Broken Dreams (Original) by

Scarborough Fair (Cover) by

Mountain Call (Original) by:

Blue Skies (cover) by

And I Love You So (Cover)-

Original composition and lyrics by Jody Gallagher. Cover of version by the Fureys.

Day's Gonna Come (Cover)

Original song and lyrics by Iris DeMent


The Sacred Now

Lyrics

A dream come true from way back when
We remember, then forget again
Just for a while
Then recall somehow
We're all here in the sacred now 

Time speeds by, and then slows down
All is lost, some hope is found
In the night, hear the wise old owl
It's not a dream, it's the sacred now
Oh, the sacred now 

Those who stand to gain, draw dividing lines
You're over there with yours, I'm over here with mine
We can't speak and yet somehow
We all share the sacred now
Oh, the sacred now 

All for one, one for all
The earth is breathing, while dreamers fall
See these walls
Let's bring 'em on down
No need to wait in the sacred now 

Here we are holding on somehow
It's not a dream, it's the sacred now
Oh, the sacred now
Oh, the sacred now
Oh, the sacred now

The Sacred Now (Cover)

Last Wishes by Linda Straub

Lyrics

Let me lie down beside the lake
then float upon the water's waves
and listen to the calming sounds
of the loon's wail as evening breaks 

I want to hear the crickets sing
in the silence of a dark night
and let the rain put me to sleep
until I wake at dawn's first light 

Let me gaze at the sky above
and feel the sun upon my face
to clear my mind and fill my soul
and bring comfort in its embrace 

Let me taste the first flakes of snow
as it paints the ground frosty white
and coats the trees with icicles
sparkling gems in the starlight

Let me feel the world around me
and bathe in its magnificence
I may not come this way again
so think of me as I was then. 

I may not come this way again
so think of me as I was then

Last Wishes (Original)-

Time Traveler
Guitar, lyrics, and vocal by Linda Straub


Take me back to the day I first found you
so we can live each day over again,
carry me back to that time and place,
where we became lovers, not just friends. 

I want to lie down beside you there,
and gaze into your lovin' eyes,
feel your arms wrapped around my waist,
as we drift into a waxing moonlight. 

I want to go back and walk with you,
one step at a time, time after time,
through long fields of fragrant flowers into an eternal mist so sublime. 

I want to scale that wall between us,
and emerge on the other side,
where you will be there to catch me,
in the dawn of a day so bright. 

I want to be a time traveler
back to the past, into the future,
for there you will always be,
and I will never lose you. 

for there you will always be...my love
and  I will never lose you.

Time Traveler (Original)

"Fate"

Original lyrics, guitar, and vocal by Linda Straub


Oh, love, you were just magnificent,
in your quiet and unassuming way.
I felt it the moment I first met you,
smiling down at me in the archway. 

It was just a brief encounter,
a few minutes on a coffee break.
You said hello, and I stood in silence,
staring up at you as you walked...away.

Somehow, we found ourselves together,
more and more every single working day.
We never planned or thought about it,
fate is sometimes funny....that way.

Now, years later, I think about us then,
and how our wonderful life came about;
two strangers fate brought together,
who lived and loved..til time ran out.

Oh, yes, love, you were just magnificent,
up until the day your time...ran out.

Oh, yes, love, you were just magnificent,
up until the day your time...ran out.


Fate (Original)

Original song written by Kate Wolf and later made famous by Nanci Griffith. 

Pastel painting by Linda Straub

Across the Great Divide (Cover)

Ukelele, vocal, and lyrics by Linda Straub

Silence lyrics

Silence arrived in the dead of night,    
settling quietly in with dawn 's daylight.
A cover, a blanket snuffing out noise,
It sneaks up and hovers, a killer of joy. 

it's scary, it's wary that I am aware,
it's here, it's there, it's everywhere.
it softens then siphons, tugs at the heart,
makes me sigh and cry, and then fall apart. 

Oh someone sing loudly so that I can hear,
the melody of life, the voice of good cheer. 

There's no buzz, cough, or thunderous bang,
not a shutter, whisper, or sound of the rain.
Silence awakens each pain and sorrow,
and lays them out bare on every tomorrow. 


I'm yearning again for the sounds of living,
to listen to the chatter of talkin' and  sharin'.
I starve for the banter of joy and  laughter
that once filled our home up to the rafters.

