Sailing Away     (2017)
Sailing away, I’m not sure where;
Real or dream; I really don’t care;
Just letting go when the wind fills my soul;
Sailing away; sailing away.
Sailing away, from here to there;
I’m sure this river must lead somewhere;
Just flow in the current and drift along;
Sailing away; sailing away.
 
Landlocked and shackled, but not in my mind;
There’s a world of wonder that I’m ready to find;
New adventures whenever I choose;
Sailing away; sailing away.
 
On the wind; through the sky;
Teach me to live before I die;
Sailing away; sailing away.
 
Sailing away, following the voice;
Words of wisdom leave no other choice;
The love of the beloved secure in my heart;
Sailing away; sailing away.

Songs #28

Sailing Away

I’ve got aches and; I’ve got pains and
I’ve seen clouds and; I’ve seen rain;
But I’m still walking; and I’m still talking;
And I still have no reason to complain.
No more bad news, today; Can’t handle any more bad news.

Friends are sick and; friends are dying;
Can’t do much but; say a prayer;
I’ve grown quite weary; but I’m still trying;
To understand why life is so unfair.
No more bad news, today; Can’t handle any more bad news.

Heavenly choir or oblivious slumber;
Don’t know what happens when we die;
But I’m still here for some strange reason;
Thankful each day just   to be alive.
No more bad news, today; Can’t handle any more bad news.

Wish I could tie it all up and send it far away;
But I know it would manage to escape 
and come back and haunt us again someday.

Life is fleeting and things keep changing
People come and people go
I have grown angry and impatient
 Over all the answers I will never know.
No more bad news, today; Can’t handle any more bad news.

Songs #45

No More Bad News

Performed by Rising Hope; written by Terry Fisher-Originally done by Adamsfishyodor.

Live

Only the Father Knows

from Songs #24   2016

I woke up one day with love beside me;
Probably there unnoticed for days and days;
But I saw it with brand new eyes and realized
I’d never see it again any other way.
You see the light of love when you’re bombarded by hate;
You understand the urgency when you see what’s at stake.

I woke up one day and heard truth whisper
Something that just made perfect sense;
Everything means something if you listen and you hear;
Face the shades of gray with confidence.
You see the light of truth when you’re surrounded by lies;
You see what’s right in front of you 
when you open your eyes.

I woke up one day and hope was smiling;
I asked, “Is there something there that I don’t see?”
It said, “I already know the ending and the good guys win;
A little faith is all you need.”
You see the light of hope 
when you finally make your choice;
You understand the words when you recognize the voice.

Keep watching; keep listening; work hard and sing;
Enjoy every blessing that life can bring.

©2016 michael goldberg

Songs #24

You See The Light

from Songs #13   2012

1967- a million years ago; 
Something grabbed me by the scruff of my neck 
and said, “C’mon, let’s go.”

What a motley crew you used to make your point;
Poor little rich girl, geeks and prophets, 
millhunkies and secret saints. 

I heard God speak with a Pittsburgh accent;
I saw him walking with a cane;
Who would have thought the most complex answers
Didn’t need to be explained.

All around me the saints are dying;
How can you leave us here alone?
With so many traps and so much lying;
How can we find our way home?
I wanted to ask so many questions;
I wanted to bare the depths of my soul;
Instead we just talked about the good old days
And let silence fill the holes.

Thank you for your words of wisdom; 
Thank you for the clarity;
Thank you for the pushes I needed 
when faith was no guarantee.


Take me with you where you’re going;
Take me with you where you’ve been;
I’m lost in the shadow of your example;
It’s a good place to have been;
It’s a good place to have been, my friend;
It’s a good place to have been.

©2012 michael goldberg

Songs #13

Robert K. Stewart

from Songs #14  2013

Aslan sang clear and strong; 
And Narnia answered in living song;
And when the traitor’s life was justly claimed;
The Lion in love bore the blame.
Further up; further up;  Come further up and in;
Reunited in the Lion’s Land; to live in peace with him.

Sleep the night in a dragon’s lair; 
And a dragon’s life you will wake to share;
And only Aslan’s piercing claws 
Can tear the scales and loose the bonds.  
Further up; further up;  Come further up and in;
Reunited in the Lion’s Land; to live in peace with him.

Innocent minds see through time; 
Innocent hearts know where to start.

Now tell the story to everyone; 
And accept the adventure that has come;
For only as children will we understand;  
The name of The Lion and the truth of his land.
Further up; further up;  Come further up and in;
Reunited in the Lion’s Land; to live in peace with him.

©1973 michael goldberg

Songs #14

Further Up and In

from Songs #10  2010

Sing farewell to the Shadowlands; 
Goodbye to the Havens of Grey;
Sing hello to the everlands
And the light of never ending day.
For The Dayspring from on high has come to call.

©1972 michael goldberg

Songs #10

Farewell to The Shadowlands

From Songs #3  2009

In the moment of my greatest sorrow, 
I will sing your praise
When it seems like there’s no tomorrow, 
I will sing your praise;
I will sing your praise in faith; 
I will sing your praise forever;
I will look beyond today; 
I will sing your praise.

When all hope fades and I feel alone, 
I will sing your praise
Lost in the wilderness far from my home 
I will sing your praise
I will sing your praise in faith; 
I will sing your praise forever;
I will look beyond today; 
I will sing your praise.

