

*What is a "God's Eye Quilt"?
God’s Eye Quilt: https://www.nps.gov/home/planyourvisit/quilt-discovery-experience.htm
America was founded on the principle of religious freedom, so quilts that reminded the homesteaders of their devotion to God were especially meaningful. The trip to new land was filled with danger and daily challenges which tested even the strongest men and women. It was a rare person who did not lose a family member, often a child, along the trail.
The practice of using quilts as burial shrouds was fairly common among westward travelers. Wood was often scarce for coffins, so families used what was available and appropriate. Wrapping a loved one in a quilt was a way of not only preparing the body for burial, but of giving reassurance to the living that the decreased person was still linked to his or her family. A quilt that carried a Biblical name was a source of comfort, and with their enduring faith, kept the family going.
Other popular quilt patterns were Jacob's Ladder, Cross and Crown, Bethlehem Star, Crown of Thorns, David and Goli-ath, Eastern Star and Star of Eden.

The meditative arrangement of this song was created by Werner Alsanger at Wernaldo Productions in Lakeland Florida. Through remote technology, Jon Quinn of Quinn Music performed the lush, nylon-string guitar part. I recorded my own vocals in a small home studio that I call, ReisUpStudio. The pandemic provided an unwanted but ultimately helpful opportunity to force the skills of home recording and DAW production upon my weary brow. Thankfully, the restful nature of the song kept my heart warmed throughout the tedious, and ongoing learning curve. 

I hope this journey-song beckons you into a return to faith of your own nature, willing and filled with peace.

Sweet Return

I love going to Nashville. The minute I head into airport baggage claim, I see guitars strapped to everybody's backs. Here comes MUSIC.
As a songwriter who, having written my first song at age 47, feels a little late to the party, I have some dreams that are surely within reach, and some that will take a dad-gum miracle to live out. Still, I am delighted to be a part of the club of writers, producers, and performers of original music. This song, "Tennessee Flannel", celebrates my dream to one day sing at the famous Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, most likely at Open Mic Night, (as encouraged by my husband in Verse 3).

This song is a part of my 2023 compilation called, “Quilted: a colorful patchwork of original songs and the stories that stitched them”. The subject of this song with its dreams and aspirations (or perspirations) folds nicely into my “Wild Goose Chase” hope chest. *

LYRICS: Tennessee Flannel
Chorus:
Put on your Tennessee flannel
and work out that southern style
There’s no need to hurry 
when you got a while, to make it
to the Bluebird Cafe
oh the Bluebird Cafe

Verse 1:
I met a boy of fourteen at the airport
and I asked him what is his brand of guitar?
'Little did  he know that his Epiphone 
is going the same place that me and my Breedlove are
and we’ll be

Chorus:
Puttin on our Tennessee flannel
and working out our southern style
We’re not in any hurry 
‘cause we got a while, to make it
to the Bluebird Cafe
oh the Bluebird Cafe

Verse 2:
My baby says, “We’re going to the Bluebird” 
He’s gonna make me stand in a line
He says’ “It’s Open Mic Night and it’s your right
to shine like a star in the Tennessee sky” and I say,
“I’m not good enough! I’m not good enough!
What do you know about music these days?”
(and he says)

Chorus:
"Put on your Tennessee flannel
and work out that southern style
Old woman, you better hurry
‘Said old woman you better hurry
‘cause you ain’t got a while
to make it
to that Bluebird Cafe, no
no no no no no no no”

Verse 3:
So here I am on the stage of the Bluebird
I’m gonna sing you my special song
and I’m feeling as naked as a newborn child 
'cause it took a while,
a long long while,
said a long long long while, oh

Outro:
blue blue blue
mmm mmm ooh oooh
I made it to the Blue
Do you see me now Blue yeah yeah
There’s no need to hurry
There’s no need to hurry
I said there’s no need to hurry
off this stage
OK?
Bluebird 
Bluebird 
blue blue blue blue blue
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah 
yeah
Oh I made it to the Bluebird

*What is a "Wild Goose Chase" quilt?
https://www.nps.gov/home/planyourvisit/quilt-discovery-experience.htmNature was an obvious and rich source for quilt patterns. There are numerous patterns named for trees, flowers, animals and birds.

The homesteaders watched the migration of flocks of geese and created quilts with that in mind. Although the triangle shape is used in hundreds of other quilt designs, in this quilt block, triangles represent the geese. Pioneer women expressed their artistic abilities and creativity in the way they arranged the triangles or geese, and in the colors they used. That may be one reason why the Wild Goose Chase pattern has at least 14 variations.

Other patterns that reflect nature include Bear Paw, Dove in the Window, Hen and Chickens, Dogwood and Sunflower.

Quilting was not just a woman's activity. Over the years, men have also been quilters. In fact, when they were boys, at least two presidents, Calvin Coolidge and Dwight D. Eisenhower, helped their mothers piece quilts.
Special thanks to Jon Quinn of Quinn Music for a bang up arrangement of brassy instrumentals, attitude, Blues meistering, and just having so much fun with this.

Tennessee Flannel

I blush to say it, but my faith oftentimes leans towards the romantic. I guess it's all about relationships. Some of us express love by giving gifts, others by touch, companionship, and so on. God gives ...rainbows, cricket-songs.  He just keeps showing up. I almost have to wonder…is He flirting with me? Well, it’s working. 

This song is a part of my 2023 compilation called, “Quilted: a colorful patchwork of original songs and the stories that stitched them”. The subject of this song folds nicely into my “God’s Eye Quilt” hope chest. *

Special thanks to Wernaldo Productions, Lakeland, FL for such flirtatious Blues instrumentation and for allowing me the space to try my hand at home vocal recording, audio mixing, and mastering--all very creative yet tedious parts of the music making process. 

