"In a culture like ours, long accustomed to splitting and dividing all things as a
means of control, it is sometimes a bit of a shock to be reminded that, in operational and practical fact, the medium is the message. "  -Marshall McLuhan

The Medium

based on the song "Les Passants"
originally recorded by Zaz (Isabelle Geffroy, Patrice) 2010
Composition and English lyrics by Gene Stephan Ruda, copyright 2017

The Passers By

The Passers-By

Good News Blues

Cake Walk Cry

A folk song to mark the 50th anniversary of the "May 68" student and worker uprising in Paris, inspired by the Gilets jaunes (Yellow Vests) protest demonstrations and movement of 2018 fifty years later.

Based on "L'Opportuniste", orgininally performed by Jacques Dutronc.

English translation: Gene Stephan Ruda and Bruno Blum
Arrangement and vocal interpretation: Gene Stephan Ruda

Originally recording:
Chanteur/Compositeur : Jacques Dutronc
Auteur : Jacques Lanzmann, Anne Ségalen
Album : L'Opportuniste
Date de sortie : 1969
Auteur : Jacques Lanzmann, Anne Ségalen
Sortie : septembre 1968
Label :Vogue

The Opportunist

Original lyrics and music authored by Lisa Marie Jarlborn
Copyright 2018 Lisa Marie Jarlborn 
Composed and arranged for male performance by Gene Stephan Ruda
Copyright 2018, Eightfold Group Production

Hey Paris, I Don't Love You Anymore

An homage to highwaymen, road warriors, rangers, rovers, and troubadours Woody Guthrie, Roger Miller, Frankie Laine, Bob Dylan, and Ray Davies.

Talkin' 21st Century Tramp Blues

It's Just Us
Stephan Ruda

Music: Gene Stephan Ruda
Lyrics: Gene Stephan Ruda, Isabelle Sellem
copyright 2012 Mindful Minstrel. All Rights Reserved.

It's just us
In the still and darkness 3 a.m.
And though I lay alone we speak,
No matter that the planet's 'tween us,
It's just us.

It's justice
In the jail and starkness 3 a.m.
And our hands are palm to palm,
A message that's just between us,
It's just us.

It's a windless night when I blow a kiss,
Which takes it's flight with an eagle eye,
And sees beyond these tears I cry,
To land upon your lips.
It's just us.

It's just us.
When eagle wings brush vibrant skin,
Tear flight waters full lips
You raise your gaze to the depth of my eyes.
It's just us.

Across the sky souls communicate
A righteous bond, an outlaw wish,
To understand that souls can mate.
To know there is no wait
For justice.

It's just for us.
The encounter of our souls subsides.
It's the silence of our laws,
And faith in a just cause.
That's just for us.

It's Just Us

Poem: Woody Guthrie 1946
Music: Martin Hoffman 1958
1st Arrangement: Pete Seeger 1959
2nd Arrangement: Gene Stephan Ruda 2019

Deportee

Dedicated to my twin sister, Diane Leslie Ruda (1955-1999). #metoo

Fontainebleau

Take to the wood,
Tears and Diana
All for one the good
Choose a sign, a stone
Just like your heart
You're not alone
We'll split the rocks apart

Oh lady Artemis
Take nine muses, my own
I do insist, and they'll assist
Intern your broken stone

Diana
Twin 'o mine
Born two as one
Both one and other
Sister and brother

Shout it out
Me too, we three
You for me, me for you, it's Apollo...
For us a fountain blue, oh...
Dans la forêt de Fontainebleau

To the wild again,
Deers and Diana
Where the better beasts reign
A virgin's arrow in flight
From there the soiled nest
For every mother's right
To give her child a breast

Hunt the kingdom clown
Truth to power now
Break the monster down, and I'll take 'em down
Truth to power now

Diana
Twin 'o mine
Born two as one
Both one and other
Sister and brother

Shout it out
Me too, we three
You for me, me for you, it's Apollo...
For us a fountain blue, oh...
Dans la forêt de Fontainebleau

Call 'em out
Dear, dear Diana
Testify, testify
End the silence
Stop the violence
We'll cry, yes we'll all cry...

Shout it out
Me too, we three
You for me, me for you, it's Apollo...
For us a fountain blue, oh
Dans la forêt de Fontainebleau

Fontainebleau

Frackus Crackus

Keep 'em separated...

