Lyrics and poetry written by Jeff Leslie in 2009


ECLIPSE- HERO- SHAKESPEARE AND THE DOG- SIR TONY NOMINEE
THE SINGING ROSE- WHERE SCARLET TURNS TO SNOW (1)
WHERE SCARLET TURNS TO SNOW (2)


“ECLIPSE”
4/28/09

I like to wake before the break
Of dawn to watch the sun,
That welcome pause to see what causes
Night to turn and run.

The fiery orb our mighty Lord
Has given wings to fly
Will like a golden eagle soar
And light the world and sky.

Throughout the day it makes its way
As shadows cross the trees,
Creating shade for lemonade stands
Underneath the leaves.

I pour a cup and peering up
I spy a covered edge.
And like the gold has taken cold,
A virus starts to spread.

From left to right, the solar light
Succombs to its attack.
As minutes pass the polished brass
Begins to fade to black.

Then all at once a moment comes
In early afternoon.
The beauty of the golden sun
Is stolen by the moon.

With bated breath I clutch my chest
In fear beyond belief.
My solar friend is apprehended
By a lunar thief.

My knees grow weak, I cannot speak
Nor make the slightest sound,
Except a gasp while falling fast
Against the grassy ground.

My vision dimmed, my head is spinning
On the velvet green.
Till like a babe asleep, I lay
And slip into a dream.

Within my mind I look to find
A humble garden tomb.
A massive stone that fills the hole
Is rounded like the moon.

A thunder burst that shakes the earth
Then causes it to roll,
Exposing light that shines more like
A thousand suns of gold.

A Man as bright as a lightening strike
Appears before my eyes.
The crucified returns to life.
It is the risen Christ!

From bended knee I gaze to see Him
Raise His wounded hand
And softly speak these words to me
“I Am the Light of Man.”

Then angels from around the tomb
All gather at His sides,
And with the Son, the righteous One,
Ascend clear out of sight.

As I awaken, golden rays
Are warm upon my face.
Like morning’s dawn, the moon is gone.
My friend again in place.

Oh, golden flare that rules the air,
On white-tipped wings of clouds
What kingdom lies beyond your sky
That makes me sing so loud?

These eyes of faith anticipate,
When rapture steals my soul,
A greater love and joy above
Than ever can be told.

Now every time the moon floats by
To hide the friendly sun,
I’ll close my eyes and think of Christ
And Light that’s yet to come.



“HERO”
4/2/2009

Once upon a time
There lived a man upon the earth
Whose greatest wish was granted
On the day his wife gave birth
When worries of his weakness
Caused the man to pause and pray
“How can I become his hero?”
He then heard his baby say,

“You don't have to be a hero
With an emblem on your chest
Always flying in the sky
And freeing damsels in distress.
If you want to be my hero,”
Said the child upon his knee,
“Simply love me as I am,
And then my hero you shall be.”

“Yesterday is gone
So never live within the past
Tomorrow isn't promised
Dad, today is all I ask.
If you want admiration,
Understand this from the start
You will be my super hero
If there's love within your heart.”

“You don't have to be a hero
With an emblem on your chest
Always flying in the sky
And freeing damsels in distress.
If you want to be my hero,”
Said the child upon his knee,
“Simply love me as I am,
And then my hero you shall be.”

“God will give you power
Wing your worries up above
Forget about your weaknesses
And dwell upon His love.”

“You don't have to be a hero
With an emblem on your chest
Always flying in the sky
And freeing damsels in distress.
If you want to be my hero,”
Said the child upon his knee,
“Simply love me as I am,
And then my hero you shall be.”



“SHAKESPEARE AND THE DOG”
5/6/2009

I watched a man in Central Park
Read Shakespeare to a dog
That did not even turn to bark
To make me move along

Instead he sat with ears transfixed
To hear his master’s voice
With no desire for fetching sticks
Or chasing cats and toys

Although he failed to understand
‘To be or not to be’
He wagged his tail and watched the man
As though he set him free

Then suddenly a thought occurred,
The man is like the Christ
Reciting from His holy Word
The reason for my life

His will is in a language
That’s perplexing to my brain
But still I sit here hanging
Onto every Word the same

And though there may be times I pray
‘To be or not to be’
With every Word in every way
He sets my spirit free



“SIR TONY NOMINEE”
3/13/2009

His hair is set so every strand
Is perfectly in place.
His costume and his make up
Fix a smile upon his face.
He plays the handsome hero
In the spotlight on the stage
For that’s the way the story goes,
He always saves the day.

Applause resounds like thunder
As the crimson curtain falls.
It never stops till he returns
For seven curtain calls.
He’s sure to win the Tony
Say the signs and the marquee.
With confidence He calls himself
Sir Tony Nominee.

He lives his life in costume
As he strolls along the streets.
He speaks his hero’s manuscript
To everyone he meets.
His longing for applause has caused
His true self to subside.
Now no one can recall the man
Sir Tony tries to hide.

He thinks if he’s the hero
That his fans have so admired,
Then he’ll receive the love they give
Sir Tony so desired.
And then a friend came up to him
And said, “I have to ask,
Oh, when will be the day
That you remove that foolish mask?

