The Watchman's Chair - a collection of contemporary Jewish folk
All music and English lyrics by Beth Hamon
Hebrew lyrics from the Jewish liturgy
The First Time (Shehecheyanu)
The One Before Whom You Stand
Count To Four
Daughter Of Mine
V'ha-eir eineinu (Light Up Our Eyes)
Am I Asking For Too Much
What Is Time
The Watchman's Chair
The First Time (Shehecheyanu)
There's a first time for everything
A first time, so the writers and the poets sing
Baby steps, a first kiss
Wave goodbye to the first one you'll miss
The first time you're taken seriously
The first time you find yourself with the keys
To freedom -- oh, sweet freedom
Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech haOlam
Shehecheyanu v'kiymanu v'higianu lazman hazeh
There's a first time for everything
A first time, so the writers and the poets sing
The first time in a strange new town
The first time you're caught with your guard down
The first moment after you've found a friend
Feels like it will never end -- it could go on
Forever -- and forever
Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech haOlam
Shehecheyanu v'kiymanu v'higianu lazman hazeh
(Blessed are You, Eternal One, our God, ruling spirit of the universe
Who has given us life, sustained us and helped us to reach this time.)
The One Before Whom You Stand
When you wake up in the early light
And you stretch your arms and yawn
The sunshine hurts your eyes ‘cause it’s so bright
Grab the paper off the lawn
Setting moon will soon be gone
In the yard’s a mighty tree
Perhaps the oldest thing upon this land
You stare up at this giant one
The one before whom you stand
When you walk past everyone you meet
And you don’t look them in the eye
When you someone wearing rags out on the street
Do you ever wonder why
You don’t stop and help that guy
There but for the grace of God
It could be you who’s holding out your hand
Better ask yourself who’s the one
The one before whom you stand
Moving through life without paying any mind
Missing every mark on the map
In the end what will you find
When you go to your holy place to pray
And there’s people all around
Will anyone hear what you need to say
Though you cannot make a sound
Pour your heart out on the ground
You don’t have to move your lips
For that still small Voice to understand
You just need to remember the one
You just have to remember the one
You just need to remember the one
The one before whom you stand
Count To Four
When I count to four
I don’t need to say Your name
Because every letter can be found
In the beautiful arithmetic
That rises from the ground
One-two-three-four
Lift me up and show me more
Of Your All-There-Is
Of all the Amazingness
The amazing Nes Gadol
It won’t matter where we came from in the end
We’re all going to the same place as enemies or friends
So we count to four
It doesn’t matter what came before
The Big Bang gave birth
To a million beating hearts
A million souls to fill a broken vessel
We must count to four
Or five or six or even ten
However many breaths it takes
To calm this fiery rage
That threatens to blow up the world once more
It won’t matter where we came from in the end
We’re all going to the same place as enemies or friends
So we count to four
Reach down and touch the floor
Pick up Your broken piece
And see if it will fit with mine
So we can put the world together again
Daughter of Mine
Intro:
Like Hannah, leaning at the wall
Lips move, no sound comes at all
People passing think I'm drunk, or just a basket case
A million babies in the world,
Can't You save me just one?
I'm waiting for you to show me some of Your storied grace
Verse:
Daughter of mine, I would rock you to sleep
And sing you songs to keep your dreaming only sweet
Daughter of mine, I would hold your hand
While you learned to stand upon your own two feet
Chorus:
Oh, daughter of mine, if you were only mine
I'd love and I'd keep you safe for as long as I could
Oh, daughter of mine, if you were only mine
I'd hold you here within my heart until the end of time
Verse:
Daughter of mine, I would wipe away your tears
When your first kiss walked out the door and took your heart along
Daughter of mine, I would help you face your fears,
Show you where to find some courage, teach you how to be strong
Chorus:
Oh, daughter of mine, if you were only mine...
