Old Songs from My First Try at a Musical- "Beyond Bethlehem"

Back in 2002, I spent a summer writing a musical for Christmas called "Beyond Bethlehem". It was a two-act show and had over twelve original songs. I have been lucky enough to see it performed (for the first time in 2004). I thought I'd post some videos from that first show.

There are four songs here. "Why Me?" is a song that the character of Mary sings. It deals with her coming to terms with her unexpected and unusual pregnancy. Then, the song "Just a Man" is one that the character Joseph sings. In it, he expresses the emotions that could have come to his mind when he learned of his future wife's situation. The song "Our Night" is actually a song I wrote with Andy Brown for another project when I was in college. I pulled it out, changed it a slight bit, and put it in this show- just so the musical would have a love theme. Lastly, the song "These Hands" is done by the Mary and Joseph characters at the manger.

The musical combined Easter and Christmas themes. It opened and closed at Golgatha just after the execution of Christ. The birth story was told in flashbacks and was staged in front of the Cross. It told the story of how faith can be a positive force and can change people for the better. I grown a lot since then, and might approach the story a bit differently now. However, I do believe that faith in something bigger than ourselves can be a powerful thing and is essential to being truly happy in this difficult world. But that's a subject for another blog.

I was only 22 at the time I started this project, and I was under the influence of the pop/rock Broadway shows I was listening to at the time. Since, my tastes have changed and there are many things I would now do differently. But it was a great learning experience. Steven Whiston, who played Joseph, was fantastic (and still is!). Mia Diamond as Mary did a wonderful job with my fledgling attempts at songwriting. The directing was done by Cara Ward. In any case, I thought I'd add some of these memories to my blog...

-if you want to listen to these videos, you'll need to pause the mp3 player that is providing the lovely opera music (Vide Cor Meum)- you can find it about halfway down the side-bar on your right :)

"Why Me?" from the Christmas Musical "Beyond Bethlehem"

"Just a Man" from the Christmas Musical "Beyond Bethlehem"

"Our Night" as used in the Christmas Musical "Beyond Bethlehem"

"These Hands" from the Christmas Musical "Beyond Bethlehem"

"Don't" by Spraggins and Brown

For the last two weeks, Andy Brown and I have been working on a song called "Don't". He sent me the lyrics by email, and I set it to music. After several emails back and forth, we made some changes to the lyric and the music and had a rough draft within a week. Here is what we have come up with so far. The midi file uses an electric piano and cello sound. I really love the sound of this one. We'll have a video of the vocal up soon.

“Don’t”

Verse 1
You make me question everything I am or thought to be.
And though I know that you are spoken for, taboo to me,
I relish every taste and touch, the very thought of you.
It doesn’t matter that it’s fantasy that I play with you.

What do you want from me?
Why do you encroach on me?
What is it I get from you
that makes me feel the way I do?

Chorus
Don’t linger too near to me.
Don’t disclose your heart to me.
Don’t you know I ache for you?
Don’t you know I dream of you?
Don’t stand close, your touch, it burns.
Don’t pretend that I don’t yearn.
Don’t hold back because of fear.
Don’t mistake. I want you, dear.
Every impulse in me screams…
Don’t.

Verse 2
I hold you at a distance, though I want you by my side,
and childishly degrade myself, when I should run and hide.
Could I be enough for you, solace when the day is through?
Could I be the oath you take and heart that you will never break?

What do you see in me?
Will you revive my heart for me?
When you are wide awake at night,
just know I long to hold you tight.

Bridge
Our lives are not the ones that have to be considered.
Who knows? Our souls might meet again in a life or two.
I’m sad and lonely, but that’s no excuse for sinning.
But say the word, and I will follow you.

(Repeat Chorus)

Lyrics: Andy Brown

Music: Jason Spraggins

*Andy Brown singing "Don't" along with the midi file.

My Original Music

Hear music I've written in midi form:



(links to song samples are also included with previous postings)

"Casting Pearls"

"CASTING PEARLS"

*click link to hear sheet music: http://tindeck.com/listen/pztj

Verse:
I climbed a mountain by the sea
while I was lost in Galilee.
I saw the sun and lost my sight.
I feared the King, so I took flight.

Verse:
 I’ve fed the dogs the holy bread 
and searched for love among the dead. 
I’ve shared my finest with the swine, 
to spare the heart of all mankind.

