Album Notes

This song is from the book "Sharlie", a story inspired by the magic and beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Excerpts from "Sharlie" can be found at www.swanseamusic.com. In the story, the eight sisters of Andala gather small shells from the beach, whisper a wish into them, and wrap them in a piece of cloth torn from their robes. They place the bundles in the shallow water along the shore, upon the river of moonlight that shines across the sea, all the while singing their ancient song of sorrow.

A note from Lynda: "I first thought about writing this song while I was sitting on the beach of a lake in the mountains of Idaho, watching the moon rise. The reflection made a river of silver across the water that reached all the way to the trees on the other side.

"I had just been reading about the moon. Long ago people believed that all things wasted on earth (time, worry, treasure, jealousy, unrequited love, unfulfilled dreams) were stored on the surface of the moon in earthen jars. How would it be if we could wrap our cares in a bundle and lay them on the moon's reflection; if Omesa descended in the moonlight on her ghostship of white, gathered our troubles, and carried them away forever?"


MOONBEAM RIVER

I wrapped my cares in linen
and I laid them on the shore
and rowed across
the silvery light
a moonbeam river oh
and on the other side
I made a fire
against the cold
and waited in the darkness
for the mystery to unfold

The wind began its whispering
a wildish lullaby
the song
though silent in me
with the moonlight
filled the sky
the waves began to murmur
and they gently
touched the shore
beckoning me
to dwell within
the mystery once more

And sorrow
overpowering in
the glaring light of day
in the softness of
a Moonbeam River
slowly flowed away

Written and recorded by Lynda Johnson, mixed by Scott Pergande of The Mix House in Boise, Idaho www.themixhouse.com
Cover art: Oil painting by Northwest fantasy artist Bleu Turrell www.Turrellart.com
Cover designed by Michael Lynch lynchgrafx@hotmail.com