Trust Your Heart CD

Songbook of twenty of Dana's compositions arranged for piano/vocal. Contains nine of the ten songs on the CD
"Trust Your Heart to Lead You Home"

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Poetry and lyrics from
"Trust Your Heart
to Lead You Home"

I believe that music is magic.
I believe that music
can work miracles.
I believe that music can help us
remake the world.
May you find here music that
helps you in your work.

If you are searching
for your true direction,
Gathering your courage
to face a challenge,
Or reinventing your life,
You will find here music
to give you strength.

If you are coming to terms
with your doubts,
Celebrating the diversity of the
people in your life,
Or questioning your relationships,
You will find here music to
express your feelings.

If you are pursuing
a spiritual journey,
Building community,
Or working for peace
and social justice,
You will find here music
to help you
accomplish your goals.

I believe that music
can work miracles.
May you find here music that
helps you in your work.

Copyright 2005 Dana Clark

World of justice, world of peace
(I have been privileged to work for peace and social justice with wonderful partners who
help me hold onto my dream for a better world. This work enriches my life and
keeps hope alive for others.)

I want to give my children
a world that's safe in every way.
But now the radio reports
new dangers every day.
Within this world of war
my only weapon is a song.
All alone I am not strong enough
to right what's wrong.

CHORUS: But if we walk hand in hand,
And we work side by side,
If we join heart to heart 'til we see eye to eye,
Then all the dreams we dream will be reality,
In a world of justice, a world of peace.

Can we be sure of freedom
when so many are not free?
Why do some have plenty
while some live in poverty?
We grow so tired of the struggle
because the problems never end.
But in each others' eyes
we find the faith to try again.

For when we walk hand in hand...

Seven billion of us on a planet that's so small.
Someday we may realize we're family after all.
And when we reach out to heal each other,
set each other free,
We'll find only sisters, brothers, not one enemy.

CHORUS: Then we will walk hand in hand,
And we'll work side by side.
We will join heart to heart 'til we see eye to eye.
Then all the dreams we dream will be reality,
In a world of justice, a world of peace.

Copyright 2003 Dana Clark

Rise and Take a Stand
(For do-gooders everywhere:
Suggestions for saving the world, one small action
at a time.)

We are a family, the human family.
We are in trouble.
Can we survive?
When so many of our children
struggle just to stay alive.
Rise and take a stand. Lend a helping hand.
Rise and take a stand. Lend a helping hand.

When we help someone to help another,
to help another,
it helps us all.
When so many people need you,
Can you hear them when they call?
Can you catch them when they fall?
Rise and take a stand. Lend a helping hand.
Rise and take a stand. Lend a helping hand.

The world we're making will be our children's,
Will be their children's, on and on forevermore.
Will it be a peaceful planet?
Will it be a world of war?
We can make it so much more.
Rise and take a stand. Lend a helping hand.
Rise and take a stand. Lend a helping hand.

Our brother's hungry.
Our sister's homeless.
Our daughter's dying.
Our son's at war.
It's a desperate situation,
like we've never faced before.
What's the future hold in store?
Rise and take a stand. Lend a helping hand.
Rise and take a stand. Lend a helping hand.

Copyright 1998 Dana Clark

Trust Your Heart to Lead You Home
(The Dalai Lama says that a loving home is the best foundation for a life, but finding our place in the world may not be easy. The more we follow the still small voice inside, the stronger it will grow
to direct our path.)

When you began this journey
you were sure how it would end
So you found the faith to follow
Though the road
would often bend
But now you've lost direction.
There's nowhere you can turn.
And from this crossroad all you see are bridges
you have burned.

CH: Trust your heart
to lead you home.
Find a path that's yours alone.
Listen to the voice inside you.
It will grow in strength
to guide you.
Trust your heart
to lead you home.

Home is not the place you started from.
It's a place you're reaching for
When you stretch beyond yourself to find a harbor
in the storm.
A dream will be your compass.
Your passion is your guide.
Sometimes you will have to crawl, but sometimes you can fly.

Like a painter with her canvas
or a sculptor with his clay,
Your life takes shape beneath your hands as you work
through each day.
You create a fabric with the threads of love you hold.
A tapestry of memory
to warm you when you're cold.

CH: Trust your heart
to lead you home.
Find a path that's yours alone.
Listen to the voice inside you.
It will grow in strength
to guide you.
Trust your heart
to lead you home.