LYRICS: Flirtatious God
Verse 1:
He sets a rainbow in the sky
Just to tell me that He loves me
What a flirtatious God is He
And he puts a fragrance in a flower
Just to draw me close and whisper
“He is there”
What a flirtatious God is He

Won’t let me stay away for very long
When His little lamb is straying too far
He sends me a song
From a little bird, or a waterfall, 
or a breeze thru the bamboo trees
Like the pitter-pat of little feet

Chorus:
He flirts with me
Oh He flirts with me
Oh how He flirts with me
Til He gets me
Right where He wants me
Oh right where He wants me

Verse 2:
He sends a melody to be heard
And He tells me every word
What a gracious God is He
And He puts the joy into my heart
And it flows through every part
Of this song
What a gracious God is He

Won’t let me stay away for very long
When His little lamb is straying too far
He sends me a song
Of praise, of glory of calling out
Crying “Please Lord, 

Chorus:
Flirt with me
Oh flirt with me
Oh won’t You flirt with me
Til you get me
Right where You want me
Oh right where You want me

Interlude:
Flirt. flirt. Flirt
What a gracious God is He
Flirt. Oh flirt. Mmmm flirt
And oh, He won’t let me get away
He won’t let me get away
When His little lamb will stray
Much too far
He sends me a song
Oh, He sends me

And it goes:
**For the beauty, for the glory, for the love 
Which over, around us lies
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This hymn of grateful praise 

For the beauty, for the glory, for the love 
Which over, around us lies
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This hymn of grateful praise 

*What is a "God's Eye Quilt"?
God’s Eye Quilt: https://www.nps.gov/home/planyourvisit/quilt-discovery-experience.htm
America was founded on the principle of religious freedom, so quilts that reminded the homesteaders of their devotion to God were especially meaningful. The trip to new land was filled with danger and daily challenges which tested even the strongest men and women. It was a rare person who did not lose a family member, often a child, along the trail.
The practice of using quilts as burial shrouds was fairly common among westward travelers. Wood was often scarce for coffins, so families used what was available and appropriate. Wrapping a loved one in a quilt was a way of not only preparing the body for burial, but of giving reassurance to the living that the decreased person was still linked to his or her family. A quilt that carried a Biblical name was a source of comfort, and with their enduring faith, kept the family going.
Other popular quilt patterns were Jacob's Ladder, Cross and Crown, Bethlehem Star, Crown of Thorns, David and Goli-ath, Eastern Star and Star of Eden.

Music Video:
I like to make videos to go with my songs. The beautiful photography in this video is credited to my cousin, Jim Magruder, a very talented photographer with a lens for God’s gifts in the mountainscapes of North Carolina.  view and share the video for "Flirtatious God," please go to: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H52wn13xIY0

*inspired by the hymn,
 “For the Beauty of the Earth” by Folliott Sandford Pierpoint, 1864

Flirtatious God

"My Dream" illuminates a daydream about a "unicorn sighting"-- kind of like storm-chasing, only less likely to be actualized. The unicorn's name is "My Dream", which serves as a metaphor for my personal aspiration of making a hit as a songwriter. In the song you will hear the voice of “an agent” advising me to let go of  “My Dream” for a better life. But the truth is, to chase a dream is what makes life meaningful, and “My Dream” needs a lot of time and hard work for her horn (skills, networking) to grow. “Let it grow!”

This song is a part of my 2023 compilation called, “Quilted: a colorful patchwork of original songs and the stories that stitched them”. The subject of this song, being outlandishly difficult to achieve, folds nicely into my “Wild Goose Chase Quilt” hope chest. *

LYRICS: My Dream
Verse 1:
I wander through life with the hope of a unicorn sighting
I picture her glittered and glowing
a pony with horn barely showing
She's playful and prance, so proud of her fancy
appendage
She calls out my name and invites me to call her, "My Dream". 

Verse 2:
Well, My Dream and I gallop into a neon-bright city
We stop in to speak with an agent
'cause My Dream is losing her patience
He listens intently, then lets us down gently
Ah, what does he know?
And he tells me I'm much better off letting go of My Dream

Chorus:
Well dreams are known for 
the glitter and the glow
and My Dream needs time for 
her horn to grow
Let it grow!

Instrumental

Chorus:
Well dreams are known for 
the glitter and the glow
and My Dream needs time for 
her horn to grow
Let it grow!
Let it grow!
Let it grow!
Let it grow!

I took “My Dream” to Quinn Music to develop the sound recording. Jon Quinn produced this moving arrangement of instrumentation and sonic sweetness for my melody, lyrics, and vocals to prance within. As an added bonus, Jon Quinn invited his friend Bill Henry to share his guitar prowess, like in that beautiful flourish of strings you hear at the beginning of the song. 

*What is a "Wild Goose Chase" quilt?
Nature was an obvious and rich source for quilt patterns. There are numerous patterns named for trees, flowers, animals and birds.

The homesteaders watched the migration of flocks of geese and created quilts with that in mind. Although the triangle shape is used in hundreds of other quilt designs, in this quilt block, triangles represent the geese. Pioneer women expressed their artistic abilities and creativity in the way they arranged the triangles or geese, and in the colors they used. That may be one reason why the Wild Goose Chase pattern has at least 14 variations.

Other patterns that reflect nature include Bear Paw, Dove in the Window, Hen and Chickens, Dogwood and Sunflower.

Quilting was not just a woman's activity. Over the years, men have also been quilters. In fact, when they were boys, at least two presidents, Calvin Coolidge and Dwight D. Eisenhower, helped their mothers piece quilts.

Music Video:
I like to make videos for my songs and the magical, pixellated video for "My Dream" was crafted by the young creative, R A M M Y who provided a captivating backdrop for our heroes, sure to make you smile.
To view and share this video, press or copy/paste here:
https://youtu.be/_uldv0JFK3g
To subscribe to my YouTube channel, press or copy/paste here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvRmSss7xTumfXvdQvLKfMA

My Dream

In a "Songwriting for the Pros" mini course offered by Songtown.com, I along with 100 others, was commissioned to interview an up-and-coming singer/songwriter, and write a "hook" for his/her new song. It was a contest and the winning songwriter would continue on to co-write the rest of the song with this artist. The young female artist whom we interviewed seemed to be a bit of an old soul. She wanted someone to bring her out of her shell, make her feel young and alive, and to live in the moment rather than always thinking of the future. In my mind I mused, "Hey kid, act your age!" which inspired my song entry. Although my "hook" was ultimately not the winning selection in the contest, I decided to develop the song to completion. It was fun to live inside someone else's mind for a while and long for a more adventurous life!

This song is a part of my 2023 compilation called, “Quilted: a colorful patchwork of original songs and the stories that stitched them”. The subject of this song, being about friendship folds nicely into my “Friendship Quilt” hope chest.*

I brought this song without a bridge or second, third verses to Quinn Music Studio and my producer and I set to the creative task of tracking. As the arrangement started to take shape, the rest of the song's story teased it's way out. May you always act a little beneath your age and remain young at heart. 

