AN AMERICAN HOMECOMING

Songs by Dr. B.

(The Stories Behind The Songs)

Copyright c 2000

"An American Homecoming" is an album of songs about our heritage and the physical beauty of the United States. The album is dedicated to all Americans especially the Veterans who served our country and the Indians who cherished the land. The album contains 16 songs with a prelude and reprise for a total of 18 tracks. It is 74 minutes long and is available on both CD and Cassette. The album was released on February 1, 2001. Look for an on-line form located on the main page to order your copy.

The album begins with a prelude consisting of one verse from the exit song on the album titled, "I Love America." Hence, those words begin and end the album because they convey my true feelings about our country.

After the brief prelude, the album opens with a song titled, "Once Upon America." The song was inspired by many of the experiences I had while travelling across the United States and also by a book I read that was titled, "Centennial." The book was written by James A. Michener and begins with the formation of the land and the western Rocky Mountains. The story unfolds with a discussion about the early inhabitants of that land such as dinosaurs, up to the period of man then eventually up to the American Indians. There was a magnificent evolution that did take place over a long period of time. The song is an attempt to relate that long segment of time pertaining to the formation of the land to the opposite extreme and short time spans surrounding the decline of the American Indian, the rise of the Industrial Revolution, and the elevation to power of America. The song is an appropriate beginning for the album......Once Upon America.

The second song on the album is title, "Oh Colorado." Again being influenced by Michener, I travelled to Colorado to witness firsthand her true elegance and majestic beauty. After driving along the Colorado River for some time on a beautiful sunny day with my girlfriend sleeping next to me, we began our ascent upwards to Rocky Mountain National Park and over the Continental Divide, at Loveland Pass. When almost at the summit, we pulled the car over into a rest stop along the side of the road for the purpose of viewing the magnificent vista behind us. We looked all around at the snow-capped mountains and blue sky, down upon the mountain lakes, and across great divides at a series of water falls. At that moment, the song, Oh Colorado was born on the hood of my silver-blue1981 American Motors Eagle stationwagon. I believe the song pays a fine tribute to that wonderful state that we fell in love with forever at that moment.

Song number three on the album is titled, "I Can Be Content In My Country." My intent was to write this song with an up-beat tempo but a slight twist not too common to most music. The song addresses the wonderful cultural diversity in our country, the physical beauty and charm of America, the oneness of all mankind, and gambling as in the act of gambling but yet gambling on the solid foundation of our country. America is the leading country to find peace and joy and I am very "content" living in my country. So, I said it in a song with a twist of lemon and dash of spice. Our country may not be perfect yet but it is the best country in the world and I am grateful to be born and raised as an American. Now, let us try as one people to make it perfect. It can be done. All we have to do is will it to be.

The fourth song on the album takes us to a different mode. The song was written to honor all of our Vietnam Veteran Soldiers who served in country over in that war torn country. It is titled, "Forever In Country." Those Veterans more so than any other group of Veterans came home bewildered by what they witnessed over in Vietnam and back home in the United States of America. It was a time of utter confusion on what was true and what was false. It was a time of mistrust of government and what one thought was right seemed ....oh so wrong. Many of our brave Vietnam Veterans including three of my cousins and many of my friends who were "in country" will be forever "in country" in their minds and hearts because of the many horrors they witnessed. This song is an attempt at trying to shed some light on the dilemma which may truly be impossible to do because of its mass. This song is also an attempt to grant a reprieve of the haunting horrors that will keep those brave men and women "forever in country." It is my wish that this song can help them in some small way and it is my way of thanking them for how well they truly did while serving this country and the entire world. One final note is, this song is for my friend Gary Owens who came to see me with his girlfriend the day before he left for Vietnam. It was only days later I was informed that Gary was shot through the temple of his head by a sniper while guarding his camp and serving his country ..... in country.

