The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #155897 Message #3671685
Posted By: Joe Offer
23-Oct-14 - 06:59 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Add: Circle of Song (Margaret Miles)
Subject: Lyr Add: Circle of Song (Margaret Miles)
I belong to a near-perfect song circle called "In Harmony's Way Up in Auburn." We're an interesting mix of eight to a dozen people. Some people drive seventy-five miles to sing with us one Sunday afternoon a month. Some of the singers have multiple recordings, some are accomplished amateurs, and some are beginners. Every singer is listened to and supported, and people join in with sweet harmonies. We've formed a wonderful bond over the five years or so that we've been singing together.
A year or so ago, we started beginning each session by singing "Circle of Song," written by Margaret Miles, the intrepid librarian/songwriter of Fairfax, California; and a pretty darn wonderful person in her own right. The song captures how I feel about singing with other people, and I often get tears in my eyes when I sing it. The song is well-known throughout the San Francisco Folk Music Club. I hope you like it.
Here are Margaret's lyrics:
CIRCLE OF SONG
(Margaret Miles)
Once we've eaten our fill, and the talk settles down
Our chairs form a circle, and we all gather 'round
It makes my heart lift, and my spirit does soar
Music makes us a family, it's what I'm here for
CHORUS
The ringing of the harmony, support of the bass
Our voices intertwining is like an embrace
Anyone can start a melody and the rest will sing along
Our voices weave together in a circle of song
Our voices weave together in a circle of song
These are songs we create with inspiration and breath
And a part of ourselves that survives beyond death
Though some leave our circle, the music goes on
And we welcome new voices to our circle of song
Bridge:
Sing with me, sing with me
We can find the parts
Sing with me and the harmonies
Will keep us whole when we're apart
Like the strands of a cloak that are woven with care
We are strengthened and joined by the songs we've heard here
If voices raised together echoed round the world strong
We might have peace on earth through our circle of song
Margaret's notes: This song describes a community I first met when I lived in Sacramento in the 90's, and who have remained some of my best friends ever since; several of their voices are singing on the chorus.
Here's a recording of Margaret singing the song at a house concert in Auburn, California, with her Sacramento friends. They performed together as "Kitchen Cinq."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-FHFx2mZSI