Wine and Poetry
2005 All songs by Anne Harris
Photos & design by
Flynn
Wine and Poetry is an eclectic, spirited folk-rock
experience where textures from around the globe meet and marry in unexpected
ways. Lush harmonies, enchanting string arrangements and poetic lyricism
deliver a theme that resonates with urgency and enlightenment.
Tracks
Listen Lo-Fi
Accolades
The packaging artwork for the Wine and Poetry CD was
awarded
"DIY Album Artwork of the Year" honors at the 2006 DIY Music Festival
and Convention.
Click to take a look at some of the images displayed on the website of
amazing art director/photographer/designer, Flynn.
Reviews
“She's very talented...an original
sound and voice.”
- Bruce Hornsby, on Wine and Poetry
“Anne Harris' songs frequently sound born of a spiritual
awakening. ...
On 'Wine and Poetry' songs reference mountains, rivers and deep-rooted
trees, the singer viewing the natural world almost as an open-air
cathedral.”
- Chicago Tribune
“Every now and then you come across music that changes the
tone of your thoughts. Chicago-based vocalist, songwriter and fiddler Anne
Harris creates such music. ... And though her lyrics give you pause to think
about the life you live and the world you live in, they're delivered in a
charged, uplifting, and spiritual manner. Harris' latest album, 2005's Wine
and Poetry, couldn't be more captivating. Filled with vibrant life, a single
listen sends you out into the world feeling empowered and alive.”
- Chicago Innerview
“I spent a good part of the afternoon listening to [Wine
and Poetry] and one of the things that struck me is that the music and the
lyrics, are just very 'up.' It's positive, it's hopeful.”
- WTTW11 Chicago Tonight, Phil Ponce
“Besides being one of the most cleverly packaged CDs to
come out in the past year, Anne Harris' Wine and Poetry makes for a
delightfully diverse listen. Like a fine wine, the
vocalist/songwriter/fiddler gets better with time as she unleashes rock,
pop, soul, and the occasional sliver of Americana. Cuts like "Fly" and
"Connected" bounce with brisk acoustics, while "Desperate Day" unfolds with
orchestrated urgency. Harris further connects with her experimental
tendencies on the percussion peppered instrumental finale and remains tasty
until the last drop.”
- Andy Argyrakis, Illinois Entertainer
“Each song is memorably attractive and dazzling, I
absolutely love this album. The diversity that flows from it makes it nearly
impossible to tag it with just one genre category. Think Americana, soul,
folk, Celtic, gospel and pop all on a glorious joyride…it’s that damn good!
Experience the aroma of "Wine and Poetry" for yourself. You’ll be glad you
did!”
- Heather Corcoran, CoffeehouseTour.com
Lyrics
© 2004 Anne Harris
Find your own meaning
Listen to your heartbeat
It’s connected to your soul
And your soul is connected to all souls
It’s a delicate balance
An intricate weaving
This web of life
You will find your way
It’s already found you
There are no mistakes
Only what you must learn
Nurture your spirit
Pleasure your body
Keep your eyes open
All lessons teach
And the teachers connected to the students
The students connected to the lessons
It’s an intricate weaving
This web of life
Your life is your pen
Your actions are your words
Don’t let others choose
They don’t know your story
Feel the connection
Know the connection
You’re the connection
© 2004 Anne Harris
My feet are bloody and bruised,
Yet I still am standing, still I bear the load
I jumped thru all of your hoops, I played your games
What doesn’t bend me will break
And though these winds are blowing, I am rooted like a tree
And I’m letting go
I swam the distance for you through Hell’s high waters
My lips were turning to blue,
Yet my hope passed thru their gates unbridled, unashamed
I was invisible once, clear as my sorrow
One day my voice did appear,
Solid as the earth below and steady as the rain
And I’m letting go
One foot in front of the last, then falls the other
I know there’s no turning back
Certain as the seasons and the changing of the tides
And I’m letting go
© 2004 Anne Harris
Flow like the river, flow like the river
My life is a river
Winding its way on
Malleable yet steadfast
My boat carries me home
I am fed by my failures
I am beauty in my falls
I am muddied and muddled by the meaning of it all
My banks may swell
My voice may roar
And who's to say where I end, where I begin?
