comes from many different sources. When thinking of a vehicle, (pun intended), for our creative
meeting place on the Internet, I recalled this wonderful poem/song by one my own favorite artists,
Cosy Sheridan. By way of background, I was introduced to this talented songwriter/performer at a
home concert in Miami, FL about two years ago. I immediately fell in love with her words and music,
as many of you might also if you read and listen to what she has to say on so many topics and
experiences. Please read the material that follows beneath the song, "The Little Train".
The following lyric and its poignant delivery says so much about why the originators of Poem Train
are emotionally connected to the joy of writing, teaching and learning. Cosy's words put us right on
track as to how we should approach Cafe Poetica ... and, in fact, how we should live our lives. It is good
to "be driven" by an idea or a mission; but it can be so damaging if we cannot keep everything in
focus, or in Cosy's own words, "slow down". My favorite lines of her message are: "i'm not tied
to the track, i'm not tied to the story i'm not burning out the engine, all the way to glory".
| Listen to Cosy Sheridan's The Little Train while you read her words. |
... and after you have played it one, two or three times, do yourself a favor
and go to Cosy's website and learn and hear more:Cosy Sheridan
The song below is from her album "Grand
Design".
the little train that could, the first book they bought me
i think i can i think i can the first words they taughtme
carry all the people where they want to go
good little trains don't say no
i think i can all the way to the top
i think i can never says stop
i think i can make the wheels go round
i think i can slow down
how many little trains can't remember what it's for
they climb every hill to just find one more
it's day with no ending, a life that won't fit
it's a list of things to do that just won't quit
i think i can all the way to the top
i think i can never says stop
i think i can make the wheels go round
i think i can slow down
what if God isn't watching,
what if life isn't fair
what if i cannot get a gold star from the
Great Out There
the little train that could said what if i sit still
what if i do not blindly rush up every hill
i'm not tied to the track, i'm not tied to the story
i'm not burning out the engine, all the way to glory
i think i can all the way to the top
i think i can never says stop
i think i can makes the wheels go round
i think i can slow down
Copyright ©
Cosy Sheridan
Cosy Sheridan: acoustic guitar & vocal
John Pierce: bass
Ben Wittman: drums
Rick Harris: electric guitars
Mitchel Forman: piano
Diane Zeigler: harmony vocals
about Cosy Sheridan, her work and her talent:
THE BOSTON GLOBE
"She is now being recognized as one of the best new
singer-songwriters in the United States. A wonderfully
lively, very funny and enormously amiable entertainer,
with a keen and wicked eye for the excesses of our
fast-food, tv-happy and noisome culture"
FOLK MUSIC QUARTERLY
"When she’s accepting her Grammy we can say we
knew her when."
ALBUM NETWORK
"Sheridan remains
the unapologetic voice of our conscience".
CATIE CURTIS
"Somewhere in the
uncharted territory of Mary-Chapin Carpenter, Dr. Ruth,
and Deepak Chopra is you at a Cosy
Sheridan concert - laughing and crying, laughing and
crying. Go there."
JANIS IAN
"It's always a
pleasure to meet another fabulously gifted female
performer."
THE BOSTON HERALD
"She surprises in understated ways..."
ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL
"A Buddhist monk in
a twelve-step program trapped in the body of a
singer-songwriter."
Cosy has garnered top
honors from the country's most prestigious songwriting
contests: The Kerrville Folk Festival's NewFolk Award,
The Telluride Bluegrass Festival's Troubador Award, and
the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Songwriting Showcase
Award.
Cosy has five cds on the
Waterbug and WindRiver/Folk Era record labels. Her song,
"Too Much Time", was included on the critically
acclaimed Putamayo compilation cd, Shelter in 1994. She
has taught songwriting at The Swannanoa Gathering in
Asheville, North Carolina for the past three summers. Two
of her articles for Acoustic Guitar Magazine were
recently included in the instructional book, Performing
Acoustic Music, published by Acoustic Guitar Magazine.
She was a voice student
at The Berklee School of Music in the late 80's, and also
a guitar student of the master finger style guitarists
Guy Van Duser and Eric Schoenberg. Her friend Catie
Curtis called her a combination of Mary Chapin Carpenter,
Dr Ruth and Deepak Chopra. National Fingerpicking
Champion Harvey Reid called her a musical sponge.
She travels with her
yoga mat but without her gallbladder. She's candid. She's
compassionate. She's very sharp. She'll talk about
anything on stage. She might sing songs about body
piercing, a more user-friendly Barbie Doll, the
loneliness of her elderly neighbor, or how small and
humble things in life, like ants, can sew your heart back
together. She can bring tears to your eyes, from sadness
or from laughter. She's very good.
Her favorite quote from
an audience member? "You're so real!"
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