Chorus:
I’m casting pearls; I’m throwing dice- 
collecting dreams of men and mice. 
I’m just a Robin Hood of sorts; 
I ride upon a stolen horse.
I lost my place among the scribes. 
When I refused to take the bribe. 
And now the meek wait for the world, 
while I continue casting pearls.

Verse:
I still recite the Golden Rule, 
but you should fear the feckless fool. 
He knows the words but not the tune- 
is simply howling at the moon.

Verse:
As Jonathan and David knew, 
the pure in heart are blessed few. 
And there's a chance we can see God 
if we can deconstruct the fraud.

Bridge:
It seems my salted earth is gone. 
I sell myself in Babylon. 
But still the Kingdom chases me- 
this lost and wayward Pharisee.

(Repeat Chorus) 

"Alexandra Leaving" by Leonard Cohen

"Alexandra Leaving"
by Leonard Cohen

(based on The God Abandons Antony,

a poem by Constantine P. Cavafy)

Suddenly the night has grown colder.
The God of Love preparing to depart.
Alexandra hoisted on his shoulder,
they slip between the sentries of your heart.

Upheld by the simplicities of pleasure,
they gain the light, they formlessly entwine;
and radiant beyond your widest measure
they fall among the voices and the wine.

lt's not a trick, your senses all deceiving,
a fitful dream the morning will exhaust---
Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving,
Then say goodbye to Alexandra lost.

Even though she sleeps upon your satin.
Even though she wakes you with a kiss.
Do not say the moment was imagined,
Do not stoop to strategies like this.

As someone long prepared for this to happen,
Go firmly to the window. Drink it in.
Exquisite music, Alexandra laughing.
Your first commitments tangible again.

You who had the honor of her evening,
And by that honor had your own restored---
Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving.
Alexandra leaving with her lord.

As someone long prepared for the occasion;
In full command of every plan you wrecked---
Do not choose a coward's explanation
that hides behind the cause and the effect,

You who were bewildered by a meaning,
whose code was broken, crucifix uncrossed---
Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving.
Then say goodbye to Alexandra lost.


Hydra, Greece September 1999
(Recorded as a song on the 2001 album "Ten New Songs")

Sound Samples for Older Posts....

I have just added a new links to the following posts from the past:


"Brothers","Two Worlds", "Nicholas", "Rio","The Maze", ".Free", "The Masks We Wear", "Unspoken", and "Stigmata".

If you click the links you will be able to hear the sheet music (in midi form) to these songs, which I believe helps to establish the feeling. It will only sound as realistic as your computer's sound card, but it still gives a general idea of the melody, mood, and harmony. Give them a listen, and let me know your thoughts!

"Brothers"

*Click the link below to hear a midi sample of the sheet music to this song: 

http://www.tindeck.com/listen/jenn 

"Brothers"

Verse :

We loved the life when times were lean.
We clung to faith in things unseen.
We bared our souls and shared our wine.
You chased a love; I lost my mind.

We often froze and searched for heat
Inside our home and on the streets.
As time passed through the hour glass,
We lived for free, and we lived fast.

Chorus 1:

Though brothers then and brothers now,
We both have taken newer vows.
But still we see the eager flame
Drawn from the book that has no name. 

Verse 2:

In hallowed halls we gathered dust.
In basement depths we learned to trust.
In pubs by night, in books by day,
We heard the bells beyond the fray.

For gentile knights and fledgling men,
Your sister played the violin.
I hung a cross; you built a shrine.
We etched our bond in skin and time.

(Repeat Chorus 1)

 Verse 3:

Our swords were sharp; our hearts were brave.
We fought for dreams we could not save.
You turned your light upon the night
To help restore my failing sight.

One sacred tree gave us its leaves
And only asked that we believe.
We learned the lessons of the scribe
And searched for truth within the tribe. 

Chorus 2:

Though brothers then and brothers still,
At different altars we now kneel.
But accolades aren't far removed
From whatsoever things are true.

 J.S.-'04 (for S. Peek)

The West.

Here are pics from my journey out west. We went to Denver and then made a giant loop that took us into South Dakota and across WY to Yellowstone Park (then all the way back to Denver!).

"Nocturne" rough draft

Here's a simple little piano tune I was tinkering with. It is a very rough draft and will need more work. But it's an idea...

"Nocturne" rought draft #1

"Two Worlds"

“Two Worlds”

Verse:
We have seen the neon lights of Broadway
Distract us from a glowing, starlit sky.
We have heard the distant chimes at midnight
But missed the gentle songs from times gone by.

