You can stream this also from
as part of the "Seems Like Old Times" EP.
Three beats to the measure can be very soothing. I want you swaying gracefully to the downbeats!
I am especially pleased that Abbie Gardner (of Red Molly) agreed to join the long-distance band for this song bringing both her dobro’s sweet melancholy and her crisp soprano harmony. And it is always an honor to have Ron Stewart (of The Boxcars) join in the music-making.
Be sure to checkout both http://www.abbiegardner.com and http://redmolly.com to learn more about this talented instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. A quick check of http://www.ronniestewart.com/about will make clear why I say it’s an honor to have him. Lucky me in both cases!
© 2006 Steven E. Cutts (revised 2013, 2015)
recorded and mixed in the fall/winter of 2015 by Jim Robeson (with help from Laurence Heinemann
who recorded Abbie in Jersey City, NJ.)
Steve, guitar and lead vocal
Abbie Gardner, dobro and harmony vocal
Jim Robeson, bass
Ron Stewart, fiddle
Take a deep breath; close your eyes
And imagine a dance floor; musicians appear.
Count out the rhythm: “one-two-three, one-two-three”;
move with the pulse that only you hear.
There’s no need to stand; stay put if you’re seated,
And nod to the beat in three-quarter time.
To share this diversion, a partner’s not needed;
Just waltz by yourself all alone in your mind.
No need to be young; no need to be nimble;
Improvise melodies; you set the tempo.
A waltz in the mind is really quite simple,
Its pleasure entirely your own.
Draw inspiration from all that is holy --
From the laughter of children -- from a stream tumbling by --
From the tune of a songbird -- a cat purring deeply --
The breeze that is shifting the clouds in the sky.
Maybe you waltz ‘cross the dew drops of morning –
Around snow that drifted last night without warning –
Through lightning and thunderheads, booming and storming --
No two of these waltzes the same.
It’s your choice: do you wish to lead or to follow?
Steer sweeping turns like the flight of a swallow,
Stride right ahead just as straight as an arrow,
Or whirl like a dervish entranced.
You might think a waltz by yourself would be lonely,
But think of it more as a chance that’s well-timed.
No set duration, it finishes only
When you have grown tired of the waltz in your mind.