The Demon’s Vow

The Demon’s Vow is a gritty, blues-folk redemption tale that moves from shadow to flame.
Driven by raw guitar and a dark, swampy groove, the song tells of a former predator who meets a fearless sage and hears a new song—a call to give rather than take.

Each verse walks through the transformation:
from hunger and havoc,
to the spark of Dharma’s light,
to the pledge to guard those who carry wisdom forward.
The chorus lands like a mantra: “The deepest change you’ll ever find ain’t in what you take, but in what you give away.”

With its smoky harmonica, deep slide guitar, and cinematic bridge, The Demon’s Vow is both confession and promise—a blues of redemption, a folk hymn to inner awakening, and a fierce pledge to protect the flame of truth.

Lyrics: 
Verse 1
I was born in the shadows, hunger in my bones,
Rulin’ like a phantom on a cracked and crooked throne.
Took what I wanted, hearts left torn and bruised,
Just a wild-eyed demon with nothing to lose.

Chorus
Then I heard a new song—soft, steady, kind,
“The deepest change you’ll ever find
Ain’t in what you steal, but in what you give away.”
That’s the vow I made on that fateful day.

Verse 2
Met a wanderin’ sage with a lantern in his gaze,
Stood through my thunder, never looked away.
He spoke of the Dharma, the wondrous law,
How the whole wide universe has no fatal flaw.
Said, “The same fire in me can rise in you too.”
And my black-ice heart felt a spark break through.

Chorus
Yeah, I heard a new song—soft, steady, kind,
“The deepest change you’ll ever find
Ain’t in what you steal, but in what you give away.”
That’s the vow I made on that fateful day.

Bridge
Now my fangs are blunt and my claws turned slow,
Found a sweeter power in the guard I show.
For the keepers of the teaching, the carriers of the flame
I’ll stand like a fortress when the darkness makes its claim.
That old dark kingdom ain’t my home no more—
I’m a sentinel now on a brighter shore.

I heard a new song—soft, steady, kind,
“The deepest change you’ll ever find
Ain’t in what you steal, but in what you give away.”
That’s the vow I made on that fateful day.

Outro
Oh, the vow… yeah, the vow…
To hold the light, day and night.
From the pit to the dawn I stay—
That’s the promise I keep, come what may.

		
￼


The Demon's Vow

Raw one-take blues - guitar, harp, kick, and soul live with PAN.

A raw, unfiltered blues jam recorded live today with PAN on guitar, harmonica, vocals, and electronic kick drum. Captured in the moment with nothing more than a pair of earbuds, this performance carries the grit and spontaneity of true street-corner blues. The driving rhythm, wailing harp, and soulful guitar licks come together in a one-take session that’s as imperfect as it is alive.
Pure, stripped-down blues energy — no polish, just heart.

Live Blues Jam

Sometimes the deepest truths can't be explained—they have to be sung.

This folk blues track takes ancient Buddhist wisdom from the Lotus Sutra and translates it into American roots music. It's about that moment when thinking stops and something deeper takes over. When the sound itself becomes the teaching.

The Buddha said his wisdom was too vast for words. So he gave us something better: a practice, a rhythm, a chant that works on you whether you understand it or not. This song follows that same spirit—letting the groove and the syllables do the work.

From the transformed city where seekers stop too soon, to Medicine King's ancient incantations, to the Daimoku that condenses everything into six syllables—this is the story of how sound becomes a bridge to what can't be spoken.

No fancy theology required. Just open your ears, let it roll over you, and see where it takes you.
Recorded in the spirit of front porch wisdom and midnight revelations.

Inspired by teachings on dhāraṇī as non-conceptual upāya—the unspoken teaching that lives in vibration, not explanation.

