This insrtumental track was begun on the south beach of St. Simon's Island in Georgia and completed in Gloucester, Massachusetts, making it my longest song, in terms of mileage.

THE SOWER (Don Oja Dunaway) The sower rose up from his sleep it was not yet light He walked out into the morning mist through the remnants of the night A sack of grain hung at his side, he made his way across the field Lost in a dream of harvest time and all that it would yield Some seeds fell on stony places, the soil was shallow and dry Its roots were scorched by the Summer sun as it seared down from the sky Some fell by the roadside birds came quickly and ate the seed Some fell among the thistles and were strangled by the weeds Some were nurtured in fertile ground till they were fully grown The grand then yielded 100 times the seed that first was sewn Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground it is buried in the earth Unless it dies it can't give life therein lies it's worth Unless a seed is planted born out of a sewers toil Unless the ground is broken of what value is the soil And if a man has ears to hear Lord let his heart be stirred To labor in your vineyard and the wisdom of your word They are life to those who find them we'll surely reap as we have sewn The grain is ripe the fields are white it will soon be harvest home The sower rose up from his sleep it was not yet light He walked out into the morning mist through the remnants of the night

NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH (c) 2003 Chuck Hall I saw a woman crying standing on the street Teenager's body lying not moving at her feet And it was easily explained this young woman was told This shooting was an accident but she would not be consoled Now, it's been mostly easy but for once or twice with me I aim my remote control and never miss a beat And that's the truth It's nothing but the truth I saw him scream into my face it was on the evening news Cops and cameras every place, this young man had the blues There is one curse worse than failure and he was cursed with his success Money makes a mess of things for some poor souls I guess He sang "all alone is all we are" and I wondered at this thing: That he had seen behind the veil, then lost his will to sing. And that's the truth It's nothing but the truth Tell me who or what will save us from the body of this death And I will put it in a song to sing with every breath Don't you know the truth will make you free, but not until it hurts We get our fill of all our sin and then our just desserts And that's the truth Nothing but the truth Mirror, mirror on the wall, I cannot bear the sight Of all the things alive in me that go bump in the night I am captive to the fear, I must really look a fright I'm afraid I might be wrong, and I'm afraid I might be right So I come here and hope to find the one who is to blame And I see him staring back at me, and I call (cast) him out by name And that's the truth It's nothing but the truth

WON'T YOU COME AND SING FOR ME? (Hazel Dickens) I feel the shadows now upon me And fair angels beckon me Before I go dear sisters and brothers Won't you come and sing for me? Sing those hymns we sang together In that plain little church with the benches all worn How dear to my heart, how precious the moment We stood shaking hands and singing those songs My burden is heavy, my way has grown weary I have traveled a road that is long And it would warm this heart my brothers If you'd come and sing one song In my home beyond that dark river Your sweet faces no more will I see Until we meet where there's no more sad partings Won't you come and sing for me?

A SINGLE DROP OF RAIN (c) 2000 Chuck Hall A farmer isn't built, he said, to live upon his knees But I come to you this morning. Lord, in an hour of cruel need In the darkness before daybreak, he hears the thunder clap Thy will be done to us this day, Lord hold the water back Thirty feet above the flood, and they say it's going to rain My back can't take the shoveling, my heart can't take the strain The land I plow to make my way is carried off in bags And stacked upon the levee to hold water back And a tear is shed in heaven, and falls without a sound The drop that breaks the levee's back and floods out half the town Standing on this floodplain, with his baby in her fright The farmer prays above his field. Lord, what will we eat tonight? Then adding his tears to the flood, waist deep in his pain All hope was lost this morning for a single drop of rain In Georgia on that morning, there walks a broken man Who watches his life blow away like topsoil turned to sand He stares of the horizon, and wonders right out loud If there's an answer to his prayers in that distant cloud For his crops have all been turned to straw by 80 days of heat His daddy says it's been the worst drought he has ever seen And he's seen 80 summers so you'd think he'd surely know But all he says is, "Son it's time to give it up and go." And a tear is shed in heaven and falls without a sound But is dried and turned to vapor before it hits the ground He kicks the dirt, and shades his eyes from the noonday light And wonders what's left in the barn for dinner time tonight And that thought bursts the dam he's built against despair and pain All hope was lost this morning for a single drop of rain I babysat my neighbor's daughter, you know how kids can be When they're stuck inside on rainy days with some grown-up like me And I got to thinking how it's just my luck today it had to rain We could have gone out for a walk, but now we'll have to stay I gave her paper and some crayons, and said make something nice for me She came back with a rainbow just as perfect as could be I said, "Where'd you see that rainbow you've drawn with such great skill?" She said, "I saw in a rain drop on the window sill." And a tear is shed in heaven, and falls without a sound Upon a window pane for young eyes to copy down They are eyes that see the power, and wisdom born of youth There are hands to paint the wonder and the beauty of the truth There is a spark of life that bursts into a holy flame In a heart that sees the rainbow in a single drop of rain Give me a heart to see the rainbow in a single drop of rain

LOVE COMES TO THE SIMPLE HEART (1986) Chuck Hall Love comes to the simple heart in the simplest of ways In the face of simple malice she will simply find a way She will find a way to love though that way be locked and barred Uninvited, in her wisdom Love comes to the simple heart Love comes to the simple heart Not the mocking or the proud Always slain and resurrected Love comes to the simple heart Love comes to the simple heart, and though her pain remain concealed Finding freedom in forgiveness, no wrong against her she reveals Bound by her determination that retribution have no start Seeking out a new creation Love comes to the simple heart Love comes to the simple heart in the simplest of ways In an unprotected moment- touched by unexpected grace And how weak our sad defenses and how useless the facade As through a thousand veiled offenses Love comes to the simple heart

