naomi rose

MUSIC

naomi rose, book developer & creative midwife

"A masterwork awakens in us reactions of a spiritual order that are already in us, only waiting to be aroused. . . [M]usic cannot persuade; it makes evident. It does not shape conduct; it is itself the exemplification of a particular way of looking at life. A concert is not a sermon. It is . . . a reincarnation of a series of ideas implicit in the work of art."

— Aaron Copland, Music and Imagination

Music has found me, challenged me, inspired me, saved me, dismantled me, and loved me into expression. Music was the subtext, the subliminal message, the angelic whisper, the reminder, the “hang in there, this will pass” inner coaching, the message, the method, the lure, the reason, the bridge, the way, the instrument itself, and the holy call.

This deep relationship with music profoundly informs my work as a Book Developer & Creative Midwife. Just as music has rhythm, tone, and emotional resonance, I help my book-writing clients discover the natural rhythm and emotional tone of their own writing voice.

Two roses, one fully bloomed and one partially bloomed, against a black background.

On this page I want to share with you some of the music that has lived in my heart worth sharing. One song, “Diamonds at Our Feet,” is one I wrote. Others, like “The Water Is Wide” and “I Am the River,” are songs I simply love. My singing is accompanied on the mountain dulcimer, a stringed instrument that is plucked and/or strummed, and that can be tuned into various modes that enable certain kinds of tunings (e.g., major, minor, and more) to be played.

This intimate, acoustic approach mirrors how I work with my book-development clients — creating a safe, resonant space where authentic expression can emerge naturally. Whether composing music or helping clients develop their books, the creative process requires patience, listening, and trust in what wants to emerge.

My Songs

I have written numerous songs in the course of my lifetime, but this one below seems to stand the test of time. I hope you enjoy it. The others are songs brought into being by others that I love.

“Diamonds at Our Feet”

I wrote this song some years ago, in an unusually inspired state. In the following rendition, I sing it with a dulcimer accompaniment. (The dulcimer is the instrument shown in the photo at the top of this page.) I hope you enjoy hearing it. The lyrics follow below.

Diamonds at Our Feet* — LYRICS:

(1)

When I wake up in the morning, you greet me with the day

You shine your light upon me and you show me the way.

And into my heart comes a memory so sweet,

Like walking on the sidewalk with diamonds at my feet.

(2)

And as I look behind me at the years gone by

And remember being little and swallowing my cry

And I’d walk all alone with the sun so glaring bright

And in the clearest daylight I’d be in darkest night.

(Chorus I)

And I walked all alone, with people all around.

I tucked myself in,

I kept my head down.

And hard as it all seemed, you did not miss a beat

For when I looked below me there were diamonds at my feet.

(3)

The workmen who had labored to put the sidewalk down

No doubt were just doing it as it had been passed down.

Or did they know the bits of rock mixed in with the cement

That glittered when the sun touched them would cause such strange content.

(4)

The story of our lives is lit by this much greater light,

Obscured in darker moments and covered from our sight.

But when our story’s over and our time here is complete,

All that we’ll remember are the diamonds at our feet.

(Chorus II)

And we walk hand in hand into the light of day,

Into the darkest night,

Into the hardest way.

And even there, the love that is so sweet

Is reflected all around us in the diamonds at our feet.

* If you would like to cover this song as part of your own musical career, please CONTACT ME for permission.

“The Water Is Wide”

“The Water Is Wide” is a lovely old folk song. I changed the words from the more lamenting version (“The water is wide, I cannot cross over / and neither have I wings to fly”) to a more hopeful version (“The water is wide, I can cross over / and also have I wings to fly”). The rest of the lyrics follow in this vein. I find that when I sing it, I feel affirmed about whatever it is that, in the moment, I think I can’t make my way through. It’s a sung affirmation. And a beautiful melody. I hope you enjoy my rendition.

“I am the River, I am the Sea”

When I was in my teens living in New York City, my parents took me to an off-Broadway musical rendition of Spoon River Anthology, based on Edgar Lee Masters’ lyrical vignettes of the felt lives of people in a small town. The song, “I Am the River, I Am the Sea” was one of the songs in that show, and I so loved it that it instantly became part of me and has been since.

The lyrics are simple and profound. You may want to sing the song yourself, once you hear how it goes. It’s not only soothing; on the deepest level, it’s true. Singing the truth of life can be very restorative.

I hope you enjoy this song.