Songs & Lyrics

I'm often asked, "Why do you write songs, and who are your main influences?" And, do you know, I really had to give that some deep thought. When something as wonderful as songwriting is gifted, as it was to me, it's difficult to quantify without a lot of soul-searching and reflection.            

This is what I said: "I write music because it connects my soul to the universe, and keeps me       tethered to a center that is strong and vibrant. Without music, this creative spiritual link, I find over time that I am disconnected from my roots. I'm influenced by early folk artists, contemporary folk artists, and strong lyricists in every genre - I find that Mary Chapin Carpenter has the greatest spiritual connection to my work, but other artists in mulitple genres also have a creative influence." 

I would describe my type of music as acoustic folk with a contemporary christian kick - most of my songs explore the relationship between Faith and Reality - a gospel thread, but with a contemporary creative voice.   I also write about the process and journey of LOVE - what it means to search for it, find it, lose it, and evolve on its path - something so many of us can relate to.   And where am I going?  More music, with more creative risks.  I have a long way to go to really learn this craft, but I've advanced to the piano now beyond my basic comfort zones on the guitar, so know that I will link with the necessary individuals, tools and resources in the future to keep me learning, evolving, and creating.  

Here is the latest creation: the instrumental track of Sawdust Sunlight, which got me a nomination as singer-songwriter of the year in ISSA's (Independent Singer-Songwriter Association) 2009 Songwriting contest.        

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INDEX

 

Sawdust Footprints Lyrics
Brand New Dream - Song Snapshot & Lyrics
The Day Begins Again - Song Snapshot
Christmas Lullabye - Song Snapshot
Silver Dreams - Song Snapshot
No Man's Land - Song Snapshot
These Holy Ghosts - Song Snapshot

 

Footprints Lyrics

(Copyright 2009 Travis/Daniels All Rights Reserved)

These are the lyrics from the song discussed in my music blog 5 November 2009: the brand new tune-in-progress with co-writer and collaborator, Mike Daniels.

 

Verse 1

I loved to watch my daddy’s hands dance when he was carvin’ wood.
Just a boy of ten back then, I worshipped him, learned all I could.
He never caught me peekin’ through the rusty keyhole in his door.
I always knew where daddy stood from his sawdust footprints on the floor.

 

CHORUS

SOMETIMES HE’D TAKE AN OLD WHITE OAK
OR PERHAPS HE’D FIND KENTUCKY PINE ….
TURN THE LATHE ON, SPIN THE WOOD & MAKE IT SHINE –
HE EVEN MADE ME AN APPALACHIAN ROCKIN’ CHAIR.
NOW, I SWEAR I SEE HIM STANDING THERE.

 

Verse 2

I used to help my dad sweep up the shop at night right after dark.
He would sing old mountain tunes & I’d work hard, I’d push my broom. 
A woodshop for a boy like me is one part magic, all intrigue.
I’d step inside those sawdust footprints and pretend they were my destiny.

 

BRIDGE

 
As each day dawns, I claim this legacy:
Oh, I believe a Father’s love frames who we dare to be.
This kind Kentucky soul instilled in me a love for land
And too the man in sacred sawdust memories I could not see …

 

Verse 3

I loved to watch my daddy’s hands dance when he was carvin’ wood.
Just a boy of ten back then, I worshipped him, learned all I could.
He never caught me peekin’ through the rusty keyhole in his door.
I always knew where daddy stood from his sawdust footprints on the floor.

 

CHORUS

SOMETIMES HE’D TAKE AN OLD WHITE OAK
OR PERHAPS HE’D FIND KENTUCKY PINE ….
TURN THE LATHE ON, SPIN THE WOOD & MAKE IT SHINE –
ONCE HE EVEN MADE ME AN APPALACHIAN ROCKING CHAIR,
I SWEAR I STILL SEE HIM STANDING THERE … 
SAWDUST AND LAUGHTER SWIRLING IN THE AIR …

 

Tag:

 
I loved to watch my daddy’s hands dance when he was carvin’ wood …

  

Brand New Dream: Song Snapshot

For anyone who has ever doubted path or place in the universe, this song explores the notion of Redemption - how to tap into hope and a Brand New Dream, when we are lost on the crossroad, struggling with faith and self-forgiveness.

Background for the Song:

I had a dream not too long ago about my destiny. God is talking to me about my life path, and a spiritual guide shows me the entire script, from beginning to end. "Do you like what you see?" I am asked, and reply that I do, that I love the way my life is all set out. And then the choice is offered: "Well, you can keep that one or re-write it if you want, it's entirely up to you." Knowing I would not remember what I saw in this dream, I still made the choice to keep the life already ordained, scripted for me. It was one I loved in the dream, but upon waking, wondered why, because it did not match with the circumstances of my life at the time. Still, the notion of a dual path stuck with me, and this redemptive choice & theme is both explored and ultimately resolved in Brand New Dream as the "bridge" on the CrossRoad to Faith & Self-Forgiveness.

On a more personal note, the idea for the bridge came from a not-so-coincidental meeting with an unusual ally on the path, a messenger in March of that year who whose smile stuck with me, because she invited me in, wanted to know who I was.  It was the first time in a long time I remembered feeling so welcomed in someone’s heart.   The embrace permitted me to find my way back to my own dream and in the process, to set one in motion for my youngest brother who was struggling tremendously at the time with letting go, moving forward in a new journey … 

I offered the first ‘draft’ as his birthday present in June of 2006 and remember how hard he cried, hearing only the melody.   It was a surprising response, one of the first times I witnessed a song, my song, resonate in someone else firsthand, and a Brand New Dream was born.

