Scattershot Symphony – The Music of Peter Link
A Podcast
Episode #21 – Breaking Traditions
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Episode #21 Preview — Breaking Tradition (The River)
Sundown: A Musical Fable of the Old West
Episode #21 Preview — Breaking Tradition (King of Hearts)
Says Peter Link:
In order to break traditions, one first has to know the traditions.
The traditions of songwriting are the fundamentals developed over the centuries from Beethoven to George Gershwin to Billy Joel to Adele. Writing for the theater always gave me license to stretch the rules of the Pop music traditions.
Of course, writing for the theater has its own set of traditions or fundamentals, but they always seemed to come under a much wider umbrella.
This particular Episode 21 takes us to the edge of the cliff in exploring the unknown, but because of the stretch, it is one of my favorite episodes.
Breaking Traditions
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Listen to samples, view lyrics and click through to download. Thanks for listening!
- Title: The River
- Artist: Peter Link
- Lyricist: Baba Olatunji, Peter Link
- Links: View Product
- Duration: 05:29
- Sample:
Sample
- Lyrics:
The River
Music and Lyrics by Peter Link & Baba OlatunjiRollin' to the sea
Come ye to the water
Lose yourself in me
Never to go back againOmi omi omi lenia
Oshun oshun awa toro alafia
Omi omi omi lenia
Oshun oshun awa toro alafiaSunday mornin'
Wash in the river
Strange things fill the air
River run by and smile at me standin' thereAnd so I smile right back
And call to the river
Sing me up a little song
River says I don't mind if you sing alongI been a thousand miles
Seen a lot of faces
For a thousand years
Been a lot of places where no man has gone
Where there's nothing but the traces of God
An' I'm rollin' onRollin' to the sea
Come ye to the water
Lose yourself in me
Never to go back againRollin' to the sea
Come ye to the water
Lose yourself in me
Never to go back againWish that I could be like the water
Rollin' over me
Searchin' for the peace at the river's endSome day soon
When finally the river's
Rollin' round the moon
I will be at peace againOmi omi omi lenia
Oshun oshun awa toro alafiaGod He gives
The power to the river
River to the man
It was so before the world beganTime won't wait
It flows with the river
Don't look back my friend
Get on in and go to the river's endMore than a thousand miles
Rolling on inside you
And a thousand lies
Trying to divide you while you carry on
And she's always there to guide you along
Still rushing onRollin' to the sea
Come ye to the water
Lose yourself in me
Never to go back again
Rollin' to the sea
Come ye to the water
Lose yourself in me
Never to go back againWish that I
Could be like the water
Rollin' over me
Searchin' for the peace at the river's endSome day soon
When finally the river's
Rollin' round the moon
I will be at peace again
I will be at peace again
I will be at peace again
- Title: I Think On These Things
- Artist: Jenny Burton
- Lyricist: Peter Link
- Links: View Product
- Duration: 04:40
- Sample:
Sample
- Lyrics:
I Think on These Things
Music and Lyrics by Peter LinkWhen I consider the heavens
The works of thy fingers
The moon and the stars
You ordainedWhen I consider a child
The steps that he's taking
His light and his joy
So ingrainedWhen I think of the way
That each breath comes unnoticed
Sustaining this delicate lifeI am swept off my feet
In breathless wonder
At the mystery of lifeWhen I consider the music
Of all the great masters
And know it was you
They all heardAnd the works of our Shakespeares
King Davids and Keats
You gave them each
Every wordWhen I contemplate
The pure fabric of nature
Bewildered by all we have learnedI am swept off my feet
In breathless wonder
At the miracle of lifeAnd I think on these things
And the wonder life brings
From the greatest of things to the small
And though I spend my life
Searching life's solemn secrets
I know I'll never know allAs I ponder the atom
The boundless vast ether
The billions of lives
On this stoneI consider the gift
Of God's imagination
And begin to explore
The unknownBut this whimsical world
It just slips through my fingers
As I try to hold on to the airAnd I'm swept off my feet
In breathless wonder
At the miracle of lifeAnd I think on these things
Yes I think on these things
And the wonder life brings
- Title: Transformation Suite
- Artist: Gordon Weiss, Millicent Martin
- Links: View Product
- Duration: 07:56
- Sample:
Sample
- Lyrics:
Transformation Suite
Words by Jacob Brackman
Music by Peter Link[Genevieve]
Somehow this place is a place I know
Deja vu, deja vu
Familiar from so far ago – deja vu