Copyright 1998 Dana Clark

Singing the Same Song
with Different Voices
(I love watching the magic that happens when people from diverse backgrounds come together to work toward their dreams.)

We seem to be so different,
no two of us the same,
Yet we share a common purpose,
Though we may give it different names.
United in a hope that we can find a better way, Trusting in each other
we work toward a better day.

CH: We come to learn.
We come to teach.
We come to touch the dream
that’s within our reach.
When our hearts lead us
to make different choices
We’re singing the same song
with different voices.

And oh, the harmonies sound so sweet.
They make the music so much more complete.
When our hearts lead us
to make different choices
We’re singing the same song
with different voices.

With many different talents
we work toward our common goals.
In this web of relationships we all can find a role.
Each one brings a special gift
that someone surely needs.
Each one brings a hunger
that our time together feeds.

Community sustains us
as it shapes the way we live.
It gives us not a doctrine,
but endless alternatives.
As seekers on a journey
we share memories we make
As we support each other
in a dance of give and take.

Leap of Faith
(We can’t always predict
life-changing events,
we can only hold onto our faith that when we leap,
the net will appear..)

It doesn’t really matter what a careful life you’ve planned,
When the rug’s pulled
out from under you
and you’ve got
no place to stand.

It’s time to reinvent yourself
when you face that dead end.
You take a few steps backward, get a running start and then…

CH: You take a leap of faith
in the face of doubt,
And wouldn’t you give your right arm to know how it all turns out?Sooner or later,
you face an open door,
And life gives you the kind of kick that you just can’t ignore.
You take a leap of faith.

You open up.
You take some chances.
You get a few hard knocks.
And once you find out
you’ll survive,
you step outside your box. Sometimes you feel certain
that you’ve really got the key.

And other times you wish that you could ask for a guarantee.

CH: But it’s a leap of faith…

So next time you hit that brick wall and you stand there alone,
Listen to that old familiar
feeling in your bones.
You’ve been handed one more chance to start your life anew.
That’s something you’ve been through before.
You know what to do.

Most Miracles Are Made
(I hope this song gives you the courage you need to take whatever risks are necessary in order to fulfill your dreams.)

When a dream is calling you
to step beyond your reach,
Does it call you
with a whisper or a shout?
As you race toward the future seeking all that life can teach, How can you
outdistance every doubt?

CH: Take your courage
in both hands.
Keep walking toward
the brightest star.
Chart the course
your heart demands.
The smallest steps
will take you far.
Standing in the mountain’s shade
You will know how you must climb,
The way most miracles are made,
By taking one step at a time.

An inner voice will guide you
from one challenge to the next. The message in a dream
can point the way.
Sometimes once you
glimpse the goal
you must pursue the quest, Though all the world
may think you’ve gone astray.

A seed lies dormant in the earth before it starts to grow.
It’s nature is to blossom
and bear fruit.
As sometimes we may hesitate when facing the unknown
But our nature is to
journey toward the truth.

Can you sense the moment when your life begins to change?
When a random spark
ignites a raging fire?
And as the flames grow higher
do familiar sights seem strange? As you watch your safety
burn upon the pyre?

The Pleasure of My Pain
(This song chronicles a woman’s escape from an abusive relationship. I wrote it to remind everyone that you don’t have to be bruised or bleeding—abuse can be much more subtle. It is my hope that if you are in a similar situation, you find the help you need to proceed to the last verse as quickly as possible.)

He didn’t mean to hurt me.
He’s under so much stress.
And then the kids disturbed him
when he tried to get some rest.
He doesn’t mean the things he says; he speaks before he thinks.
I’m really not afraid of him,
unless he starts to drink.
There must be
something wrong with me—
that’s why he complains.
I know he loves me.
How could he find
pleasure in my pain?
I know he loves me.
How could he find
pleasure in my pain?

Some days it seems like everything I say or do is wrong.
I try to keep things quiet,
and I try to get along.
But every time he needs to win, he makes sure that I lose.
I give him what he wants.
It’s so much worse if I refuse.
I make excuses for him,
but I live my life in chains.
And I’m starting to suspect
he must find pleasure in my pain.
I’m starting to suspect
he must find pleasure in my pain.