Lyrics:

(Copyright 2006 Phyllis A Travis)

 

Verse 1

When the road you thought you knew keeps changin'
Not a welcome sign out anywhere,
And you’re lost, keep searchin’ for direction,
But you’re cold … all alone … 
And when you cry, there’s no one there  …

CHORUS

Then you dream a brand new dream
And believe a brand new day
And let it teach you how to reach
The dreams you thought you threw away
When you dream a brand new dream
And believe another day,
Then your Faith, your faith will Light the Way …

 
Verse 2

When the life you thought you had worth livin’
Is the one you want to toss away,
And you’re tired, so tired of always givin’
What's the point? No one you know
Seems to notice anyway ...

 
CHORUS

Well, then you dream a brand new dream
And hang on another day
A life worth livin' is worth forgivin'
Those who hurt you on the way,
When you dream a brand new dream
And can see another day,
You will discover in each other,
Love will always find a Way
It lights the Way …

 
BRIDGE
 
We all have paths,
The ones we have, the ones we’re given …
The choice is always ours, is ours to make …
We never know who we will meet
On the road to Self-Forgiveness
Sometimes a stranger’s smile is all it takes
For us to break, and find our way back to a dream ….
A brand new dream …

CHORUS

And to see a brand new day,
And let it teach us how to reach out
And save another soul today …
When we dream a brand new dream
And can see another day
Then the Love we share
Will light the Way …

 

Verse 3

When you think your Presence here won’t matter,
That the struggle has always been in vain,
And those you lost can’t ever hear you cryin’
THINK AGAIN, WE’RE LISTENIN’ IN …
AND WE ARE WITH YOU ALL THE WAY!

CHORUS

Now, you dream a brand new dream
And believe another day
You are the reason and the season
Another soul will have today
When you dream a brand new dream
And can see another day,
Then your Love and your Faith
Will Light the Way …

 
Tag:

You Light the Way …
You ARE the Way …

 

The Day Begins Again: Song Snapshot

I’ve always had the sense this song was prophetic, because it speaks to a wisdom I did not own at the time, yet knew to trust when I struggled with loss and isolation. A Day Begins Again is a message of Renewal and Hope, on the other side of Crisis …

Background for the Song:

I wrote the song with my gibson b-25 natural acoustic guitar, sitting on the floor in my tiny studio apartment in framingham, ma, west of boston. I had done a demo with a local studio, and the album was being done and the producer needed two more songs to make it twelve, not ten, and to complete the time. He asked me if i could write two new songs by the time of the studio session that week. I answered, "of course", and then wondered what i had gotten myself into.

Christmas Lullabye:  Song Snapshot

Inspired by the birth of my godchild in December of 1986,  Christmas Lullaby which celebrates the birth, spirit and message of Christmas …

Background for the Song:

Although this ballad was written some time ago. Christmas Lullabye recently got picked up by 3PG Records, as one of the songs on its “Songs for the Soldiers” Tribute holiday compilation CD in 2006. You will find it for purchase and download here, as well as I-Tunes, CD-Baby & Rhapsody. It apparently has some staying power :)

Silver Dreams:  Song Snapshot

We’ve all had perfect lovers in dreams, yes? This is one of those dreams, spanning the hearts of two souls on distant shores – one here, one there – and the quest for love. In my dream, it is always possible to embrace this perfect love.      

Background for the Song:

 
The melody, lyrics and creative sequences, appeared to me in a series of dreams ...  During my stint in seminary in 2002. I wrote silver dreams on a sunny day in berkeley, when I was standing on my balcony thinking about how extraordinary these dreams were in telling the truth. More than anything, I wanted to capture the feeling in the dream, hold it close enough to remember each time I sang the song, so i would never forget its imprint in my heart. The lyric tells the story ...

No Man's Land:  Song Snapshot

In “No Man’s Land”, there exists a wilderness road which must be traveled to understand who we are, where we have been, what matters, and what we hope to accomplish. Engaged there, here, with other souls, and the wisdom offered in their journeys, we learn to engage and welcome our own.  

Background for the Song:

Working in Alabama this summer, I lived in a small town without big city amenities like a washer and dryer, so had to hang out in the local Laundromat to do my clothes.   I remember it was right before Independence Day and a scorcher, because the air conditioning was out and a sign on the “Kleen-o-Mat” said, “Closed for the Fourth of July”, so everyone was trying to get their Saturday cleaning done on Friday instead.   So, there I “sat” in No Man’s Land, watching the suds go round and round ….  when I was reminded of a dream, and this song took shape …

These Holy Ghosts:  Song Snapshot

A song about letting go and moving on, These Holy Ghosts is not so much the ‘ghost’ that needs to hold on, but the energy we have created in that space, to feel safely tethered to a memory of love.

Background for the Song:

Easter is always a hallmark event in my life, and reminds me always of those I have lost and loved, yet still keep close, resurrected in spirit. I knew it was time to move on, celebrate life not death, embrace Joy. But, how? I wondered audibly?  My angel spirits, one after the other, came in a thought-flicker of ‘light’, giving me the ‘memory’ needed in reverent song, to craft and create These Holy Ghosts.