Not even the shadows have been rearranged
Everything here is exactly the same
I know I have been here before – deja vuThe trunks and the sawdust
The flags in the breeze
Siberian tigers
The flying trapeze
La la la la la laAnd clowns shot from cannons
Through circles of fire
And fat ladies swallowing spears
With each feat of daring
Eliciting gasps and cheers
It's exactly the same after all these years[Barber]
Somehow this place is a place I know
Deja vu, deja vu
Familiar from so long ago – deja vu
Not even the shadows have been rearranged
Everything here is exactly the same
I know I have been here before – deja vuThe candy cane door pole
The leather, the chrome
The snip of sharp scissors
The scent of cologne
La la la la la laHere is young Brutus
My trusty old doily
I've missed your protection, my dear
And the feathery tickle
Of tresses behind my ears
It's exactly the same after all these years[Barber and Genevieve]
All these years
Here I am
Still the same
Home again
It's exactly the same
After all these years[Chorus]
The air in this town is alive with the feeling
Funniest feeling I've been here before
The air in this town is alive with the feeling
Funniest feeling I've been here before
It's exactly the same after all these years
La la la la la la la laMusic is in the air
It's breezy
Strolling around the square
It's easyTime for a promenade
Life is enchanting in town
Everyone's down in the street[Two Female Lunatics]
It's a promenade
What a promenade
Such a promenade ha ha[Chorus]
Morning's sweet and we're free to greet her
Free to choose how to pass the day
Pastry shop never did smell sweeter
Since the shop keeper's away
Lovely fetching
Winsome catching
Charming tresses
Disarming dresses
Fashion perfectly chic dear
Passion pumped to the peak
Exciting careers
We're all magnifiqueWhat a feast for the eyes
What a stunning surprise
To be free and to see
That there's no one else here
Who knew that dreams could come true
After all of these years
- Title: Cardinal In The Snow
- Artist: Peter Link
- Composer: Peter Link
- Lyricist: Peter Link
- Links: View Product
- Duration: 04:23
- Sample:
Sample
- Lyrics:
Cardinal In The Snow
Music and Lyrics by Peter LinkThere’s nothing quite like
A cardinal in the snow
All that white
And God’s splash of red
As if He had said
“Here is my thought for the day.”
A cardinal in the snow
Oh a cardinal in the snow
A cardinal in the snowBird in my window
More magnificent than the mountains
More beautiful than the valleys
And the rivers
And the wonders of this world
Bird in my window
Only for a second or two
But burned into the scrapbook of my beingOh dear God
Thanks for making it so
He’s even more beautiful than Marilyn Monroe
This cardinal in the snow
Even more so than the willow tree
Even more so than Van Gogh
This cardinal in the snowInterlude
A cardinal in the snow
Oh a cardinal in the snow
A cardinal in the snowBird in my window
More delicate than the snowflakes
A graceful ballerina
Standing mighty
A King among his peers
Bird in my window
Guardian of his family name
He’s burned into the mem’ry of my mindA cardinal in the snow
A cardinal in the snow
- Title: The 23rd Psalm
- Artist: Julia Wade
- Composer: Peter Link
- Source: Ps
- Links: View Product
- Duration: 05:49
- Sample:
Sample
- Lyrics:
The 23rd Psalm
Lyrics from Psalm 23, King David
Music by Peter LinkThe Lord is my shepherd
I shall not wantThe Lord is my shepherd
I shall not wantHe maketh me to lie down in green pastures
He leadeth me beside the still watersHe restoreth my soul
He restoreth my soulAnd He leadeth me
Yes He leadeth me
In the paths of righteousness
For his name's sakeThe Lord is my shepherd
I shall not want.Yea, though I walk through the valley
Of the shadow of death
I will fear no evilFor thou art with me
Thy rod and thy staff
Thy rod and thy staff they comfort meYea, though I walk through the valley
Of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil
I will fear no evilThou preparest a table before me
In the presence of mine enemies
Thou anointest my head with oilInterlude 3
The Lord is my shepherd
I shall not want.My cup runneth over
Surely goodness and mercy
Shall follow me all the days of my life
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever
Ever moreThe Lord is my shepherd
- Title: Poison Water
- Artist: Steve Blanchard, Peter Link
- Composer: Peter Link
- Lyricist: Larry Rosler
- Links: View Product
- Duration: 05:37
- Sample:
Sample
- Lyrics:
Poison Water
Words by Larry Rosler
Music by Peter Link[Doc]
Lord, you know I tried
Did my very best
To turn the other cheek
As you suggest
But love your enemy's a hard request
When he's reaching for his gunHere I go again
And it makes me sad
