February 1, 2025
This song came to me while driving South along Interstate 5 nearby Bakersfield—about 20 miles Pacific Ocean Westward of Bakersfield as the concrete stretchs—and was pretty much complete in half-an-hour. Romantic, you know, and Ecologically Conscious. Heading then, once more, for Los Angeles and the United States TAC Track and Field Championships, June of 1990.
I got with DHYANI when back in San Francisco and he worked up much more music from my melodies. We recorded it with a very fine version of the Suspect Many band at Olde West, one Sunday afternoon, January 1991, in the process of making the Love Is The Main Flame album. JOHN BAKER as always on Keyvboards, MARTY HOLLAND on Electric Bass, KENNY BLACKMAN. on Drums-Set, and JAMES HENRY on Congas and other Percussion. PETER ECKART of Olde West was again our Engineer.
The song’s title was longer then, as my memory was greater, too: “Your Body Is A Nurturing I Ride Into Night / New Cars And Power-Lines Are Strung Out To L.A.”
In 2014 KIDD JORDAN on Tenor Saxophone and MORIKEBA KOUYATE on Kora reocrded this song for our album Women Center Earth, Sea And Sky. The great young videographer caught that Take (we did 16 Tracks in 16 Takes that July 24, 2014, our two hours closing my six hours at the Marigny Studio with engineer Rick G. Nelson that midday-into-evening.
Kidd and I also performed “Your Body […] in the Louisiana Music Factory, and the LMF included us in its Video from November 5, 2016.
I’ll post links to the earlier, audio or video toward end of this Post.
Enough! To today’s spoken version. The lyrics mean more to me now than ever. Do let me know how it comes across. Comments and Exchanges are great!
“Your Body Rich As Night”
Your body is a nurturing I ride into night Your body is of spirit things To bring soul's delight Hi-dee-High Hi-dee-High Hi-dee-High-de-hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-hi Your body is replenishing Source gives back to thirst Your body is of healing things From it wants are burst Hi-dee-High Hi-dee-High Hi-dee-High-de-hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-hi New cars and power lines Are strung out to L. A. How we use the time we have Is our means our light Birds are mired in the oil Palms and firs shrink by Bays How we meet the calls of life Is our play with paradise Damage is a constant As cars run round the clock Dying can't be accident If we boil in our own pots Politicians banning Art Scumbags wash to shore No shame in Nature's gifts Naked 's where it starts Your body is a nurturing I ride into night Your body is of spirit things To bring soul's delight Hi-dee-High Hi-dee-High Hi-dee-High-de-hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-hi Your body is replenishing Source gives back to thirst Your body is of healing things From it wants are burst Hi-dee-High Hi-dee-High Hi-dee-High-de-hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-hi An-other world! Another world! Another world is there for us Starry, fleshly night.
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