This song came to me soon after my brother Frank died.
Though he hadn’t been in good health, his passing seemed as sudden as it was heartbreaking.
As the younger brother, so much of who I am came from him. Melissa commented that his eulogy, written and delivered by his friend Mark Blakey, could be read as mine when the time comes.
I have written before about how songs seem to be given to the songwriter. This was surely the case here.
It is a lamentation in the best tradition of the blues, evoking the red moon often associated with the end times in Christian literature.
Soon after writing this, we experienced a Red Moon or total lunar eclipse of a super moon (Sept. 28, 2015). It is also referred to in layman terms and religious circles as a Blood Moon. For my song, it became a Blood Red Moon.
The above is just me and my guitar.
Blood Red Moon
Oh mama, I don’t know how to pray
Oh mama, I don’t know how to pray
But it sure feels like
I ought to be down on my knees
Oh mama, you can’t hide your tears
Oh mama, you can’t hide your tears
Cause everybody knows,
your son’s done gone ahead
Oh mama, why’d he have to go
Oh mama why did he have to go
Lord, seems like
the good never grow old
(chorus)
Oh mama, what’s around the bend
Oh mama, what’s up around the bend
where the river flows
when the moon turns blood red
where the river flows
when the moon turns blood red
We miss him. He was very proud of you and would love this song. Frank was special to us and so many other people. His family has much to cherish in their memories of him.
Thomas I also know too well the loss you express so beautifully in this song. I lost my husband ten years ago and my youngest brother several years after that. Those are losses that are so difficult to understand. Thanks for so beautifully putting to word and music those feelings. I’m so sorry for your loss.
thank you Nancy, and sorry for your losses.
So beautiful, Thomas. Thank you for sharing your heart in song.
thank you for appreciating what i do.
Thomas,
This song gave me chills…..so heartfelt and emotional. I didn’t know your brother but from your song he certainly was a wonderful person. My late condolences for your loss.
Love to you,
Shelly
thanks Shelly. you are still so sweet.
Beautiful. Haunting. The sadness of losing a brother is a hard one.
thank you, Jefferson. I still love Isle of Hope. your loss is so much tougher (as my dad’s was) sorry for both our losses, but appreciate how music allows us to deal with it. not totally but it helps.
Beautifully sad. Get someone to join you on a harmonica as you sing it. I am sorry for your loss…been there and it takes forever to get around that bend.
one on which i wished i also played harmonica cause you are absolutely right on both counts. thanks.
Thank you Uncle Thomas. I am glad you are getting to share your musical talent with songwriting and performing and uplifting people with music. That is a gift from God. I would be a lost soul without music. My Dad would be proud. Living without him is hard but he did give so much during his time alive that at least I can cling to that and be proud of him and try to carry him through me and my children. Family is everything. Thank you for being such a good part of that too.
thank you for your kind words. they mean a lot. i know he was extremely proud of you. you are the female version of my brother! love you.
such a talented doctor and good brother who had so much to give shouldn’t have died so young – I still miss him and think of him often –