🎸 Acoustic blues • Spiritual folk • Dharma music

Lyrics: 
Verse 1: 
Well the Buddha woke up from his meditation deep 
Said "What I know, y'all, it's way too wide to keep 
In words and explanations, logic won't get through— 
This wisdom's like the ocean, deeper than the blue"

Chorus: 
So I'm gonna chant it, not gonna think it through 
Just let that sound roll over, let it work on you 
Don't need to understand it, don't need to know why 
Just open up your mouth now, let that dharma fly

Verse 2: 
Those old-time monks, they thought they had it made 
Reached a little peace and then they stopped and stayed 
But the Buddha said "Keep walking, that city ain't real— 
I got something bigger for you, if you can learn to feel"

Chorus: 
So I'm gonna chant it, not gonna think it through 
Just let that sound roll over, let it work on you 
Don't need to understand it, don't need to know why 
Just open up your mouth now, let that dharma fly

Bridge: 
Medicine-King stood up, said "I got something here— 
Ancient words of power that'll cast out fear 
Don't matter what they mean, just say 'em strong and true 
Body, speech, and mind unite—that's all you gotta do"

Verse 3: 
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo—six syllables long 
The whole universe contained inside that song 
You can't think your way to heaven, but you sure can sing 
Let that sound become the bridge, become everything

Final Chorus: 
So we're gonna chant it, ain't gonna think it through 
Let that sound roll over, let it work on you 
The unspoken teaching's in the sound you make 
Open up and holler—that's how you awake

Outro: 
(spoken/half-sung) 
Yeah, the truth's too big for talking 
But it fits inside a song...


The Sound Beyond Words

"The Patient Heart Blues" - A Song About Standing Strong While Walking Away
Sometimes the hardest thing in the world is knowing when to stay and when to go. This song came from studying an ancient Buddhist text about patience—but not the kind of patience where you just take whatever comes. Real patience, the kind that refuses to break.

The Buddha said when people come at you with "swords, sticks, and stones," you should be patient. But here's the twist: being patient doesn't mean being a doormat. It means having such unshakable inner strength that you don't need to hit back—AND being wise enough to protect yourself and walk away when you need to.

Sometimes walking away IS the strongest thing you can do.

Inspired by scholarly analysis of the Lotus Sutra, Chapter 10 For everyone who's still learning to put themselves first without losing their heart

🎵 "It's fire in your belly sayin' 'I won't quit,' / It's wisdom in your heart knowin' when to split" 🎵


Lyrics: 
(Verse 1)
Well, they comin’ at me with their sticks and stones,
Yeah, they comin’ at me with their sticks and stones,
But I got a strength inside that won’t leave my bones.

(Verse 2)
Buddha told me, “Son, you think of me,”
Buddha told me, “Child, you think of me,”
When the world gets mean, that’s when you’re finally free.

(Chorus)
‘Cause patience ain’t about just takin’ the hit,
No, patience ain’t about just takin’ the hit,
It’s standin’ so strong that you refuse to quit.

(Verse 3)
Now they call me names and they wish me harm,
Yeah, they call me names and they wish me harm,
But I keep my center, I keep my calm.

(Verse 4)
See, anger’s just a poison in your own sweet cup,
That anger’s just a poison in your own sweet cup,
You drink that down, you’re the one messed up.

(Chorus)
But patience ain’t about just takin’ the hit,
No, patience ain’t about just takin’ the hit,
It’s standin’ so strong that you refuse to quit.

(Bridge - Spoken/Half-sung)
Now listen here, I got somethin’ to say,
‘Bout compassion and boundaries and findin’ your way—
You can love somebody’s soul, their light divine,
But still walk away when they cross that line.

(Verse 5)
I built me a fence, strong and tall,
Yeah, I built me a fence, strong and tall,
Keeps me safe and keeps them from their fall.

(Verse 6)
’Cause if I let ’em hurt me, they hurt themselves more,
If I let ‘em hurt me, they hurt themselves more,
That’s just how karma settles the score.

(Chorus)
See, patience ain’t about just takin’ the hit,
No, patience ain’t about just takin’ the hit,
It’s lovin’ so deep but you still don’t quit.

(Verse 7)
Three kinds of patience, that’s what I found,
Yeah, three kinds of patience Buddha laid down,
Face your own pain, handle folks’ mean sound,
And know ain’t nothin’ permanent on this ground.

(Verse 8)
When you realize there ain’t no “you” to defend,
When you realize there ain’t no “you” to defend,
That’s when the sufferin’ finally ends.

(Final Chorus)
‘Cause patience ain’t about just takin’ the hit,
No, patience ain’t about just takin’ the hit,
It’s fire in your belly sayin’ “I won’t quit,”
It’s wisdom in your heart knowin’ when to split,
It’s lovin’ the world while you still protect it.

