Words and music by Tom Maynard
A song-writing exercise in a Bob Franke class at the Summer Acoustic Music Week. The ancient voices seemed very loud, coming to me from the land and the past. I pray my children will hear them, too!!
Tom Maynard: vocals, guitar, Native American flute; Seth Connelly: bass; Ken Porter: percussionI'm wrestling with those questions
The ones we ask right from the start
How to be a healing presence
Can I find a Path with Heart?
And I call out to the Universe
Not expecting a reply
When all at one a thunderbolt
Comes crashing from the sky
Hand-me-downs
The wisdom of the Elders
Generations without names
Grandfathers and grandmothers
In an unbroken chain
It's learning from the ages
It's guidance pure and true
They're loving hands to point the way
It's ancient and yet new
Hand-me-downs
Hand me down your wisdom
Your connection to the land
Hand me down your love of life
On your shoulders we all stand
As I watch my children playing
Their time has just begun
They take their joy from living
My thoughts fly as they run
To when I'm no longer with them
And they ask their questions "why"
When they call out to the Universe
With wonder in their eyes
They'll know that their not alone here
And there's wisdom all around
All they have to do is listen
And they'll hear me in the sound
Hand-me-downs