Thank you for being here!
The name of this project was inspired by a visionary who was at the forefront of social justice action in our country during one of its hardest passages. Today, as we try to navigate the turbulent waters of our current national crises of social and economic divides, disparate value systems and the long-term effects of marginalization and special interests, Martin Luther King Jr.’s paradoxical words: “We may have come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now,” are as timely and urgent as when he first spoke them.
The lyrics for the Same Boat book and music project are inspired by stories of plight and potential—giving voice to people who are hurting and people who are helping, the hope that connects them, and some of the visionary voices of our time who are calling on the human heart in all walks of life to help heal the still-festering transgressions of our yesterdays, ease the narrowness of tribal thinking that is fragmenting us today, and contribute to the growing desire for a more caring and inclusive tomorrow-soul of America and our impact in the world. The Same Boat project intends to join those voices, and those of the individuals, communities and investor-partners that we hope to inspire and showcase – as well as to benefit initiatives and organizations that are bringing more heart into their operating protocols and bottom lines.
Truth matters, but that's not what will save us. We are at a time in our world when every voice matters, words matter and truth matters. But while the pursuit of truth is vital to the integrity and noble aspirations of our civilization, truth has more and more become a pawn for power, barter and bias. And so truth is no longer a reliable go-to for moral behavior, right action or even civility.
As a lifelong “truth-seeker,” I’ve learned three important things about the nature of truth: it’s relative, it's always evolving, and truth by itself is not enough. If we are ever going to heal the great divides in our country, and world, we will have to look beyond our stubborn truth-sparring to the one language we all understand–the language of the heart. For only the heart can conjure the willingness to listen. Only the heart can serve up the kindness, compassion and understanding that reveal a more loving, universal and truer truth: that beneath our different perspectives, circumstances, creeds, colors and cultures, we share a sameness of heart. We all want to love, be loved, and give something worthwhile to the world from the love and truth of who we are. And if we want to "save the soul" of our America, we will need to bring more heart into more of our personal, professional, political and socio-economic bottom lines.
The name of this project was inspired by a visionary who was at the forefront of social justice action in our country during one of its hardest passages. Today, as we try to navigate the turbulent waters of our current national crises of social and economic divides, disparate value systems and the long-term effects of marginalization and special interests, Martin Luther King Jr.’s paradoxical words: “We may have come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now,” are as timely and urgent as when he first spoke them.
The lyrics for the Same Boat book and music project are inspired by stories of plight and potential—giving voice to people who are hurting and people who are helping, the hope that connects them, and some of the visionary voices of our time who are calling on the human heart in all walks of life to help heal the still-festering transgressions of our yesterdays, ease the narrowness of tribal thinking that is fragmenting us today, and contribute to the growing desire for a more caring and inclusive tomorrow-soul of America and our impact in the world. The Same Boat project intends to join those voices, and those of the individuals, communities and investor-partners that we hope to inspire and showcase – as well as to benefit initiatives and organizations that are bringing more heart into their operating protocols and bottom lines.
Truth matters, but that's not what will save us. We are at a time in our world when every voice matters, words matter and truth matters. But while the pursuit of truth is vital to the integrity and noble aspirations of our civilization, truth has more and more become a pawn for power, barter and bias. And so truth is no longer a reliable go-to for moral behavior, right action or even civility.
As a lifelong “truth-seeker,” I’ve learned three important things about the nature of truth: it’s relative, it's always evolving, and truth by itself is not enough. If we are ever going to heal the great divides in our country, and world, we will have to look beyond our stubborn truth-sparring to the one language we all understand–the language of the heart. For only the heart can conjure the willingness to listen. Only the heart can serve up the kindness, compassion and understanding that reveal a more loving, universal and truer truth: that beneath our different perspectives, circumstances, creeds, colors and cultures, we share a sameness of heart. We all want to love, be loved, and give something worthwhile to the world from the love and truth of who we are. And if we want to "save the soul" of our America, we will need to bring more heart into more of our personal, professional, political and socio-economic bottom lines.
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Scroll down to see sample lyrics from the Same Boat project. |
These themes permeate the Same Boat project. As I often like to say, every individual is a seed of our collective humanity–as we each are, so the world becomes. And so this project is a seed planting of love–from the inner and outer inspirations that conjure the words, to the diverse collaborations that will fuel the project and take it all the way "into the light." Please email my office if you are interested in reviewing our Proposal.