Verse:
We have touched the clouds upon the mountains.
We’ve left our footprints on the virgin snow.
Standing still, we’ve looked up to the heavens
But failed to see the beauty down below.

Chorus:
Is the future always out of focus
When life is seen through different colored eyes?
As we fill our sails with winds uncertain,
Two worlds collide beneath one endless sky.

When our worlds were spinning ever faster,
It seemed mine chased the moon and yours the sun.
Now we move through space and time together
And watch as these two worlds turn into one.

Verse:

You and I may walk this road together,
Though often we don’t share a point-of-view.
While we’ve moved together toward the rainbow,
Our eyes have seen the sights in different hues.

Verse:
You’re between the future and the present .
At times I feel I'm chained up in my past.
We’ve found Shangri-la within the twilight
Where night and day can find their peace at last.

(Repeat Chorus)

Verse:
As we look ahead from where we’re standing.
We see a road that forks through foreign fields.
We will move ahead without a pathway
And forge through lands our minds had once concealed.

J.A.S.- March 2009

"Keep Runnin', Coyboy"

“Keep Runnin’, Cowboy”

(The Ballad of Marshal Beau)

for Beau

Verse:
Well- way, way, back in the wild, old west
Rode a young man with a badge on his chest-
A gun slingin’ marshal- Beau Harris his name.
And only his horse, Jessie, matched him in fame.

Verse
One summer night when the sun went down,
Cowboy Red came shootin’ up the town.
Beau heard all the noise, and he grabbed up his guns.
In a minute, Cowboy Red was on the run.

Chorus
You can keep runnin’, cowboy, but you can’t hide.
Marshal Beau and Jessie have just started to ride.
They’re faster than a bullet, and they’re tougher than nails,
And Marshal Beau won’t rest ‘til he sees you in jail.

Verse
Well Cowboy Red’s poor old horse gave out.
So the cowboy had to look about
For a place in a tree where he could climb and hide
To get a shot at Beau as he rode by.

Verse
Beau and Jessie were close to the spot
Where Cowboy Red was waitin’ for the shot.
He was out on a limb, and the branch made a sound.
The old varmint fired and then he hit the ground.

Bridge
(spoken)....
Did the heroes take the bait?
Did Beau and Jessie meet their Fate?
Is this the day that villains rule the day?
Well, rest assured it’s not like that!
I swear on Marshall Beau’s straw hat.
Red’s bullet missed and ricocheted away!

Verse
You’ll probably have a laugh to know
That Marshall Beau roped Red with his lasso,
And then he strung Red up for all to see-
'Cause Beau’s the bravest Marshal in history!

Chorus
You can keep runnin’, cowboy, but you can’t hide.
Marshal Beau and Jessie have just started to ride.
They’re faster than a bullet, and they’re tougher than nails,
And Marshal Beau won’t rest ‘til he sees you in jail.

(Spraggins/Brown- March '09)

"Chasing Phantoms"

"Chasing Phantoms"

Refrain:
I’m
awake.
Alone
I ache.
Grope
in space
to find
my place.

Verse:
I forge ahead.
The dream of you
keeps me chasing phantoms
that I cannot get my hands on.
And just when
I lose my faith
thinking I’m not enough
to find
the path that leads to
grace and peace of mind. I never
deigned to hope that I’d be worthy.
That’s the night I stumbled into you.

You turned night into day.
And I did not know what to say.
Though I couldn’t let you walk away
without a single word to you,
I caved and watched you wander out of view.

Refrain:
I’m
awake.
Alone
I ache.
Grope
in space
to find
my place.
Chasing phantoms still.

Lyrics: Andy Brown
(inspired by music by Jason Spraggins)
3 March 2009

"Sylvia Plath" by Ryan Adams

Ryan Adams singing about Sylvia Plath....It doesn't get much better.

".Free"

".Free"

*Click link below to hear midi file of sheet music:
www.tindeck.com/listen/etim

Verse One:
There are miles of country between you and me-
Stretches of concrete from here to the sea.
And it's been a long time, or so it seems
Since I found you on a road of dreams.

Verse Two:
I saw stars of myst'ry that danced in your eyes.
Ours is the earth, but you longed for the skies.
Like a runaway train, you jumped the rails.
Like a ship at sea, you raised your sails.

Chorus:
The horizon was always in your sight.
You seek your dreams outside the night.
And why should you not ride the wind?
Why do I refuse to bend?
I hear the clock pick up its pace,
While you find more windmills to chase.
My roots are here, an aging tree-
And you are there, alive and free.

