Last year in Minneapolis, I had the opportunity to see a wonderful play entitled Plain
Hearts: Songs and Stories of Midwestern Prairie
Women, performed by a seven woman cast. Its
producer, Lynn Lohr, wrote the following about
the play:
"Behind the seven women on stage, who are
the Plain Hearts Band, stand thousands of
other women. They are our prairie mothers
and grandmothers and their single women
friends - farm women all. They stand in
the sun, in the dry wind, and in the blessed
rain after a drought. Some of them are
holding flowers in their hands, lilacs or
humble cosmos or yellow bush roses. Some
are carrying pails of eggs or milk, some
are carrying children. They are not very
well dressed. They are wearing work clothes.
They are all beautiful. They are all very
proud. They have come to hear their stories
again. Plain Hearts is offered in gratitude
for their hunanity, their hard work, and
their humor.
Plain Hearts was written by Lance S.
Belville; music and lyrics by Eric Peltoniemi.
Eric wrote "Tree of Life" as part of the play,
and I appreciate his willingness to allow us
to record it.
The first two verses are comprised entirely
of the names of quilting patterns. I first
sang the song with Cathy Barton and Dave Para,
who made important musical contributions to its
current state. (ET)
Beggar's Blocks and Blind Man's Fancy,
Boston Corners and Beacon Lights,
Broken Stars and Buckeye Blossoms
Blooming on the Tree of Life.
Tree of Life, quilted by the lantern
light,
Every stitch a leaf upon the Tree of
Life:
Stitch away, sisters, stitch away.
Hattie's Choice (Wheel of Fortune) and High
Hosannah (Indiana),
Hills and Valleys (Sweet Woodlilies) and
Heart's Delight (Tail of Benjamin's Kite),
Humming Bird (Hovering Gander) in Honeysuckle (Oleander)
Blooming on the Tree of Life.
Tree of Life...
We're only known as someone's mother,
Someone's daughter or someone's wife,
But with our hands and with our vision
We make the patterns on the Tree of Life.
Tree of Life...