Gathering Song – Heather Houston Music

We Are the Holy Ones – Composer Unknown

May 10, 2020/in Call and Response, Gathering Song, Unison 2 English Unknown Closers, Community, Gathering, Great Turning, Healing, Hope, Humility, Love, Self Love, Trust /by Heather

We have searched high and low in hopes of locating the composer of this song. If you have any information about this one, please reach out. I learned it around the campfire at Song Village. My circles of singers absolutely love this one!!

Lyrics:

We are the holy ones
Who may have forgotten or come undone
But now is the time for the human soul to
remember the greater story to which we belong.
You are my brother,
You are my sister,
You are my teacher,
You are my holy one.
So now is the time for the human soul to
remember the greater story to which we belong.

Infinite Bliss – Heather Houston

January 29, 2020/in Heather Houston Gathering Song, Layered, Polyrhythmic 3 Made Up Syllables Heather Houston Birds, Calling in Elements, Community, Earth Wisdom, Gathering, Joyful, Rhythmic, Up Beat /by Heather

This fun polyrhythmic chant came to me on the winds at Pinnacles National Monument. I love to hike alone there and experience “the hills are alive with the sound of music” kinds of moments. 🙂 It’s vast and spacious and filled with fields of wildflowers! Absolute bliss! So this song got titled Infinite Bliss.

I like to really break down the rhythms on this one, pointing out the up beats and down beats at the beginning of each phrase.

Bele Mama – Cameroon, West Africa

July 20, 2019/in Heather Houston Gathering Song, Quick Teach, Round 1 Traditional Children, Community, Fun, Gathering, Joyful, Mothers, Opener /by Heather

This is a great ice-breaker of a song! The perfect opener. It gets your group singing in harmony in a matter of minutes. Possible meaning is “Mama come out and play!” When I first learned this, I learned that it was from the Torres Straight Islands and that it meant “Beautiful Earth.” The more research I do, the more I find that it’s actually from West Africa and has traveled and traveled far and wide. I learned it off of a “WombSong” CD. Enjoy!

This song is in the public domain
Arrangement by Heather Houston
www.heatherhoustonmusic.com

Lyrics:

Bele mama, bele mama ee ay
Bele mama, bele mama ee ay
Bele mama, bele mama, bele mama, bele mama,
Bele mama, bele mama ee eh