I’ve feasted with Kings
I’ve slept with the homeless
I’ve traveled for days with no place to go
For all it was worth
I just couldn’t care less
No profit no loss I had nothing to show

Blessed Spirit take command
My mind is a battlefield
All my conflicts lie at hand
My spirit I yield

My friends made my cry
My foes gave me laughter
No promise to keep no failures to hide
My darkness became
My light ever-after
And all it revealed was the pain felt inside 

And so, I have come 
to embrace the invisible
And walk in the shade as one bathed in light
And carry with me 
a faith indivisible
As one who can see through the blackest of night

Blessed Spirit

A song celebrating Easter

THE GARDENER

In His small garden He works, tending His flowers
Alone in the bright sunny hours
Patiently caring for each little flower that blooms
With love, He trims and He prunes

In that sweet garden grow millions of plants 
Yet He knows every flower by name
Each little tree has its own role to play
And He loves everyone just the same

One lonely night soldiers came and took Him away
They said He couldn’t stay
He left the garden with tears that still seem to flow
The stream makes His trees grow

All through the winter though left by themselves
There is nothing His plants ever fear
One thing that keeps them in bloom all the time
Is the feeling that He’s always near

I know I’ll see Him again when He comes back once more
Down through the valley of life, where He leads I will go

Praise Him!!!

Words and music: Ranjit Masilamani

The Gardener - featuring Prianthi Masilamani

I wrote this song in 2011, reflecting on how the events of 9/11 had brought us together and the resilience we shared at that time but also how much had changed for the worse in the following decade. Fast forward another 10 years and things have gotten so bad that 2011 seems, in retrospect, like a walk in the park. There's still hope for us but only if we really want it and are willing to do whatever it takes.

Beautiful Chaos - Revisited

Wish it was Christmas

An ode to friends with benefits.

I see you standing where I left you before
The intersection of ‘Yes’ and ‘not sure’
Your indecision just drives me insane
I have to know so I’m asking again

Are we just friends or are we lovers?
The mystery begs to be uncovered
But you ignore my best endeavors
Are we just friends, are we lovers?

I used to think of you as only a friend
The kind you always hang around but then
My feelings started to change and I knew
I was undoubtedly in love with you

Just when I feel I am making a start and reaching your heart, I fall
You laugh it off like it’s only a game, you don’t feel the same at all

So I’ll be patient and wait in the wings
Wishing for change only time can bring
I’m in no hurry, I’ve been here before
Just waiting for you to open the door

Friends or lovers

Remembering the victims of the worst mass shooting in America, where 20 kids between the ages of six and seven as well as 6 adults, were shot and killed by a lone, deranged gunman.

THE BELLS OF ST. STEPHENS

The tears have all dried up, the rage settled down
I walk among shadows in this ghost town
Somewhere a mother and child kneel in prayer
A moment made sacred by warm breath in the air
And the bells of St. Stephens will be ringing tonight 
For the ones who stood fearless or couldn’t put up a fight
Candles will be lit with flames burning bright
While the bells of St. Stephens will be ringing tonight

A rush of opinions floods the newsrooms everywhere
In lengthy discussions going nowhere
though the voices of silence still cry out in vain
A whole generation will only look down in shame
but the bells of St. Stephens will be ringing tonight 
For the ones who stood fearless or couldn’t put up a fight
Candles will be lit with flames burning bright
While the bells of St. Stephens will be ringing tonight

Crayons and ponies with blood in the hallways
Tarnish the home of the brave

And so, the night passes another day has begun
We die with each memory of the fallen ones
For we, just like Rachel, no comfort have found
And weep for the children who lie asleep in the ground
so, the bells of St. Stephens will be ringing tonight 
For the ones who stood fearless or couldn’t put up a fight
Candles will be lit with flames burning bright
While the bells of St. Stephens, the bells of St. Stephens
The bells of St. Stephens will be ringing tonight

Bells Of St. Stephens

I’m looking for a quiet place 
far from the world’s meaningless pace
Life seems to ask more than I have
Please help me find a quiet place

I know I’m weak I won’t deny 
my frail demands, the tears I cry
You understand my need to hide
Please help me find a quiet place