Verse Three:
And there's more than mileage between our two lives.
Desperate souls have found ways to survive.
As Santa Anna blows across your face,
I hope, at last, you have found your place.
(Repeat Chorus)

Spraggins- ''08

We started work on a vocal demo for this one but haven't finished it yet.  
It needs more instrumentation,  which I'll work on.
Here is a short sample of where it is so far...
LINK:  Partial Demo

"Rio"

"Rio"

Hey Jude,
I remember you.
You rose from the bottom,
And how I loved you.
No need for a ladder-
For you had the wings
Of a mythical bird
With songs to sing.


Hey there.
Oh how we needed you-
The pale, fragile angel
With eyes drowned in blue.
"Don't smile for the camera-
It'll steal your soul.
But you'll live forever."
They told you so.


So the river still flows without the rain.
The river still forks that bears your name.
I've come to these waters since I was young.
I've come to these waters to watch them run.
The river is relentless, but gentle and free-
Forging its path, in search of the sea.

This river is timeless, wild, and free.


Hey Gray,
Attic music won't play
And Saint James is empty
In the places you'd stay.
And now All Hallows of Eve
Seems frozen in time.
As pictures of your grace
Play in my mind.


Hey now,
It's been so very long
Since you left your ashes
On winds far gone.
More myth than man-
you're a legend lost.
You lit a short fuse 
 and paid the cost.

But the river still flows without the rain.
The river still forks that bears your name.
I've come to these waters since I was young.
I've come to these waters to watch them run.
The river is relentless, but gentle and free-
Forging its path, in search of the sea.

The river is timeless inside of me.

-Spraggins 10/2008

"I don't want to die in a car accident. When i die, it'll be a glorious day. It'll probably be a waterfuall."

"I am kind of a minute commodity.
My name is no longer my own."

-River Phoenix

"The Maze"

"THE MAZE"

Listen to sheet music:
http://www.tindeck.com/listen/tybd

Verse:
There's a cool wind blowing in the desert tonight,
and the shadows are haunting the houses of Light.
The silence has stolen the song from our lips
And extinguished the fire in our fingertips.

Verse:
Did I miss the signal as the lines came down?
Were you watching the stars falling from my crown?
Now the house is shaking but the walls won't fall,
And a beast approaches through the mirrored halls.

Chorus:
In a maze of thorns and secrets
Where lies can cut like razor blades,
We are running from deception
As all the stars above us fade.
Now heaven can't shine bright enough
To light a pathway through the haze.
Yet still we're searching for our souls
And moving blindly through this maze

Verse:
The seats are empty in the Temple of God.
There's a wolf in the chapel- the Devil's facade.
We're locked in a battle being waged by time,
We are pawns on the board, chased by faceless mimes.

Bridge:
We're lost inside a maze.
Each turn reveals more walls.
I feel your hopeless gaze.
God, hear this broken call.

-Spraggins
September 2008

"Nicholas"

"NICHOLAS"

*Click below to hear a midi version of the sheet music:
http://www.tindeck.com/listen/dnii

Verse One:
Nicholas holds moon beams in his hands,
In a world where no one understands.
The thunder roars like a metal band,
Far above the churning ocean sands.
Nicholas holds moon beams in his hands.

Verse Two:
Nicholas is fighting with the wind,
In a night that seems to know no end.
In a room a candle is burning,
Across time the tides are turning,
Nicholas is fading in the wind.

Chorus:
Nicholas lives with ghosts
Beneath a starless sky.
His angels hold his heart;
His demons close his eyes.

But Nicholas, it seems,
Has traded in his dreams,
And so the shadows hide
My sweetest friend from me.

Verse Three:
Nicholas is singing to the night.
In a haunted place, far out of sight,
His angel's wings won't give him flight.
The Devil's flame is his only light.
Nicholas is howling at the night.

Verse Four:
Nicholas is just a memory,
In a mind to which he held a key.
And though history's call may tempt me,
I know the hour glass is empty.
It's all just a distant memory.

Chorus:
Nicholas chases stars
To fill an empty sky.
He hears his angels cry,
But shields himself with lies.

Now Nicholas, it seems,
Is in and out of dreams,
But tomorrow might
Just bring him back to me.

-j.a.s.- 5/08

Inspired by "Beautiful Boy", a book by David Scheff about his son's battles with addiction.