In the face of my greatest temptation;
When I feel furthest from your expectation;
I will sing your praise.

In the moment of my greatest joy
I will sing your praise;
In the love that cannot be destroyed 
I will sing your praise
I will sing your praise in faith; 
I will sing your praise forever;
I will look beyond today; 
I will sing your praise.

©2005 michael goldberg

Songs #3

I Will Sing Your Praise

From Songs #1  2007

I used to live on a holy mountain; way up high;
Closer to heaven than it was to earth;  
so much more than met the eye.

There was a stillness in the garden; 
a quiet sense of peace;
All around light played with shadow 
and the shackles were released.
Come and drink the holy water; 
Heal the body, fill the soul;
Come and drink the holy water; 
The broken are made whole.  

There are times when the veil is lifted;
and we almost see inside;
I looked through the glass and saw a mirror 
and there was nowhere I could hide.
Come and drink the holy water; 
Heal the body, fill the soul;
Come and drink the holy water; 
The broken are made whole.  

There are times when spirit and flesh 
are so close they seem as one;
Me and the wise men and all the prophets  
standing in the light of the Son.
Come and drink the holy water; 
Heal the body, fill the soul;
Come and drink the holy water; 
The broken are made whole.  

©2006 michael goldberg

Songs #1A

Holy Water

from Songs #4   2009

Splash around in the sacred fountain; 
Till everyone around you is soaking wet;
Feast upon the bread and wine; 
Learn to live without regret.

Embrace the source of every blessing;
Shout your joy up to the sky;
Accept the endless flow of giving 
And accept the fact that you’ll never know why.
Open your eyes and see the wonder;
Open your heart and see what’s true;
Open the door and bravely walk 
into a world you never knew.

Prepare to do some quantum leaping;
Boldly go where you wouldn’t have dreamed;
Recognize the beauty all around you; 
Dive headfirst into life’s stream.
Open your eyes and see the wonder; 
Open your heart and see what’s true;
Open the door and bravely walk 
into a world you never knew.

There it is ripe for the picking; 
Fruit of the spirit to feed your soul;
How many lifetimes has it been there waiting?
New as the morning, yet a billion years old.
Open your eyes and see the wonder; 
Open your heart and see what’s true;
Open the door and bravely walk 
into a world you never knew.

©2009 michael goldberg

Songs #4

Open Your Eyes

From Songs #23  2016

I want to be old and wise like the other old wise guys;
Lewis, Hawes and Thai and the John 
who wrote The Gospel of John.

Feel like I should move around; 
get off this merry-go-round;
Do something slightly profound even if nobody sees.

Master plans should be written in sand, 
Never, ever carved in stone;
Everything changes; everything bends;
A wiser man would have known.

Spirit is like the wind; swaying leaves and limbs;
You only see where it’s been and yet that’s all you need.
Love can take control; and sooth the troubled soul;
Broken becomes whole as it gathers the scattered parts.

Sacred is often deceptively simple; 
Service sometimes means routine;
Love is always love; a wiser man would have seen.

Becoming old is just a matter of survival, genes and luck;
Becoming wise requires some thought;
A few hard questions; a few hard answers;
And disregarding a few things you were taught.

I want to be old and wise 
like the other old wise guys (and girls);
Newcomer, Ginsburg and Malala; 
my mother, my daughters and my wife.

©2016 michael goldberg

Songs #23

Old & Wise

Pivot and Turn	

The more I learn about the ways of the world
The more I want to withdraw
And just live in a world of my own somewhere
Far away from it all.
The same mistakes over and over again; 
The same old tired cast;
Playing the same old familiar roles 
No different from the past.
When will we finally be ready to pivot and to turn?
Maybe when the cost is dear enough, 
We might just begin to learn.




I was born in ’48; born again in ’66;
Most of me died in ’85; back from the dead in ’86;
 ‘87, ‘89 and ’99 helped me to wise up;
Halfway through ’11 my spirit was broken;
In ’12 I finally woke up.

When will we finally be ready to pivot and to turn?
Maybe when the cost is dear enough, 
We might just begin to learn.

I’m haunted by the holy places I’ll never see again;
There’s this creek that flows on this mountain
And flowed through my soul back then
On its way to the river; on its way to the sea;
Somehow time stood still and paused 
and waited for me.

When will we finally be ready to pivot and to turn?
Maybe when the cost is dear enough, 
We might just begin to learn.

When true simplicity is gained; 
To bow and to bend we will not be ashamed;
To turn, to turn, will be our delight;
Till by turning, turning, we come ‘round right.

from Songs #29 ©2017 michael goldberg

Songs #29

Pivot and Turn

from Songs #21  2016
                      
Welcome to my world where angels move unseen;
Where every precious gift waits to be received.

Welcome to my day filled with words and song;
A place you’ll come to know as 
the place your heart belongs.

Welcome to the quiet; compassion opens wide
Welcome to the sacred; close the door and come inside.

Behind the familiar façade amazing things await;
It’s the mysterious bond; reestablished every day.

Blessed water freely flows 
from deep within the ancient stones;
Pure and holy, cool and clear; 
wash away all doubt and fear. 

Welcome to my world; no need to be alone;
I’ve been waiting here for you; 
please make yourself at home.

Songs #21

Welcome

husband, father, artist (www.atticartglass.com), musician.

Michael Goldberg

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