Some years ago I wrote a song to celebrate a beautiful place where great music had resounded over the years at Christmas time. I sang this ODE again this year to say farewell to a gorgeous place in Montreal.
I hope you enjoy it. Click the link below to listen…

(click here)  – Ode to the Simple, Human Needs that Last.


ODE TO THE SIMPLE HUMAN NEEDS THAT LAST

© Barbara Lewis (lyrics and music)

Look around you, there’s a glow
A quiet, calm, yet rich tableaux.
Wood that’s dark and smooth with age
that resonates from a timeless stage

Go back with me through time’s deep eyes
to another Christmas, in an older guise.
Families gathered near a blazing hearth
where the dinner is cooking…. there’s noise and warmth

They entertain themselves, they sing!
Their voices have a distant ring.
But listen closely, what they say is what we all desire today:

CHORUS: Friends who love us – room to breathe
Time to grow and hearts at peace
Power to change when things go wrong
Having somewhere we belong

Sense the spirit here tonight as past and present and our hopes unite.
See the tree – a symbol still that all these hopes can be fulfilled.
Beyond the gifts, the fancy whims, the complex waters in which our present swims.
Feel our strong bond to the past, through the simple human needs that last.

CHORUS: Friends who love us – room to breathe
Time to grow and hearts at peace
Power to change when things go wrong
Having somewhere we belong

Imagine that the day will come when the dreams we’ve dreamed
and the songs we’ve sung will open doors that once were closed,
where future songs can be composed.
Hear the laughter of our children, see the light!
As people gather on a Christmas night – to celebrate
in their chosen way, the deeper meaning of a Christmas day.

CHORUS: So, look around you – there’s a glow
A quiet, calm yet rich tableaux
Wood that’s dark and smooth with age
That resonates from a timeless stage