From the recording A Kite's Tail
I may have mentioned previously, but I absolutely love Christmas. I have such wonderful childhood memories. In fact, my favorite part of the year actually starts in September and rolls right through December. The cooler weather in Autumn, when the leaves start to turn, the smells in the air, FOOTBALL, Halloween, Thanksgiving... You can feel the year building to a crescendo. As a kid, I loved the "Santa" part. Yes, I'm no fool, and I had the Santa part decoded by 11th grade. My parents gave us a good balance of Faith and fun, and as the weights shifted on that scale, the Faith part has become so much more to me. I love the old-fashioned Christmas carols, and I wanted to sit down and write a serious Christmas carol. I'm not certain that I accomplished what I set out to do because I had more to include in the story than a typical carol. I like what came out, but it will probably never be sung at a 4th grade Christmas pageant.
The Star of Bethlehem, with its vertical and horizontal light beams, always looked like a cross, or the spines of a kite, to me, with the vertical down-beam being dominant, like a kite's tail guiding the kite. The rest came out of the story we have all heard since childhood. The romantic side of me took that story and ran with it.
One day, I will re-do this song using cellos, violins, oboes, flutes, and synths. Here it is in its initial, spontaneous form. I may even hire a real vocalist. : 0
Lyrics
A Kite’s Tail words and music by JRRothrock 12/24 2005
A soaring kite up through the heavens, sails.
Spiraling downwards, streams a guiding tail.
Bright star beaming, stretching through the night…
“Heaven’s Beacon”… Mankind’s “guiding light”!
When humanity’s darkness had spread like plague across the land…
…Love reigned down to light the world again!
His hand reached down in a streaming tail of light…
…to lead us from our darkness on this Holiest of Nights.
To seek this blessing, reconnaissance was sent…
…three wise and mystic travelers out of the Orient.
From nearly a thousand miles trod a caravan from afar…
…beckoned through the darkness by this wondrous star!
That somewhere in the night…at a blessed Holy site…
…lay a newborn, haloed in a perfect light!
O bright star shined where blessed baby lay!
He who would erase all our debt… and wash our sins away!
While shepherds guarded flocks that night… the angels would declare…
…the gift of God at break of dawn… that would be lying there.
Guided by the brightest star to ever grace the night,
the greatest blessing of His love… and witness to His might!
The streaming tail of light… still gleaming through the black of night
“Heaven’s Wonder” laying under this cosmic kite!
Starlight beaming… stretching gleaming… baby dreaming… soon redeeming…
Starlight beaming… stretching gleaming… baby dreaming… soon redeeming…
Starlight beaming… stretching gleaming… baby dreaming… soon redeeming…