(Outro)
So when them swords come swingin’, when them stones start flyin’,
When them swords come swingin’, when them stones start flyin’,
I’m walkin’ away strong—ain’t no use in cryin’,
Got a patient heart, yeah, and that ain’t no lyin’.

[Harmonica wail]

The Patient Heart Blues

Why would people hate you for offering a cure?
This slow-burning spiritual blues explores a timeless paradox: the most transformative teachings often provoke the strongest resistance. Inspired by the Lotus Sutra's prophecy of persecution and the delta blues tradition of singing truth through suffering, this song is both a warning and a medicine.
Featuring raw, soulful vocals, National steel guitar, Hammond B3 organ, and gospel harmonies, "Love Till Love's the Only Sure" walks you through darkness into light—from stones thrown to birds taking flight.
A parable. A prayer. A blues song about carrying impossible love through an impossible world.
65 BPM. D minor. Your heart, broken open.

[Verse 1 - Slow, Deep] 
Well the old physician rolled into town
Said, “I got medicine, gonna pass it around.”
“Ain’t no quick fix, no sugar-sweet lie,
One drop of this truth and you’ll never die.”

(Pause, low growl)
“But I’ll warn you, child—it cuts both ways.
This cure burns bright and it don’t obey.”

[Chorus - Call and Response] 
Why they gonna hate you for the cure? (Tell me, tell me)
Why they gonna hate you for the cure? (Lord, have mercy)
‘Cause truth don’t fit the story they adore—
That old story, Lord, they’re clingin’ for sure.

[Verse 2 - Building] 
There were three healers in that town,
One cooled fever, one calmed it down.
Built their names on what they knew—
Then came the stranger sayin’, “That ain’t true.”

“Y’all been teachin’ folks to cope,” said he,
“But hope’s the only remedy.”
“The sickness ain’t what you believe—
It’s the fear you won’t release.”

[Chorus] 
Why they gonna hate you for the cure? (Tell me, tell me)
Why they gonna hate you for the cure? (Lord, have mercy)
‘Cause truth don’t fit the story they adore—
That old story, Lord, they’re clingin’ for sure.

[Bridge - Speaking Blues Style] 
Now listen here...
The headache woman, she turned pale,
Thirty years of learning felt like fail.
“If pain ain’t my mountain, what’s left of me?”
She cried to the man by the healing tree.

He said, “Sister, I ain’t here to win—
I’m just showin’ you where health begins.”
“That fear you feel’s the final wound,
My medicine works there too—real soon.”

[Verse 3 - Intensity Rising] 
He called the young ones, said, “Gather ‘round,
This truth’ll cost you—dear and profound.”
“When you carry this medicine through the town,
Those old healers’ll try to strike you down.”

“They’ll call you fool, they’ll call you liar,
But love’s the flame that lights the fire.
When the stones start flyin’—don’t you hide,
That’s the moment faith’s been tried.”

[Big Chorus - Full Voice] 
Why they gonna hate you for the cure? (Tell me, tell me)
Why they gonna hate you for the cure? (Lord, have mercy)
‘Cause truth don’t fit the story they adore—
That old story, Lord, they’re clingin’ for sure.

[Verse 4 - Softer, Mystical] 
“You won’t be walkin’ all alone,
Every healer’s ghost will see you home.
Guardians fierce, soft as lullabies,
Keep watch beneath the mercy skies.”

"They'll keep your heart soft when the world gets hard 
They'll stand watch while you're standing guard" 
"And that attacker throwing stones at your head? 
That's your teacher in disguise," the old man said

[Verse 5 - The Teaching] 
"See, every curse word is a chance to be kind 
Every rejection is a way to refine" 
"That headache healer with the angry face 
She carrying the medicine too, just ain't found the place"

"Deep down inside where she's afraid to look 
That's where the healing is, that's the holy book" 
"And when she finally gets a pain won't quit 
She might remember you offered something different"

[Final Chorus - Resolution, Hope] 
Let ‘em hate you for the cure—love ‘em anyway,
Let ‘em hate you for the cure—sing while you pray.
Love what they can’t endure till daybreak’s pure,
Love till love’s the only sure.

