“Show Me the Way” is now streaming on all platforms. Dance party time!
Go find it here.
I was on the edge of a cliff, sitting in a jungle cafe, shielding my laptop from the monsoon rain. I spent hours gazing out over the Bali Sea, wondering when the clouds would clear so I could wander down into the little Balinese fishing village, pull fins onto my feet, walk across the sharp lava rocks, wade into the warm ocean, and freedive into the blue. I couldn't stop thinking about mermaids. I wanted to swim but this song "Show Me the Way" was coming to life under my fingertips so I sat in my chair, staring at Ableton, experimenting with electronic sounds. When my ears and ears ached from the work, I pulled off my headphones to hear the rain on the tin roof. I drink coffee with coconut milk but secretly hated the flavor, wondering if I would ever find oat milk in this remote seaside hideaway. Bali taught me to take what I could get and be grateful for it. When I wasn't listening to rain or sound samples, I was listening to stories pouring from the mouth of a champion freediver. He sat beside me, a pirate ring flashing on his finger, his eyes blue like the water he lived in. He filled my mind with wonder, telling me tales of what he'd seen below the surface, everytime exploring with only one breath in his lungs. He was showing me the way into the ocean. I was swimming behind him and this song was swimming through me; another one of my "Mermaid Prayers".
LYRICS
Show Me the Way (repeat)
Om bay lekidai
Om bay lekehai
Om sai mailai
Ee lai Ou laihi semaray
semaray semaray
Lay a su ay ah
All these lyrics are improvised vocals I call "Mermaid Language / Prayers". They are not translatable. I only typed the vocals for the first half of the song to give you an idea. Listen and see if you can make out the rest. What do they mean to you?
LOVE & RAINBOWS,
Cha