Week 5 - "Damascus"

Lyrics:

I know as I travel on this path
that the road to Damascus is long.
The beauty and fragrance of jasmine I seek
And to hide my soul from the sin and wrong.

Echoing voices sing from the past -
There's a time for war,
Venom takes to its lance.
As footprints follow down the long path
To a time of peace,
For a time to dance.

My footsteps fall in the very place
Where the feet of the prohpets once trod.
I look to the skies and kneel to the earth
as I listen there for the voice of God.

Echoing voices sing from the past -
There's a time for war,
Venom takes to its lance.
As footprints follow down the long path
To a time of peace,
For a time to dance.

I know as I travel on this path
it will lead over the mountains and sea.
But I travel on though the perils and fear
For Damascus is waiting for me.

My first collaborative project of the year is complete!  My friend Gracie Steavns performed and recorded all four tracks (2 violins, viola, and voice) on my song "Damascus."  We collaborated entirely over the internet as we live over a thousand miles away from each other.  I composed the score on Finale and she recorded it with GarageBand.  I really enjoyed hearing the final project and I think you will, too!

A few notes about the composition:
I composed the music entirely before I wrote any of the text, which is unusual for me, as I normally work on both somewhat simultaneously.  My only thought was that I wanted to write something that sounded somewhat classical and with a folk-like melody.  When I was finished, I decided that I wanted the song to be about life but I couldn't quite decide exactly what to write.  Then I watched the film Lawrence of Arabia, which chronicles the life of E.T. Lawrence during World War I, a British military officer who helped lead the Arab people to victory in Aqaba and Damascus against the Turks.  As I watched this, I thought about what a rich history Damascus has - how Paul was spoken to by the Lord on the road to Damascus in the Bible - and I find it amazing that the city of Damascus still stands today.  I started to think about the innumerable people that must have traveled the road to Damascus over the millenia and decided that this would be a fitting subject for the song.  As I wrote the lyrics, I did not intend to write it with a particularly religious theme, but alas when all was said and done, that is what the song became.