Break:
Many days I prayed that you might come my way
And many nights I'd fall asleep on a pillow wet with tears
But with each passing year, the truth became more clear
Because sometimes silence is the only answer
Verse:
Daughter of mine, you were not meant to be
Life has given me another task, and places I must see
Daughter of mine, I must say goodnight for now
And hope you'll hear sweet lullabies in another's arms somehow
Chorus:
Oh, daughter of mine, if you were only mine...
V'ha-eir einenu (Light Up Our Eyes)
V'ha-eir eineinu b'Torahtecha
V'dabek libeinu b'Mitzvotecha
V'yacheid l'vaveinu
V'yacheid l'vaveinu
L'ahavah ul'yirah et Shemecha
(Light up our eyes with Your Torah
Guide our hearts with Your Commandments,
That we may love and revere Your Name.)
Am I Asking For Too Much
Sometimes it’s hard to be thankful for what you have
When it means that someone else won’t have enough
Am I naive to want a world where things are equal
And each of us has everything we need
I can’t ignore all the pain and strife around me
Turn the volume down, pretend that it’s not there
For we are all made in the same holy image
So when one is hurt, we all have weight to bear
Am I asking for too much,for the world to be more fair
When we were taught that we all started out that way
I don’t think we’re too far gone to begin to put things right
So that our children will come to find a better way
Across the ocean is a place that we hold sacred
Filled with history and beauty to behold
Many people call it home, and call it holy
And there’s more than just one story to be told
What would this world be like if we took time to listen
To the story that our neighbor has to tell
Perhaps we’d come to know what we all have in common
That we all draw water from the same deep well
Am I asking for too much,for the world to be more fair
When we were taught that we all started out that way
I don’t think we’re too far gone to begin to put things right
So that our children will come to find a better way
What Is Time
What is time
But a way to break up the day
When your life becomes too much to bear
What are minutes
But a way to parcel out your life
When you realize a day is not enough
To explain the flutter of a moth’s fragile wings
When it hurls itself towards the light
To describe the beating of a human heart
At all the light that we can’t see
At all the things we want to be
And all the ways we fear we’ll end up so
Alone
What is rhythm
But a way to move your feet along
As you dance and swagger down the street
What is a downbeat
But a sign that you can start again
When you think that you can’t go another step
To explain the flutter of a moth’s fragile wings…
What is life
But a way to really feel your heart
And the heart of someone else as you pass by
What is love
But the reason we were all put here
So we won’t just sit and watch the days go by
To explain the flutter of a moth’s fragile wings…
The Watchman's Chair
The room is still, so still that everything out there
Becomes nothing in here
Before me is a pine box, unpainted, unadorned
But for a little wooden star they glued on top
The star floats above the man inside the box
Sealed off from everything
Become nothing, lying oh so still
Too still for sleep
And for this hour I will keep caring watch
Over the body of the man who is no more
Starlight doesn’t shine in here
I sit beside the casket
And it’s strange to feel no fear
I know that it will be my turn one day
And though I’ll no longer know enough to care, I hope that someone else will take my place
And take their turn in the watchman’s chair
Some may place a candle at their loved one’s head and feet
To light up the way to heaven
The custom here is different, we take turns taking care
Of our dearly beloved one
Each one of us is the candle
Lighting the heart-shaped hole poked in a world
That’s fast asleep
And for this hour I will keep caring watch
Over the body of the one who is no more
— CH --
My days stretch out all blurry, behind me and before me
A million moments rush by in a whirl
When I guard this simple box I’m reminded once again
We’re each a tiny speck in the history of the world
A hundred years from now, who’ll know I was here?
Will it matter that I mattered once
To someone else who’s just as gone
Too still for sleep
And for that hour who will keep caring watch
Over the body of the one I was…
— CH --
Recorded Oct 28-29, 2019 at The Map Room Studios - Portland, Oregon
Vocals, Guitar and Percussion: Beth Hamon
Recording and Mixing: Josh Powell, The Map Room Studios
Mastering: Stu Fessant, Indigo Groove Studios - Portland, Oregon
Cover photo: Beth Hamon
Available as digital download from CDBaby, iTunes and Bandcamp
Available in CD form at live shows.