Song number five is titled, "Mississippi (River Of Dreams)." It comes as the first turning point in the album when the album starts to take off. The song is about one of the greatest rivers on earth and the biggest river on the North American Continent. The song is based on my personal experiences while crossing the Mississippi by ferry boat and also cruising down the river on a paddle boat queen while visiting the great city of New Orleans during the Mardi Gras, 1976 season. The river is majestic and her history is fascinating. She is truly something to behold and sing about ..... Oh Mississippi.

The sixth song on the album is titled, "She’s Called America." It is another fast paced song and one that is a salute to America and all of her beauty. The song also conveys how I feel about America and how I believe there is no other place on earth I would rather be than in this great and wonderful country. The song also relates a message of responsibility that we must accept as leaders of the world to reach out to people in countries that are less fortunate then we are. Beauty, opportunity, and responsibility, are three concepts that truly describe the makeup of our country and her people. I am very proud to be an American and try very hard to respect, defend, and enhance those three concepts. This song was born at the visitors' center on the top of Mount Ranier, Washington.

"Lakota" is the title of song number seven and is a mover filled with passion and fury. It is about the Sioux Indians and a special group that were called Lakota Indians. They were respected as the best fighters of all the American Indians and truly one of the greatest tribes. The song was written to honor the Lakota Indians and all American Indians who loved their land for so many years before the white man came. In the song I further tried to convey the atmosphere surrounding the wild and free spirit of the land and her inhabitants when times were good for the Indians and also the frustrating and painful cry of the last of the Lakotas when centuries of peace changed in a storm that moved swiftly across their land. When listening to the instrumental chorus of the song and listening to the electric lead guitar one can hear the cry of the lone Indian speaking to the heavens with a heavy but brave heart while on a mountain cliff with the wind blowing across his face as he communicates with the souls that have crossed over to the spirit land beyond. I had the privilege of visiting many of the Indian sites throughout America during my travels in the forty-nine states I passed through. I am a supporter of the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota with hopes that I may make some small difference. I pray that this song honors the spirits of all American Indians past, present, and future. I further pray that the Lakota Indians live on forever, rise to greatness once again, and that this song brings them the honor that they truly deserve. This song was born at the Rosebud Reservation.

Song number eight is titled, "Montana Breeze." It is truly one of the most meaningful songs that I have ever written. The song was born in the Summer of 1983 but was conceived when I was in the seventh grade and twelve years of age. In the seventh grade I was assigned to be in "Pop" Kelly’s history class and also in his homeroom while in the eighth grade. Mr. Kelly or "Pop" as he was so fondly called, was an elderly teacher at the time who gained the respect of all students. That is how he won the name, "Pop." In his room, Pop had a picture of the Battle of Little Big Horn hanging on the right wall in the front section of his room. During homeroom period each day, my friend and I would study that picture focusing on every detail. Until this day, I have not seen a picture more gruesome than that one. It depicted the final moments of Custer’s Last Stand where all the soldiers were grouped on a hillside fighting for their lives against overwhelming odds. The picture further revealed soldiers being scalped by Indians, an act the Indians learned from the white man, in what was to be the last major battle of the American Indians. The painting was a frame in time depicting pure brutality in response to brutality. The sad point of the story is, Americans were killing Americans. After two years of studying that painting, I promised myself that I would someday visit the site of Custer’s Last Stand or The Battle Of Little Bighorn. In the Summer of 1983, that opportunity presented itself. I went on a twelve week, twenty-three state driving tour of the northern half of the United States. One of my many stops was at Custer’s Last Stand. After listening to a presentation by one of the park rangers relative to how and why the battle occurred, I walked up to the fenced in area on the battlefield where many of the soldiers died and were buried. It is a small area as compared to looking out over the great plain and the Little Big Horn River but it is hallowed ground located on a hillside where one can see far and wide and feel the breezes of the plain forever blow. Standing there alone, I touched the three foot metal fence surrounding the graves and in an instant, words and music started to flow. Within a ten minute period, the first two verses and chorus were in my head along with the music. I only had that kind of experience happen one other time when I visited the site of The Battle Of Wyoming in Pennsylvania. There I touched the metal fence surrounding the monument where so many patriots were buried and in an instant, the song titled, Over Bones Of The Slain, was born. It took twenty years of thoughts and feelings about the Battle Of Little Big Horn to reach a point where the song needed to be written. It took twenty minutes of applying those feelings to complete a very meaningful song to honor the American Soldiers and American Indians who died on that plain. That song was Montana Breeze. With the swell of each breeze that comes off the plain, one can feel the spirits rise and rush right through you. All that you have to do is concentrate on the anguish that dominated the scene on June 25, 1876.

