The Great Plains

John A. Walsh

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“Somewhere along the way, my pigments intermingled to a blur…”

The Great Plains in the United States stretches across the States of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota; and on up into Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota. The Great Plains continues northward into three Prairie Provinces of Canada (Manitoba,

“Somewhere along the way, my pigments intermingled to a blur…”

The Great Plains in the United States stretches across the States of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota; and on up into Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota. The Great Plains continues northward into three Prairie Provinces of Canada (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta).

Prairies and Badlands – landforms the Great Plains are known for, strike a marked contrast between them. Prairies are rolling plains typically swathed in grasses. In fact, the Great Plains contains the largest prairie in the world. The Badlands, conversely, feature rugged, harsh terrain sculpted by arid conditions over eons. The Lakota People first called this land “mako sica” meaning “land bad.” The Prairies and the Badlands are both visually stunning and naturally confounding in their size and scope.

My wife, Darlene, and I lived four years in Cheyenne, Wyoming; and during that time, we experienced a small piece of the Great Plains. We lived on the eastern edge of Cheyenne. The wild prairie began in our backyard, where there was a prairie dog town we could watch from our bedroom window. Replete with jackrabbits, burrowing owls, badgers, rattlesnakes and prairie dogs; the view was always interesting from that window looking east. A band of Pronghorn racing across the prairie was a fairly common sight in that part of the world; a sight I’ll never forget. The massive, raw beauty of the land left a lasting impression.

I use the Great Plains as a geographical metaphor for this song. It represents the vast canvas of time upon which we paint our lives. The song is about reinvigorating the second half of life; using the canvas painted so far as a new baseline for the rest of the story. The lyric speaks for itself; so, I won’t try to over-describe the line of thought here. Rather, I invite you to take a few minutes and give The Great Plains a listen.

Thank you for listening!

The cover art for this song is by Emily Suzanne Drennon. "Ode to Water" Check out her work at: www.instagram.com/_aura_art__/ Contact her about purchasing existing works or commission projects at emilysuzannedrennon@yahoo.com

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Prime Meridian

John A. Walsh

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“Think about Time - It’s all we’ve got.”

The Prime Meridian is a global marker denoting zero degrees longitude (0); and, since 1884, marks the “zero hour” for keeping standard time around the world. The line also divides the Eastern & Western Hemispheres, establishing the point from which distance into either of these hemispheres is measured.

“Think about Time - It’s all we’ve got.”

The Prime Meridian is a global marker denoting zero degrees longitude (0°); and, since 1884, marks the “zero hour” for keeping standard time around the world. The line also divides the Eastern & Western Hemispheres, establishing the point from which distance into either of these hemispheres is measured. The World’s Prime Meridian passes through Greenwich, England, UK (among other places along this vertical line in Europe, Africa and Antarctica). Hence the term Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

However, a Prime Meridian’s placement can be completely arbitrary – that is, it could be established anywhere on the globe. Thinking about our individual lifetimes, we all have a Prime Meridian of sorts. Our own, personal Ground Zero; our own starting point. Seems to me, in this context, a person’s Prime Meridian is not so much about measuring distance; but, more so about the expanse of Time that emanates from it. As our lifetimes lengthen, a person’s Prime Meridian slips further into the past; further back in one’s memory; and sometimes all but forgotten.

Life unfurls over a finite period of Time; a period with an unknown endpoint. Sure, we can get in the ballpark estimating an endpoint by considering statistics on life expectancy; but, we just don’t know for certain. As Cat Stevens wrote, “But, I might die tonight.” Author Jack Kornfield eloquently parsed a Buddhist teaching: “The trouble is, you think you have time.” There is no parity in how much time each of us is given; our endpoints are seemingly as arbitrarily placed as our starting points. It’s often said, “Life’s not fair.” This is absolute truth.

Fact is, Time is all we have, and we should not waste it on unworthy activity. Everyone has their own definition of worth. And, personally, I think the key is to spend Your Time on those things that YOU find worthy, on those things that enable your pursuit of personal fulfillment. This, in my experience, is often easier said than done. But, that’s no reason to give up on seeking worthy endeavors to invest my time in.

These are the lines of thought that inspired the composition of this song, Prime Meridian. I kindly ask you now to spend a few minutes of your dear time listening, and hope you find it to be time well spent.

As always, I wish you peace.

Note: The artwork is a photo of the house where I started life in 1963. Pioneer Drive, North Tonawanda, New York. My Prime Meridian.

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Philadelphia, 1918

John A. Walsh

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"Philadelphia, 1918" tells the story of an immigrant's experience living in Philadelphia in the early 1900's. Life was hard for the song's protagonist, but 1918's Spanish Flu pandemic would make those days gone by pale in comparison.

I wrote this song in December 2019 for the January 2020 meeting of The Song Colony, a regular songwriter's

"Philadelphia, 1918" tells the story of an immigrant's experience living in Philadelphia in the early 1900's. Life was hard for the song's protagonist, but 1918's Spanish Flu pandemic would make those days gone by pale in comparison.

I wrote this song in December 2019 for the January 2020 meeting of The Song Colony, a regular songwriter's gathering, in Marietta, Ohio. Each month, a challenge word or phrase is chosen for creative inspiration for the next session.