Do you misunderstand you’re not
The man we want to see?
Don’t try to be the hero
You pretend to always be.
The only way the face you bear
Will be completely free
Is when you face the truth my friend,
Sir Tony Nominee.”

One night the time had fin’ly come
Sir Tony feared the most.
For after his finale
Tony's play was going to close.
So what will he then do
Without his costume when he quits?
Without his makeup, perfect hair,
And hero's manuscript?

The room was full, the lights were dimmed,
The curtain slowly rose,
But gone were all the sets and props
When time to start the show.
An actor never seen before
Then crept across the stage.
The ordinary clothes he wore
Exposed a man of age.

He stopped and turned toward the crowd
Then fell upon his knees.
With tears of shame the man proclaimed,
“I’m Tony Nominee!”
A hush consumed massive room
As Tony shook with fear,
Then he could not believe the sound
That fell upon his ear.

Like raindrops on a city street
A clicking sound would grow
As cameras flashed like lightning
Till the room began to glow.
Then louder than the thunder,
Like the very voice of God,
The room began to rumble
From the crowd’s intense applause.

Then Tony learned the words
His trusted friend had said were true.
The only part you need to play
To face the world is you.
Whoever says to fit the mold
They preconceive of men,
Oh, listen not to selfish thoughts
That you receive from them!

We all pursue perfection
In this journey known as life,
But even when we change ourselves
We’re seldom satisfied.
That’s why there is such beauty
In a baby at its birth.
For therein lies the hope
Of God’s perfection here on earth.

Reality then hits them
Like they’re slammed against a wall.
They find there’s no perfection
In the mirror after all.
For each of us will find some faults
As our reflection leers,
That cause us to be diff’rent
From the looks of all our peers.

So never try to measure
What you are by what you see,
For looks can be deceiving
As with Tony Nominee.
The greatest way upon the earth
For you to make your mark
Is find the Truth within yourself
Accepting who you are.

The beauty of a person’s life
Comes not from what you see.
Your hair and face and body shape
Can perfect never be.
The love you hold within your soul
Is where your beauty starts.
While man looks on the outer shell,
Our God looks in your heart.



“THE SINGING ROSE”
5/27/09

I walked around the marble walls surrounding Paradise
In search of those illusive gates of gold
I knew I could not scale them for they stood too smooth and high
So walking was the only way to go

When suddenly the path beneath my feet became a stream
I felt somehow I must be getting close
Then secrets caught my ears between some whispering evergreens
And music from a distant crimson rose

How can a rose sing?
And how can the trees speak
Whispering words that a man understands
Does the King only know?
How am I walking
On top of a blue stream?
Questions like these I am longing to ask
Of the singing rose.

The music grew more beautiful as nearer I became
And richer was the crimson of the bloom
Arriving at the garden,  I then asked the rose its name
And all the things that I’d been wondering, too.

How can a rose sing?
And how can the trees speak,
Whispering words that a man understands?
Does the King only know?
How am I walking
On top of a blue stream?
Questions like these I've been longing to ask
Oh, singing rose

And the bloom sang, “I am the Rose of Sharon,
And beyond me I have prepared a place just for you.”

Where all the roses sing
And all of the trees speak
Whispering words that a man understands
This and more you'll behold?
You will be walking
On top of the blue streams?
Full of My love in the wonderful land
Of the singing rose


This is the original version of the final poem.  I included it because
I wanted to remember the original concept.

“WHERE SCARLET TURNS TO SNOW (1)”
4/9/2009

Down the hill like Jack again
I fall while fetching water
Covered with a scarlet stain
I wonder why I bother

There’s something on that hill so high
That I can barely see
That draws my soul so deep inside
The unseen part of me

So up the hill I go
For in my heart I know
That there’s a place so full of grace
That scarlet turns to snow

With child-like faith I take my pail
In pure determination
And upward I refuse to fail
To reach my destination

There’s something in the mountain snow
That makes the water sweeter
Than that which in the valley flows
And so, I long to drink it

So up the hill I go
For in my heart I know
That there’s a place so full of grace
That scarlet turns to snow

Fin’ly at the peak of frost
I see through tear filled eyes
The footing of a crimson cross
Where Jesus gave His life

So up the hill I go
For in my heart I know
That there’s a place so full of grace
That scarlet turns to snow



“WHERE SCARLET TURNS TO SNOW(2)”
4/10/2009

When I'm burdened the heavy chains
That bind me to my sin
And I'm covered by a scarlet stain
That's blinding me from Him

Then something on a hill so high
That I can barely see
Will draw my soul up to the sky
To set this captive free

So up the hill I go
For in my heart I know
That there’s a place so full of grace
That scarlet turns to snow

Now full of faith I take the weight
That makes me feel so weak
And upward I approach the grace
That calls me to the peak

Then something in the mountain snow
Cause scarlet eyes to see
The chains I wore when down below
Are gone and I am free

So up the hill I go
For in my heart I know
That there’s a place so full of grace
That scarlet turns to snow

Fin’ly at the peak of frost
I see through perfect eyes
The footing of a crimson cross
Where Jesus gave His life

Now joy has filled my soul
For in my heart I know
I've found the place so full of grace
That scarlet turns to snow


All Lyrics © 2008 Jeff Leslie.  All Rights Reserved.
Non-Profit Use Permitted.
SoundClick.com/jeffleslie


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