For bookings and much more: www.beth-hamon-music.com
All music and English lyrics by Beth Hamon
Hebrew lyrics from the Jewish liturgy
The First Time (Shehecheyanu)
The One Before Whom You Stand
Count To Four
Daughter Of Mine
V'ha-eir eineinu (Light Up Our Eyes)
Am I Asking For Too Much
What Is Time
The Watchman's Chair
The First Time (Shehecheyanu)
There's a first time for everything
A first time, so the writers and the poets sing
Baby steps, a first kiss
Wave goodbye to the first one you'll miss
The first time you're taken seriously
The first time you find yourself with the keys
To freedom -- oh, sweet freedom
Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech haOlam
Shehecheyanu v'kiymanu v'higianu lazman hazeh
There's a first time for everything
A first time, so the writers and the poets sing
The first time in a strange new town
The first time you're caught with your guard down
The first moment after you've found a friend
Feels like it will never end -- it could go on
Forever -- and forever
Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech haOlam
Shehecheyanu v'kiymanu v'higianu lazman hazeh
(Blessed are You, Eternal One, our God, ruling spirit of the universe
Who has given us life, sustained us and helped us to reach this time.)
The One Before Whom You Stand
When you wake up in the early light
And you stretch your arms and yawn
The sunshine hurts your eyes ‘cause it’s so bright
Grab the paper off the lawn
Setting moon will soon be gone
In the yard’s a mighty tree
Perhaps the oldest thing upon this land
You stare up at this giant one
The one before whom you stand
When you walk past everyone you meet
And you don’t look them in the eye
When you someone wearing rags out on the street
Do you ever wonder why
You don’t stop and help that guy
There but for the grace of God
It could be you who’s holding out your hand
Better ask yourself who’s the one
The one before whom you stand
Moving through life without paying any mind
Missing every mark on the map
In the end what will you find
When you go to your holy place to pray
And there’s people all around
Will anyone hear what you need to say
Though you cannot make a sound
Pour your heart out on the ground
You don’t have to move your lips
For that still small Voice to understand
You just need to remember the one
You just have to remember the one
You just need to remember the one
The one before whom you stand
Count To Four
When I count to four
I don’t need to say Your name
Because every letter can be found
In the beautiful arithmetic
That rises from the ground
One-two-three-four
Lift me up and show me more
Of Your All-There-Is
Of all the Amazingness
The amazing Nes Gadol
It won’t matter where we came from in the end
We’re all going to the same place as enemies or friends
So we count to four
It doesn’t matter what came before
The Big Bang gave birth
To a million beating hearts
A million souls to fill a broken vessel
We must count to four
Or five or six or even ten
However many breaths it takes
To calm this fiery rage
That threatens to blow up the world once more
It won’t matter where we came from in the end
We’re all going to the same place as enemies or friends
So we count to four
Reach down and touch the floor
Pick up Your broken piece
And see if it will fit with mine
So we can put the world together again
Daughter of Mine
Intro:
Like Hannah, leaning at the wall
Lips move, no sound comes at all
People passing think I'm drunk, or just a basket case
A million babies in the world,
Can't You save me just one?
I'm waiting for you to show me some of Your storied grace
Verse:
Daughter of mine, I would rock you to sleep
And sing you songs to keep your dreaming only sweet
Daughter of mine, I would hold your hand
While you learned to stand upon your own two feet
Chorus:
Oh, daughter of mine, if you were only mine
I'd love and I'd keep you safe for as long as I could
Oh, daughter of mine, if you were only mine
I'd hold you here within my heart until the end of time
Verse:
Daughter of mine, I would wipe away your tears
When your first kiss walked out the door and took your heart along
Daughter of mine, I would help you face your fears,
Show you where to find some courage, teach you how to be strong
Chorus:
Oh, daughter of mine, if you were only mine...
Break:
Many days I prayed that you might come my way
And many nights I'd fall asleep on a pillow wet with tears
But with each passing year, the truth became more clear
Because sometimes silence is the only answer
Verse:
Daughter of mine, you were not meant to be
Life has given me another task, and places I must see
Daughter of mine, I must say goodnight for now
And hope you'll hear sweet lullabies in another's arms somehow
Chorus:
Oh, daughter of mine, if you were only mine...
