Home » Music » Susan Abod’s Album: In the Moment

Susan Abod’s Album: In the Moment

Also:

The Lyrics

Part l

Introductions

What I remember most about writing this song is looking out the window from a very crowded, hot bus in Central Square (Cambridge) at rush hour the end of a long work day and being so totally exhausted and spent. I started singing to myself over and over again. “In the moment, in the moment” almost as a mantra and an amazing calm washed over me. This song , for me, is at the heart of the matter.

In the Moment

Well here I am crossing that line
Taking a step but taking my time

I just keep moving forward
Keep moving toward
The love that’s waiting just beyond my fear
Saying’ “In the moment I’m fine”
So for the moment

Here I am wondering how
I will ever get through the worry and doubt
Do I have the persistence?
To meet the resistance
I want to run away
But then I hear this voice say

What’s in a moment will pass away
So, for the moment, I’ll stay
In the moment
Where I can find the strength and shelter that I seek
And just for a moment
I can believe that I’ll be given what I need

So here I am I’m crossing that line
Taking a step, one at a time
I’ll keep moving forward
Keep moving toward
The impossible
And then just let it all proceed
Cause in the moment I’m fine,
In the moment I can be

In the moment, I’m fine
In the moment there’s peace
In the moment I’m fine
In the moment, sweet release
In the moment, In the moment
In the moment I can see
That in the moment, I can let all it be

I Love to Sing

© Abod Music 2001 (Lullaby of Birdland by G.Shearing,G.D.Weiss)

I love to sing anywhere, anytime
I love to sing anything with any rhyme
I love it soft and dreamy
Or hot and steamy
I could inspire
Or start a fire
If I had my way
I would sing all day
Now she’ll play an old soft-shoe
Like they did in the vaudeville days
Makes me want to croon
A tune like they did on the stage
Or what about a sentimental love song
Then add a breath or two

But I really get down
When I sing the blues:
Ain’t got no money
Ain’t got no home
Ain’t got no honey
And no one calls me on the phone
There ain’t alot I got I know it’s true
I ain’t got much but at least I got the blues
Ain’t got not get up
It up and went out the door
These blues just won’t let up
I don’t know if I can take much more
There ain’t alot that I got
I know it’s sad but true
But it’s good (helps) to know at least I got the blues
Now the blues is just the thing
‘Cept when I want to swing and let go

I love to swing anywhere anytime
I love to sing:
Lullaby of Birdland that’s what I
Always hear when you sigh
Never in my word-land could there by ways to reveal
In a phrase how I feel
Have you ever heard two turtledoves, bill and coo when they love
That’s the kind of magic music we make with our lips
When we kiss
And there’s a weeping old willow
She really knows how to cry
That’s how I’d cry in my pillow
If you should tell me farewell and good bye
Lullaby of Birdland whisper low
Kiss me sweet and we’ll go
Flying high in Birdland High in the sky up above
All be cause we’re in love

Lullaby of Birdland whisper low
Kiss me sweet and we’ll go
Flying high in Birdland High in the sky up above
All because we’re in love
If I had my way
I could sing all day. Sing all day… I love to sing

Part ll

Love, Lust and Other Assorted Baffling Occurrences

You’ve got what it takes

If you’ve got the time and the inclination
I’ll provide and great imagination

If you got the scotch
I’ll get he rocks
If you’ve got the shoes
I’ll get the sox
If you’ve got the bagels
I’ll get the lox
Cause you’ve got what it takes to get me

If you’ve got to shop
I’ll get (make) the list
If you’ve got the ham and rye
I’ll get the Swiss
If you’ve got the lemon
I’ll add the twist
Cause you’ve got what it takes to get me

When I think about your kisses
I realize what bliss is
You’ve got the kind of sweetness
I need
When I think about your huggin’
Can’t wait to fell your lovin’
Oh you’ve got what it takes to get me

So if you’ve got the time
I’ll get the night
If you’ve got the music
I’ll get the lights
If you’ve got the sugar
I’ll get (be the) spice
Cause you’ve got what it takes to get me
You’ve got what it takes to get me

 

Someone in Love

As I look around this place
I get a special kind of feeling
Love has left her trace
She’s everywhere

And the more I look I know
The joy this love is bringing
Just the little things can show
What lovers share

Someone in love lives here
Someone in love, it’s clear
And for the first time I can see
That someone in love, is me

All the love poems and the letters
Are hanging on the wall
And secrets shared together from
Nights before
The Sunday news and dirty dishes
Are scattered down the hall
And Monday morning kisses I can still recall

Chorus

You’d Look Swell In Nothing
W. Tyson/Abod

Did you issue an invitation?
Or is it just my imagination
Are you inviting me?
Or simply exciting me
Won’t you enlighten me?