LYRICS: Act My Age
Intro:
Old soul, young heart 
Old soul, young heart

Verse 1:
I’m just an old soul seeking a young heart beating
Won’t you tell me how to act my age?
I’m so wise beyond my years, release me, dear
from a sage cage, from the cage of a sage

Interlude:
Old soul, young heart
Old soul, young heart

Verse 2:
In the depths of my learning, theres a childlike yearning
Can you tell me how to - act my age
I’m so stuck- in my head, so interior-fed
Can you gauge, the lonely heart of a sage

and tell me how to

Chorus:
Act my age
Pull me out on the dance floor
(how to act my age)
Push me on a swing
(how to act my age)
Take a ride on a carousel 
I'd do anything to feel 
Spring

Bridge:
Spring time of my life
No more striving for answers before their time
You show me the way
to hold the questions in tension and feel the day

you keep it light
you keep it light
you keep it light
you keep it light

Interlude:
Instrumental

Verse 3:
You with the life unexamined, intellectual famine
Do they tell you how to - act your age
Get a job, get a life, settle down, find a wife
Turn the page, turn the proverbial page

Is that the way to

chorus:
Act your age
How to act your age
Do you act your age now?
You'd do anything to feel
Spring

Bridge 2:
The sun on my face
The beauty thats all surrounding
You melt away my Winter to Spring

Chorus:
Spring time of my life
No more striving for answers before their time
You show me the way
to hold question in tension and feel the day

Spring time of my life 
no more striving for answers before their time
You show me the way
to hold a question in tension....

*What is a "Friendship" Quilt?
https://www.nps.gov/home/planyourvisit/quilt-discovery-experience.htmThe quilts the homesteaders brought with them were a comfort to these women who traded their home, family and friends in the East, for the uncertainty of traveling through vast prairies in the West. A quilt that held special value to the pioneer women was the Friendship Quilt.

Often it was done is secret, and then given to the woman as a going away gift. It usually was a group effort, with each block being sewn by a friend or relative with their name embroidered in the center.

Putting a Friendship quilt on the bed, gave a woman a sense of connection with her former way of life. It kept alive the memory of family and friends, providing comfort and company during the difficult days of homesteading.

One woman homesteader said, "When I get lonely, I read the names on my quilt. "It was like putting her arms around someone and giving them a hug.

Act My Age

WE CAN DO HARD THINGS:
I like to read a blog called, "The Daily Stoic". The author, Ryan Holliday's words are inspired by Marcus Aurelius and for me, fill in the lessons I have learned from a religious upbringing with some more worldly, practical advice: how to deal with difficult people, how to pep up the drops in my own motivation, how to stay honest, how to forgive. One day, the line "We can do hard things" popped out at me from Mr. Holliday's blog page, and as I went to a golf clinic later that day to learn how to get out of the bunker, I started to sing the line to the hacking of balls in the sand. By days end, a song about perseverance with enough of a groove to change my weary attitude about hard work, was born. 

This song is a part of my 2023 compilation called, “Quilted: a colorful patchwork of original songs and the stories that stitched them”. The subject of this song, stocked with a message as strong as home, folds nicely into my “Log Cabin Quilt” hope chest. *

I took the song to Jon Quinn at Quinn Music who worked quietly on the arrangement behind the scenes. When he sent me such a fresh, funky take on the song, at first I wasn't so sure. But then I "did a hard thing"...I trusted him. I got over myself...and together we developed this gem of a song into a finished sound recording. With this tune l will never again accomplish hard things without a spring in my step, a chop in my golf swing, and a melody fit for an ear worm. Go work hard. You got this. 

LYRICS: We Can Do Hard Things
Verse 1:
Life is hard, but it's a gift
and it seems the whole world is complaining
and fighting
while the orange blossoms bloom

Verse 2:
Now I don't wanna think
that I got everything 
figured out
I just wanna find what joy I can
and spread it around

Chorus:
(don't you know) We can do hard things
We're strong and we're brave, we can handle much more than we think
Some we win, some we lose
Some door's gonna close while another swings open for you
for you

Verse 3:
So what are these hard things?
Can you name one for me?
Like say you wanna go out there and climb that tall tree
And what if somebody sees you fall
they might laugh at you and call you a fake
but the truth is nobody's really watching
so that's a chance you can take

Chorus:
We can do hard things
We're strong and we're brave we can handle much more than we think
So stop your thinking now
and move along, move along
and take a breath
between the hard things
You got this
Yeah baby you got this, steady now

*What is a "Log Cabin" Quilt?
https://www.nps.gov/home/planyourvisit/quilt-discovery-experience.htm
The Log Cabin block is one of the most well-known and popular of all patchwork patterns. To pioneers traveling West, it symbolized home, warmth, love and security. The center square of the block was done in red to represent the hearth, the focal point of life in a cabin or home.

The name, Log Cabin, comes from the narrow strips of fabric, or logs arranged around the center square. Each fabric strip or log was added to the pattern in much the same way logs were stacked to build a cabin; and because the straight lines and small pieces of the pattern could utilize almost any fabric scrap available, it often became the final step in the recycling of fabric.

Many Log Cabin patterns were worked in two color schemes, lights and darks, divided diagonally in the middle. This represented the sun's east to west movement in the sky. As the sun rose, its light shown on the cabin, creating the light side of the block. As the sun traveled west, part of the cabin was left in the shadow, creating the dark side of the block. This is often called the Sunshine and Shadow pattern.

We Can Do Hard Things

PUT ON CHRIST:
What's in YOUR closet? I was given a writing prompt that said, "Write a song about an article of clothing, thinking: 'Raspberry Beret' by Prince, or 'These Boots Were Made for Walking', by Nancy Sinatra". I looked into my closet and saw golf clothes...nothing at all song-worthy...but then remembered a Bible passage about "putting on Christ”, as if you are being clothed in Him.  After a quick search online, I found the passage in Galatians 3:27, then sat down to write this simple song, "Put On Christ". I hope it helps you with your wardrobe choices. :)

I love to sing this song with any age, but especially children. Put out a box of dress-up clothes, hats, gloves and watch them pretend to put on the goodness of God. It is a great way to start the day. 

This song is a part of my 2023 compilation called, “Quilted: a colorful patchwork of original songs and the stories that stitched them”. The subject of this song folds nicely into my “God’s Eye Quilt” hope chest. *

The playful reggae arrangement of this song was created by Werner Alsanger at Wernaldo Productions in Lakeland Florida. I recorded my own vocals in a small home studio that I call, "ReisUpStudio". The pandemic provided an unwanted but ultimately helpful opportunity to force the skills of home recording and DAW production upon me. Thankfully, the joyful nature of the song kept my spirit buoyed throughout the tedious, and ongoing learning curve. 

I hope your own spirits are uplifted too when you listen to, “Put On Christ”. If you’d like to play a little “dress up” along with it, please be my guest.  

