"I Am One" is a medicine song about interconnection. What's a medicine song? It's a song capable of bringing healing and well-being in body, heart, mind, soul, and Spirit. For my family, it's about serenading the children to sleep with a calming vibration. For me, it's about being nourished in the flow of my higher self.
“I Am One”
The Story
I've been singing this song for nearly two years, and somehow I still don't have it memorized. So I have a lot of Work ahead of me, learning to sing and play it straight from memory. I ask for a quickening of my heart intelligence, and I offer this take as a work-in-progress.
I first introduced this song to the world through a YouTube channel, called Wild Family, with family-focused films and documentary-style variety shows, celebrating the child in all of us. "I Am One" became the soundtrack for a short film about parenting, featuring my son and I in a canoe ride, as he learns to paddle for the first time. To me, it's beautiful to see how quickly he learned to row the boat.
*Scene from the Wild Family documentary feature film.
The Lyrics
I am one drop of water in an ocean
We are one altogether in one current
Grant us courage as we go into the unknown
Grant us synergy as we go there together
When the sun reaches down into the water
Once again when we rise we are one
Keep us moving like the waves in motion
Keep us peaceful like the waterfall’s hush
I am one drop of rain inside a raincloud
We are one altogether in one mist
Let us deepen in our love like the whirlpool
Let us multiply our love like the ripple
Infinite colors in a rainbow
I am one you are one we are one
Let us unify as a full circle
Let us harmonize as a whole
The Acknowledgements
If you compare the two videos here, you might recognize the progress I've made as a singer and guitarist. I've gained a great amount of confidence, thanks to the Steemit Open Mic. I still have a long way to go in order to get where I want to be as a singer-songwriter; at the same time, I feel glad to be just where I am in the process, with the Open Mic fueling me forward.
I'm grateful to @luzcypher for bringing us the #openmic community challenge, over a year ago. I'm still relatively new to the group, but I'm an enthusiastic participant, with a lot of passion for creative expression. This event lights me up week after week. I am impressed and delighted to see the growth of these Open Mic events as well as many levels of growth I see in certain participants, including myself. Thank you to all of you.
This post contains 100% original content by @cabelindsay.
Cabe, your family are very lucky to be serenaded with such beautiful music. Your voice is sounding so lovely, and the melody weaves a spell of love and safety that makes it so easy to want to drift off to sleep. They will always have wonderful memories of you singing them to sleep I am sure :)
My spirit just flips with your comments, brother, and I feel myself launching into the sky with hugs and high-fives for you. Thank you.
good
Great song! Such a beautiful and positive message! Pretty chords too! I'm a songwriter too and I hope to start posting some of my work on here soon! Keep up the great work! Following for more =)
Nice, man, thank you. Yeah, the #openmic is the single greatest source of traction I've experienced in my Steemit journey so far. I highly recommend it. Be sure to send me a note when you post a song, and I'll return the encouragement!
Awesome sir, the lyrics just set me on a merry heart. Thank you.
Glad to hear about your merry heart! I feel you, and my heart leaps for your kind reply. Thank you.
I’m not sure why, but this did bring healing to me. Beautiful song that begs to be sung with others.
Thank you so much, brother. Yes, group singing is exactly the idea with the repeats. Thanks so much for seeing that, and saying so.
I really like that. It is soulful and smooth. It can lull me to sleep as well. It seems like a folk song from a long time ago. You look young but appear to have an old soul. Great work.
So kind of you to say I have a youthful appearance and an old soul, and the song feels age-old. I know just what you mean, and I cherish your comments. I feel that way too, as if the song is handed down to me by some mysterious guidance. Thank you, my new friend.
Your welcome. I am not sure how I found you but you appeared on something I wrote. Glad you did.
I love your music...this is such a great message, my friend.
I love the artistry in you too, sister. And I love you. Thank you.
nice song...
Wow!I Like Your Song&Guitar.I Love Classical Guitar
Thank you. Yeah, the classical guitar is pretty new to me, and I love the sound–purity and simplicity–we can achieve with the nylon strings.
Your finger picking style reminds me a lot of sufjan's, I could totally see him performing this song! Wonder why you're having a block remembering it! Maybe a music video needs to be made- I'm sure after you're done editing it it'll have sunk in for SURE!
You're so right! Cabe's voice also has a gently somber quality that is similar to Sufjan's. :) So sweet...
Thanks for seeing that. There's a depth of emotions in me. I think it's partly ancestral - we wear "sad eyes" in our family.
I'd say the same is true in mine. Sad eyes – ancestral shadows, passed through our genes.
Great idea about creating a music video as a way of solidifying the lyrics. I'm thinking one of these days, I'll start to work on some high-quality audio recordings of these songs, and then maybe create short art films for each one. Maybe a visual art piece for each one too. I have a friend who's working on an album and commissioning an illustration for each of his children's songs, in order to make some memorable imagery.
