Lyrics by Marian Partee
Music by Christina Whitten Thomas
Mother’s Word is a song cycle exploring transformative moments in the lives of mothers from the bible. La Canada Presbyterian Church premiered the work in May, 2019. Mother’s Word will receive its East Coast premiere in February, 2020, in Worchester, MA. As Eve sings “Dream for my Son,” she cradles her baby in her arms.
At the link below, you can hear the piece performed by Tina Tong, director/narrator, Rebecca Sjowall, soprano, and Aiko Fukushima, piano.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ4J8ucPdpo
EVE:
From this moment,
We begin anew.
My boy, this moment,
Let me share my dream with you.
I will be a patient mother,
Your steady, tender guide,
A friend through all your days.
You will seldom leave my side.
Far from the haven of the garden,
I will be your guardian in the wild.
I’ll shelter you from danger.
Do not fear, my perfect child.
You will be a brave explorer,
Yet never stray too far.
You’ll wander from my sight.
I will still know where you are.
You will escape your family history.
You will always listen to God’s voice,
And when you face temptation,
You will make a wiser choice.
You give me hope
That He still watches over us.
Maybe He’s forgiven us
For all the wrong we’ve done.
He’s blessed us with a fresh creation,
A miracle,
A sinless son.
We will be a loving fam’ly.
In harmony we’ll live.
Our quarrels will be few.
We will easily forgive.
You’ll learn to work beside your parents.
We’ll tend the earth and till the sod.
We’ll pray and burn offerings.
We will raise you to love God.
Perhaps one day you may return
To the home we had to flee.
And you’ll be ev’rything
That we could never be.
You will never taste our guilt;
You will never taste our pain.
Our beautiful boy,
Our Cain.