LYRICS: Put On Christ
Verse 1:
When you wake up in the morning, put on Christ
with love as your clothing, love as your garment
greet the world 
just a little changed, a little new
See how love covers you

Verse 2:
When you set your dreams into motion, put on Christ
with love as your talent, love as your fortune
greet the world
make a little change, make something new
and see how love covers you

Bridge:
These old clothes of anger, toss em out
garments of fear, toss em out
you've got a brand new look to wear, and you wear it well
to hear what needs hearing
to see the unseen 
because of who, covers you

Verse 3:
And when you have all the power, put on Christ
with love as your vision, lead the people
to a better world
you can be the change, you can make things new
in a place where love covers you
a place where love covers you

What is a "God's Eye" Quilt?
https://www.nps.gov/home/planyourvisit/quilt-discovery-experience.htm
America was founded on the principle of religious freedom, so quilts that reminded the homesteaders of their devotion to God were especially meaningful. The trip to new land was filled with danger and daily challenges which tested even the strongest men and women. It was a rare person who did not lose a family member, often a child, along the trail.
The practice of using quilts as burial shrouds was fairly common among westward travelers. Wood was often scarce for coffins, so families used what was available and appropriate. Wrapping a loved one in a quilt was a way of not only preparing the body for burial, but of giving reassurance to the living that the decreased person was still linked to his or her family. A quilt that carried a Biblical name was a source of comfort, and with their enduring faith, kept the family going.
Other popular quilt patterns were Jacob's Ladder, Cross and Crown, Bethlehem Star, Crown of Thorns, David and Goli-ath, Eastern Star and Star of Eden.

Put On Christ

Artists have very busy minds, that push us to create, as a sort of emptying out.
To quiet my mind quickly, I employ a practice called, “deep listening”.
One morning I woke up with a mindful of thoughts and worries. I took a slow breath and began to deep listen while lying in my bed. 
First, I heard a bird singing very loudly outside my window, then listened deeper…
…another bird, and beyond there were more, each with their own unique call, until every pocket of noiselessness was filled.
For fun, I began to phoneticize each bird sound, assigning to them human words. And then I set the words to poetry, and finally to a melody. See, how the practice of deep listening can shift thoughts away from worry and clutter? 

My neighbor, Mike Rodgers was out in the street, demonstrating his bird calls to my husband. 
I asked him if I could record his calls for the song, which you can hear by listening in the pockets of this recording. The beautiful guitar is performed by Bill Henry, and the rest of the instruments and production by Jon Quinn. I am the bird singing throughout, and enjoying the flight. 

This song is a part of my 2023 compilation called, “Quilted: a colorful patchwork of original songs and the stories that stitched them”. The subject of this song folds nicely into my “Wild Goose Chase” hope chest.
Stay cozy!

Birds of a Feather

My Dad was part of "the greatest generation". He was happy because he served. He served his country, served his family, served his church, because this is how they rolled back then. I was inspired to know him and blessed to be raised by him. I wrote this song after my last visit with him. As I walked toward the door to leave, he grabbed my hand and squeezed it hard. I felt as if he was asking permission to leave, and honestly, I couldn't quite handle the question. So I wrote about it. It was an honor to sing “I Served You Well” at his memorial service reception, resulting in one of my few standing ovations, and probably the most special. 
Thank you to Wernaldo Productions, Quinn Music, and Sterling Skye sound for the roles you played in bringing this recording to fruition. This one "took a village", as it should, for such a special man. 
Since this song harkens back to home and hearth, I am folding it into my "Log Cabin Quilt" hope chest, as part of my “Quilted” series. Stay cozy!

I Served You Well

"All For My Delight" started out as a song celebrating the beauty of creation. It was a song about gratitude from the start. I left the song unfinished for several years until my neighbor, Delight, celebrated her 94th birthday, and invited me to sing at her party. I wondered if I could get this song finished for her in time for the party, and at 1:00 am the morning of, the song woke me up and demanded that I do. This is a story of two neighbors, mother, then daughter, who embodied positivity, self-sufficiency, and friendliness. I am grateful to these neighbors who greeted me and my family, nearly every day, if only from the bay window seat at times. 
Thank you to Sterling Skye Sound for organizing my home studio, teaching me how to make a DEMO recording, and mixing this song for me while I took copious notes. I am so excited to learn these skills and free up my creative process.
Since this song celebrates home and hearth, I am folding it into my "Log Cabin Quilt" hope chest, as part of my "Quilted" series. Stay cozy!

All For My Delight_DEMO

Blue Moon meets an Orange Colored Sky

We raised a family in Mystic, CT across the street from a woman named Edith. Edith lived for 103 years. She was cheerful, industrious, and grateful. I wondered sometimes, “What was key to Edith’s longevity?” 
I didn’t get my answer until her funeral when her family read from her diary. 
Edith wrote in her diary every day and began every entry with these same three words:
A wonderful day. 
WW1, WW2, the great depression, no matter what was happening, Edith began her report with, “A wonderful day”.
I believe it was this attitude of gratitude that explained her long and happy life. 

Ediths daughter’s name was Delight. 
Delight moved in to help Edith in her later years, 
and just like her mother, Delight was always, cheerful, industrious, and grateful.

Our four kids grew up next to these two ladies who wore gratitude every day like a quilt, 
and I believe we were all made better for it.

I wrote this song for Delight’s birthday party last year, she was 96 years old. She passed soon after, and sharing my gratitude to her for her gratitude exposed goes down as one of the finest moments in my songwriting experience. 
This song is called, “Edith Writes”. 

Edith Writes

I wrote this song on a plane leaving Nashville, right after attending a conference on the business of songwriting. I had gone there eager to learn what it really means to write songs for others professionally, and whether I could see myself in that world.  The answer seemed both exciting and overwhelming: move to Nashville, play my songs out in writers rounds, network endlessly, hope for an introduction that might lead to a publishing deal, then spend every day co-writing in search of that one cut that makes it to the radio.  The conference filled me with energy, but as the plane lifted off for home, I stared out the window and felt a tear roll down. The truth was hard to admit—I didn’t think I could give everything up for that path.  This song was born from that moment. Like Dorothy on the yellow brick road, this song reflects the journey to “Music City” and the realization that home is where my heart—and my music—really live. For me, that means writing for the love of it, and sharing songs with the people “right in my own backyard”, as Dorothy Gale from Kansas once said.  "Dorothy's Song” joins other “quilts” in my “Quilted” and “Wild Goose Chase” playlists, and as a single song, available now on all major streaming platforms—just search for my name, Dot Reiser.

Dorothy's Song

No matter how busy the outside world gets, there is always a place I can rest. The inner journey of stillness and prayer is every bit as vast and full of discovery as the journey outside. For me, prayer is not always formal, but often more like a conversation with a good friend. Writing "Find Time to Find You" served as a reminder to myself to make time for that friendship. 

This song was sparked by the Commandment: “You shall have no other gods than Me”. It is part of a series of original songs inspired by The Ten Commandments, and is part of my album, “Out of the Driveway”.

Thank you to Eric Lichter and Steve Wytas for instrumentation, arrangement, and sound engineering on this recording. 

