Album Notes

I began writing songs in a Skid-Row diner in Vancouver, BC, in 1968. By 1969 I was a new Baha'i feverishly writing songs to express this bright, new, spiritual view of my world. I have continued to write to this day, and view this body of work as the sign posts of my spiritual journey.Perhaps it will be of some small benefit to you.

Move (To the East)
The first track, "Move", was written in 1969 just after the birth of my first son and reflect some of what I was feeling as a young, Baha'i father.

The Captain's Song
This track grew from a poem I had written entitled "The Storm" where the sailors, after a mutiny, went to join their Captain in the brig. "It was they who knew that the very thing they feared the most would blow their lost ship home."

Heart of Silence
In this song, as in others I have written, the brook symbolizes the path of Divine Guidance, its gleeming presence, sparkling in the morning light. "O that we can stoop before her, Chase the burning thirst away."

Baha'u'llah
This is a folk treatment of concepts underlying the appearance amongst men of the Divine Educator. I wanted it to be fun, so the words should be viewed as an artistic representation of this important teaching and NOT taken as literal quotations.

Blessed is the spot...
This small payer is quoted from the sacred writings of Bah'u'llah, Prophet Founder of the Baha'i Faith. I put it to music to sing to my children.

Unity
Whether we examine the unity between our thoughts and our actions, unity of family, unity of religion or the recognition of the essential oneness and unity of mankind, unity is a vital and central principle of the Baha'i Faith.. In this track I take a lighthearted look at this important principle.

The Pilgrim's Song
Akka is the prison city near Haifa, Israel, where was unjustly imprisoned for many years. Here the first Pilgrims began to arrive from afar, often traveling alone and on foot for a glimpse of Bah'u'llah's hand as He waved from His cell. Here I personify the wind as a Pilgrim visiting Akka.

Beautiful Friend
Hand of the Cause, Mr. Khaseh, visited the Goderich Baha'I Summer School in Ontario, Canada in the mid 70's. He described in detail his recent visit to Tehran and the Siyah Chal, the "Black Pit" in which Baha'u'llah was chained for an unimaginable four months. Mr. Khazeh said of the day he entered that dungeon, "No one can visit this place and not fall in love with Baha'u'llah."

The Father Has Returned
By "The Father" is meant Baha'u'llah. In this song, the "silence" is our silence. The Father turns His shoulder to His children because upon these shoulders were traced the scars of His early suffering.

Silver Thread
The Silver Thread is that little brook, the sign of Divine Guidance in each of our lives by which we may be guided if we choose

I Want to Tell the World
And I do want to tell the world about Baha'u'llah.

True Love's Face
An important lesson... our small sacrifices fade quickly when we focus on the purpose of our journey.

GENERAL NOTES
Performances on this CD are mine, as are the music and lyrics. The lyrics for "Blessed is the spot..." come from the Pen of Baha'u'llah.

For information on the Baha'i Faith, I suggest you visit www.bahaindex.com for excellent and accurate resources on this wonderful faith.

Thank you for purchasing One... heart at a time.

Mike