Cause you’d look swell in nothing
Nothing would look well on you
There is no designer
Who could clothe you finer
You’d look more diviner
In your own original you’re strictly unforgivable
On the Riviera or hiking in the High Sierras even if you meet a bear or a Caribou
They’ll lie down before you
Simply adore you
If they come upon you in the nude
So wear nothing simply nothing
Cause nothing look swell on you

On the Riviera or hiking in the High Sierras even if you meet a bear or a Caribou
They’ll lie down before you
Simply adore you
If they come upon you in the nude
So wear nothing simply nothing
Cause nothing look swell on you

Goodbye
I flew down to the sun
Only to find the sun in your eyes have gone
Now all I do is cry
Don’t want to hear you say good bye

Well this heat is making me lazy
And waiting for you is making me crazy
But I don’t want to hear what I know I’m gonna hear
I don’t want to hear you say good bye

Good bye, oh goodbye
Good bye, goodbye

I’m about to panic
Guess I’m a hopeless romantic
I don’t want to let this love die

So, I’ll fly back to the cold
To mend my heart
To heal to grow
But for now, I’m just waiting here by the phone
To hear you, when you say goodbye

Goodbye.

The Process Song

Cambridge is such a “therapy town.” And I admit I’ve reaped the rewards myself. When I moved here, I quickly caught on to the lingo and wanted to have some fun with it. I still process all the time!!!

I never knew what “process” was
‘Til I met you
But now it seems that processing is all I do
The Process-etts sing
Because I check in She checks in
And I sort out She sorts out
I’m in touch with In touch with
It is so elatin’ when you really start relatin’!

I give space She gives space
And I touch base She touches base
I know the bottom line (how sublime!)
It’s so good for my complexion when I’m making a connection!

Life was so mysterious before you came along
Now I’m so delirious, cause how can I go wrong?

When I’m dealing She’s dealing
With my feelings Her feelings
I know that’s how is was meant to be ooo eeee
So baby would ya process
Process it all with me

I zero in
I won’t space out
I’m supporting How sporting!
It’s just so delicious to stop being so suspicious

She’s getting to the heart of what her issues are
She’s such an inspiration but has she gone too far, Yes!

No, I’m dealing She’s dealing
With my feelings Her feelings
I know that’s how it was meant to be oooooo eeeeee
So if you’re bored, depressed, numbed out, repressed,
Tired, feel weak or overeat
Just process
Woe, woe woe pro—- ce—- ess
You can process it all like me.

Lose myself in You

Sometimes I get so tired of me
This world we live in
This world that I see
All the games and attitudes
Just get me blue
I’d rather lose myself in you

Just lose myself in you
Float away for a while
Drift into your eyes
Linger with your smile
Just lose myself in you
For a day or for –ever
I’d love to be together
Just us two
It’d be great to lose myself in you

Days of worrying how I’m gonna get along
Asking foolish questions like where did I go wrong
Nights of feeling crazy oh what I wouldn’t do
Just to lose myself in you

Lose myself in you
Float away for a while
Drift into your eyes
Linger with your smile
Just lose myself in you
For a day or for –ever
I’d love to be together
Just us two
It’d be great to concentrate on you

This city life it really gets to me
The noise, the traffic, this hectic pace we keep
Taking some time for us is long overdue
Let me lose myself in you

Lose myself in you
Float away for a while
Drift into your eyes
Linger with your smile
Just lose myself in you
For a day or for –ever
I’d love to be together
Just us two
Oh it’d be swell to lose myself in you

It Feels Like Home
by John Bucchino© 1985
[Check out more of John’s music on his website: johnbucchino.com]

I hear your key in the door
Unlocking more than wood
The ceiling may not be dry yet,
But it feels like home

Yes we have come from a long way
Some say wrong way.
Still, I only know when you hold me it feels like home.

We don’t need a dining room table
So far there’s no one to invite
For me a cardboard box will do just fine
As long as I’m with you at each night

It seems to me if you never risk
You’ll never win.
And since we’re in this together, it feels like home

Part lll

From Inside Out

Diamond in the Rough

© Shawn Colvin (for more Shawn go to Shawncolvin.com)


As a little girl I went down to the water
With a little stone in my hand
It would shimmer and sing
And we knew everything
As a little girl I went down

But in a little while I got steeped in authority
Heaven only knows what went wrong
There is nothing so cruel
Than to bury that jewel
When it was mine all along, but I’m gonna find it.

Chorus:
You’re shinning I can see you
You’re shinning, that’s enough
I am holding on to you
Like a diamond in the rough
Like a diamond in the rough

Every now and then I can see that I’m getting somewhere
But where I have to go is so deep I was angry back then
And you know I still am
But I have lost too much sleep, but I’m gonna find it

Chorus

As a little girl I went down to the water
With a little girl in my arms
We shimmer and sing
And we know everything, Everything.