LYRICS: Find Time to Find You
Verse 1:
Some say, I’m lucky          
But I say, I’m blessed
Don’t need to put You to the test
Cause I recognize Your hand in this
I know You’re the one to name

Verse 2
This kind of joy’s too big for lucky,     
coming from the One Divine
Waiting there for me to seek and find,
asking only for my time
but this world I’m in has so many gods
Now I’ve found the One who lives

Chorus
I’m gonna find time to find you    
Cause it’s there I’m found
Past the limits of this world we’ll go
where the boundaries of my mind fall away, revealing
A way of life so new born in You

With freedom, freedom to love like You
Freedom, freedom, joy in the view

Verse 3
If you wanna think I’m lucky, well you’d better think again
giving credit to the god who lives, the one who waits for you within
Can you hear His voice in your heart and mind
Can you fall in love with Him
Can you fall in love with Him

Find Time to Find You

1980-something….and a bad night at the frat house. Could I ever forget about it? Yes, until…
I started touring college campuses with my daughter. We walked down Greek Row, and I wanted to tell her how much fun I had in Greek Life at my Big Ten University. I wanted to tell her about the lifelong friendships I made in Greek Life in college, but all I could remember was The Bad Night.

Fast forward to the new millennium and women everywhere are openly talking about their Bad Night and saying, "Me too."

This song was sparked by the Commandment: “You shall not steal”. It is part of a series of original songs inspired by The Ten Commandments, and can be found on my album, “Out of the Driveway”. Thank you to Eric Lichter and Steve Wytas of Dirt Floor Recording for all instrumentation, arrangement, and sound engineering on this recording. 

LYRICS: Freedom to Chains
Verse 1:
He hands the glass to me       
I’m nearly twenty three
‘Bout time I had a man       
I just don’t understand
Why nice girls finish last    
Maybe that’s in the past
Or is he using me       
I’m too far gone to see

Prechorus:
And freedom comes with every sip as inhibitions start to slip,
and words of waiting for “the one”  just drip away from mother’s lips, oh

Chorus:
Freedom, freedom, loose these chains
Freedom freedom, loose these chains
Don’t know where I'm going, I’m just tired of being alone
Freedom, freedom loose these chains 

Verse 2:    
He hands the glass to me: his secret recipe    
One sip until the spell is cast and all my senses are fadin fast
He walks me down the hall. He helps me, when I fall
I’m led outside and far away, tossed down just like a ragged doll

Prechorus:
And freedom comes with every sip as inhibitions start to slip and
choices that were meant for me are stripped away so greedily, oh

Chorus:
When did freedom turn to chains?    
When did freedom turn to chains?
Don’t know where  I’m  going I just know I’m not alone
When did freedom turn to chains?

Bridge:         
Back home I know my mother prays for me 
‘Same time every day she’s on her knees
She goes to be with Jesus for a while
Talks with Mary and with all the saints
“Bless my children keep them safe
And pure and close to you today
And in their hearts, please fill that empty space’ 

Verse 3:
Just then occurs to me      
I want these chains off me
If I could only find a way      
to clear my head and walk away

Chorus:
(When did freedom turn) Oh bless me, Lord and keep me safe
(When did freedom turn) and pure and close to You today
(‘Don’t know where im going I just…) I'm not alone
(When did freedom turn) and in my heart please fill that empty space

Freedom to Chains

When I was recovering from postpartum depression, I regularly visited with a spiritual director for counseling. These words from my director proved most helpful:  “What you need is a Sabbath Rest, just like it is commanded in The Bible." And so I did the unthinkable: I rested. It was in this place of rest that I visualized a meadow, a Savior, health and wholeness. I would continue to choose rest, rather than the easier, more destructive “comforts” to ease my way. The beauty of meadow would lead me to rest and renewal often, and continues to call. 

This song was sparked by the Commandment: “Keep holy the Sabbath Day”. It is part of a series of original songs inspired by The Ten Commandments. Special thanks to Eric Lichter and Steve Wytas of Dirt Floor Studio for instrumentation, arrangement and sound engineering of this recording. 

LYRICS: Sabbath Rest
Verse 1:
Sabbath Rest,          
I’m goin 
to Sabbath rest
Gonna lay my burden down,    
on the ground, all around

Verse 2:
Well there’s a meadow there  
The crickets, sing me in, 
‘Gonna find my savior there   
give Him time, say a prayer 
of thanksgiving, for the blessings  
and the favors I’ve received 
and all the ways, He’s helping me, 
in this Sabbath rest,            
my Sabbath rest

Bridge:
Weakness, of the spirit, and weakness, of the flesh
drives me to those comforts quick and easy
but the price of that remorse,
destruction, to the Temple, 
I can’t have that anymore
it weighs so heavy, it weighs so heavy   

Verse 3:
Well there’s a better way, 
it bears a  better fruit
the relief I find in You, 
simple joy, pure delight, 
in Your creating, for my receiving
and this comfort deep as bones 
sweet caress, of breezes flow, in this
Sabbath rest,
my Sabbath rest
I wish everyone could know 
about this Sabbath rest            
My Sabbath rest

Sabbath Rest

I have written several songs about my personal faith: imperfect, always seeking, ebbing, flowing, back and forth just like a girl on swing. 
As a small girl I would sit on the swing in my back yard, alone in the shade, quietly singing songs to a savior I was learning about in Sunday School. I remember one day, the peace I felt, the song I sang, and the real connection to the love of Jesus sitting right beside me, beneath the sun and green of the leaves above. 

The connection would be fleeting though, as I would allow life’s experiences to distract me over and over again, and sometimes forget all about that love and security that Jesus provides. I understand now why we all must suffer trials: they humble us. Humility is one sure way back to that girl on a swing, and her beautiful, childlike faith.  

This song was sparked by the Commandment: “You shall not take The Lord’s name in vain”. It is part of a series of original songs inspired by The Ten Commandments. Thank you to Eric Lichter and Steve Wytas of Dirt Floor Studio for all instrumentation, arrangement and audio engineering on this recording. 