Oh someone sing loudly so that I can hear,
the melody of life, the voice of good cheer.


Oh someone sing loudly so that I can hear,
the melody of life, the voice of good cheer.

Silence (Original)

"All in Good Time"

Original song by Fiona Apple and Iron & Wine

Photo by Linda Straub

All in Good Time (Cover)

"You're Stronger Than Me"

Original song by Patsy Kline.
Composed by Hank Cochran and Jimmy Kay. 

Photo by Linda Straub

You're Stronger Than Me (cover)

"I'll Be Home" song written and performed by Randy Newman

I'll Be Home (Cover)

"Dreaming of Spring"
Original song and lyrics by Linda Straub

Dreaming of Spring 

Today, I imagine a bright new 'morrow
where flowers bloom and children play.
It's been cold and dark for far too long;
In dreams, I picture a brand new day. 

Dew sparkles on each blade of grass
and morning doves are on the wires.
The garden wakes in sprouting flowers,
as roses climb and bud in the briars. 

I see all your ravines and rivers,
your many streets and streams,
tall trees and ever winding trails,
are the substance of my dreams. 

So, dream away about tomorrow,
under the sun of a bright blue sky.
If today seems dark and dreary,
Remember, Spring is on the rise.

If today seems dark and dreary, 
Remember, Spring is on the rise.


Dreaming of Spring (Original)

"Hero"

Original song perforned by Enrique Iglesias

Written and composed by Enrique Iglesias  Paul Barry, and Mark Taylor

Lyrics

Would you dance, if I asked you to dance?
Would you run and never look back?
Would you cry, if you saw me cryin'?
And would you save my soul tonight?

Would you tremble if I touched your lips?
Would you laugh,
Oh, please, tell me this?

Now, would you die for the one you loved?
Hold me in your arms tonight.

I can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
I will stand by you forever.
You can take my breath away.

Would you swear that you'll always be mine?
Or would you lie?
Would you run and hide?

Am I in too deep?
Have I lost my mind?
I don't care, you're here tonight.

I can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
I will stand by you forever.
You can take my breath away.

Oh, I just want to hold you.
I just want to hold you, oh, yeah.

Am I in too deep?
Have I lost my mind?
Well, I don't care, you're here tonight.

I can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
I will stand by you forever.
You can take my breath away.

I can be your hero.
I can kiss away the pain.
And I will stand by you forever.
You can take my breath away.
You can take my breath away.

I can be your hero.



Hero (Cover)

"Better Angels" Original song and lyrics by Linda Straub

We remember all the yesterdays,
and wish all eyes could see
what we really had back then
before the loss of humanity.

Friends and family turn away
as hate tries to silence love.
Has the best of the human race
passed on to the great beyond?

And now our better angels
look down from up above
with sorrow and indignation
at all that has gone wrong. 

The puzzle that shaped humanity
has shattered and fragmented.
The pieces no longer fit together
untouching and untethered.

Tears and fears now all surround,
as joy and hope are pounded down.
Love and kindness please rise again;
turn away from hatred, hail your friend. 

And now our better angels
look down from up above
with sorrow and indignation
at all that has gone wrong. 

Better Angels (Original)

Lament for Ukraine (original song) by-

"Here in California"
Original song by Kate Wolf

Painting by Linda Straub

Lyrics

When I was young my mama told me
She said child take your time
Don't fall in love too quickly
Before you know your mind
She held me 'round the shoulders
In a voice so soft and kind
She said love can make you happy
Love can rob you blind

Here in California, fruit hangs heavy on the vines
And there's no gold, I thought I'd warn you
And the hills turn brown in the summertime

Well I will learn to love you
But I can't say when
This morning we were strangers
And tonight we're only friends
But I'll take my time to know you
I'll take my time to see
There's nothing that I won't show you
If you take your time with me

Here in California, fruit hangs heavy on the vines
And there's no gold, I thought I'd warn you
And the hills turn brown in the summertime

It's an old familiar story
An old familiar rhyme
To everything, there is a season
To every purpose, there's a time
A time to love and come together
A time when love longs for an end
A time for questions we can't answer
But we ask them just the same

Here in California, fruit hangs heavy on the vines
And there's no gold, I thought I'd warn you
And the hills turn brown in the summertime

There's no gold, I thought I'd warn you
And the hills turn brown in the summertime



Here in California (Cover)