Chorus

Soliloquy

This song was inspired by the stories I heard every week for over a year from the friends and relatives of folks who had AIDS and participated in the Living with Aids Theatre Project in Boston. Out of that project a musical production was created “Alive with Aids” and this song was included. Janet Hood helped create the beautiful arrangement.

God, he looks so awful
I hope my face won’t give my shock away
He looks so thin
And look at all those ugly splotches on his face
What do I day? What do I say?

So, should I ask him a question?
Like, does he think he’s gonna make it through this time
I don’t want to upset him
Maybe I should keep it light, trite and benign
What do I say What do I say

I can talk about the weather
Well, it’s really been quite warm for mid-December
I can’t say that I really miss the snow
But they’re saying’ that a cold snap’s on its way here
But then again, what do those weather people know?
What do I say, What do I say

I’ll talk about my life

Well, I guess I’ve been din’ pretty well
And I’m liking my job OK
And I’m planning to go to Florida for the holiday
And I’ve been working out some
And that feels great
Maybe next time I’ll up the weight
But for several nights now I’ve been hankering’ for my ex
Hey is it ok to talk about sex?
But I’ve been alone for so long I just get so sick of it
Gee would ya listen to me
How important is all this
What do I say?

How could this be happening to you?
I feel like smashing all the bedpans
Tossing trays of food
Ripping up those tacky gowns
And pulling out tubes
Sending all the doctors flying with my deadly old one-two
Then after all the havoc, when things have settled down
I’d work the scientist round the clock
Until a cure was found
That’s what I’d Do, that’s what I’d do, that’s what I’d do

Now I look at you
And I remember that day in June
When we shared a lazy Sunday afternoon
There you are
All stretched out and lying in the sun
Grinning ear to ear
Looking out on Walden Pond
There you are
Reading bits of Emily Dickinson to me
While we sip upon our chamomile iced tea
There you are

And such singing we did that day
From Lullabies to Broadway
Ooooo , ahhhhh
There you are
I watch you while your lovingly listening to me
I go rambling on just hoping it will keep you near
You know, I never felt free enough to say
How much I was loving you that day
You’re so wonderful funny and brilliant, so alive
There you are
But here you are, tonight
What do I say, What do I say

Up on the Roof

C. King/ Goffen (for more Carole King go to: caroleking,com)

This was one of the first songs I heard on the radio. The Drifters were singing. I couldn’t believe the radio was free. I thought if all the songs on the radio were as good as this one…..But this song conjured up a magical place for me. It still does.

When this old world starts getting me down
And people are just too much for me to face
I climb way up to the top of the stairs
And all my cares just drift right into space
On the roof’s the only place I know
Where you just have to wish to make it so

When I come home feeling tired and beat
I go up where the air is fresh and sweet
I get away from the hustling crowds and
All that rat race noise out in the street
On the roof’s as peaceful as can be
And you can share it all with me

Up on the roof
Up, up on the roof

At night the stars put on a show for free
And you can share it all with me

Because right smack dab in the middle of town
I found a paradise that’s trouble-proof
So if this world start’s getting you down
There’s room enough for you
Up on the roof
Up on the roof

Thank you

I can’t afford to buy you a token
So here’s a song from me
You know, it’s easier when I’m not with you
To tell you how I feel

So thank you, thank you for your love and care
Thank you, I’m so grateful to you
Thank you for being there

You’ve given me such patience, acceptance and love
Encouraging this bound heart to heal and to trust
You’ve given me the courage to look in your eyes
Just long enough to catch a glimpse of Love’s freedom and light

So thank you, thank you for your love and care
Thank you, I’m so grateful to you
Thank you for being there

(Bridge)

So thank you, thank you for being there
Thank you, I’m so grateful to you
Thank you for being…
For noticing, listening
Thank you …thank you
For really seeing me
For holding me
Thank you for loving me
Thank you for being there

Say a Prayer

B. Rose, Rhianon, P. Weinstein
(Find more of Rhianon’s music at www.rhiannonmusic.com and Betsy Rose at betsrose@sirius.com)

Dawn is breaking slowly
From a night of fear
The light comes so soft and holy it burns away my tears
Rise up precious one, meet the morning sun
Lift up your head
Are you ready to take the
Next step into the light
You’re gonna be alright if you

Say a prayer
While you are standing there
No one is gonna tear your dreams in two
If you say a little prayer for you

Some have called you crazy
And some have hurt your pride
Not one voice embracing
The song you hold inside
Sing out in the dark
Reach out for a spark that’s getting
Ready to flame
Make your claim to the morning
The hush of early dawn
Is waiting (right there) for your song when you
Say a prayer
Out in the open air
Just when that old despair comes into view
You just say a little prayer for you

Say a prayer one step can take you there
You know the more you dare the more you can do
So just say a little prayer for you

Say a prayer
Out in the open air
Just when that old despair comes into view
You just say a little prayer

No one says it quite like you
So say a little prayer just for you

All songs by Susan Abod © Abod Music 2001 except where noted