LYRICS: Girl On a Swing
Verse 1:
Just a girl on a swing
Jesus is pushin me high in the sky, where the angels sing
and if I should fall, I know that the arms of The Lord, who is Love, will be catchin me
Just singin a song, singin and swingin along with a heart, full of happiness
The devil may care, but he’ll never get to me here, on the swing of my soul

Prechorus:
But bigger kids are sneakin up behind me
It’s like the devil always seems to find me
They call me names and mock my love for Jesus
so I stop, singin, and stop bein 
the girl on a swing
o-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh

Verse 2:
Just a girl in the world, suit pressed, buttoned and curled on my way to prosperity
Put sweat on my brow, some knowledge and know-how, I’ll make it real big, in the city
One day at a time, higher, and higher I climb, gotta move, gotta reach that peak
cause if it’s to be, it’s all up to me, I’m the master alone of my destiny

Prechorus: 
But oh, it’s gettin hot here at the summit
A higher rank attends a bigger blame
I feel my new position poise to plummet
What if I stop, achieving, and stop being 
the girl in the world
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh

Bridge:
Oh, take me back
Oh won’t you, take me back
back to that, girl on a swing, yeah yeah yeah
Swing me high
up where the, angels fly
Feel the warmth inside
like the girl on a swing
oh-oh-oh
oh-oh-oh

Verse 3:
Just a girl on her knees, mother of four, wantin only to please and it’s breakin me,
a worry machine, believin it’s all up to me, the success of this family
What schools to choose, what sports to play, how to make them behave so that they’ll succeed
in a world where the best, is all you should get, that’s if I could just do it all, perfectly

Prechorus:
So check the time, and check the box, keep up with all the other jocks
So what if you don’t like the pace kid, life’s a race
But then I look into the eyes of my weary child and by surprise, I just stop
runnin, and start becomin

Verse 4:
the girl on a swing, 
Jesus is pushin me, high in the sky, where the angels sing
ooh-ooh-ooh 
I know that the arms of The Lord, will be catchin me

Girl On A Swing

School bullying shows up in many forms to break our spirits: physical, social, and cyber to name a few. What can we to do with a bully: get on their good side? Get ‘em back? Take the High Road: that place where we continue to walk our walk, follow our dreams, and be the best people we can be. Bully is invited to join us on the High Road too, but we won't be going down to where they are. Life is too short and our dreams are too precious. Live on!

This song was sparked by the Commandment: "You shall not kill", and is part of a series of original songs inspired by The Ten Commandments and collected between two albums: “Paint Me a Song”, and “Out of the Driveway”. Special thanks to Eric Lichter and Steve Wytas of Dirt Floor Studio for all instrumentation, arrangement, and sound engineering on this recording.

LYRICS: The High Road
Verse 1:
Youre gonna kick me now     
You’re gonna push me down                    
You’re gonna take my books 
and tear the pages out
You’re gonna call me names     
You’re gonna spread some news
You’re gonna threaten me     
with things you’re gonna do
 
Well, I could go to the teacher and stir up sparks,
I could act indifferent to your remarks,
I could turn my cheek and ask for more,     
or I could settle up the score

Chorus:
But there’s a world of glory, there’s a world of good on the High Road
There’s a different story, things are as they should be on the High Road
Where you can be the best of who you’re meant to be and follow all your dreams 
and if you ever want to you can walk along with me 

Verse 2:
Another day is past     
I’m back at home at last
safe behind my door,     
safe behind my desk
Until my cellphone ring     
reveals another thing
that you can do to me: 
you hurt me virtually
“Open up this link,” says your text to me, 
open up my pain to ta Facebook screen:
A page dedicated to your hate,
dedicated to seal my fate 

Chorus:
Well there's a world of glory, a world of good on The High Road
There's a different story, things are as they should be on The High Road
Where you can be your best of who you're meant to be and follow all your dreams
and if you ever want to you can walk along with me

Bridge:
But let me pose a question:
Why do you strike at me?
Is someone doing worse to you,
and must we share this misery

Chorus:
Well there's a world of glory, a world of good on The High Road
There's a different story, things are as they should be on The High Road
Where you can be your best of who you're meant to be and follow all your dreams
and if you ever want to you can walk along with me
and if you ever want to you can walk along with me

The High Road

The Bible says: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s spouse. Fast-forwarding this commandment to my life today, I think of internet relationships. 

I doubt if I am the only one who's ever looked up an old crush on Facebook. The reunion is exciting! The conversations...inviting! 
But when does it start to feel a little…? Hmmm. Have to pause and think...

So, as I examined my conscience to find a pathway for a song about the uncomfortable subject of coveting a neighbor’s spouse, I had to let myself get a little uncomfortable too. That in itself can be a valuable process.

“Logon Login” is part of my "Paint Me a Song" album, and was recorded at Quinn Music in Griswold, CT, with guitar, bass, percussion, and audio engineering production by Jon Quinn. This song is part of a series of original songs inspired by The Ten Commandments, collected between two albums: “Paint Me a Song”, and “Out of the Driveway”. 

“Logon Login” is part of my "Paint Me a Song" album, and was recorded at Quinn Music in Griswold, CT, with guitar, bass, percussion, and audio engineering production by Jon Quinn. This song is part of a series of original songs inspired by The Ten Commandments, collected between two albums: “Paint Me a Song”, and “Out of the Driveway”. 

LYRICS: Log On Log In
Verse 1:
See the happy house wife 
such a safe chaste life 
years of service gone by
idle time….wash and dry

Verse 2:
These idle hands are playthings
for the devil’s musings
but I can stay here safe at home
and never stray but I may roam

Chorus:
Log on
Log in
Let’s play 
pretend
Search/drive	
Seek/find
anytime 
online

Verse 3:
See me sitting in my seat
travelin at high speed
No one knows just where I go
or who I meet…on Cyber Street

Verse 4:
See me in the chat room
with another lost fool
There isn't any harm in this
We never touch, we never kiss

Chorus:
Log on 
Log in
Let’s play pretend
You never know 
who you can find
anytime 
online

Bridge:
I'm heading into the darkest alley on the globe
I'm heading into the places I would never go
Sneak a peek, let the sparks ignite my weary life
What then? What then?
I can log it off again 

Verse 5:
To the boy from way back when
will you be my facebook friend 
Reconnect, sparks fly
What then? What then?

chorus:
Log in	
Tell your wife its only pretend
Logon  
Reconnect again and again
There isn't any harm in this
It’s just a little reminiscing
There isn't any harm in this
We never touch	
We never kiss
Log in
Tell myself it’s only pretend 
Log on
Reconnect again and again
Don’t shut me down
Don’t shut me down
Please Don’t shut me down
I’ll never stray
I’ll never stray
but I may roam 
Don’t shut me down

Log On Log In  (Remastered)

As the divide in the Nation grew wider, and LOUDER, and hiss-ier, I received a special songwriting request from my mother-in-law. She said, 
“We need a song that will UNIFY THE NATION.” Oh boy. I don’t think I can top Francis Scott Key, and as much as I have studied Irving Berlin’s songwriting, I am nowhere near the “God Bless America” skill level. Still, I accepted the challenge, set to work, and looked up articles on the subject of political division, rhetoric, and tactics of sturdy debate. In my research, I came upon an interesting concept called an “Echo Chamber”. A timely phenomenon, the “echo chamber” resides within social media. As we read through our newsfeed on Facebook, we have the opportunity to “like” or interact with a particular post. The algorithm deep inside the social media app takes note of which types of posts we “like” and feeds us similar  posts with similar subjects or ideas in order to keep us engaged. Over time, our “Echo Chamber” or cozy, self-inflicted space of like-minded thought is created. The problem? If we only surround ourselves with the opinions we “like”, we may miss a chance to build a bridge, to find that highest and best solution, and to grow. 