Love Till Loves the Only Sure

"Good Seed" is a patient, grounding folk-blues meditation on the wisdom of tending life like a garden. With fingerpicked acoustic guitar, warm harmonica, and call-and-response vocals, this song explores what it means to plant good seeds, give freely without demanding results, and learn from the spaces where nothing grows.

Drawing on timeless gardening wisdom and spiritual insight, this track reminds us that we can't force growth - we can only create the conditions and trust the process. Some seeds bloom in spring, some take years, and some teach us through their silence. The empty spaces in our garden hold wisdom just as profound as the flowers.

Perfect for anyone who's learning to work at a different pace, to give light without attachment, to honor both the blooms and the bare soil. A companion piece to the bardic tradition of carrying wisdom through song.

Key themes: Patience and trust • Learning from what doesn't grow • Giving freely like the sun • Garden wisdom • Letting go of control • Empty spaces as teachers • Scattering kindness like seeds

Lyrics: 
[Verse 1]
Got my hands in the dirt, got the sun on my face
Been learning to work at a different kind of pace
You can't pull on a seedling to make it grow tall
Sometimes the waiting is the wisest work of all

[Chorus]
Just plant good seed, tend the garden well
Give it light and water, let the seasons tell
Some will bloom in spring, some will take their time
And the ones that don't grow, well they teach you just fine
Plant good seed, let it be

[Verse 2]
I used to think that I could force my way through
Fight and push and make things do what I want them to
But the sun don't demand, and the rain don't command
They just give what they got, leave the rest in nature's hands

[Chorus]
Just plant good seed, tend the garden well
Give it light and water, let the seasons tell
Some will bloom in spring, some will take their time
And the ones that don't grow, well they teach you just fine
Plant good seed, let it be

[Bridge]
Every flower that don't bloom
Is teaching something true
Maybe wrong soil, maybe wrong time
Maybe it's making room for something else to shine
There's wisdom in the empty space
Where nothing shows its face

[Verse 3]
So I listen to the silence where the seeds won't grow
There's a message in the nothing that I need to know
Not everything's meant for every piece of ground
Sometimes letting go is the most fertile thing I've found

[Verse 4]
I'm just a gardener with a patch of earth and time
Scattering kindness like seeds along the line
Can't control the weather, can't command the spring
Just offer up my light and see what mercy brings

[Final Chorus]
Plant good seed, tend the garden well
Give it light and water, trust the story it will tell
Some will bloom tomorrow, some will take some years
And the ones that don't grow hold a wisdom just as clear
Plant good seed
Oh, plant good seed
And let it be

[Outro]
(Slow and peaceful)
Hands in the dirt, sun on my face
Learning to work at a different kind of pace
Plant good seed... and let it be


Good Seed

A slow blues ballad about the moment everything changes.

I spent so long trying to earn my way, step by step, brick by brick—keeping score, watching the clock run down, wondering if I'd ever be good enough. Then one single moment of grace broke through, and I realized: I don't have to keep trying anymore. I'm already home.

This song is for anyone who's exhausted from striving, anyone carrying the weight of not being enough, anyone who needs to hear that the long road ends in rest. It's about the vertical leap—when sudden grace replaces endless effort, when one heartbeat of believing burns away years of struggle.

Fingerpicked acoustic guitar, mournful harmonica, and honest vocals tell the story of liberation from the burden of self-salvation. Influenced by delta blues, folk storytelling, and the spiritual depth of gospel, but accessible to anyone who's ever felt the relief of finally letting go.

The journey from exhaustion to freedom. From striving to rest. From the long road to home.

If this song resonates with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. We're all walking each other home.

Lyrics: 
Verse 1
I walked that long road, friend, for longer than I know,
Tried to earn my way to heaven, step by step so slow.
I did everything they told me, kept my promises each day,
Gave away everything I had, just trying to find the way.

Verse 2
They said you gotta build it up, brick by heavy brick,
Count every single good deed, make the list real thick.
I watched the clock run down, tried to beat the setting sun,
Wondered if I'd ever make it, wondered if I'd ever be done.

Chorus
But that long road can't compare to the leap I made that day,
When the truth hit my heart and washed my fear away.
I heard it like thunder, and I believed it right then,
One single moment changed everything—I was home again.
That one thought burned away all the years I'd tried.

