I am a defiant singer-songwriter hold out that still believes in organic, art from the heart originals. When I was little I heard my dad play songs he loved as a way to decompress after his work-day. His creative soul was made to stay on task, for that which he felt compelled to stay a consistent earner for. His family. His work, however, was undervalued and over-used. What are the generational consequences of usury?

Because of music, I saw another side of him. Because people, men, women, children, can be treated as objects, tools, commodities to be sold, bartered, undervalued and used, a part that is creative, vital, goal centered, self-empowering can die. Whole generations made to live the ordeals of John Henry, hammer in hand, who gave everyday his all.

As a child, I saw the therapeutic value and felt there was something in me that wanted to connect to the power of making a statement, with music. This song is something that honors that spirit.

I played the beginning of this for my dad, on the last visit I paid him before he passed away. I'm glad we had that time but this song seemed to wait until he passed before showing me how it wanted to end. In the end, he endured but, at the end, he was unable to speak his truth. His last words were stolen from him.
I feel his legacy and, with the last verse, I try to sing it all, with tenacity.

Stay strong. Be you. Pay attention. Grow what you love. Speak your truth as you go!
That's how you'll change the world.

This is the song mentioned by New York Public Radio's, "The Takeaway" Radio segment: "Music That Helped Us Survive 2020."