One of the most magical things about writing songs is watching how they are born and change and evolve. Each of the songs on the Walk In Beauty album took a different path to come into being. Most of them took a very “circuitous” route to reach their final destination… the final version being significantly different than how they began. A rare few were “birthed” into the world almost fully fledged.

The title song, Walk In Beauty, was one that took a long and winding road to get to where it ended up.

It began with a walk on a beach on one of those beautiful winter days we sometimes get out here. As I walked the words and the melody for the first part of the song came streaming through fully formed:

“There is so much beauty in the world.
There is so much beauty in the world. 
Open your eyes so you can see it. 
Open your heart so you can be it. 
There is so much beauty in the world.”

I kept repeating that over and over until what I thought was going to be another “verse” came through:

“There is so much sorrow in the world. 
There is so much sorrow in the world. 
Open your arms so you can feel it. 
Open your heart so you can heal it. 
There is so much sorrow in the world.”

From there I thought the song would become a chant for Ceremony with several of these expressions of duality and how to bring healing and completeness to them.

But somewhere along the way it started feeling not quite right. I wasn’t easily “finding” additional verses that would have fleshed out those two. It felt like I was pushing. And when I feel that push – and listen to it – I know it’s time to step back and take another path.

And it was always the Beauty that called me back. Always Beauty that held my attention.

So I let go of the second “verse” about sorrow and I put the first verse to some simple chords on the guitar.

From there, the next section of the song came through quickly:

“There is beauty all around you.
Just take a look and see. 
And the beauty that’s inside of you
That’s what you’re meant to be. 
Beauty in the Earth below
And in the Sky above.
And when you see that beauty
Then you’ll know how much you’re loved.”

And then I thought the song was done. I still saw it as a Ceremony song that would repeat over and over. I sang it that was for several months with just those two sections. Offering it to the meditation circle I sit with in that way.

But the Beauty song (as it was known back then) wasn’t done with me yet.

One day when I was noodling with it a third section came through.

“Beauty walks in front of you
And follows close behind. 
Beauty to your left
And it’s there on your right.
Beauty above you
And beauty down below. 
Beauty within you.
Wherever you may go. 
You walk in beauty. 
We walk in beauty. 
We live in beauty. 
There’s so much beauty.”

From that moment on it became the Walk In Beauty song and I could feel the completeness. The Beauty song had been born into the world!

And while I still love the original second verse about opening your arms to feel the sorrow and opening your heart to heal the sorrow I am very clear that this song wanted to be all about beauty!

One of the “perks” in the Walk In Beauty Indiegogo campaign is called the SUBSTANCE Journal. It will have stories like this about the creation and evolution of the songs. It will even include pictures of the notes from my lyric journals so that you can see and watch the evolution of the songs on the album.

You can order your copy of the Substance Journal… along with the Walk In Beauty album at The Walk In Beauty IndieGogo Page here.