Verse 3
They told me He was gone, that He left us here alone,
That the story ended long ago, turned to dust and stone.
But a voice came out of nowhere, singing truth so clear and bright,
Said "That story was the doorway—now you're standing in the light.
I've been here all along, child, you don't have to chase,
You don't have to earn tomorrow when you're standing face to face."

Chorus
And that long road can't compare to the leap I made that day,
When the truth hit my heart and washed my fear away.
I heard it like thunder, and I believed it right then,
One single moment changed everything—I was home again.
That one thought burned away all the years I'd tried.

Bridge
No more looking back now, no more keeping score,
I don't have to wonder if I've done enough anymore.
I jumped right over all that counting, threw the numbers far away,
I got a promise in my soul now, and it's here to stay.
'Cause I found the truth and held it tight here in my hand,
My one moment of believing was worth more than all the sand.

Outro
You can build your towers high, you can work until you drop,
But I already made it home—I already reached the top.
'Cause I got the promise living right here in my soul—
Oh, I took the leap, yes I took the leap,
And now I'm finally whole...

#blues #folkblues #acousticblues  #spiritualmusic #bluesmusic #americana #singersongwriter #rootsmusic  #deltablues #gospelblues #folkmusic #bluesballad #acousticguitar #harmonicablues #indiefolk #contemporaryblues #soulfulmusic #originalmusic #storytelling #authenticmusic #organicsound #slowblues #spiritualblues #redemptionsong #southernblues #fingerstyleguitar #intimatemusic #transformationalmusic #contemplativemusic #americanroots

Already Home

Per spelmann

Per Spelmann

The Cure I Couldn't See | The William Altig Choir

A blues-folk meditation on the physician's parable from the Lotus Sutra. This song tells the story of a soul searching desperately for healing, only to realize the remedy was offered all along—but pride and delusion kept them from believing.

Inspired by ancient Buddhist wisdom translated through the language of Delta blues and Appalachian folk, "The Cure I Couldn't See" explores themes of suffering, recognition, and the bittersweet moment when we finally accept the truth that's been waiting for us.

Raw acoustic guitar, mournful harmonica, and vocals that carry the weight of the journey from darkness into light.

For those who wander, for those who doubt, for those who finally see.


lyrics: 
Verse 1 I've been walking these roads with a poison in my veins Searching every hollow for someone to ease my pain Knocked on a thousand doors, cried out a thousand names But the remedy was sitting right there in my father's hands

Chorus Oh, the cure I couldn't see Was waiting there, waiting there for me Too proud, too blind, too lost in my disease To believe in the cure I couldn't see

Verse 2 He showed me the medicine, said "Son, just take this pill" But I shook my head and wandered off across another hill Thought I knew better, thought his words were just old tales While the poison kept on spreading and my body growing frail

Chorus Oh, the cure I couldn't see Was waiting there, waiting there for me Too proud, too blind, too lost in my disease To believe in the cure I couldn't see

Bridge Now I'm falling to my knees in the dust Everything I thought I knew just turned to rust And I hear his voice calling through the years: "Child, I never left you, I was always here"

Verse 3 So I took the medicine, felt it burn and then turn sweet Recognition flooding in like mercy at my feet All that wasted time, all those miles I roamed alone When the doctor was beside me, trying to lead me home

Final Chorus Oh, the cure I finally see Was waiting there, always there for me No more running, no more disbelief I've found the cure, and the cure has set me free Yeah, I've found the cure, and the cure has set me free


The Cure I Couldnt See

The Forgotten Promise | By The William Altig Choir

We all carry something ancient within us—a promise made before memory, a purpose that calls to us through the noise of daily life. "The Secret Vow" is a heavy blues meditation on the profound loss we feel when we've forgotten why we're here.

Drawing from the Buddhist teaching of the Bodhisattva vow—the commitment to return to this world of conflict to benefit all beings—this song explores what happens when life's preoccupations bury that sacred purpose so deep it becomes a secret even to ourselves. The weight we carry isn't a burden to escape, but a key waiting to unlock our deepest calling.

Through haunting fingerpicked guitar, wailing slide, and raw vocal testimony, the song journeys from confusion and heaviness toward the breakthrough moment of remembering. It's about waking up to the realization that we didn't come here by accident—we came on purpose, with purpose.

For anyone who's ever felt simultaneously lost and called, burdened by a mission they can't quite name, preoccupied by a thousand distractions while something sacred whispers from beneath it all—this song is for you.

