I know many people who dislike, and loudly protest the use of Christmas songs, imagery, etc. before the actual day of Christmas. And I can see their point… I guess. You wouldn’t sing happy birthday to someone everyday for two weeks or more leading up to the actual day of their birth… unless you really loved them… or they found it annoying and you were just trying to get a dig in…

I disagree, however. I really like Christmas music, when it’s done well. It puts me in mind of what’s coming and thus gently reminds me of how I should be acting. Much like the sacramentals we use year round and the holy pictures and statuary we keep to help us constantly recall God, Jesus and all the saints. It helps redirect our thoughts to what’s important and true.

I will agree that so much of what is put out there as Christmas music is really, well,  junk and noise. And having to listen to the trivial constantly from before Thanksgiving up to the 25th is maddening. I really feel sorry for those who work in retail for they have to listen to the, dare I say it?, crap, all day everyday over the in-store loud speakers. It’s no wonder they often seem surly and cranky.

As a songwriter, I often listen to music and think to myself, “I could do better.” So I try. Thus I will be sharing some of my original Advent and Christmas music here, where no one will listen to it except my wife, who, because she loves me, has no choice but to pay attention. I love you, honey! Thanks for marrying me!!

To begin:

The Annunciation

1)         In the town of Nazareth in Galilee / God began His greatest plan in history. / To redeem the fallen nature of the world / He sent an angel to speak to a young girl.

Chorus:             He said, “Hail, highly favored one. / You are full of grace. / You shall bear the Lord God’s only Son / To save the human race.” / The Spirit will come over you, / The prophecies fulfilled.” / Humbly the virgin answered, / “Be it done according to God’s will.”

 2)         The obedient reply of this one girl / Made it possible for God to save the world. / Because, in God she knew she placed her trust / The Word became flesh to dwell with us.

3)         May we follow the example she has set. / May we do our very best to not forget / In the town of Nazareth in Galilee / God began His greatest plan in history.

This is from my Rosary CD, available wherever fine music is found on the web (see sidebar). However, if you want something more traditionally Advent-y:

O Come, Emmanuel or perhaps:

Put the Holy Back in the Holidays or, for the more secular crowd:

Bring Me Back To Home

And one more, just for laughs: Mister Santa Claus

I try to do it all. And don’t forget that CD’s make excelent stocking stuffers.

God bless!

Stephen wrote his song Jericho in 2002.  In it a man is searching for a way to court a woman who has emotionally locked herself away from the world.  He compares her to Jericho and vows to sing his song beside her wall in hopes that history will repeat itself, and her wall, too, will crumble.  In 2007 a friend asked him to write a song from the perspective of the woman, which became known as Inside The Walls.  In 2012 a new song was added to the story.  The man says he will sing his song beside her wall.  The woman asks why he sings his song for her.  What was the song?  Come With Me became the gentle invitation to the woman to let go of her past and have faith in the love God had intended for her.  The story ends with a realization that she does not have to remain in her self-made prison, and yet old habits are difficult to break as we see in Knock It Down.

JERICHO             (Tefft)

1) She is just like Jericho / Walls of stone so hard and cold. / Protecting her from all that might have been. / And all the things she won’t show, / Sights so wondrous to behold, / Are buried somewhere deep beneath her skin.

2) She has built her garden walls / A thousand miles wide and tall / And there is no way over or around. / So, I stand here, looking small / To sing my song beside her wall / And hope that she might somehow hear the sound.

 chorus:                   How I long to find the song / To heal her hurts, to right the wrongs. / How I wish to free the love she’s bound. / I dream that I could make my voice / A trumpet blast, a heav’nly noise. / That I could make the walls come tumbling down.

3)             I have tried to catch her eye / To see all that she would deny / Beyond the lies she says that she believes. / There are hints that would imply / The tears she’d never ever cry, / She’s too afraid of foreigners and thieves.

4) Someday I may find the key / To repeat ancient history / But until then I wander ‘round her town. / She may look, she may see, / That tiny voice belongs to me, / A hopeful man who stands here on the ground.

Chorus:            Yet, strangely I can faintly hear / A quiet voice drift to my ear. / Singing, “Let me in,” persistently. / It troubles me to hear this song / That gently echoes on and on. / For why would anybody want to be / In here with me?

KNOCK IT DOWN                (Tefft)

1) My heart has never been an open book. / Close it, put it way up high so that no one can ever look. / Though now-a-days confession’s all the rage / I do my very best so that no one sees a page. / And so you don’t think I don’t appreciate / All the extra effort you always seem to take.

Chorus:                         When my door is locked / And the key can not be found / When you come around… / Knock it down!

2) The soul is often seen through the eyes / That’s one of the reasons I am wearing this disguise. / And although some progress has been made / I am still more comfortable when I’m wearing mirrored shades. / And so you don’t think I don’t really care, / I really have to tell you, I’m totally aware

Bridge:  I know that it’s been difficult and you’ve been doing it for years / With an elbow to the ribs or a whisper to the ears. / Slowly you’ve pulled down some of my barbed-wire fences / No matter consequences, you bring me to my senses.                   

3) And though I’ve never owned a welcome mat / And there’s never many visitors, I like it just like that. / And though I pull the shades and lock the doors / The invitation’s open and it is always yours. / Just so you don’t think I don’t appreciate / All the extra effort you always seem to take…

Let the Lord’s infinite love envelope him and perpetual light shine upon him.

We love you and miss you.

Gone But Not Forgotten

1)                  Life is often fleeting. You hold it in your hand. / It slips right through your fingers just like so much sand. / And the harder that you grasp it the quicker that it goes / And what it all amounts to no one really knows.

 Chorus:            I remember when I knew you as a friend. / And now it all is gone but not forgotten.

 2)                  I once saw a picture of a child in the sun. / Laughter there upon the lips, eyes so filled with fun. / I once saw a picture of a mother’s painful tears. / Live your life in moments, don’t worry about the years.

 3)                  I once heard a story. A lesson to be learned. / Someone set a fire and everything was burned. / And there, beneath the ashes was a diamond wrapped in gold. / Though everything must perish, love will not grow old.

Perhaps a trifle heavy-handed… I tend to prefer more subtlety, but sometimes it takes a smack to the back of the head to get the point across. We cannot allow our government to take away our freedoms anymore. We’ve already lost that right to life due to the atrocious rulings on abortion. We cannot comply anymore! I’m just an unknown, humble singer/songwriter, but I’ll do what little I can to help. What will you do?

For The USA                     (Tefft)

1)         Used to be / When the stars and stripes were shown we would stand tall. / Now it seems / So many people just don’t care at all. / But realize / That flag stands for the country that we love / And she still flies / For us all, one nation, under God above!

 Chorus:            When you see Old Glory wave / Think of all of those who gave / Up their lives, fighting so we can be free. / For Old Glory still stands, / Flying over this great land, / For justice, for truth and liberty. / For the U.S.A, the home of you and me

 2)         Who will care / When the world needs help in fighting tyranny? / We’ll be there! / Just as we’ve always done historically! / And we don’t need / To worry about those who will not fight. / For we can see / When it’s time to battle for what is right!

 3)         We commend / Our veterans throughout our history. / Such brave men / And women who would fight to keep us free. / Though many gripe / And whine and try to stab us in the back, / The stars and stripes / Will stand strong and bravely weather all attacks.