“The Echo Chamber" is part of my album, “Paint Me a Song”, and features the special "paint" of a flute, harkening back to old Civil War melodies and performed by Megan Nelson. World percussion instruments by Chris Gonsalves provide a cavern-like vibe, and all other instrumentation and production by Jon Quinn of Quinn Music wraps the listener in sonic pleasure.  “The Echo Chamber” poses a question, “Do you think we’re better off divided in these great Untied States…” and answers with a foreboding, familiar melody on fife and drum... 

I like to make videos for my songs and have a YouTube channel @dotreiser. Please view and share this video here: 
https://youtu.be/rf7je_bR8IY
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel here:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvRmSss7xTumfXvdQvLKfMA

LYRICS: Echo Chamber
Verse 1:
ECHO      ECHO      ECHO         
I love the sound of my own voice
ECHO      ECHO      ECHO         
But others they don’t like the noise
ECHO      ECHO      ECHO 	 
It seems they don’t agree with me or what I want to say     

Verse 2:
ECHO    ECHO     ECHO        
And if you think the way I do
ECHO    ECHO     ECHO        
step inside my chamber too 
ECHO    ECHO     ECHO
We’ll shout it to the walls and roof and pleasure in the sound…of our (ECHO …)

Bridge:
But what if we decide to venture out
And find another echo-  just as loud
Knock upon the door stumble into the opposing point of view

Verse 3:
ECHO           ECHO          ECHO   
what if we dont take that ride 
ECHO           ECHO          ECHO   
go mixing with the other side
ECHO           ECHO          ECHO
do you think we’re better off divided in these great United States… of 

Outro:
Whistle (Dixie)
Look away, look away, look away

The Echo Chamber (Remastered)

COME TO ME:
It is a place, not a person, that beckons, “Come to Me” to all who are weary. “Come to me” and find refreshment in natural beauty, games, and new friendships. The “place" lies in central Florida, with Spanish moss dripping from live oak trees, a singing (carillon) tower, and alligators in the golf course ponds —but it could be anywhere. All it takes is a game and a friend to find refreshment. 

Since this Florida resort was created in the early 1900s, it’s song cried out for Jazz. Who joined the band? None other than Joe Grieco on piano, Jon Quinn on bass and guitar, and Randy Jason on drums. Quinn Music created a beautiful arrangement for my vocals, and together we had a blast coming up with delightful harmonies for this song. 

This song is part of my album, "Paint Me a Song" and it's creative path was unique. I followed a songwriting prompt from a workshop that read, “Go to the library, and look at the titles of the books on the shelves to spark the “hook” of your next song.” The title that jumped out to me was, “Let the Great World Spin,” by Colum McCann, which led me to thoughts of leaving the busyness of life for a little while, as the world spins all around me. I looked out at the vast green landscape with Spanish Moss and golf flags flapping in the wind, and heard the chimes of Bok Tower’s carillon bells. Then I sat down in the shade and wrote the song. It was a welcome respite!

I hope that you find happiness and rest in the imagery and instrumentation of “Come to Me”. Thank you so much for listening. 

I like to make videos for my songs and have a YouTube channel @dotreiser.
Please view and share my "Come to Me" video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrS1WvAiPI4&list=PLakzpb84rB47QdKSV3yuldNa68rheBwne&index=1&t=97s
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvRmSss7xTumfXvdQvLKfMA

LYRICS: Come to Me 
Verse 1:
I know which way the wind blows by the flag on the green,
by the moss in the trees, and by the way the carillon bell’s singin

Chorus:
“Come come to me, all you weary, come on in.
Light your heart, light your feet, come to me”

Verse 2:
Snappy alligators stalk the pond on the tee
‘watch for handicaps like me, to drop the ball into the sea, and they say, 

Chorus:
“Come to me, all you weary, come on in.
 Light your heart, light your feet, yeah, come to me”

Bridge: 
Let the whole world spiiiiin, I’m not movin
Let the games begiiiiin, I say, “I’m in, Let’s play!
a little golf, croquet, I hear at Mahjohng, they bring cookies on a plate.
Come and stay. Come to me”
 
Instrumental

Verse 3:
And I know who my friend is by the smile on her face, 
by the glow of this place, and by her hand thats always waving to me, 

“Come, come to me, all you weary come on in. 
Light your heart, light your feet, yeah come to me. Yeah come to me”

Outro:
This. Is. What. We. Call. A. Day.
This is what we call a day: tennis, followed by croquet.
Weary, all you weary
Light your heart, light your feet, yeah come to me
Yeah come to me. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Come To Me (Remastered)

OUTTA THE LOOP: 
The Bible says: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”  Fast-forwarding this mandate to my life today, I think of gossip.

I once knew a woman who endured a humiliating event. It was so distressing, that she and her family moved away for a fresh start. Weeks later, I bumped into her at the store, smiled gingerly and said “Hi, how’s it going?” She touched my arm and said, “You mean you haven’t heard?” My expression showed enough lack of knowledge that she hugged me and said, "Thank you. Thank you for being 'out of the loop'." That moment, fired with Scripture truth, inspired this song. 

“Outta the Loop” is part of my "Paint Me a Song" album, and was joyfully recorded at Quinn Music in Griswold, CT, with ukulele, guitar, bass, and percussion, by Jon Quinn. The marimba via keyboard was playfully punched by Joe Grieco. Please listen and enjoy the outlandish harmonies and twists and turns of the storyline, and look for me sometime. I will be the one who is “outta the loop”!

I enjoy making videos for my songs and have a YouTube channel @dotreiser.
The concept for my "Outta the Loop" video was inspired by Norman Rockwell’s painting, “The Gossips”. I threw a party with willing neighbors and family who welcomed photographer Ron Cowie of Oyster Farm Productions, Wakefield, RI to direct and capture them in his lens. 
Please view and share the "Outta the Loop" video here:
https://youtu.be/_6N69oPaNRM
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvRmSss7xTumfXvdQvLKfMA

LYRICS: "Outta the Loop"
Verse 1:
If you don't have anything nice to say then, sit by me 
I love to be the one who’s in the know
until the day the dirt was dished on me by thee
Now there’s another show 
where I would like to go

Chorus:
I'm out of the loop
I'm out of the loop and I like it
To tell you the truth,
The world looks better out here, 
When I look at you, 
I see who you are in this moment
What happened before doesn’t score anymore 
when you step step step
Step on outta the looooop
outta the loop
step on outta the loop
outta the loop

Verse 2:
I learned to talk when I was just a baby
And now I gotta learn to talk again
To elevate, not desecrate just may be
a better way of waggin, waggin on my chin

Bridge:
Like did you see Christine with that Easter bonnet
the loudest pink with flowers all around 
The old me woulda said, “Christine, get that offa your head”
But the new me’s goin shoppin, 
shoppin “bonnet bound”
I’m outta the loop!

