"Praying for land..."

"...You were Hillary and Norgay at the summit,
Neil Armstrong, with both feet on the ground,
You were Wilbur and Orville yelling madly
As the plane touched down,
You're a sailor staring out at the ocean,
A child's telescope pointed at the sky
You're the mother who names her child Amelia
Yearning to fly.

You were the thousands
who sailed for the new land
And the hundreds who made it safely home
Sun-bleached and torn by adventure
Weathered to the bone…"
- Randall Williams

Randall Williams' "Praying for Land" is the title cut from his 2006 release, a must-have CD for the spiritual  thinker who longs to sail…without instruments… into the depths of "the sea within." It is for those who are willing to wrestle with new ideas, shatter old paradigms and stretch the borders of what constitutes "home."    Or, as folk radio DJ Mara Noelle at KVMR characterized this collection, "...meaningful songs that remind us the world is made small by a common need for love, peace, and dreams."

I love this CD.  I have waited (not so patiently) for its release since first hearing the title cut almost a year ago in our dining room one Saturday morning after omelettes and marmalade and Ginger Peach tea.  The hairs rose at the nape of my neck that morning as words started building, one carefully crafted line upon another, towards a heart piercing message of the power and grace.  Randall's verses take you apart...and put you back together again...long before the last chorus whispers (or roars) a phrase you won't get out of your heart for days.  

Randall is a consummate Renaissance man….but more importantly he is a profound thinker, a contemporary "Pete Seeger" with a revolutionary's vision and a poet's vocabulary.  Every word is nuanced with spiritual undertones…every line gently punctuated with social activism, plaintively begging us to take responsibility for out actions…and our thoughts.

I love Randall's balance of resonant vocals and clear articulation, I am stunned by his brilliant right-hand work on the guitar - and knowing his heart, I trust the integrity of his "voice" - he lives the message.

"Praying for Land" is one of those songs that speaks to my heart a message of encouragement…and consolation.  So many times I have wondered, "What is this hunger to push out into open water that seems so imperative within me?  Why am I not content with the status quo.  Why do I seem to need to know more, see farther, go deeper?"

But "Praying for Land" gave me some clues. And although I'm not sure what Randall's intent was, my inner wanderer said, "Ahhh…it is You, dear God.  You are "the Mother who names her child Amelia,...yearning to fly."   You, dear Mother, have named me Kate.  You are the One yearning to write. It is You...You are yearning to sing, to think, to heal.  It is You within me…and Orville, and Wilbur, and Neil Armstrong…and everyone of us.

Thanks Randall for the reminder….come back soon for marmalade and omelettes and Ginger peach tea…bring your guitar…and your passion for singing the song within...that cannot be silenced.

"You are the dreamer;
You are the hope of men
Forever hoisting sail,
Forever pushing on,
Forever praying for land."
- Randall Williams

listening,
Kate
[To order Randall's CD "Praying for Land" you can contact randall@whereisrandall.com]