Sadly separated into boxes,
The leavers, the believers.
The leaders frack the bleeders,
The roxys and the proxys.

Hugo VenalZola, imprinting Bolivar.
Quasi-Maduro Victor to the peepers,
Jeepers creepers, Guide-oh, gastro creepers.
Where'd you get the grim reaper?

Force a fracas in Caracas,
Natural gas and no religion.
We don't need no stinkin' badges,
Johnny's got a gun, Johnny's got a gun, Johnny's got 'magiNation.
Imagine there's no nation.

Sadly separated...

Yanni was a friend of mine,
A kindly, displaced Bassic dude.
A black garbed rebel walked the line,
Past Che's and Chavez' gratitude.
Went off to Paris, made his way,
To find a Brand new day job.
To make his Marque, to pay to play, The exiled Look, an Ex-pat mob.

Sadly separated into boxes,
The leavers, the believers.
The leaders frack the bleeders,
The roxys and the proxys.

Hugo VenalZola, imprinting Bolivar.
Quasi-Maduro Victor to the peepers,
Jeepers creepers, Guide-oh, Gastro creepers.
Where'd you get the grim reaper?

Force a fracas in Caracas,
Natural gas, no religion.
We don't need no stinkin' badges,
Johnny's got a gun, Johnny's got a gun, Johnny's got imagiNation.
Imagine there's no nation.


Copyright Gene Stephan Ruda, August 2018. All rights reserved.

#venezuela #chavismo #voluntadpopular #williamjames #streamofconsciousness #theoffspring #comeoutandplay #jeanpaulsartre #noexit #nobrexit #victorhugo #notredamedeparis #johnnymercer #jeeperscreepers #johnlennon #yokoono #imagine #btraven #thetreasureofthesierramadre #war #theciscokid #bobdylan #thebyrds #hewasafriendofmine #johnnycash #iwalktheline #vanmorrison #brandnewday #lennonmccartney #getback #fracasincaracas

Frackus Crackus

A 'reversion' of "Fuck All The Perfect People" by Chip Taylor

Interpretations

Love All Imperfect People

An original folk ballad. From a poem by Kelly Dochy. Illustration by Kelly Dochy


MayDay

Climate change the system
Change change change
Talkin' COVID-19
Strange strange strange

M'aidez M'aidez M'aidez
MayDay MayDay MaDay

Unitin' for our mother
Earth Earth Earth
Comes a grateful death
Birth birth birth

M'aidez M'aidez M'aidez
MayDay MayDay MaDay

Defend the planet's, great waltz through space
Sacred inspirals of absolute grace
Wholly embraced by the infinite Sun
Come together, right now, as one

Well Rise up, resist destruction and hate
Fail to fall like great prey to Fate 
Co-create, for the forest's sake
Comme une arbre, you'll stand tall
Cleanse the ocean, bless the small

M'aidez M'aidez M'aidez
MayDay MayDay MaDay

Climate change the system
Change change change
Talkin COVID-19
Strange strange strange

M'aidez M'aidez M'aidez
MayDay MayDay MaDay

Unitin' for our mother
Earth Earth Earth
Comes a grateful death
Birth birth birth

As we bask in the light and the mystery
We rewrite human history
And unite in solidarity 
We must heal our ailing Earth
Regenerate, recreate, rebirth

M'aidez M'aidez M'aidez
MayDay MayDay MaDay


Copyright Gene Stephan Ruda. Earth and May Days 2020. All Rights reserved.

MayDay

An Irish Sea Chanty inspired by a performance of Irish-American Ex-pats Barry "The Fish' Melton and Jay "The Cook" Ryan, which took place in Paris on the Dame La Dame du Canton. a Chinese junk converted into a bar/restaurant and music venue, moored on the Seine River.

The Blue Buds Chanty

The Human Kind

You, you and me, we are
Not too far, the human kind.
More or less, in the sunshine.
Same hearts, lad or lass
Which we learned way back in class.
Did we forget, did we get a pass?
Shared the vision and the sound.
So then, what have we found?

Me, my land’s too dry, too wet.
Me, I’m a fish caught in a net.
Me, holy spirits’ ‘round my neck.
Me, I bow right down and then I peck.
Me, I make up my own mind.
Me, I barely have a dime.
Me, my house is made of sticks.
Me, I’m a quack, and I’m a witch.