Sufjan is a personal hero of mine. I admire him as a musician, of course, and also as a trailblazer–crafting his own unique life journey led by his music. Interestingly, I think the world headquarters of his music label (Asthmatic Kitty) is located in my tiny hometown of Lander, Wyoming, population 7,000. Another artist I admire in a similar way is Devendra Banhart. Do you know Devendra's music?
I haven't heard about Devendra should look into that! I'm good friends with a few of his friends but never had the chance to meet him, have you heard of Vesper & Ben Stamper? I believe they were signed under Daniel's Label, from the Danielson Family Band Sounds Familyre. They're all fellow New Jersians!
Id love to see an asthmatic kitty HQ tour btw- I think a documentary is in order ;)- could you imagine!!
I've never been "star stuck" meeting celebrities or heroes of mine, but I think Sufjan might be the one exception...
Oh, I get star struck like a monkey sometimes! Once I bumped into Brandon Boyd, lead singer of Incubus, and this was way back when he was sporting long dreadlocks. And I was like "Goo-goo, gah-gah... love your music... so awesome!" Devendra Banhart has this one album that's incredible, called Cripple Creek, featuring the song, "Like A Child." Highly recommend that one. And the "hit" song I put on mixes is called "Can't Help Smiling," which is from a more recent album. But my favorite (because it's a ride!) is called "Seahorse." I'm looking up these artists your mentioning here.
Haha aw that's the best though, i'm sure id appreciate it if it were me, to see someone so stoked about my work- I think you'll like those guys- they're all a bit off the beaten path musically, but i have a feeling that doesnt scare you ;)
Honestly, I think you're right. Brandon Boyd seemed genuinely happy to meet me and give me his autograph. Do you recall that Incubus song, "Antigravity"? It's a funky one - think that's the one that had me so excited.
I think I remember that one, Warning was the one where I realized that dude had serious pipes though, probably the same for most folks as that was their radio hit for awhile
Hey @luzcypher, your #openmic has been so motivational and inspirational to me, as you know. I want you to be one of the first to see a new community challenge I launched just now: https://steemit.com/svq/@cabelindsay/steemit-vision-quest-pre-launch-of-a-new-community-challenge. I thought of you as I put it together, and I'm really grateful to you for your vision, your focus, and your dedication to making Steemit great. Thank you.
Cabe, my brother... you are "ONE" most assuredly, my friend - as are we all! You have indeed begun to blossom as a singer/songwriter...
I am so thrilled that I and the entire #openmic community were able to play an ever-so-small part in that wonderous process. It's all YOU, brother!
What a beautiful song, man! I loved it!
You are such a sweet man, full of encouragement and positive feedback. Thank you, brother!
You're a gem @passion-ground – sprinkling warmth and sincere encouragement across the steemiverse – like some kind of jolly, good-willed St. Nick. ;)
It's really true. So good of you to see that too @zipporah.
Oh – his comment on my open mic entry nearly made me cry. It's evident he's a genuinely warm hearted fella. :)
I like where you live from, @cabelindsay.
"grant us synergy as we go there together"
beautiful music and singing and strumming as always <3
Thank you @mountainjewel. I think of you as a rose quartz crystal. And then maybe you change colors, and become a ruby, at times, and carnelian, amber, emerald, sapphire, and amethyst at times. You wear your name well, you know.
Oh, to be one of your littles, being lulled to sleep by such a sweet serenade as this – to the gentle tone of papa Cabe's voice and soft rhythm of his strumming. Just lovely. Your heart is golden...it's obvious. <3
Also – thanks, in part, to your encouragement...I entered a song this week! I made sure to acknowledge you – after all, you were the one who told me about #openmic. So...THANK YOU! I'm already deeply humbled by the warm, supportive responses I'm receiving.
Oh my, I just saw your post, and it stirs something so deep in my soul. Thank you so much for bringing it to my attention. It touches me. You are amazing, you know, and your story will uplift and inspire many, many people. I believe your story will bring relief to you, as you release, just like the breaths that come and go in your singing. Amazing. Thank you for acknowledging me there. I'm so proud of you.
And thank you the sweet words you've written for me here. I feel lighter reading your words, you know. I feel little angelic tingles rising through the feeling of your words. Thank you.
Again – thank you, Cabe. Daring to publish that video last night had immediate benefits. I feel lighter today. :) I can only hope that others find some solace in my sharing – that whatever part of them can relate will feel every so slightly less alone. Being human, after all, is such an inherently lonely experience. The more we can reach each other in our isolated stories, the better off we'll all be.
So glad you reached into mine and helped draw me out a bit. You're a good one.
I love the healing message in this song. Beautifully done, @cabelindsay!
Thank you. Love you!