Finlandia Brasileira 

Finlandia Brasileira

We come to thee in awe and adoration

For on this eve our savior has been born

Through darkest hour, we've suffered tribulation

But, now, through grace, we greet a brilliant morn

 

With candles gleaming, Lord, we are reminded

You are the light, which shines away the dark

Restoring sight to those who have been blinded

Restoring hope and joy to every heart

 

Oh Lord, we feel your angels all around us

And with our spirit we can hear them sing

For we were lost, but through your son you…

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All the Babes on Christmas Born 

All the Babes on Christmas Born

Through Bethlehem a cold wind swirled

Past shed and stable, shop and inn

By window, doorway, dimly-lit,

And homes bent low ‘neath sorrow’s din.

It paused beside a humble place

Where in a manger lay a child.

His father stood in awe, and still;

His mother held her heart and smiled.

 

A heavenly light shown kindly down,

Piercing through the wind and dust,

God, the Creator, blessed His child

With Tender Mercies, Love, and Trust.

The babe was Jesus, who would teach

Of God’s…

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Song info and lyrics for the eclectic album Acoustic Remedy 

There are 17 songs on Acoustic Remedy with more than 74 minutes of music.  Here you will find a little story about each song, lyrics, and links to any videos.  Click READ MORE to get to the lyrics and details for each song.

 

 

Track 1: Little Bits of Heaven 

 

Little Bits of Heaven

This song has evolved over the years as I have grown musically and personally.  I originally wrote it not long after graduating from college as I was coming to terms with my sexuality and understanding what that meant for me.  My father was a Lutheran minister and had recently passed away.  The "wise man" I met up with in the song was my therapist, another Lutheran minister who helped me see that being gay is part of who God made me to be and that it was a gift.  It certainly…

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Track 2: April Fool 

April Fool

Music and Lyrics by Johnny Schaefer

Los Angeles is a wonderful land of possibilities.  The church I sing in has families and individuals from 37 countries at last count.  If one is open to the experience, there is so much to learn from other cultures and perspectives.  Sometimes those differences can give rise to conflict.  Relationships are difficult enough, but that is complicated by differing worldviews.  The famous saying is that "Variety is the spice of life", but spices can be a bit…

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Track 3: These are the Walls feat. Regina Bunye 

These are the Walls

This song was originally going to be in a musical I was writing.  The show didn't survive, but this tune did.  It started out much slower but I like the juxtaposition of mostly sad lyrics against a lighter beat.  It goes along with the hopefulness of the last verse. 

These Are the Walls

music and lyrics by Johnny Schaefer

This is the house we lived in

I guess we won't live here anymore

Soon I'll go my way

Just like you went yours

These are the walls I painted

and this is the floor you…

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Track 4: Mashup: Midnight Blue/Lights of Dawn 

Mashup: Midnight Blue/Lights of Dawn

Melissa Manchester was a beacon of light for me in the dark closet growing up in Porterville, CA.  Her comforting songs of affirmation and self-worth guided me and in that I am not alone.  Filmmaker Abe Silvia wrote and directed a lovely film, Dirty Girl, recently and it had an amazing cast.  It was about two kids, one of them very much like me and it was filled with Melissa's music.  Melissa is recording a new album and as part of her fan-funded campaign launched a…

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Track 5: Waves 

Waves

My baby broke it off today

and I've got no job

I never dreamed that things could get this way

I've been bummin' hard

So I look up my old buddy

for a great escape

Yeah, he has always been there for me

to chase clouds away

Chorus

And he calls me

"Hey dude! Hey dude!

We've got a whole day before us

What d' you wanna do?

Well, we can breeze on down to a beachside town

or cruise round by the caves

Your love's in embers

but you must remember

that life always happens in waves

...in waves, ooo, in waves

 

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Track 6: Time to Cry 

Time to Cry 

This is one of the first songs I ever wrote and I have recorded it several times.  It was a song I wrote for my Mom to cheer her up.  This version was a recorded in 1998, but I like it.  As Marianne Williamson says, if you have 100 tears to cry and you only cry 30 of them, you still have 70 more tears to go.  If you don't shed them, they will turn into illness, physical or mental.  Tears cleanse you.  Take the Time to Cry.

You've been hanging' on a thread for so long

And you've been blowin'…

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Track 7: Your Sweater feat. Sara Shakliyan-Mendes 

Your Sweater feat. Sara Shakliyan-Mendes

This is another song I wrote in college, but I reworked it extensively for this album.  It hints at romantic love, but it actually came from my experience as a child.  My parents divorced and when my Mom left I used to go into her room and smell her sweaters.  I was a way of connecting to her-that scent brought back a flood of good memories.  The song evolved from there.  I am honored to have Dr. Sara Shakliyan-Mendes playing with me on this.  I'm sure such an…

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