My quiet place will be my home
Your love will heal my broken bones
And in that blessed place I’ll find
A rested spirit a peaceful mind

What once was mine I’ve now disowned 
and in that void, new faith has grown
I now believe your love for me
Will always be my quiet place

My quiet place will be my home
Your love will heal my broken bones
And in that blessed place I’ll find
A rested spirit a peaceful mind
And in that blessed place I’ll find
A rested spirit a peaceful mind

A Quiet Place

Stay

Warm hands cool sweat beside me 
Shadows of pine trees that hide me
Starlight and wind rushing in
Gently brushes my skin
Arousing me from deep within these desires I feel
So stay, baby stay… come stay with your lonesome lover

The woods breathe the sweet smell of evening
But I waste here knowing you’re leaving
Though the cup that I hold must run dry
And storm clouds darken the sky
These pictures of you and I will remain forever
So stay, baby stay… please stay with your lonely lover

Stay till these woods have burned to the ground
Or stay until dawn comes around

The night falls the wind blows colder
Teasing the hair on your shoulder
Just give me one more night of sin
Then vanish away with the wind
And let my long exile begin from now until never
So stay, baby stay… please stay with your lonely lover

Stay

Pulled this one from the attic. Written decades ago, I never performed it live or recorded before. A song of gratitude

Now that you’re here

Seemed like a long, hard winter
Before you found me
Cold and lonely
With no help in sight
always drifting
with no will to fight

What looked like a wasted lifetime
lacking direction
Gave breath to my anguish
And voice to my pleas
Until you touched me
A broken man on his knees

Now, I don't know how to express all my feelings
I feel like my heart could keep singing forever
but I'll just remain in quiet surrender
Now that you're here

Now That You're Here

This is a traditional Christian Hymn with a new arrangement

My Jesus I Love Thee

ROLL THE STONE AWAY
From a lonely path behind a hidden road
I would finally stumble through your door
Where all I found was a guitar and a chair
And an invitation to discover more
As the words began to rhyme and the tunes began to flow
I was carried to a place I had never been before
Nestled in the quiet of the day
I heard the music of my soul begin to play
And roll the stone away

At the heart of every song that came to me
Was the pain of doubt and deep uncertainty
from a simple man whose thoughts have always been
Just a scattering of truth and travesty
But I learned to sing of love and I learned to sing of pain
From the howling of the wind to the drumming of the rain
When I’ve come to the end of a troubled day
I let the music of my soul begin to play
And roll the stone away

From the corners of my mind, a trickling of thoughts I tried to hide
Soon began to dance around to the music locked inside

Now the freedom of my heart has brought me here
To a feeling of content in endless bliss
If I never leave this place, I wouldn’t care
There is nothing I possess that I would miss
As my voice begins to fade and my eyes begins to dim
And the only thing I have are the remnants of my hymn
with muffled words you’ll only hear me say
Just leave the music of my soul to play
And roll the stone away

Roll The Stone Away

Beautiful Chaos

Ranjit has been writing and performing for over 30 years. Growing up in India, the music of The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Cat Stevens and other musical acts of the 60's and 70's were his main influences. A self taught finger style guitarist who never owned an acoustic guitar for the first 12 years (the guitars made in India weren't the same as the imports and those were hard to come by), he was one half of a two-voices-and-one-guitar duo that was popular in Southern India, performing covers and originals at Folk concerts, Radio and TV shows. In 1983, the duo were finalists at an International music competition held in Rome and had the opportunity to perform an original song among entrants from countries in Europe, North America and Australia. They were the only contestants from Asia.


Ranjit migrated to the US in the mid 80's and continued to write songs and perform at various venues in Northern California, where he lived until the mid 90's. During that period, he was a member of the Northern California Songwriter's Association (NCSA), performed at places like Freight and Salvage, Sweetwater, The Napa Valley Folk Festival...where he was a finalist at the Emerging Songwriter's competition, the Placerville Folk Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival, as a finalist at the Kerrville New Folk Competition, Zoey's Café in Ventura, (he was also selected as a finalist at their One's to Watch songwriter competition) and other coffee houses and venues in Southern California.




Ranjit Masilamani

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