Mother Of Pearl

[Christopher Stewart]

(« Natural Abalone with conical pearl » by Worldexplorer82)

« Mother Of Pearl» was the last song written in the location where the music for the « The Abode Of The Blessed » EP was composed. Yet, arguably, considering the clear stylistic and thematic distinctions between this opus and the pieces that preceded it, they probably shouldn't belong on the same album. Assuming that I eventually get the chance to properly record the 8 songs and 8 instrumentals put together during that particular period, « Mother Of Pearl» will likely serve as closing track, announcing what's to come.

In the context of the « 30 Songs for the Sunny Season » series, « Mother Of Pearl» was the 8th song that I wrote. The music and most of the lyrics were completed by January 21, 2013, but I had no satisfactory words for the bridge until the beginning of May.

The inspiration for the piece stems from how pearls come into being. When a microscopic intruder or parasite enters an oyster, it irritates the mollusk which secretes nacre, also called mother-of-pearl, to cover the undesirable and soothe itself. As the process is repeated and layers are added, a pearl is produced.

However such occurrences can also be interpreted alternatively as follows : when the intelligence that unites and animates all beings needs a pearl, it finds a way to introduce an irritant into an oyster, which will then transform the source of pain into the sought beautiful object.

When I look back on my life there is no doubt that the main incentive that has impelled me to create works of art throughout the years is a psychological trauma that I experienced as a teenager. In a manner similar to that of the oyster which soothes itself by adding layers of nacre onto the irritant, I healed my injured mind through repeated creative processes. Thus, conceivably, this might be one of the ways using which the intelligence underlying all things develops works of art, by creating the conditions that compel beings into action. And considering how ill-equipped I was to face the distressing event when it occurred, it seems plausible that this is also how artists are goaded towards maturity, carrying within themselves the motivation that urges them to give expression to what's in them.

verse 1
told love was forbidden
i used to play the fool
hopeless and angst-ridden
yet in me you saw the jewel

you cared to make me wise
led me to the river
made sure i saw the prize
across the great water

verse 2
with a dream to fulfil
and a heart to restore
i rowed like a windmill
to reach the other shore

you oversaw the tide
i sought stability
through this purposeful ride
i grew in adversity

verse 3
looking back i'm aware
each moment every day
you have always been there
with me on the journey

years of battle upstream
out of the days of yore
you are the constant theme
the ever open door

pre-chorus
you shape me
make me all
i can be
show me the
better me
whoa-oh-oh

chorus
you know how to make me pure
see me through the whirl
orchestrate the cure
o mother of pearl

my all-embracing oyster
take me in your swirl
add another layer
o mother of pearl

bridge
feed me your potion mother of pearl
relieve my tensions mother of pearl
rouse my devotion mother of pearl
show me the ocean

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The « 30 Songs for the Sunny Season » series presents songs written in the aim of building a repertoire of originals that require only guitar and vocals, without additional arrangements, and thus can be performed in a busking context.