The challenge word for the month was "fever" - for some reason, I almost immediately thought of the flu pandemic of 1918. I knew of this story, but not much in the way of detail. After researching this stunning chapter of history in the early 1900's, I had the story line for the song.

Little did any of us know what the whole world would be experiencing within six weeks of presenting this tune at the January meeting of The Song Colony. There are eerie similarities between what happened in 1918 and what's happening now as I write this in March, 2020.

Peace, JAW

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Words (Just Aren't Enough)

John A. Walsh

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Words was written several years ago; this track is a fresh version of the song. It is no less relevant to me than it was when I wrote it, unfortunately.

Those of us who were born into a peaceful, thriving, first-world setting cannot appreciate the desperate lives of people born into more hopeless surroundings. Around the time of writing this song,

Words was written several years ago; this track is a fresh version of the song. It is no less relevant to me than it was when I wrote it, unfortunately.

Those of us who were born into a peaceful, thriving, first-world setting cannot appreciate the desperate lives of people born into more hopeless surroundings. Around the time of writing this song, I befriended a man my age from Lebanon. As a teenager in Beirut, he told me stories of running and hiding behind dumpsters and torched cars to avoid gunfire in the streets - just to walk home from school. He was more grateful to be living in the USA than me. I was ashamed of the way I took my blessed life for granted and how disconnected I was from the pain and suffering of people I only knew about from television.

This song came from that realization. In the final analysis, I hope that my actions will have spoken louder than my words, which just aren't enough.

Here's a description of the stunning photograph: In this Friday, Jan. 24, 2014 photo, Afghan refugee girl, Gul Bibi Shamra, 3, poses for a picture, while playing with other children in a slum on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan. For more than three decades, Pakistan has been home to one of the world’s largest refugee communities: hundreds of thousands of Afghans who have fled the repeated wars and fighting their country has undergone. Since the 2002 U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, some 3.8 million Afghans have returned to their home country, according to the U.N.’s refugee agency.

(AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen - Photo used by permission) https://muhammedmuheisen.com/

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Peace River

John A. Walsh

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"Where it all flows, God only knows..."

Friends, as I put this song up on the website on Easter Sunday, 2020, my hope & prayer for the entire Human Race is for a greater peace & understanding between us.

It seems that kindness, mercy & love have been in short supply in this world for quite a while now. Speaking for myself, I know I am

"Where it all flows, God only knows..."

Friends, as I put this song up on the website on Easter Sunday, 2020, my hope & prayer for the entire Human Race is for a greater peace & understanding between us.

It seems that kindness, mercy & love have been in short supply in this world for quite a while now. Speaking for myself, I know I am capable of embracing more of all three of these most noble human qualities.

We're not perfect; but, we can be pretty good to each other when we try. After all, we have been designed to take care of each other.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well..." Psalm 139, 13-14

God only knows...

I wish you peace and hope this song, Peace River, brings you some joy. JW

Ps. The painting used as the cover art for this song is by Emily Suzanne Drennon (who also happens to be my daughter). She painted this one for me, so I'm calling it "Peace River, Part 1".

Check out her work at: https://www.instagram.com/_aura_art__/ Contact her about purchasing existing works or commission projects at emilysuzannedrennon@yahoo.com

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World On FIre

The Ahab Dilemma

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World On Fire is the debut album of The Ahab Dilemma.

The Ahab Dilemma is a collaborative project by musicians John A. Walsh, Dennis Farrar & Terry McGee.

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The Fields of Gettysburg

John A. Walsh

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Americana Song Cycle commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg (1863-2013).
150 years ago, perhaps the most epic drama of American History unfolded: The Battle of Gettysburg

In three days that changed the course of a nation, five American lives intertwined in a tragic tale of intense duty & sacrifice, conflicted

Americana Song Cycle commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg (1863-2013).
150 years ago, perhaps the most epic drama of American History unfolded: The Battle of Gettysburg

In three days that changed the course of a nation, five American lives intertwined in a tragic tale of intense duty & sacrifice, conflicted allegiance, young love dashed & innocence lost.

Real Characters, Real Stories, Real Music - a beautiful listening experience.

John A. Walsh, Composer & Co-Producer Todd Burge, Co-Producer

Vocalists: John A. Walsh as James Longstreet Todd Burge as John Buford Jessica Baldwin as Mary Wade Justin Arthur as Wesley Culp DJ Archer as Jennie Wade Colton Pack as Jack Skelly

Special Guest: Larry Groce as the Narrator

Musicians: John A. Walsh - Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Mandolin Ted Harrison - Bass Guitar Bill White - Piano, Keys Todd Burge - Harmonica Ammed Solomon - Drums & Percussion Michael Lipton - Electric Guitar, Omnichord Cynthia Puls - Cello Julie Zickefoose - Penny Whistle David George - Acoustic Guitar & Piano Cameo

Special Guest: Tim O'Brien on Fiddle

David S. George, Recording Engineer (River Rat Studio, Marietta, Ohio) Josh Antonuccio, Recording Engineer (3 Elliott Studio, Athens, Ohio) Mastered by: Don Dixon

Executive Producers: John A, Walsh & David S. George

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Compendium

John A. Walsh

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