The ninth song on the album is one of two beautiful ballads that convey my feelings about America. The song is appropriately titled, "America." It is also an expression of my belief that America has been blessed and touched by the finger of God with respect to her physical beauty and as a melting pot for all colors and creeds to come and set an example on how we can all live in peace as a family of one. The American people have been given the assignment by a higher authority to be responsible and set the example that the world and its one people can and will work. This should not be a burden on the American people but rather a welcomed responsibility to begin the work of God for all to come together as one. In Pennsylvania we have a saying, "America Starts Here." Well, I would like to expand the premise of that statement by declaring, "The World Starts Here." This is what I truly believe that God wants from all Americans and it is what I sing about in the song titled ...... America. This song was born on Statue Of Liberty Island.

Song number ten is titled "Ellis" and was born because of the readings, films, documentaries, and experiences I have witnessed relative to a magnificent place called Ellis Island. In the mid-nineties, I had the opportunity to visit and tour Ellis Island with my girlfriend and two close friends. It was a fascinating experience. Ellis Island was a gateway for so many immigrants who built this land and suffered many hardships before achieving any status as Americans. While visiting Ellis Island, I felt the spirits of many who were afraid, unsure, but yet determined to make it on through the gates to start a new life in a new country that offered hope and opportunities. Those people from many nations paid a heavy price to arrive here in America and it was those people who made it on through the gates of Ellis Island who laid the foundation for our country to grow. The night I arrived home from my visit to Ellis Island I wrote the song Ellis to honor all of those individuals who came with a dream in their hearts, worked very hard, and ....... achieved. My notes for the song were written while on Ellis Island that afternoon.

The eleventh song on the album is titled, "The American Dream" and is an appropriate song to follow song number ten, Ellis. The song is an example of how I feel about the American Dream and that it is still very much alive and well for those who have the spirit and ambition to chase the dream in their hearts. If they do, they will find that dreams are achievable in America if one chooses to pursue and work hard. America is still the land of opportunity and the most beautiful country on earth. As I preached for many years to my students while working as a high school guidance counselor, if you have a dream in your heart, God put it there. If you believe that and pursue it, you will achieve that dream in some way, shape, or form. I believe that there is a place for you in your dream. All that you have to do is chase it and do not settle for a career that is not in your heart. A DREAM IS A PURPOSE GIVEN TO A LIFE FROM GOD. Go for it!!! We will all be okay without you and we will be rooting for you. When you come home to visit, we will be waiting for you. Go and do it!!! Your American Dream is waiting on you.

Song number twelve is a song of tremendous meaning to me. It is titled, "Veterans." It was written to honor my father who is a disabled Veteran and all the other Veterans who have served our country and the ones who will serve. It was also written for those Veterans who so bravely and unselfishly paid the ultimate price for other Americans to be free. I pray that this song honors their memory and further honors those who will follow in their footsteps. Veterans of America.....this one is for you from the bottom of my heart. God Bless!

