i am

i am

i am small
and i am everything
i am larger than the life i see
playing out in front of me
i am dancing and singing and glowing
i am full of love and light now knowing
there's no mistake to make
nothing to do wrong
life's a song
and i am a songwriter
with a guitar made out of dreams it seems
and thanks to this brand new epiphany
there's a whole new way to be
careful and honest
aware, fully conscious
simple, but not easy
a way to live safely
i am love and clarity

day 8 - project rachel rocks

the door written and performed by rachel newman from Rachel Newman on Vimeo.

day 7 - project rachel rocks

it ain't me written by bob dylan, performed by rachel newman from Rachel Newman on Vimeo.

i sing because i have to

the voice whispered to me softly
but the shadows still obscured
i couldn’t take the symptoms
didn’t know if i deserved a cure

but then the words got louder
until i felt their sound
and it wasn’t about me anymore
but about what i had found

i sing because i have to
not because i want to please
it’s nice when people like it
but my music is for me

writing is necessity
the air i breath
it’s not up for discussion
it’s a primal function
and i don’t need to be published
to make it true
the ocean is blue
we don’t ask for it’s resume
come what may
come what might
my words will flow
morning noon and night
come hell or high water
i’m my father’s daughter
i will not settle for less than my dream
serene in my being
quirks, foibles and all
might as well toss the dice
cause they’re gonna fall
no matter what i do
what road i choose
this life is unfolding
and i have to play with the cards i’m holding
it’s all chance
it’s a dance
if you know you’re gonna win
you will
but it’s impossible to get there until
it doesn’t matter anymore
when you finally stop checkin the score
always wanting more more more
it’s the wanting that wrecks us
we fight to perfect, but it kills us inside
never feeling free to simply reside
and live the life we have
to some scribbling is a struggle
to me, the pen is a salve
i feel safer on paper
and i know i was made for
putting my thoughts in to words
there’s no question
a fact, not a suggestion
and i spent years trying to prove
what was already truth
we are what we do
not everyone wants to sing
but we all do something
and the quicker we learn to quiet the chatter
and follow the thoughts that truly matter
the sooner we’ll find tranquility
and become a real community

day 6 - project rachel rocks

silver dollar written by rachel newman & travis bernon, performed by rachel newman from Rachel Newman on Vimeo.

day 5 - project rachel rocks

overlap written by ani difranco, performed by rachel newman from Rachel Newman on Vimeo.

super dad

school was never my thing as a kid
sitting still and keeping quiet weren't what i did
so i got in trouble a lot
and told i was wrong
i felt bad and like i didn't belong
then you'd come to pick me up
and off we'd fly
on the back of your red honda scooter
i'd laugh as we left that awful place behind
then on went my cape and underoos
hair blown in the wind, my arms around you
the world became our own again
the possibilities had no end
color outside the lines
speak when there's something to say
if you're tired, sit
if you're not, play
I didn't like to read the Bobbsy Twins or Hardy Boys
so you gave me catalogs and i read about toys
people ask if i'm glad to have been schooled at home
the idea's hard to grasp and foreign to some
to this question i answer, definitively, yes
i'm more than glad, i'm blessed
my father, my teacher, my hero, my friend
you taught me no matter what i want to do
i absolutely can

day 4 - project rachel rocks

pinker part of day written and performed by rachel newman from Rachel Newman on Vimeo.

day 3 - project rachel rocks

walking written and performed by rachel newman from Rachel Newman on Vimeo.

lyrics/poetry - she's my lover, and i love her

here i sit in my own backyard
sipping a beer and scribbling
when my lil lady pops out
and starts nibbling on my ear
there's a big wood fence around
so no can bother us here
we can be free and love each other
far away and under cover
she's my lover
and i love her
this is magic, this is bliss
any moment could become a kiss
this is love
how it ought to be
jaw dropping simplicity
i adore her
and she feels the same about me

day 2 - project rachel rocks

who will save your soul written by jewel, performed by rachel newman from Rachel Newman on Vimeo.

day 1 - project rachel rocks

no woman, no cry written by bob marley, performed by rachel newman from Rachel Newman on Vimeo.