I was having problems with my Les Paul style Hamer electric, so I hopped on to YouTube to hunt down some videos on how to adjust a fixed bridge guitar so that it didn’t suck. While playing around with the tuning and action, I started dorking around with this country riff that became the intro of the song. The final result is either a mid-90′s pop song or a mid-00′s country tune. Either way, it’s not a very “now” sounding song, but it was fun to work on.
So what’s it about? Some friends of ours from church own a teaching farm in Chino (ever heard of Amy’s Farm?) that they use to teach the community about not only where you food comes from but also about spiritual living and having a heart for God’s creation.
The “he” in the song is my friend’s dad, Randy, who has been a rancher and farmer forever. At break time, he invites anyone working on the farm (there are opportunities for volunteers) to come into the barn where he reads from the Common Book of Prayer. Randy’s whole thing is to let God speak, so he doesn’t.
The “she” in the song is any number of people who come to the farm looking for something other than fresh produce. I’ve worked in ministry long enough to know that while people do come to the work of the Church because of their faith in God, sometimes they’re also looking for some kind of peace they can’t name yet. A farm or community garden can be the kind of place where hopes are given expression. The song is about that.
Demo
Sowing Seeds (mp3, 5.1MB)
Lyrics
Verse 1
5 o’clock, he takes his Bible
Reminds himself of why he came
Heading out into the fields now
Prays for each worker, knows each name
6 o’clock, she makes the coffee
Makes her lunch and packs her things
No one left to kiss goodbye now
All alone, the silence stings
She finds her way to the field one morning
She takes her place in the yard
Chorus
He’s sowing seeds
She’s digging in the dirt
He’s pulling weeds
She’s living through the hurt
He’s planting peace
She’s taking home the
Hope that something
Better’s coming
Verse 2
10 o’clock he’s pruned the grape vines
She’s brushing down the spotted mare
The work, it feels like a sanctuary
Instead of robes, it’s jeans they wear
The barn becomes their cathedral
He says the prayers, she hides her face
No altar call, no plates are passed around
Instead each finds their share of grace
That’s all that’s left inside this place
She’ll be back tomorrow morning
She’ll take her place in the yard
Bridge
Sometimes it seems like the hope we’ve lost
Is best found on our knees
Chorus 2
He’s sowing seeds
She’s reaching out her hands
He’s pulling weeds
She’s finding home again
He’s planting peace
She’s giving out the
Hope that something
Better’s coming