The thirteenth song on the album is one that I wanted to write as a big, full, loud, and high spirited production number song about the wild America that still exists for all to see. The song is simply titled, "Wild America." I have been there and I can say it is so beautiful. I highly recommend that you get in your automobile and set out across the country in search of Wild America. When you see it, you will know because your spirit will begin to soar like an eagle and for that time period you will truly witness what American freedom is all about. It is truly all around you. All that you have to do is just go out and see it. While you are there, dare yourself to feel it. You will be different forever more and begin to understand what I am singing about. This song was written while sitting on the edge of the Grand Canyon watching a sunset.

Song number fourteen on the album is titled, "Up In East Gloucester." During several trips up and down the New England coast, I was fortunate to see many whales and dolphins out in the ocean. When I arrived in Gloucester, Massachusetts, there were many fishing boats and several rental boats to charter for a day to go out on the ocean to fish or watch whales. After talking to a group of very happy whale watchers who returned from a trip, they expressed in many different terms just how beautiful of an experience they had while watching the whales. I only experienced seeing dolphins and whales from both the eastern and western shorelines of America but their excitement sparked the life of this song. As for East Gloucester, there is no place. There is a Gloucester, and West Gloucester but there really is not an East Gloucester but.....there is an eastern Gloucester where boats do depart from to venture out on the sea. Such is the story of how East Gloucester was born. My song gave it birth because it worked in the song I wanted to write about whale watching. Anyway, the focus of the song is really on whale watching off the shore of our great country in our waters and how beautiful the experience is to observe these magnificent creatures of the wild that God has created. He truly hit the mark when he decided to create.......whales.

The fifteenth song on the album will probably be considered a very strange one when it is first heard but when the listener understands what it is about, he or she may feel the same as I do. It is titled, "18 Statues." In 1973, a good friend and I took a driving tour of the southern states in America on our way to California. It was sometime during the month of July at about 5:30 P.M. in the early evening when we were passing through El Paso, Texas. My friend was driving at the time while I was admiring the vast and beautiful desert. After several hours and somewhere into New Mexico, my friend became tired of driving and we decided to switch places. He pulled the car over on the side of the road and I got out of the car on the passenger side. When I did, I witnessed a magnificent site that until today takes my breath away when I think about it. We were definitely facing west because the sun was setting behind the hillside in front of us and it was there I counted the silhouettes of eighteen giant cacti in the desert surrounded by colors of red, orange, pink, yellow, blue, purple, and whatever other color that shines through at that time each evening in that beautiful desert. What made the moment so special for me was when travelling through Texas, we heard on the radio that an arrest was made of a group of people who were caught cutting down several cacti for the purpose of using them as lawn or yard decorations. A park ranger that was being interviewed stated that some of the cacti they cut down were between three and four hundred years old. He stated that the cacti that took so long to grow, were cut down in less then 60 seconds. It was at that time period when laws were being legislated and enforced to protect these magnificent growing statues of the desert that have witnessed hundreds of years of our southwestern American history. Seeing those eighteen silhouettes in their glory with that beautiful desert sky behind them was a moment I will remember and cherish forever. It was that moment and what I heard on the radio about the illegal cuttings that inspired the song.....18 Statues. This song was born in that desert.

Song number sixteen is the final song on the album and is titled, "I Love America." It was written as the exit song for the 74 minute listening journey through America and her lore. It is a love ballad about this country. I love America and I pray that everyone else will love her too. She is so majestic with mountains high, rivers wide, canyons deep, and tides that creep on up to our feet. Her rainbow lives is the true heartbeat of America. We are still a new country with so much promise. I pray that our youth will be used wisely to guide the world on a true and precious path of universal peace. It can happen because we as a country of diversity are making it happen. We all have been touched by the finger of God and his magic will continue to unfold all around us. Let us all be good leaders and never lose faith because God is truly watching over America and us all.

Track number eighteen is simply the reprise and the end of the album. It is an instrumental verse of the song, 18 Statues that we hum to and fade away only to come around again to the prelude that simply says it all.....I love America. This is so true from the deepest part of my heart..... I promise.....Dr. B.