There are moments in this life that stand alone. They have nothing to be compared to, or to be judged against. These treasured moments of pure presence resonate with energies that flow from our physical self and are simultaneously reflected and interpreted by those around us. In such moments, we are vibrating at a higher level of consciousness, where fear and doubt have no voice.
Music lives in such moments. Laughter lives in such moments. Humanity heaves and sighs as one breath through such moments. As I write this, my palms begin to sweat, and my breath quickens. For me, holding the vision creates the moment. I am there, and quickening with it. This is how it feels to sing the songs of Robert Burns.
On travelling to Dalrymple in Ayrshire recently, I could feel the pull of such a moment sharpening my vision. The clouds were heavy with cold February, and my heart was slow and steady. Since starting to read his letters, I have been swimming around in the life of Robert Burns, and in this moment, I could feel the storm of the man, reflected in the quick, grey clouds. Having just recorded the guitar and vocal for "A Man's a Man" I was considering the singing of the verses in the minor key. When you read these words, and consider the yoke of circumstance that weighed heavily on the Burns family, it can be nothing but a tragic observation that begins:
"is there for honest poverty that hangs his hied and a' that
The coward slave we pass him by, we dare be poor for a' that
For a' that and a' that, our toils obscure and a' that
The rank is but the guinea's stamp, the man's the gowd for a' that"
And yet - the truth resonates with bright promise…..the man's the gowd for a' that. So there's the moment of presence. Toil is but a human condition, and, like slighted love, is surely "sair to bide".
However, if we define ourselves by our toils and labours, we are but dust delayed. Burns knew this with every ache of his shoulders, and every tremor of the night terrors that racked him for most of his adult life. He knew instinctively of the sanctuary of creation in both words and music. He saw what he knew, and knew that he was driven to give words to the truth of the struggle. When you read the words of this incredible song, and consider the final verse, the vision rings with absolute clarity. I feel the need to add a little to the story. In the spirit of Burns himself, I have added a line or two at the end, and coaxed the melody a little, as my heart heard it played.
"For a' that, and a' that
It's coming yet for a' that
That soul to soul, the world ower shall brothers be, shall sisters be, shall ever be…….for a' that"
Now there's a vision that quickens the heart and sets free the soul.
So - back to my journey. As I sang the song aloud, and came to the final verse, I looked up at the clouds, and the sun burst though with sudden radiance. In that moment I was at one with the sky and the earth, and I felt the understanding of pure presence flow through me.
I am learning with every song. To trust in my ability to connect, and to breathe fresh truth into beautiful words. This album, for me,is not about paying homage to a mighty man, or kneeling at the feet of genius. It's about finding the song in the wind or the smell of the corn, or the changing of the seasons of humanity. Before Robert Burns wrote the words or collected the verse, the songs were there.
It's a grand journey and a constant pleasure to discover them afresh.