Our love is a river
Poetry in flow
The dance becomes the dancer
In this grace we grow
We are fed by this rhythm
We are riddled in our rhymes
We are riding these currents thru the corridors of time
Our banks may swell
Our voice may roar
And who's to say where I end, where you begin?
© 2004 Anne Harris
Hate, hate will use you, eat right thru you
Your words they hold your hate
They twist and turn like snakes
They wrap around your neck
'cause hatred has no friend
It's gonna swallow you so you can see yourself
And get a better view of who's controlling you
Your words they hold your hate
They twist and turn like snakes
They wrap around your neck
'cause hatred has no friend
And in the end, my friend, it's gonna swallow you
And when it spits you out you'll have a different view
© 2004 Anne Harris
I’m praying that I can get up off my knees
And just face my fears and make them my bitch
I pray for the courage to help me do this
Pray
I pray that this moment will never end
And that all of Eternity contained within
Will just open up and blow our minds
I’m praying for more consciousness praying for more time
Pray
Om Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu Om Shanti
I dream there’s a place where all prayers are received
And then sorted and given to all those in need
And our planet needs some prayer right now
I pray it’s not too late to turn things around
© 2004 Anne Harris
It's an old, familiar tune
It's the cat that naps in the middle of your lap
The first firefly in June
It's like waking up asleep again in a sweet, familiar bed
It's the stuff of wine and poetry and it goes right to my head
It's the feeling of belonging
It's the sunlight breaking thru
It's a thousand crickets singing as they serenade the moon
It's a symphony of color
A cup of tea in bed
It's the stuff of wine and poetry and it goes right to my head
I can't help but drink it in
Life's an amazing ride
I plan to return again
I plan to be by your side
It's the rhythm of the ocean
The wisdom of a tree
The laughter of your lover
The whisper of a breeze
It's a kitchen full of memories
The smell of baking bread
It's the stuff of wine and poetry and it goes right to my head
© 2004 Anne Harris
She threw the I Ching yesterday, it said a change was coming around
She turning her back, she changing her mind
She's so far gone she's back again and again she's taking her time
She grooves along in a new direction
Rides the wave of her energy
Sings the song of her heart’s intention
You can't keep her down
Fly, fly, fly little girl
There is no dress rehearsal
Free your mind little girl
To the possibility that you are divinity
She cannot be reached, she's taking some time
Her laundry waves like a ghost, forgotten on the line
She can't help but win, there's nothing to lose
She can rewrite the script at any point, if she should choose
She grooves along in a new direction
Rides the wave of her energy
Sings the song of her heart’s intention
You can't keep her down
She moves her hips in a new direction
Rides the wave of her energy
Sings the song of her heart’s intention
You can't keep her down
Fly, fly, fly little girl
This is no dress rehearsal
Free your mind little girl
To the possibility that you are divinity
© 2004 Anne Harris
My longing was a valley
Belonging felt beyond me
I bent around my better self, swallowing my fear
Then I heard the warning
You can't ignore the warning
Be who you are
Celebrate your life
Follow your bliss
Love the body you're in
Teach your children this
To live beyond the measured space of collective expectation
Is daunting as a mountain
It takes the courage of mountains
You cannot find the One you seek in someone else's eyes
They don't hold the answers
It's you who holds the answers
Be who you are
© 2004 Anne Harris
We’re feeling the hunger
Our spirits have washed upon this forsaken rock
Our temples are crumbling down
We’ve lost our connection
We bought the illusion, all bets are off
Give me an answer
We’re lighting the fires and we’re burning our graces
The blanket of ignorance, clouds in our eyes
The box of distraction, it flickers before us
It beckons a thousand ways to kill our time
We live in a desperate day
We’re feeling the hunger
Our bodies have washed up on this forsaken rock
Our temples are crumbling down
We’ve lost our connection
We bought the illusion, all bets are off
Give me an answer