To say goodbye
To all the dreams we had
So how did something good
Turn out so bad
Take a look at what we've donePoisoned the water
Poisoned the water
Look at us now
We've poisoned the water
Poisoned water
Full of waste
Let them come and get a taste
Of poison water[Tom]
Mother of mercy-[Doc]
Relax, Tom. Just relax. We don't want to wake the lady.[Tom]
But I'm unarmed. You know China Mary don't allow no guns in her rooms. You ain't gonna shoot an unarmed man, are ya? Are ya?[Doc]
I'm here to extend an invitation: you meet me later today, and we'll settle the score for all time.[Morgan]
Virg, what they done to Kate ain't right.[Virgil]
And what they do to one of us, they do to all.[Morgan]
We should end it now[Virgil]
We should do it quick
And when we do it, dammit, make it stick[Morgan]
A little piece of lead should do the trick[Virgil]
That's the gospel truth my son[Tom]
Gentlemen, this time Doc Holliday has called out the wrong man.[Ike]
The wrong house, Tom, the wrong house.[Frank]
Turn your back on wolves
This is what you git[Ike]
You touch a rattlesnake
And you get bit[Tom & Ike]
The talking's over now we finish it
Take a look at what they've done[Clantons, McLaurys, Morgan & Virgil]
Poisoned the water
Poisoned the water
Look at them now
They've poisoned the water
Poisoned water
Full of waste
Let them come and get a taste
Of poison water[Wyatt]
You hear that?[Wyatt]
It's the sound of hearts beatin' faster right before a kill. I love that sound. I'll round up the boys, Doc. Don't be long.[Kate]
Doc, it's not too late
Not for us
Cause I know
We can make it, Doc
Please don't go
What of all those dreams
Of getting out
Cutting ties[Woman in Black]
They were only pretty lies
Just a pack of pretty lies[Kate]
I ain't going to bury you. If you go down there, I gotta walk out on you.[Doc]
I have no choice, Kate.[Woman in Black]
See the minute hand
Moving on the clock
Too late to close the door
And turn the lock
It's what you wanted
Are you ready, Doc?[Earps]
Yeah, today they're gonna pay[Clantons & McLaurys]
Yeah, today they're gonna pay[All]
At a place they call OK
Cause they
Poisoned the water
Poisoned the water
We know just who poisoned the water
Poisoned water's got to kill
Let them come and drink their fill
Of poisoned waterLet the water go
Let that poison flow
- Title: The Evidence Of Things Unseen
- Artist: Julia Wade
- Composer: Peter Link
- Lyricist: Peter Link, Dora Redman
- Source: The Bible
- Links: View Product
- Duration: 05:07
- Sample:
Sample
- Lyrics:
The Evidence of Things Unseen
Lyrics by Dora Redman and Peter Link
Music by Peter LinkAnd so he spoke
"They need not depart.
Give ye them food to eat."
Give them food for thought,
The food of light,
The light of sustenance
Don't send them away in their time of need
Feed the flockBut his disciples were not in the mind of Jesus
They struggled to raise their faith
And though miracles had abounded throughout the days
They were stuck in the world's worn out waysThey knew not God's law of infinite abundance
And I watched as they muttered amongst themselves hmm
"Feed them with what? There's nothing to eat"
No apples, no almonds, no meatThen a boy stepped forth
With a basket of bread and two fishes
Well you know the rest
The five thousand were fed
And we all saw the power of his wishes
And the evidence of things unseen
Oh yes the evidence of things unseenYou ask, "What is that evidence?"
It's the substance of faith
And no seeming dreams that lie in betweenThere, by his prayer
Pulled out of thin air
In a miracle of such routine
(As I witnessed so often, again and again)
Was the evidence of things unseen
Yes, the evidence of things unseenYes a boy stepped forth
With the spirit of "Nothing can stop me"
A boy, just a boy
And five thousand were fed
And we all felt the power and the glory
Of the evidence of things unseen
Oh yes the evidence of things unseenAnd right there, by his prayer
Pulled out of thin air
In a miracle of such routine
(As I witnessed so often, again and again)
Was the evidence of things unseenThe man
The miracle
The son of God
Hallelu!!!
And all this from two fishes
And five loaves of bread
It Was Very Good
Performed by Julia Wade and Peter Link
Music and Lyrics by Peter Link
I must admit I’m very grateful to have the music I’ve done as a watchfire artist still going out there in to world! I enjoyed the 21st podcast and especially the pieces that venture into the magical world of theater.
Also, a wonderful layer hidden betwixt the songs of this podcast is the hint of a new and different kind of Scattershot series with a wonderful new character in the works at Watchfire music.
Nice to meet you Thyme Quinn!
I love each & every Podcast!