The secret vow was never hidden. It was sleeping in your heart. And today's the day you start.


Lyrics
Verse 1
[Fingerpicked acoustic guitar, sparse and haunting]
I wake before the dawn breaks, with weight upon my chest
Something whispers in the silence, won’t let my spirit rest
There’s a promise in my bones, carved deeper than my name
But the preoccupations of this life have smothered out the flame
I walk these streets like shadows, familiar but alone
Each face I pass, a question mark, each moment overthrown
By bills and fears and anger, by the grinding of the day
While something sacred calls to me from ages far away

Chorus
[Full band enters: slide guitar, upright bass, brushed drums]
I made a vow, I made a vow
Before I can’t remember when
To walk into the fire, to come back here again
But the secret’s grown so heavy
That I’ve buried it from me
I made a vow to all of you
But I’ve forgotten how to see

Verse 2
[Guitar builds intensity, adding distortion on the edges]
Some nights I dream of battlefields where suffering runs deep
Of reaching out my hands to hold the ones who cannot sleep
Of stepping through the doorway into conflict and to pain
Not running from, but running toward, to help them break the chain
But morning comes with coffee, with the traffic and the news
With a thousand small distractions and a thousand small refusals
To remember why I’m here at all, what mission brought me through
The veil between the worlds I’ve known to stand here next to you

Chorus
[Heavier, with harmonica wailing between lines]
I made a vow, I made a vow
Before this flesh and bone
To benefit all beings, not to walk this path alone
But the secret’s grown so heavy
I’m a stranger to myself
I made a vow that mattered once
Now it’s gathering dust on shelves

Bridge
[Music strips down to just voice and acoustic guitar, building gradually]
Wait—
There’s a crack in the concrete
There’s a light beneath the door
There’s a reason I keep stumbling
Like I’ve been here once before
Maybe—
[Drums return, soft but insistent]
All this weight I’m carrying
Isn’t burden, it’s a key
To unlock the ancient promise
That’s been waiting inside of me
[Full band swells]
I came into this world of conflict
Not to add more to the pain
But to hold the hand of suffering
And walk with it again

Final Chorus
[Triumphant, cathartic, full-throated]
I made a vow, I MADE A VOW
And now I’m starting to recall
To come back here in service
To answer when you call
The secret wasn’t hidden
It was sleeping in my heart
I made a vow to benefit all beings
And today’s the day I start
I made a vow to benefit all beings
And today’s the day I start

Outro
[Extended instrumental fade with slide guitar and harmonica trading phrases, like a conversation between the old forgotten self and the newly awakened one. Ends on a single, sustained note of resolution]

The Forgotten Promise

IÓ PAN is a borderless composer, producer, and sonic mystic crafting soundtracks from the ruins of memory, migration, and myth. Drawing from the heat-soaked frequencies of the tropics and the icy logic of modern machines., PAN's work exists outside of genre - what they call Pantropia: a sound climate where dub coils around desert wind, Arabic cadence meets post industrial echo, and ancient rhythms speak through analog circuitry. All instruments and writing by PAN.

Please like and share. 
Welcome to the musical world of The William Altig Choir, where ancient wisdom meets contemporary sound.

Inspired by the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and infused with deep spiritual themes, my music blends the rich traditions of blues and folk with modern elements, creating a unique fusion that resonates with both the heart and soul.

I've been captivated by the Lotus Sutra's messages of compassion, wisdom, and transformation since my youth. It's a journey of self-discovery that has found its voice in my music. Each song is a reflection of my own spiritual awakening and a celebration of universal truths.

My style is characterized by emotive storytelling, powerful lyrics, and a commitment to exploring the depths of human experience. Featuring contemplative blues, acoustic slide guitar, saxophone melodies, and the harmonies of a gospel choir, my music reflects a quest for enlightenment and a better understanding of the self.

Join me on this musical journey. Together, we can explore the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, finding solace, hope, and a deeper connection to the world around us.

#SpiritualMusic  #LotusSutraMusic  #ContemplativeBlues  #BuddhistGospel #AcousticSlideGuitar  #GospelChoir  #Self-Discovery  #SpiritualAwakening  #Hope  #The_William_Altig_Choir

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