I work to make him happy,
but it’s to no avail,
For he works even harder to make certain that I fail.
I’m ready to admit
I might be better off alone,
But does that really matter
when my children need a home?My family says I shouldn’t leave, but how can I remain?
Now I know that he’s addicted to the pleasure of my pain.
I know that he’s addicted to the pleasure of my pain.

I’ve found a safe place we can go. I know what I must do.
I’ve set aside some money,
and my friends will help me, too.
He always told me if I left him
I would not survive,
But now the kids are older,
I know somehow we'll get by.
Then he won’t hurt me anymore and I won’t be ashamed.
For no one has a right
to the pleasure of my pain.
No one has a right
to the pleasure of my pain.
No one has a right
No one has a right
No one.

Copyright 2003 Dana Clark

Love is a Two Way Street
(A blues song for the new millennium! The couple in this song begin with a relationship in trouble but grow past their problems to find a happy ending.)

Why don’t you move it over, baby
You’ve been crowding me so long
You tell the same old story
You sing that same old song
And yet every time I need you
You go and hand me
some excuse
Here lately I’ve been wondering
Honey, what’s the earthly use
I’ve been trying to make you listen
I’ve been trying to make you see
That love is a two way street
It’s a two way street

You claim you know
the way I’m feeling
You say this heartache’s
nothing new
When it comes to grief and sorrow
Nobody knows like you
You say the way we’re living
Has been causing so much pain
You wonder how much longer
Your old heart
can stand the strain
You’ve been trying
to make me listen
You’ve been trying
to make me see
That love is a two way street
It’s a two way street

Well, now I think I get the picture
I can see what’s going on
It always takes us both
To make love go so wrong
Lately when I’m lost and lonely
You’ve been hurting just as much
And we live without the comfort
of that tender loving touch
But now I’ll give you
what you want, Babe
If you give me what I need
‘Cause love is a two way street
It’s a two way street

Something to Believe
(Living an authentic life means searching one’s soul to discover what is true, and then having the freedom to act upon it. It is my belief that rather than being shaped by external circumstances, we all unfold as unique individuals, and from the very beginning we deserve the freedom to become who we are.)

You were fragile as a child.
You were quiet as a mouse.
You grew up in a house
that looked like every other house.
You were taught the proper
things to say,
and told how you should feel.
And as the years went by
you used your silence as a shield.

CH: But the quiet voice of
conscience was a friend you learned to trust.
And you dreamed of things you’d like to do
while doing what you must.
When the ordinary answers
left your burdens unrelieved, You had to search beyond them
to find something to believe.

You were taught to
hide your feelings
and to do what you were told,
But no matter how you struggled you could never fit the mold.
Your questions were unanswered, your doubting heart unsatisfied.
When you found no one would listen you tried to hold it all inside.

No one is born a blank slate
for the past to write upon,
Nor an empty bucket to be filled with rules for right and wrong.
Our minds were made to question each assumption, each belief.
And from the truth we find
we build our own theology.

CH: For the quiet voice
of conscience is a
friend we learn to trust.
And we dream of things
we’d like to do
while doing what we must.
When the ordinary answers
leave our burdens unrelieved,
We have to search beyond them
to find something to believe.

Truth Cannot Be Spoken
(Literal truth is not the most important truth. The letter of the law seems quite superficial when compared to the spirit of the law.)

CH: For truth cannot be spoken.
It hides between the lines.
We can glimpse it in a painting, and some songs can give us signs. But our search for certainty
does not need logic,
wants no proof.
For truth is in the metaphor.
We’re poets of the truth.

The images that we absorbed when we were innocent
Guide us every moment
and provoke our discontent.
Each pattern leads us differently, so carefully we choose,
For once we’re lost
in webs of words
we’re ever more confused.

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth may not be what we seek,
But we can make another choice and we can turn the other cheek.
Those ancient voices haunt us with “you should, you ought, you must,”
But with my words I warn you
that these words we cannot trust.

We bear the burden of our doubts, the blessings of our minds,
But no single set of rules
work for all people for all time.
With open hearts and open minds we search for what is true.
But nets of words can’t catch the light that guides our every move.

CH: For truth cannot be spoken. It hides between the lines.
We can glimpse it in a painting, and some songs can give us signs.
But our search for certainty does not need logic, wants no proof.
For truth is in the metaphor.
We’re poets of the truth.