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” History of America “
” History of America “
Words and Music by Wayne Harper
Standing on Ellis Island, across the water to dry shores
I’m thinking about all of the people
Who passed through these halls and over these floors yeah
A human wave a mighty stream flowing like a sea
Hoping to realize American dreams
We’ve all come from distant borders trying to get a life
Some survive and some succumb, each one having to pay a price
To be on guard against the intrusion of a thief in the night
Bent on separation from the light
The history of America is a history of the world
The history of America is a history of the world oo la la la la la
Nature crawled as urban sprawled and devouring land
Living on top of each other what happens when the walls come tumbling down yeah,
If we stay strong we will carry on keeping faith in what is everlasting
Focused on the light of Universal Love
The history of America is a history of the world
The history of America is a history of the world oo la la la la la
My name is Wayne Harper. I am a singer song writer and a native of Kentucky. This is a song that was inspired by my mother and a trip to Ellis Island. My mother was born and raised in India. She met my father during the Second World War and moved to rural West Kentucky with him after they were married. They raised nine sons on a farm and taught us how to work and play music. It struck me that we Americans are the result of how the world has evolved and spawned the emigration of people from all over the globe to form our country thus making the history of the world our own. This song has relevance in light of the international nature of the Fall event at the Ky. Horse Park
When Mom Left Dad
Susie Bell, Midway KY
When Mom finally got it together to leave Dad, after 12 failed attempts and 12 years of marriage, it was in a high speed chase involving a handgun, a pickup truck, and some old Chevy, the latter of which I was made to “get down in the floor! get in the floor now!!” with my sisters. I could not see what was happening, but I learned some 50 years later that Dad had a gun and was chasing us in the pickup and Mom had pulled the Chevy into a repair bay at a gas station, the kind of place where they pumped the gas and you could get your car fixed. She jumped out of the car screaming, “close the door, he’s got a gun, close the door!” and they closed the door, and Dad drove on by not being able to find us and we then drove to Somerset. read more…
Food and Shelter
Susie Bell, Midway KY
Mom gave birth to me, her second child, just two months after turning seventeen. She continued to live with her parents for a short while, but a second child sounded the final closing of her childhood and the end of their protective shelter. Her parents had two more children at home; twelve-year old Johnny and fourteen year-old Susan, for whom I was named. They could not continue with the conjugal visits of Mom’s husband and unending pregnancies under foot. Mom had endured a miscarriage after a four month pregnancy between Jennie and me. She would have one more baby girl fourteen months later and name her Elizabeth, after herself. We were all born Cesarian, as Mom was too small at fifteen for childbirth and stopped growing with the advent of four pregnancies. read more…
The Wave
Kathy Curtis, Floyd County
“I am a transplant living in Floyd County. My favorite thing about Kentucky is the wave. When I first came here and I saw everyone wave I thought I must have met them somewhere and since I didnt’ want to offend my new neighbors, I’d wave back. I have come to realize that the wave is just people being friendly. I love it.”