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Project Vision
This is an ambitious project, but one that my long time work as an author, songwriter and speaker has equipped me for. This fundraising campaign addresses the first phase of what I envision to be a three-phase project, Phase I of which is intended to roll out in the Fall of 2020:
- Phase 1: The writing, design and publication of the book, a 3-song sampler, and several small public performance presentations; along with a companion booklet featuring organizational and corporate partner-sponsors who are integrating value-based initiatives into their business protocols and bottom lines.
- Phase 2: Collaboration with music writers, guest musicians, artists, producers and studios to co-write and record a full CD (and digital streaming platforms) of 10-15 songs using lyrics in the book; and
- Phase III: Live events with a combination of music and speakers on the topics of the book and songs. It is envisioned that this phase will involve setting up a benefit component for several visionary organizations that are working to help re-draw our socio-economic landscapes into the higher ground of more inclusive and heart-based initiatives in vital areas of human life at local and planetary levels.
- Phase 1: The writing, design and publication of the book, a 3-song sampler, and several small public performance presentations; along with a companion booklet featuring organizational and corporate partner-sponsors who are integrating value-based initiatives into their business protocols and bottom lines.
- Phase 2: Collaboration with music writers, guest musicians, artists, producers and studios to co-write and record a full CD (and digital streaming platforms) of 10-15 songs using lyrics in the book; and
- Phase III: Live events with a combination of music and speakers on the topics of the book and songs. It is envisioned that this phase will involve setting up a benefit component for several visionary organizations that are working to help re-draw our socio-economic landscapes into the higher ground of more inclusive and heart-based initiatives in vital areas of human life at local and planetary levels.
Book Description & Logistics
The Different Ships book will contain around 24 lyric-poems and commentaries which explore the different kinds of hurt that are shredding the collective soul of America, and the hope so many of us have in our hearts and in our initiatives to bring about the healing that we must believe is possible. The funding received for Phase 1 will help to provide time for writing, research, interviews and the hiring of a cover illustrator, as well as book design, layout and printing. The new targeted publication date is late Summer 2020. See below for samples of lyric-poems from the book, some of which will be chosen for the CD and streaming platforms.
The Different Ships book will contain around 24 lyric-poems and commentaries which explore the different kinds of hurt that are shredding the collective soul of America, and the hope so many of us have in our hearts and in our initiatives to bring about the healing that we must believe is possible. The funding received for Phase 1 will help to provide time for writing, research, interviews and the hiring of a cover illustrator, as well as book design, layout and printing. The new targeted publication date is late Summer 2020. See below for samples of lyric-poems from the book, some of which will be chosen for the CD and streaming platforms.
Brief Bio for Terah Cox
TERAH COX is an author of several inspirational books offered on this website and at amazon.com, as well as a speaker, coach, freelance writer and writer-designer for the greeting cards and word-art offered in the Heaven & Earth Works Shop. As TERRY COX, her songwriting doppelganger, she has been a lyric writer of over 150 recorded songs for CDs, film, television and advertising, mostly while under contract to various major music publishers in the U.S., Europe and Asia – including Columbia Pictures Music, BMG/Universal Music, Warner-Chappell Music and more. Visit www.FisherQueenSongs.com to check out some songs she's co-written and some of the artists, producers and writers she's worked with.
Inspirations and Potential Beneficiaries of the Same Boat Project
The events in our country over the last couple of years have rocked many of us to the core. Along with my own inner excavations, I’ve mined for understanding in conversations with friends, colleagues and clients, and in the works of various thought-leaders and visionaries—as well as dipping in and out of social media and relentless news coverage chronicling the waves of socio-political disparity and upheaval. I can see that there are gifts in the chaos, gifts that will become more evident as we realize that our scattering norms can make way for new, more heartful paradigms in our bottom lines, better and kinder ways of relating with those whose circumstances and worldviews differ from ours, and awareness that the rights and privileges of our democracy can only be sustained and continually improved by citizen responsibility and inclusivity. Click here to view some of the people and organizations that have inspired me and which I envision the Same Boat project benefiting down the road..
