“Someday” is a song of hope… hope that one day we as humans will see what we have in common instead of what makes us different.  I do believe that a common chord runs through us all regardless of our race, sex, nationality, economic background, sexual preference, religion, or any other classification that can separate us.   We are unique yet the we are the same…

Someday we’ll get together
Someday we’ll be all right
Someday we’ll stop this hatred
That’s keeping us apart

Someday we’ll see our brothers
Someday remove the bars
Someday we’ll hug our sisters
Someday erase the scars
Someday we know our children
Love them for who they are

Someday we’ll know what love is
Someday we’ll lend a hand
Someday we’ll know who God is
Someday we’ll understand

Someday I’ll look into your heart
Someday I’ll look in yours
Just think of the happiness
You and I could find

–Words & Music by Nhojj

This is my contribution to the world of poetry and spoken word.  The ability to use words to for rhythm and the sound of the words as well as for the images and pictures that the words themselves create has always fascinated me.

I open my eyes and look around at the place I am at… I analyze it
I realize it is not the place for me to be
I see More

so I look up
past the darkness, past the pain, past the hurt, past the rain
Clouds that keep me over cast, threatening down pour upon my poor soul

I pray this storm brewing, stewing within, wouldn’t catch me unprepared. Its weird I know
But I got this feeling that this ceiling I am under
will protect me
then I think.

And in my final deduction I realize this construction of …bad habits
My ugly little rabbits that hide under
Will keep me locked in a jail spelt fail forever protected from the… Rain

So I get up from where I’m laying, staying, delaying, always saying…I will
but never willing myself to… do and
I do the impossible

I stop this emotional war. All my battles are won
Get up off this mental floor
Reach for the door that opens to … ME. Beautiful and alive
Cause whosoever said that I was GREAT… was Right… Is Right… and will always be Right
I am!!!

But wait, don’t put your hands together just yet. Listen… Listen to the calm
It’s the way our universe applauds
a new Me

– by Nhojj

“Love Again” is an acapella piece – I see the voice as an instrument and pieces like this one allow me to focus and present it like that.  It also allows me to record lots and lots of background vocals.   One of my favorite artist is Bobby McFerrin and he is such an inspiration to me:)

My heart’s been waiting, anticipating
For you to come and love me again
My heart’s been longing for some belonging
For you to come and love me again
Love me again.

–Words & Music by Nhojj

This is one of my most downloaded songs which surprised me at first.  When I write I never know which is song will connect, but in the creative process I usually have a favorite.   This song is from personal experience though – I fell in love during my first CD and we broke up before this project.  So this song is about my lost love…

Remember how we used to touch
Remember how we used to kiss
Before we fell this far apart
Remember your hands in mine
Fingers running down my spine
Before we became so self involved

I miss U

Remember how you used to smile
Every time I touched your…
Remember the love in your eyes
Every time your lips met mine

I miss U

–Words & Music by Nhojj

Sensuality and spirituality – a friend of mine after listening to this song wondered if it was prayer… and I guess the answer to that question is yes… its a prayer to Love.  I believe God is Love, so wherever there is Love there is God, wherever you feel Love – you feel God.

U are my sun U are my moon
My universe revolves around U
U are my light my day and night
Clouds part when U enter the room
U are the wind U are the rain
Wash me make me whole again
U are my life U are my life

This morning as I gaze at Ur sleeping face
There’s so much that I want to say
I want to tell U now how much U mean to me
I want to tell U now U mean the world to me

U are my sun U are my moon
My universe revolves around U
U are my light my day and night
Clouds part when U enter the room
U are the wind U are the rain
Wash me make me whole again
U are my life U are my life

I’d be lost and lonely without U
I’d be like a ship afloat without a sail
I’d do anything to spare U pain
I’d give up everything to live this way

–Words & Music by Nhojj

This song is based on the negro spiritual – Amazing Grace,  I just personalized the lyrics to depict my life and circumstances.  When I heard this track – it made me think of baptism and conversion – so it felt right.   When I was recording it, I kept on ad libing in the end and during the first edits I cut it out because it wasn’t as clean as I would have liked, but now I’m glad I left them in:)

I once was lost but now I’m found
Was blind but now I see

I had been down
Head facing ground
And I stayed there
Out of my fear

Shut out the Light
Lost all my sight
Believe the lies
And your Soul dies

Felt like a jail
Set up to fail
Trapped in a box
Couldn’t hear life knocks

Place I had been
Knew I couldn’t win
Believe the lies
And your Soul dies

–Words & Music by Nhojj

I was thinking of the greats like Bob Marley and John Lennon who used their music to make this world a better place.  All they wanted to do was spread love… that’s when the idea struck me – they were fighting for love.   I can’t believe that anyone would deny another the right to love…

I am a warrior preparing for war
I am a warrior I step through this door
The enemy is ignorance, the enemy is hate
I am a warrior, I’m fighting for love

–Words & Music by Nhojj

The lyrics of “The Beggar’s Cup” just flowed out of me… I was sitting on my bathroom floor one night listening to this sample and the words and the story just came out of me.  I think this is one of those songs that needed to be told.  A lot of people tell me how much this song and lyrics mean to them.

I am begging at this corner
I am lying here in rags
But I don’t need no money
I want something that will last

I am sitting in the sunshine
But all I feel is rain
I wish I knew the answers
So I could end this pain

Winter is coming
But I have no where to go
I hope I don’t die this time around
I hope I find my way back home

Cause they say that I cannot live out here in the streets
They say this is no place for me to be
They say this box is not a home
They say that man cannot live alone

That’s why my hands they are trembling
Cause I’m tired and I’m scared
Tonight my cup is empty
It hasn’t been filled in years

Chorus
So put a little bit a love in my cup now
Put a little bit of love today
Put a little bit a of love in my cup
Put a little bit of love today.

–Words & Music by Nhojj

911 had just happened and I could feel the desire for war in the air.  I wrote this song because I believe war never solves anything worthwhile because no one ever wins.  We would never allow our children to fight to solve their problems, so why do we?

What would you do if you saw 2 children arguing?
What would you do if one of them was your own?
Now what would you do if they broke out into a fight?
How long would it take for you to call for…

Peace

Would if matter which child was right or which was wrong?
Would it matter which child struck the first blow?
Would it matter which religion each child belonged to?
No it wouldn’t matter at all; you’d just want some…

Peace

Well if this is what we want for our children
Why don’t we want if for ourselves?
War is never the answer, so lift your voice and call for…

Peace

–Words & Music by Nhojj

This was one of the first songs I completed for this project.  The CD title is a combination of the core song titles, and “Free” is one of those tracks.  It was also my first forray into soul and funk music.  I continued this theme in the “Soul Comfort” CD

Cut the strings untie the things
That keep you down, bound, facing ground
Lost now found
Undo the knot that keeps you caught
Wrought in despair, change is here
So calm your fears

No more disillusions
No more pain regrets
No more running scared when things don’t turn out right
No more sad heartbreaks
No more broke heartaches
No more wondering what will happen to me in the end

Free I want to be free

I want to soar, I want to fly
High in the sky no more to cry
Or watch love go by
One step at a time is how I’ll climb
Won’t stop until I reach the top

–Words & Music by Nhojj