PRODIGAL SON (Dock Boggs) When I left my father's house, I was well supplied I made a mistake when I did go, now I'm dissatisfied I believe I'll go back home I believe I'll go back home I believe I'll go back home, acknowledge I've done wrong I'll go back to my father's house and fall down on my face Declare I am unworthy I will seek a servant's place I'll go back to my fathers house, the place I love so dear There I will find bread to eat, oh, I am starving here When his father saw him coming, he did greet him with a smile Threw his arms around him, saying , "Here's my wandering child!" Father said to the elder son, "Go kill the fatted calf. Call my friends and relatives - my son is home at last!" All were seated at the banquet and all sorrow had passed The father's heart was filled with joy, his son was home at last But the elder son was jealous I believe I heard him say "You give my brother all his portion, but I never went away!" The father said to this jealous one, "You have been both good and kind, Not a fatted calf I've given thee, all I have is thine." When I left my father's house, I was well supplied I made a mistake and I did go, now I'm dissatisfied I believe I'll go back home I believe I'll go back home I believe I'll go back home, acknowledge I've done wrong

OLD FRIENDS (c) 2000 Chuck Hall Can't say for certain what made me call I was here all alone And dialed a number I still recall to hear your voice on the phone Something I saw on the TV set stirred up a feeling I can't forget And I had to talk to friend I don't know where catching up begins I was kind of hoping you would Have I talk to you since I got married again? This time I believe it's for good You still in that old factory? You promised years ago you'd leave And a friend doesn't lie to a friend One who stands abreast of time walks within these steps of mine A welcome I am sure to find whenever I recall Old friends are the best friends after all You won't believe it but I swear it true -1 up and finally gave in Quit smoking years ago, now how about you? You'll be asking for light up in heaven I heard something yesterday - remember our joke? My wife didn't get it, but old friend would know And I had to talk to friend It makes me laugh so hard I cry when I remember those days And think of the world we were going to try that just didn't happen that way We survived the acid, disco, Nixon, and fear But the hardest test of friendship is the passing year Remember what we were going to be? Maybe our parents were right And all that finally matters are the simple dreams so how are the children tonight? I used to call you "Small - Town Socrates", tonight I sure could use some philosophy Or maybe just talk to friend Just had to talk to friend One who stands abreast of time walks within these steps of mine A welcome I am sure to find whenever I recall Old friends are the best friends after all

A WALK IN THE WOODS (c) 2000 Chuck Hall On a walk in the woods behind my house I found an old stone wall nearly covered with moss I sat right down, had to catch my breath I was 10 years old, I will never forget Now at 45 I stop and stare Can't believe my eyes, it's still standing there After all these years, left stone on stone On a walk in the woods, it said, "Welcome home!" I trust that stone wall just the way I trust the Bible A rest upon my way for comfort and survival It was here before me, it will be here when I die To serve the souls of children and Pilgrims passing by A little farther on this Pilgrim path I found an open space, I'd forgot about that Mr. Jackson told me many years ago In the Pilgrim times it was a settlers home He said sometimes in the middle of the night You could hear their prayers and see their candlelight You should not speak here, this is a holy place I love the quiet here just the way I love a church For the beauty of it's holiness and the silence it has learned It was here before me, it will be here when I die To serve the souls of children and Pilgrims passing by Oh, I played in these woods, and I walked this path It led me away, and then it led me back I take it step by step, and then step again And I will not stop until I reach the end On a walk in the woods, behind my house There's a path I walk and write songs about Past the landmarks there, walking all alone On a walk in the woods on my way home

ON THE ROAD TO MY SALVATION (c) 2000 Chuck Hall I had a waking dream today, perhaps a visitation While thinking on the things I've learned on the road to my salvation An angel took me by the hand and led me through a portal That brought me to the turning points in the life of this poor mortal The angel said, "Behold thy life, in its finest demonstration For I have come to walk with you on the road to your salvation." Behold I saw a vision then, a mother and a child Beatific love upon a scene so meek and mild But the angel seemed so sad to me, he said, "Behold thy mother Who loved you when you could not love, the pain and joy you brought her." And so I learned love unretumed is a fact of all creation And a broken heart is not despised on the road to my salvation In the vision shown me next I told a friend I'd never tattle That our friendship, solid as a stone, could withstand every battle Then I was told of witnesses who said they saw who threw it Pointed to me but I said, "No!" I said, "I watched HIM do it!" And learned I am an unclean man from an unclean generation I can't bear the weight of the lies I've told on the road to my salvation For the scene next to appear I've not lived out my sentence The thing for which I'm most ashamed, finding no place for repentance The mob said, "There goes one of them - he his hiding from this trial!" "I never knew the man!", I said, finding death in that denial And so I learned unfaithfulness and gave my soul to Satan But grace is not resistible on the road to my salvation The angel asked, "Why so downcast?", I said, "The thing I fear the most Is walking down this narrow path and walking it alone." He then lifted up a veil and holding that door for me "Behold a multitude a watching you who have gone on before thee!" And giving me a crown of gold, the angel's exclamation: "This world is unworthy of the Pilgrims on the road to their salvation!" "0, depart from me falsehood and pride!", I cried, "Humiliation! Make me worthy of the Name I bear on the road to my salvation!" I had a waking dream today, perhaps a visitation While thinking on the things I've learned on the road to my salvation Halleluia! Soli Deo Gloria!