Benediction, for Soprano and Piano

Duration: 8:00
Completed: 2014
Instrumentaion: Soprano, Piano, optional young musicians

Program Notes

Tucked in:
Please come and tell me when it’s morning time, papa.


The moon gives light in time of night
but more so our dreams, 
By candle our minds write  
‘Til we see the dawnbeams, 


Hidden in our round head,
We journey far as merry monarchs
Into that undiscovered country of no return.


The royal Oak, it was the Tree
That sav’d his royal Majesty.


From the tall, airy aerie 
Sam Cee saw Cee Sam tarry 
And into Cee Cee’s castle Steely steal 
to steal the songbook of steel,
Wherin he’ll find the verses versus.


The barely bare Bears barely bore
boring boring beetles that bore 
boring bores upon their backs
Through the woods, following the tracks. 


Zaccheus, he
Did climb the Tree,
His Lord to see.


Through lands before us spread,
Pinned with pines and filled with songlarks,
We then sieve, dig, and knead through our environs of concern.


Good frend for Jesus sake forebeare,
To digg þe dust encloased heare.
Blese be þe man þat spares þes stones,
And curst be he þat moves my bones.


Would that we will wake, 
But watch ’til then;
Worms dust sift, remake;
Goodbye, amen.


Soft you, a word or two before you go.


Cee Cee’s work was exception, except 
I’ll say she’d exceptionally accept 
acceptance, except 
on second Thursdays, 
except she had the grace 
to accept 
what she could not efface 
and the wisdom to know the difference, 
she, Cee Cee, saw seas in season, 
so some of the scent on Cee Cee’s 
seventy seven cents 
was sent and sens’d 
but some was seized on the seas 
in a seasonal scene seen 
by seasoned sailors Sam Sam and Dean. 


Whales in the Sea
God’s Voice obey.


A found flounder floundered
on a foundering ship, the Foundry,
while the founder of the flounder, 
the founder of a foundering flounder-finding foundation, 
found he floundered and then foundered to catch it. 


The founder, Barley Bob the Bald, 
bawled with big head bowed 
and to his sailors call’d
“what wonders we’ve weaved, when finding flounder!” 


Please give a good word, speak well;
Now and in each dark hour: soothe!
Love and wonders and truth tell.
Will I be alright and what of you?
Help, save, and godspede, farewell.