From the recording The Beauty Blues Vol.1 Identified Celestial Subjects
A crystal clear classic folk song about the beauty of the world and the light within all things. It plays with the Zen theme of the monkey pointing at the moon, and how people mistake the subject of attention. As the last of the ancient Greek pagan philosophers Porphyry realized the idea of the world as illusion was common across cultures right into India, from where it developed into Buddhism.
Maryse Dumas: Flute
Aya Nadao: Cellos
Roman Rhodes: Guitars, Vocals,
Fumihiko Sado: Violin
Mark Williams: Bass
Lyrics
The Gleam
Roman Rhodes, 2005(fix 2018)
Look at the sky, Clouds rolling by in the night.
They catch the moonlight, silver and white.
Look at the trees, rustling leaves in the breeze.
They catch the moonbeams, silver and green.
Chorus 1: Don't cry my child, don't scream.
life's but a dream.
Open your heart to the gleam
Look at the stream: meandering down to the sea.
Waves catch the moon's gleam, silver and clean.
Repeat Chorus 1
Look at the moon, gave me the words to this tune.
Don't look at me among these ruins.
I'm just a finger pointing like a rune to it's gleam
Chorus 2: Don't cry my child, don't scream.
It's just a nightmare, nothing is there.
Don't be scared, don’t care,
nothing's as it seems.
So row, row, row your mind & you'll find the shine inside
Life's but a dream, catch the gleam.