And we, we are
Not too far, the human kind.
More or less of the same mind.
Tan or brown, straight or curled.
Stuff we learned, when we were schooled.
Have we lost essential truths?
Are we trees with the same roots?
Come, walk a mile in my boots…

Me, I wear a mask, and I play hard.
Me, the dogs they’re keeping guard.
Me, my house has many locks.
Me, inside my cardboard box.
Me, my days pass like they’re years.
Me, not making love, not shedding tears.
The children, family, nephews, nieces.
Scattered ‘round the world in pieces.

And we’re glad to pay a lavish sum
To live in this aquarium.
Buy and sell our shares, the bulls can run.
Are you having fun, yet?

And we, we are
Not too far, the human kind.
More or less of the same mind.
Social networked, the same hopes.
We’ve tied the knot, we’ve learned the ropes.
Is there something that we’ve missed?
Is there something that we’ve lost?
Multi-colored? Better times?
Where are we, me and you, sublime?

The Human Kind?
The Human Kind?
The Human Kind? (Multi-colored, better times)
The Human Kind? (Multi-colored, so sublime)


Translation/interpretation from "Des Hommes Pareils", Francis Cabrel.
Copyright Gene Stephan Ruda 2020. All rights reserved.



The Human Kind

Old Folks at Home [Swanee River)

Old Folks At Home {Swanee River]

Facts About Face

In social books fraudvillain black faces
Those mighty friends in high places
Cool Prez, hope sang da 'mazin' graces
Fool Pez, poontang pimp's craven naysays

Folks post the darnedest things
T'wat tweet some other pings
Jack's checked them and they ain't the facts
GadZuk's Marked them all in whites and blacks

Watts happened Zinn's the traces
Of tear gas, riots, maces?
When marchers trip on po-laces
Lynch caused, paused human races

From M's Bondage po'lease, a license to kneel
A double ought shot down to plowshares deal
General strike, Maddog's sub-mariner, new wavy seals
Chief commander, bussed under, military court appeals

So gimme just the facts my dear old ma'mmy
Sway with funny and stay 'way from spammy
DragNet some money, wonk your world wide whammy
Loves yo Friends, and Hugs yo fammy

Copyright Gene Stephan Ruda 2020. All Rights Reserved.

Facts About Face

With fires all around us I woke up yesterday morning before dawn with this in my head and so I wrote it down. It's about the flame of life.

Scott Leonard
Surrounded by firestorm
Sebastopol, California
September 11, 2020


While Your Flame Still Burns

Born of our Sun
This spark of life
Your flame

Burning ever ready, from the day you're born until the moment you pass
Fire that can warm the heart
Forging steal and frameworks,
and yet at times can burn those around you
Be mindful with your precious flame

Born of our Sun
This spark of life
Your flame

And when the flame has passed 
Who did warm their hands at your campfire?
Toast yummy marshmallows with the heat you provided?
How many souls did enjoy your light and glow?
Your flame of extraordinary fireside chats
Oh flame of flames did you provide those in your orbit with warmth and shelter from the cold?

Born of this Sun
This spark of life
Your flame

How long will you burn my dearest special fire?
For this flame does not last forever, 
Yes, your story can continue on with the campfires and circles that still remain behind.
And yes, the heat can still be felt even after your flame is gone.
Your charcoal and ash will remain behind but it too will perish
Ashes to dust, and to particulars that then blow across our horizons.

From the Sun
This spark of life
Your flame

How will your flame burn, while your flame still burns?

---

Your Flame
Original text/poetry by Scott Leonard
Song lyrics/music RUDA

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CKHXtuAgkOM/?igshid=zh6xdp85f56

Sun birthed
Life sparked
Your flame

Eternal or passing
Heart warming
Framing forging
Strong steelings

Burn harmless
Turn radiantly
Precious sourcerous
Magic mindfully

Sun birthed
Life sparked
Your flame

Camped fire mellow
Warmed hands free
Toasted 'mallows
Afterglow memo-ree

Countless souls
Shadows and sound
Chattering round
Your ring of coals

Sun birthed
Life sparked
Your flame

Lost hers, last his
Soular cycler
Roar to ember
Fade to ashes

Felt, remembered
Perished particles
Gone, upwinded
Horizon tale sails

From the Sun
Spark of life
Your flame

I wonder will you vent 
That flame
It burning 'til you went
And came

Sun birthed
Life sparked
Your flame

Gene Stephan Ruda

Pinned to spotlight

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