"The Trumpet Vine"
Original song written and performed by Kate Wolf

Lyrics:

The trumpet vine grew in the kitchen window
And bloomed bright orange on the wall
You sat in the morning light, holding a guitar
As the first summer rain began to fall

And like the gentle raindrops your words fell in the air
Making things so clear as we quietly sat there
It reminded me of other times you had come before
And brought a song or just walked in through the kitchen door

Now, it seems the truest words I ever heard from you
Were said at kitchen tables we have known
'Cause somehow in that warm room with coffee on the stove
Our hearts were really most at home

Sittin' at a table, lookin' hard at you
Catchin' up on stories of the things we'd tried to do
It seems we really said the most when we didn't talk at all
Let the songs speak for us like the sunlight on the wall

Now, as we come and go in sunshine and in rain
Some years are seen more clearly than the rest
And if it weren't for kitchen songs and mornings spent with friends
We all might lose the things we love the best

I can see you sittin' there beneath the trumpet vine
The sunlight through the window in the kitchen in my mind
You came when you were needed, I could not ask for more
Than to turn and find you walkin' through the kitchen door

You came when you were needed, I could not ask for more
Than to turn and find you walkin' through the kitchen door



The Trumpet Vine (cover)

"Make the World Go Away"
Written By Hank Cochran
and Originally Recorded by Ray Price

Make the World Go Away (Cover)

"Misty Blue"
Written by Bob Montgomery.
Performed by a variety of artists,  the first being Wilma Burgess, then Eddy Arnold, who took it to the top 5 country hits.


Misty Blue (Cover)

Original song written and performed by Kate Wolf

Lyrics:

Just an old house with the roof falling in
Standing at the edge of the field
Watching the crops grow as it's always done before
Nobody lives here anymore

The sun's going down in the Carolina pines
I'm a long way from home and I miss that love of mine
Broken windows, empty doors
Nobody lives here anymore

Old memories come whistling like the wind
Through the walls and the cracked window panes
And the grass is growing high around the cabin door
Nobody lives here anymore

The sun's going down in the carolina pines
I'm a long way from home and I miss that love of mine
Broken windows, empty doors
Nobody lives here anymore

Once, there were children and a few hired hands
A hard-working woman and a bone-tired man
Now, that old sun steals across a dusty floor
Nobody lives here anymore

The sun's going down in the Carolina pines
I'm a long way from home and I miss that love of mine
Broken windows, empty doors
Nobody lives here anymore

The sun's going down in the Carolina pines
I'm a long way from home and I miss that love of mine
Broken windows, empty doors
Nobody lives here anymore



Carolina Pines (Cover)



"Lay Me Down Easy"

Original song written and performed by Kate Wolf

Lyrics:

Sitting in the sunshine trying to sing the blues away. 
Wondering why they came and  how long they'll stay. 
Picking out a little tune I never heard before. 
Yes, and wishing you were here at the door. 

Won't you lay me down easy. 
Lay me down easy in my mind. 
Cuz, Babe I’ve got the blues, and there’s something you can do. 
You can lay me down easy in my mind, in my mind. 

Oh, Babe, you know how it is when you wake up feeling old. 
You wonder if you’re doing what you should. 
And, everyone around you, they can’t read what’s on your mind. 
And, they might not want to if they could. 

Won't you lay me down easy. 
Lay me down easy in my mind. 
Cuz, Babe I’ve got the blues and there’s something you can do. 
You can lay me down easy in my mind, in my mind. 

Now, the seasons of my life, they go turning through the days. 
I’ve seen bitter winters come and go. 
And, here I am in sunny times not feeling like I could. 
And, wondering when the winds will start to blow.

Won't you lay me down easy. 
Lay me down easy in my mind. 
Cuz, Babe I’ve got the blues and there’s something you can do. 
You can lay me down easy in my mind, in my mind.

.........in my mind.


Lay Me Down Easy (Cover)

"Family Reunions"
Guitar, vocal, and lyrics by
Linda Straub

Crickets on summer evenings 
dinner on the grounds
Grandpa playing guitar
such sweet southern sounds 

Grandma in her beads and apron
sitting in an adirondack chair
catching her much needed breath
from all her work and loving care

Oh, thanks for those family reunions
all the laughter and precious love
The memory of those happy times
now are soft echoes from above. 