V'ha-eir einenu (Light Up Our Eyes)
V'ha-eir eineinu b'Torahtecha
V'dabek libeinu b'Mitzvotecha
V'yacheid l'vaveinu
V'yacheid l'vaveinu
L'ahavah ul'yirah et Shemecha
(Light up our eyes with Your Torah
Guide our hearts with Your Commandments,
That we may love and revere Your Name.)
Am I Asking For Too Much
Sometimes it’s hard to be thankful for what you have
When it means that someone else won’t have enough
Am I naive to want a world where things are equal
And each of us has everything we need
I can’t ignore all the pain and strife around me
Turn the volume down, pretend that it’s not there
For we are all made in the same holy image
So when one is hurt, we all have weight to bear
Am I asking for too much,for the world to be more fair
When we were taught that we all started out that way
I don’t think we’re too far gone to begin to put things right
So that our children will come to find a better way
Across the ocean is a place that we hold sacred
Filled with history and beauty to behold
Many people call it home, and call it holy
And there’s more than just one story to be told
What would this world be like if we took time to listen
To the story that our neighbor has to tell
Perhaps we’d come to know what we all have in common
That we all draw water from the same deep well
Am I asking for too much,for the world to be more fair
When we were taught that we all started out that way
I don’t think we’re too far gone to begin to put things right
So that our children will come to find a better way
What Is Time
What is time
But a way to break up the day
When your life becomes too much to bear
What are minutes
But a way to parcel out your life
When you realize a day is not enough
To explain the flutter of a moth’s fragile wings
When it hurls itself towards the light
To describe the beating of a human heart
At all the light that we can’t see
At all the things we want to be
And all the ways we fear we’ll end up so
Alone
What is rhythm
But a way to move your feet along
As you dance and swagger down the street
What is a downbeat
But a sign that you can start again
When you think that you can’t go another step
To explain the flutter of a moth’s fragile wings…
What is life
But a way to really feel your heart
And the heart of someone else as you pass by
What is love
But the reason we were all put here
So we won’t just sit and watch the days go by
To explain the flutter of a moth’s fragile wings…
The Watchman's Chair
The room is still, so still that everything out there
Becomes nothing in here
Before me is a pine box, unpainted, unadorned
But for a little wooden star they glued on top
The star floats above the man inside the box
Sealed off from everything
Become nothing, lying oh so still
Too still for sleep
And for this hour I will keep caring watch
Over the body of the man who is no more
Starlight doesn’t shine in here
I sit beside the casket
And it’s strange to feel no fear
I know that it will be my turn one day
And though I’ll no longer know enough to care, I hope that someone else will take my place
And take their turn in the watchman’s chair
Some may place a candle at their loved one’s head and feet
To light up the way to heaven
The custom here is different, we take turns taking care
Of our dearly beloved one
Each one of us is the candle
Lighting the heart-shaped hole poked in a world
That’s fast asleep
And for this hour I will keep caring watch
Over the body of the one who is no more
— CH --
My days stretch out all blurry, behind me and before me
A million moments rush by in a whirl
When I guard this simple box I’m reminded once again
We’re each a tiny speck in the history of the world
A hundred years from now, who’ll know I was here?
Will it matter that I mattered once
To someone else who’s just as gone
Too still for sleep
And for that hour who will keep caring watch
Over the body of the one I was…
— CH --
Recorded Oct 28-29, 2019 at The Map Room Studios - Portland, Oregon
Vocals, Guitar and Percussion: Beth Hamon
Recording and Mixing: Josh Powell, The Map Room Studios
Mastering: Stu Fessant, Indigo Groove Studios - Portland, Oregon
Cover photo: Beth Hamon
Available as digital download from CDBaby, iTunes and Bandcamp
Available in CD form at live shows.
For bookings and much more: www.beth-hamon-music.com