Noah's Ark

words & music © by Geoff Bartley 1997
Published by Joshua Omar's Music BMI
All Rights Reserved

Noah built an ark of wood even though the sky was clear
For everywhere upon dry land an ocean would appear
He laid his keel of cypress and his hands & eye were true
Then Noah called the great & small on board two by two

And there was one to run, one to fly, one well chosen, one passed by
One of scale, one of skin, one of water, and one of wind

For forty days & forty nights this ark the rain withstood
And all the creatures of the earth went safely on the flood
And when the storm was over and the howling wind did cease
There came a rainbow and the dove with the olive branch of peace

And there was one of feather, one of fur, one of him, and one of her
One of talon, one of horn, one conceived and one unborn
One of rock, and one of sand, one of ocean, one of land
One of moon, and one of sun, one to end, one just begun

There is no sacred vessel, no water & no shore
No rudder & no anchor, no captain & no ford
There is no claim on happiness, and there is no other side
There is no mind or body, and no star to guide

But there is one to teach, and one to learn, one to marry, one to burn
One of night, one of day, one of metal, one of clay
One to listen, one to talk, one to crawl, and one to walk
One to heal, and one to bleed, one complete, and one in need

One of science, one of soul, one that's broken, one that's whole
One that's weak, and one that's stout, one with faith, and one without
One to rise, and one to fall, one for no one, one for all
One to keep, and one to give, one to die, and one to live

Noah built an ark of wood even though the sky was clear...

One Kind Word

track 3

Mike Rivard; upright bass
Seth Connelly; piano
Matt Jenson; Hammond B-3 organ
Lisa & Selena Wilson, Geoff; backing vocals
Geoff; vocal, 1983 Martin HD-28 in standard tuning, capo 4, C shapes, key of
E, & an A harmonica

Some of the inspiration for this song comes from a Robert Bly translation of the poem No River At All written by 12th century Hindu mystic & ecstatic, Kabir. ~ Geoff