For space is wide and good friends are too few.
She called out to the Sky Eye as she gripped the ancient stone
Tell my sister when you see her: As of now, we’re on our own
@animatedamerican says: I got to hear Ben sing this in open circle at Boskone 2019, the weekend after Opportunity was declared dead. We needed it.
Written for Opportunity’s sister rover Spirit, and as relevant now as it was then. Full lyrics and chords can be found here.
Only in silence the word,
only in dark the light,
only in dying life:
bright the hawk’s flight
on the empty sky.
Sad news: Ursula K. Le Guin has passed away, at age 88. In her memory: the epigraph from A Wizard of Earthsea, set to music by Ben Newman.
Rest in peace, lady.
Raised on the desert, scoured by the sand
Sand so shifting you can’t make a stand
And the suns sink slowly ‘til they can’t be seen
Another bad season on Tatooine
“Tatooine,” a Luke Skywalker song by Benjamin Newman set to the tune of “Tillman Co.” by Dave Carter.
Chords, lyrics, and mp3 are all available on Ben’s website.
I was raised in a desert country
Where the sun burns double and it seldom rains,
So we drew our water from the meager trickle
In the narrow places that became our chains.Then a cry for rescue was heard in the wasteland,
In the plain disguise of a restless stray,
And this revelation at the edge of freedom:
You have to lose your bearings to find your way.
“Yehudi Mind Tricks” by Benjamin Newman, a gorgeous Jewish interpretation of Luke’s narrative in Star Wars.
Chords, lyrics, and mp3 are all available on Ben Newman’s website.
Crawl out of the mud, ongoing but slow
For the path that is easy ain’t the one that lets us grow
Climb the ladder rung by rung and never looking back
On this track we walk alone
Composed after Andy Eigel’s “Uplift”, and may be sung against it (as in this recording). Lyrics and chords available here. Words by Ben Newman, to the tune of…you’ll figure it out.
Dark and cold, dark and cold
The Sun he has perished as ever of old,
And here in the darkness that never knows morn,
We wait for the sun to be born.
“Wait for the Sun to Be Born,” by Ben Newman, downloaded from his website, with lyrics and chords available here.
Out in the dark at the edge of the system,
Drifting along where the comets spin cold,
One frozen planetoid, one lonely victim;
Try to remember the lies you were told…
“If you wish on a star you shall never grow old…”
A cryptic space song on the level of “Ship of Stone,” “Starseer,” by Ben Newman, downloaded from his website, with lyrics and chords available here.
You’re a long way from home, such a long road you’ve traveled,
And while you were away, many years went by…
So feel free to roam, for the world cannot hold you.
Maybe you’ll be the one who will teach us to fly…
“A Long Way From Home,” an oddly cheerful song about temporal distortion by Ben Newman, downloaded from his website, with lyrics and chords available here.
Step out your door
When darkness falls
Don’t ask what for
Don’t ask who calls
“Go Forth By Night” by Ben Newman, downloaded from his website, with lyrics and chords available here. A little bit eerie, in the most inspiring way possible.
Every autumn, every spring
Her touch changes everything
She knows the way down, and the way back up
Come taste Her secret in this cup
“In This Cup,” a neopagan song by Ben Newman, downloaded from his website, with lyrics and chords available here
This song is just…charming. I don’t have another word for it. I love Ben’s style, always unassuming but poignant.