Samples of lyric-poems from the Different Ships, Same Boat book & music project
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The Trouble with Bootstraps
© 2017-19 Lyrics by Terry Cox, inspired by Joshua Wilkey article, “My Mother Wasn’t Trash,” May 10, 2017: www. thisappalachialife.com/single-post/2017/05/10/My-Mother-Wasnt-Trash A flower can push through a crack in the concrete as long as it’s got somewhere to root But you can’t ask a man to pull up by his bootstraps if he doesn’t have any boots Every now and then They throw him a bone Just when he’s about to go under But sooner or later What they give him with one hand They’re takin’ back with the other The trouble with bootstraps is you gotta have boots But the bankers and bootmakers are all in cahoots Keepin’ all your half-a-chances just out of reach Like pie in the sky and carrots on strings – There’s no use for bootstraps if you’re cut off at the knees He worked in a steel mill Slaved in a coal mine Worked till the work used him up His cup might be half-full Instead'a half-empty -- ‘Cept now he doesn’t even have a cup The trouble with bootstraps is you gotta have boots But the bankers and bootmakers are all in cahoots Keepin’ all your half-a-chances just out of reach Like pie in the sky and carrots on strings – There’s no use for bootstraps if you’re cut off at the knees He used to be a proud man with a dream in his eye But there’s no use for dreams under a low-hangin' sky The trouble with bootstraps is you gotta have boots But the bankers and bootmakers are all in cahoots Keepin’ all your half-a-chances just out of reach Like pie in the sky and carrots on strings – There’s no use for bootstraps if you’re cut off at the knees There’s no use for bootstraps if you’re all outa' dreams.... but...hang on, hold up a minute...what if... [ending fades into the beginning of this next song:] ***** Every Bottom Line © 2019 Lyrics by Terry Cox What if every bottom line was more than dollars and cents? What if Wall Street went to Main Street to make a difference? What if every ladder's top rung launched someone else's dream? What if every bottom line put someone’s moon on a string? What if every bottom line would send a needy kid to school? What if every bottom line had a built-in golden rule? What if everytime time runs out for somebody in lack Someone's big fat bottom line would pick up the slack? What it’s gonna take is a change to somethin' better Somethin’ to remind us that we’re all in this together Then every bottom line and quarterly report might line some family's pockets that keep comin’ up short And every corporate coup might fund a mom-and-pop new start If every bottom line would have a little more heart Yeah if every bottom line had just a little more heart But this song is not to say there aren’t good folks out there Puttin’ their money and their time into helpin’ out somewhere We can’t ask more of any than the will to do their best And we hope that you can be an inspiration to the rest ‘Cause what if every bottom line would do what can’t be done And every bottom line had room for everyone? Like if every bottom line valued everybody's worth And every bottom line cared about the Earth? And what if your own bottom line found a way to start? 'Cause little by little your bottom line found a little more heart? Then someday every bottom line might have a little more heart Yeah someday may every bottom line have just a little more heart ***** A New American Dream © Music: Jorgen Elofsson / Lyrics: Terry Cox See a short version of the song performed for NBC Olympics pre-show I’ve got a picture in my head Got an idea on my mind -- What if we lived in a world where no one’s ever left behind? ‘Cause I believe -- every heart has a dream every dream has its hope and every hope has a prayer at the end of its rope And this is what I see behind the darkest cloud -- a new reality… Together you and me will dare a new American Dream Where everybody gets a chance to be who they want to be And no one gets left out and everybody gets to do Whatever it takes to make a new American Dream come true They say there’s only so much room at the top of the dreamer’s game Seems only a few lucky ones come close enough to hold the flame But that doesn’t have to be -- We can dream a new reality Together you and me will dare a new American Dream Where everybody gets a chance to be who they want to be And no one gets left out and everybody gets to do Whatever it takes to make a new American Dream come true Not a single heart will go unexpressed Not a single voice will be stilled in this brave new world -- Together you and me will dare a new American Dream Where everybody gets a chance to be who they want to be And no one gets left out and everybody gets to do Whatever it takes to make a new American Dream come true *** Into the Light © 2017 Lyrics: Terry Cox, inspired by Sikh interfaith leader, filmmaker, activist-author Valarie Kaur’s riveting New Year 2016's "Watch Night" speech with spiritual leaders from multiple traditions. (Permission granted from