Everyone gathered together
so much joy to be found
we sang songs and told old tales
and passed them all around

Grownups sittin' in lawn chairs
and children running 'round
Picnic tables full of southern food
at those dinners on the grounds

Oh, thanks for those family reunions
all the laughter and precious love
The memory of those happy times
now are soft echoes from above

The memory of those happy times
now are soft echoes from above.

Family Reunions (Original)

Original song and lyrics written  and first performed by Kate Wolf

Pastel Painting by Linda Straub

Lyrics:

It's an unfinished life
That I find lies before me
An open-ended dream
And I don't want to wake
I've crossed so many rivers
In search of crystal fountains
I've found the truest paths
Always lead through mountains
I've seen water on the sky
And fire burning on the lake

You said to me
I cannot make you happy
Like a wounded bird
You must find the strength to fly
Time can paint the tree tops
With colours of the rainbow
But you cannot find the end
No matter how you try

It's a journey with my soul
That I am taking
One that only goes
From the cradle to the grave
Going 'round in circles
Like painted dancing horses
Up and down we ride
On the wooden courses
And light from a lover's eyes
Is all that I can save

You said to me
I cannot make you happy
Like a wounded bird
You must find the strength to fly
Time can paint the tree tops
With colours of the rainbow
But you cannot find the end
No matter how you try

So I'll take the day and run
Out across the open fields
Where the grass grows high
And the shadows fall
Where my eyes can see
All the colours in the air
So quiet that the wind
Whistles in my hair
And takes the rising dust
And carries it away

You said to me
I cannot make you happy
Like a wounded bird
You must find the strength to fly
Time can paint the tree tops
With colours of the rainbow
But you cannot find the end
No matter how you try.

But you cannot find the end
No matter how you try.


Unfinished Life (Cover)

"Every Long Journey"
Original song and lyrics by Ann Reed

Photo by Linda Straub

Every Long Journey (Cover)

"I Become the Moon"
song and lyrics by Eliza Gilkyson

I remember yetsterday
When I become the moon
How all the stars came out to play
We danced away the gloom.

Circled round the ring of stones
Before they fell in ruin
I can hear our voices still
When I become the moon

How Diana ruled the wood
Traces still remain
Shared the wisdom and the herb
Shared the joy and pain

Echos of life's passion play
Still haunt the bride and groom
But they'll be wed again someday
When I become the moon

Soldiers of the holy wars
Wholly greed command
Claim the earth and all her shores
Stole Diana's land

But in my heart there lingers still
The dark of her perfume
I drink the earthy wine until
I become the moon

All that's left is history
Of Diana's blood and bones
Fragments of a mystery
Her story is our own.

But under cover of the stars
Her secret is exhumed
I bow before her beauty now
And I become the moon







I Become the Moon (Cover)

"Give Me a Sad Song"
Original song and lyrics
by Linda Thompson

Photo by Linda Straub

Lyrics:

You'll drive me crazy with no hesitation
Giving me the cruel without the kind
Just when I unlock your heart
You change the combination
But nothing's gonna make you change your mind

So I'll have a drink or two
I'll sing my songs although
My heart is aching i'll play my guitar
Anything to keep my hands from shaking
I'm not a winner
Everything I touch turns to stone
But give me a sad song
I'm in a class of my own

I don't believe in all the lies I swallowed
Empty words like music to my ears
You pulled my heart strings
And like a fool I followed
And I'm drowning in the pool of bitter tears

So I'll swim for the shore
Even though I know I'll never make it
I'll sing once more
About my heart and what you did to break it

I'm not a winner
Everything I touch turns to stone
Give me a sad song i'm in a class of own

So I'll swim for the shore
Even though I know I'll never make it
I'll sing once more
About my heart and what you did to break it
I'm not a winner
Everything I touch turns to stone
Oh, but give me a sad song
I'm in a class of own give me a sad song
I'm in a class of my own



Give Me a Sad Song (Cover)


I am drawn to folk, blues, soft rock, and country music, new and old. I love songs that tell a story, especially the Irish, English, and Scottish ballads of long ago because their stories are often timeless, and most everyone at any time can relate to. 
 
I also am a pastel painter and find being able to express universal emotions through my art, as well as writing lyrics and putting them to music that I can sing and play on my guitar or ukelele so rewarding and comforting.

Memories of people, places, and events throughout my life influence the songs I write.





Linda Straub

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