Instrumental

Chorus:
I'm outta the loop
I'm outta the loop and I like it
To tell you the truth
There’s far more color out here
When I look at you
I see your freak flag flyin
Whatevers been said
Is over and dead, when you step step step
Step on outta the looooop
outta the loop
step on outta the looop
outta the loop

Bridge 2:
You’re always in a struggle, but just look how far you’ve come
The whole worlds talkin bout you - that’s when I play dumb 
To say “you’ll never make it” is a permanent pervasive
I’ll never say never just look at your effort now thats an endeavor inspired forever by up and coming wonders of the world like you!

Verse 3:
If you’ve got anything nice to say then, pull up a chair
Let’s sit outside the loop and watch the show
We can talk about ideas instead of people
And watch our little minds begin to grow, grow, grow

Chorus:
Grow on outta the loop
I'm outta the loop and I like it
To tell you the truth
There’s a great big world out here
When I look at you
I see who you are as a person
Crushed and awed, beautied and flawed
When you step step step
Step on outta the loop
outta the loop 
Step on outta the loop
outta the loop

Outta The Loop (Remastered)

This song holds two love stories in one, really. 
First, it’s a love story about a songwriter, who adeptly incorporates all of the literary devices she has at her disposal to express affection for her beloved. The second love story tells of my personal reunion with a long forgotten love: Jazz. 
As part of my album, "Paint Me a Song", this song was "painted" in Jazz, my favorite genre of old, first sparked during my days of high school choir, and reunited with me recently as a songwriter. 
In this recording, pianist Joe Grieco colors the keys, Jon Quinn takes on trumpet, guitar and bass, Joe Fortin dreams drums, and Quinn Music lavishes a lovely arrangement for my melody and words. 

A little side story:
The writing prompt for this song came up at a songwriters open mic. The game was this: Write down a word on a slip of paper, any word that comes to mind. Drop it into the hat. Next, the host pulled three words out of the hat and told us that to incorporate one, two or all three of these words into a new song and come back to the next open mic and sing it. The words she picked out of the hat were:
Frosting
Jumping
Sideways
Being an overachiever I decided that I must use all three words in my song, and thus "Lyricist in Love" was born. 

I like to make videos for my songs and have a YouTube channel @dotreiser. Please view and share my "Lyricist in Love" video here and at https://youtu.be/01ahR-j3nb4
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvRmSss7xTumfXvdQvLKfMA.

LYRICS: Lyricist in Love
Verse 1:
You’re the frosting on my cake
You’re the twinkle in my star
You’re the yin my weary yang is yearning for
You’re my darling metaphor

Verse 2: 
I’m like a moth unto your flame
and like a crystal, it’s so clear
that I’m as busy as a bee to make you see
you’re such a lovely simile

Bridge:
I oughtta onomatopaoia
You make my heart go pitter-pat
a little light alliteration
you’ve got me jumpin for joy slipping sideways into sweet surrender

Verse 3: 
You know our love was meant to be
and we will stand the test of time
because our love will find a way, so they say
You’re an incredible cliche

Instrumental

Verse 3: repeat:
You know our love was meant to be
and we will stand the test of time
because our love will find a way, so they say
You’re an incredible cliche

Outro:
youre an incredible cliche 
youre a superior cliche
youre a spectacular cliche

Lyricist In Love (Remastered)

BOOGIE WOOGIE PEOPLE:
A writing prompt invited me to create a song inspired by a work of art. Artwork by the late Keith Haring, a mural artist whose subjects often include colorful outlines of dancing figures, fit the bill, and then begged the question:
Q: Are you too shy to dance?
A: Well, all you need is a little help from your friends: the Boogie Woogie People.

This song is a part of my 2023 compilation called, “Quilted: a colorful patchwork of original songs and the stories that stitched them”. The chummy subject of this song folds nicely into my “Friendship Quilt” hope chest. *

LYRICS: Boogie Woogie People
Verse 1:
Boogie Woogie People, theyre always jumpin and jivin
Oh Boogie Woogie People, they know the way to be alivin
And I ask em about it, how they’re dumpin the doubt 
and just jam, and how I can

Verse 2:
Be a Boogie Woogie People, I wanna jump in and jive yeah
Yeah Boogie Woogie People, I wanna be the one alive-in
Can you show me the way, to jump and sway 
startin ‘ to- day, and they say

Bridge:
“You put your hands over your head, 
you put your flat feet on the ground,
take a deep bend over and shake it all over 
’til your hound dog drops and rolls on the ground
with your heart in the sky, and a friend at your side
you’ll start to fly iiiiii”

Verse 3:
And be a Boogie Woogie People, 
Yeah Boogie Woogie People
Well there aint no denying, 
the way I’m jumpin and jivin, yeah
and if you need a boost, well I got the juice
to turn you loose 
No No no No turnin back, gonna flap that jack
until you ….splat

*What is a "Friendship" quilt?
https://www.nps.gov/home/planyourvisit/quilt-discovery-experience.htm
The quilts the homesteaders brought with them were a comfort to these women who traded their home, family and friends in the East, for the uncertainty of traveling through vast prairies in the West. A quilt that held special value to the pioneer women was the Friendship Quilt.

Often it was done is secret, and then given to the woman as a going away gift. It usually was a group effort, with each block being sewn by a friend or relative with their name embroidered in the center.

Putting a Friendship quilt on the bed, gave a woman a sense of connection with her former way of life. It kept alive the memory of family and friends, providing comfort and company during the difficult days of homesteading.

One woman homesteader said, "When I get lonely, I read the names on my quilt. "It was like putting her arms around someone and giving them a hug.

Thank you to Jon Quinn of Quinn Music, for producing this song, coordinating remote musicians, and performing bass, guitar, drums and horns. Thanks also to Joe Grieco, for slaying the piano, as I would expect nothing less from this magnificent musician.

Music Video:
I like to make videos for my songs and have a youtube channel @dotreiser.  Please view and share my "Boogie Woogie People" video here: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-n9GTXQFXY&list=PLakzpb84rB47QdKSV3yuldNa68rheBwne&index=6
Please subscribe to my youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvRmSss7xTumfXvdQvLKfMA
Thank you to creative animation artist, R A M M Y, for another delightful video, filled with sweet surprises.

Boogie Woogie People

For more songs, stories and links to my newsletter, please visit my website at www.ReisUpStudio.com. Thank you!

Dot Reiser

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