Hard to Swallow

a reality check and honest questions carried on a groove and a melody. here are the lyrics. these original paintings were part of the creative process. the top one is entitled "would water draw a line?" which became the hook lyric of the song. the darker one is simply entitled "toxic water". you can hear the song here: myspace.com/heatherlynmusic. hopefully, this song is a voice for the nearly 4500 children who die everyday because their only source of drinking water is the same stream they go to the bathroom in.

"hard to swallow"

water's what we are about 65 percent
you gotta get good water no matter where you pay the rent
seems like common sense
but what if your toilet was also your sink
nothing but sewage for the children to drink
we wouldn't even let our dogs do that
wouldn't we be protesting in the streets
demanding something pure, something safe and sweet
where powers that be just sat

would water draw a line?
would water justify
all this loss of life?
and are we satisfied
living in a world where so many children
are dying
for a good cup of water?

we've got our filtered, designer bottled varieties
sparkling, fresh, flavored strawberry
even drinks with rewards in the caps
they've got their toxic biohazard waste
for which to bathe, not to mention the taste
are we really ok with that?

what you've done for the least of these
you have done for me
if you give to a thirsty child
you are giving to me
if you give good water to a child
you are giving to me

lyrics and art copyright owned by heatherlyn 2007

House Concerts with Justice Focus

We've been partnering with folks to create an atmosphere of inspiration and action in their homes. Hosts have invited their friends and neighbors to come together around good music and a focus of justice - peace, hunger, the ONE campaign (poverty, clean water, AIDS/HIV), the environment, women and domestic violence, honoring MLK and celebrating civil rights - these have all been topics for conversation and action at house concerts. Guests have come with food donations for local food shelves. Some have signed up to be part of the ONE campaign. Others have decided to volunteer at a local safe house for women and children. These evenings have been full of energy, an honest look at our world and readiness to respond. Hopefully, the flow of compassion will continue.