V. Kaur) (www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCenwgheIBs) A fearless young Sikh woman stood up one New Year’s night with her story and her passion and her heart’s second sight Like a beacon at the pulpit of love’s holy might She dared us to look at the dark of our world in a whole different light She said that all our labor Our history of hurt All our worldly battles Over heaven and earth Are more than we know More than they ever seem Maybe this nightmare is really the birth of our heart’s greatest dream And she said… Maybe this darkness is not the dark of our tomb but the hard hurting labor of a new humanity’s womb Maybe this darkness is just the long hard night That will finally bring us all the way into the light If you and I are willing we can cross our great divide And use our hearts to see what’s on each other’s inside But if we keep looking through the lens of everything we fear We’ll miss our chance to let go of the past and be reborn together right here Maybe this darkness is not the dark of our tomb but the hard hurting labor of a new humanity’s womb And so let’s push with our hearts through this long dark night Until we come all the way into the light In the meantime, she said, tonight let us breathe While we share heart to heart the things we each believe Come morning we will labor with the softer breath of love to birth the better world our hearts are dreaming of ‘Cause I believe this darkness is not the dark of our tomb but the long and winding labor of a new humanity’s womb And so let’s pull together through this hard dark night Until we come all the way, all the way into the light *****
#MeToo #WhatAboutYou © 2017-20 by Terah Cox One woman speaks Alone she stands Till another steps up with heart and hand Then two become three and three become twelve And soon there are hundreds with stories to tell No longer silent No longer compliant We’ve traded lip-sync for vocal and defiant No turning a blind eye or the other cheek Read our truth-telling lips and weep -- #MeToo #MeToo #WhatAboutYou All people want what hearts dream of But barter and sale are not about love And favors stolen or favors sold are nothing less than a forgetting of soul And so, No longer silent No longer compliant We’ve traded lip-sync for vocal and defiant No turning a blind eye Or the other cheek Read our truth-telling lips and weep #MeToo #MeToo #WhatAboutYou You good men may think this song’s not for you But we invite you and you to speak out too ‘Cause all your bad bros’ are puttin' you to shame And if you just stand by are you partly to blame? Be No longer silent No longer compliant Trade lip-sync for vocal and defiant No turning a blind eye Or the other cheek No more hiding it No more meek Read our truth-telling lips and weep While we tell it like we've never told it before Read ‘em and -- sisters, Weep no more! #MeToo #MeToo #WhatAboutYou ***** |
The Truest Truth
© 2017-19 Lyrics by Terry Cox, inspired by the crisis of truth in our time We’re living in times when truth has become a pawn of money and power And whether we swing to the left or right This is not our finest hour We spar over different truths as if there were only one But while we argue every “only one truth” our world is coming undone! The truest truth is not in the facts The truest truth is not in the news But the truest truth just might be had by walkin’ in another man’s shoes And for every truth in all the Earth And all the Heavens above The only truth that can save our world is a truth shaped by love Every truth has its shining moment Every truth has its glory day But the truest truth, as time will tell is one that’s willing to change We can wave our patriotic pride And draw our lines in the sand But the only truth that can heal a divide Is the kindness of a helping hand The truest truth is not in a book The truest truth is not in a place But the truest truth just might be found in the smile of a small child’s face And for every truth in all the Earth And all the Heavens above The only truth that can change our hearts The only truth that can save who we are is a truth shaped by love ***** Pebbles on the Road to Peace © 2018 Lyrics by Terry Cox Every hopeful heart Every helping hand Every kindness that dares to understand Every wish, every dream that strives for good Every mountain of faith That knows we could Every trial and trouble ready to release Every mind opening to possibilities is a pebble on the road a pebble on the road to peace Every top dog reachin’ back for his brother Every stranger or neighbor doin’ for another Every hope and prayer ‘stead of push and shove ‘Cause there’s nothing or no one we’re not a part of Every difference with the same desire to be free Every soul on Earth with the heart to believe is a pebble on the road a pebble on the road to peace It's a matter of trust or a matter of time Till we really understand what's on the line We can rise up together or we can fall apart -- In the end it's gonna be a matter of heart So in the meantime... Every chance taken to heal a divide Every bridge built to the other side Everytime nobody has to back down ‘Cause we’re willin’ to meet on some middle ground Every song of love Every note of harmony Every word that creates a better world for you and me -- the world our hearts see… is a pebble on the road a pebble on the road a shiny pebble on the road to peace ***** Different Ships, Same Boat
