Mother Earth, Father Sun,

Moon and stars, we all are one,

We are all connected . . .*

Music is important to us here at OM® . . .

Our tastes are all different, for sure, but music is something that, at one level or another, unites and bonds. Through time, across great distances, music spans gaps both geographic and generational. It’s in our DNA, in the molecular make-up that, despite our differences, makes us all the same deep down. Music has always been here and its appeal will always endure. Music makes us all human. In music, we are all connected.

Music in the United States can be traced back through the centuries. Our Native American ancestors used it to tell their stories and celebrate their history, this an indelible link to a past that shapes all our lives. That the old songs still survive serves as the thread that ties people, ancient and modern, together. That new ones are being written underlines that the link remains intact and that the things that mattered to the people back then remain important to us today.

There is, in North-East Oklahoma, a singer, songwriter and performer called Sue Straw, who composes, among other things, music for children that is used at shows, events and assemblies. Drawing on Native American traditions, Sue’s songs are designed to inspire and educate. One in particular has struck a certain chord here at OM®. It’s called We are all connected.

We’d like to share the lyrics with you, because these tap into the things that drive our efforts in the studio – the things that shape our lives and inspire our OMs . . .

Mother Earth, Father Sun
Moon and stars, we all are one
We are all connected, we are all connected

Rocks and plains, hills and trees
Mountains, forests, oceans, seas
We are all connected, we are all connected

Deer and fish, dog and flea
Bird and butterfly and bee
We are all connected, we are all connected

Boys and girls, old and young
All Earth’s creatures live as one
We are all connected, we are all connected *

From its Native American influences, to Sue in Oklahoma and on to us in Rhode Island, there is something special about this song. Something that spans generations and geography, something relevant to all, a connective power that cannot be questioned. Boys and girls/old and young/all Earth’s creatures live as one . . .

We might not understand our connection, but we can’t dispute it. In the Earth, the Moon, the stars and the sun; in the rocks and the plains, the hills and the trees; in the mountains, the forests, the oceans and seas; in the music that unites us now, just as it always has done.

This song, We are all connected, features in a four-part program called Native Connections, which among other things, recalls the Native American people’s relationship to, and respect for, the Earth. It is a relationship that, like our mutual love for music and our shared connection to one another, remains intact today . . .

We are all connected.

You can listen to Sue Straw’s song, We are all connected, here. Song lyrics copyright Sue A Straw 2013.