© 2017-20 Lyrics by Terry Cox, title inspired by MLK Jr. quote, "We may have come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now." In a not so distant time ago On wooden sailing ships The brave and desperate crossed the sea with a hope and a prayer and a new-world wish In the land of opportunity Hard work paved the way Any kinda' dream could start from nothin’ And build a proud new day But somehow the land of the free became the land of every man for himself We forgot we can’t keep doin' the dream without each other’s help We may have come on different ships But we’re in the same boat now And if we keep goin’ on like this Gonna sink our stern and our bow We may have come on different ships But we’re rockin’ our only boat Got to steady the raging drift If we wanna keep this dream afloat Once we were all immigrants here We were all refugees Runnin' from hate, oppression and fear Looking for a place to live as we believe But in the land of opportunity How soon we forgot A dream come true can be a cruel thing When some have and some have not Somehow the land of the free Became a free-for-all of greed and control But what does it gain us to fill our cup and lose our very soul? We may have come on different ships But we’re in the same boat now And if we keep goin’ on like this Gonna sink our stern and bow We may have come on different ships But we’re rockin’ our only boat Got to steady the raging drift If we wanna keep this dream afloat We may have come on different ships But we’re in the same boat now So before our boat starts to list Before our hopes start to drown Got to brave the tidal winds Got to weather the storms and stalls Got to have all hands on deck With every heart holding on Yeah it’s all hands on deck With every heart holding on -- Cause yeah we came on different ships But we’re in the same boat now! *** Breathe © 2018 Lyrics by Terry Cox, inspired by Solutions for Interrupted Education, an organization helping refugees and migrants whose education has been interrupted by war, social/political upheaval, trafficking and extreme poverty. There is no darkness so dark as the place where light has died No hurt so hard as leaving where the path of return is denied But your heart dares to see the dark in a different light And a dream keeps taking you on through the long hard night 'Cause all you've got left is that dream in your heart and the in-and-out of your breath So you just BREATHE and hope your heart keeps movin' your feet BREATHE (breathe) and hope your heart can keep the beat For while there's breath and heart Hope is still dawning Calling you toward the light of a hard-won new belonging So you just BREATHE There's no journey so hard As a road that has no end Will they take you in or turn you out in the days and weeks ahead? It's hard for some people to see why you had to leave your land But if they can walk in a poor man's shoes Maybe you'll find some helping hands 'Cause all you've got left is that dream in your heart and the in-and-out of your breath So you just BREATHE and hope your heart keeps movin' your feet BREATHE (breathe) and hope your heart can keep the beat For while there's breath and heart Hope is still dawning Calling you toward the light of a hard-won new belonging So you just BREATHE ***** When He Said “Imagine” © Adapted from song by Kaya/Andre LeClair/Terry Cox Inspired by John Lennon His story is not over And he’s still on our minds Looking over our shoulders Still a voice of the times One man who did his part To help keep alive the dream One word from one timeless heart That challenged everything – When he said “imagine” Just imagine -- No chosen few, no power-mongers No left-behinders, no non-belongers No have-nots and nobody grabbin’ ‘Cause everybody’s too busy havin’ Just like when he said “Imagine” -- If we come together, we can make it happen Said his God had no religion ‘Cause there’s no heart love can’t find Some say the man had a vision Born and died before its time But what’s dead is never gone When we carry on the dream One word in one timeless song Says what he still means When he said “imagine” Just imagine -- No chosen few, no power-mongers No left-behinders, no non-belongers No have-nots and nobody grabbin’ ‘Cause everybody’s too busy havin’ Just like when he said “Imagine” -- If we come together, we can make it happen It’s no good to be stuck on my side With you over there on yours Let’s put some windows in our walls And open some welcoming doors Just imagine -- Everyone on their feet and dancin’ A rainbow of hearts all romancin’ I sing with you, you sing with me Singin’ out of this world-ly harmony Just like when he sang “Imagine” -- If we come together, we can make it happen |
