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REACH FOR THE STARS

by Elaine Mahon

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1.
Lean into Love ©2016 Mary Elaine Mahon/Six Pelicans Publishing, BMI Sometimes all we need to do is lean toward love in order to feel its power. Lean into love, let your troubles go Lean into love, love speaks to the soul (Chorus) When you’re lost in the dark, feeling you’ve lost your spark No hope of finding your way When you feel all alone, love can light the way home Night always yields to the day, so Lean into love, sometimes its hard to do, Lean into love, love will lean in towards you (Chorus) Love doesn’t kill or maim, judge you or deal in blame Love sees the whole in the parts Criminal or insane, love sees us all the same Love dwells in everyone’s heart, so Lean into love, it lifts you when you’re low Lean into love, and freely it will flow (Chorus) It’s more than a platitude, a shift in attitude Listen and you’ll hear its song Life is a symphony, love is a melody Yours is a part that belongs Lean into love, into itself it grows Lean into love, ’til love is all you know ’til love is all you know
2.
Look Up 03:27
2. LOOK UP ©2016 Mary Elaine Mahon/Six Pelicans Publishing, BMI The Milky Way is where we are A garden planet, golden star How did her life begin to be, can we unfurl that mystery? This web of life the Earth has spun So fine a work no man has done Just a wink in geologic time, is life on earth an act divine? (Pre Chorus) I wonder like a child at this, yet here we are, we exist (Chorus) Look up, look up, let the Milky Way fill up your cup Look up, look up, let a sense of wonder fill you up, look up Billions of stars beyond the sun Trillions of miles the nearest one So maybe we are not alone in these spiral arms that hold our home What will we come to understand? Will we divine some master plan? Will we come to know her worth and truly love our Mother Earth? (Pre Chorus) I wonder like a child at this, yet here we are, we exist (Chorus) Look up, look up, let the Milky Way fill up your cup Look up, look up, let a sense of wonder fill you up, look up (end) Look up, look up, let the Milky Way fill up your cup Look up, look up, let a sense of wonder fill you up
3.
Afterglow 03:34
3. AFTERGLOW ©2016 Mary Elaine Mahon/Six Pelicans Publishing, BMI Come now, unknit your brow for me Come over here and let’s sit silently And watch the day glide into night We’ll linger in the afterglow from the last rays of light (Chorus) Oh now I see Oh now I see We’re inextricably intertwined Your heart with mine Here we are upon this earth in orbit ‘round the sun We shall go as one Come here, let this moment be A moonless night, a phosphorescent sea Beneath these brilliant stars above Within this womb of night awaits a child born of our love (Chorus) Oh now I see Oh now I see Oh now I see We’re inextricably intertwined Your lives with mine Here we are upon this Earth in orbit ‘round the sun We shall go as one Come now, unknit your brow for me
4.
WHEN MY MOTHER SINGS 
© 2012 Lisa Aschmann/Nashville Geographic, ASCAP; Mary Elaine Mahon/Six Pelicans Publishing, BMI; & Penny Nichols/2000 Smiles Music, BMI My mother is so beautiful, so easy on the eye 
The storms that roll across her face eventually pass by, and
 When I lay me down to sleep, upon her green, green dress, and
 Rest there in her loving arms thatʼs when I love her best I love her when the thunder peals, she makes the mountains ring
 With waterfalls and cranes that call, these are the songs my mother sings 
The rush of rocky timpani, the crashing of her waves 
 Yet she can be as gentle as a summerʼs day (Chorus) When my mother sings, when my mother sings 
When my mother sings, I listen with my heart The silence of her solitude, the flowers on her face 
I long to keep her safe from harm, she is my saving grace
 There may be other songs that sing the music of the spheres
 But there shall be my motherʼs songs, the ones I long to hear (Chorus) When my mother sings, when my mother sings 
When my mother sings, I listen with my heart (Chorus)
5.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE ©2016 Mary Elaine Mahon/Six Pelicans Publishing, BMI Life is like a ferris wheel It can take you up to where you feel the wonder When that wheel goes down again It can take you back to where you've been, and under (Pre-Chorus) So when you're in the lost and found When you're on unsteady ground, a broken heart you own Even when you're running blind, in my heart you'll always find A place you can call home (Chorus) You are not alone, I want you to know You are not alone Some say life is like a dream, You’re floating headlong down the stream of slumber Some say life’s a tragedy That tears all of your hopes and dreams asunder (Pre-Chorus) So when you're in the lost and found When you feel you're losing ground, a broken heart you own Even when you're running blind, in my heart you'll always find A place you can call home (Chorus) You are not alone, I want you to know You are not alone (Bridge) Lay my baby down to sleep and may he dream of life In the darkness let him see my love shines through the night Life is like a melody sung just as pretty as you please then thunder Suddenly cacophony, a storm upon an angry sea, a hunger (Pre Chorus) So when you're in the lost and found When you feel you’re losing ground, a broken heart you own Even when you're running blind, in my heart you'll always find A place you can call home (Chorus) You are not alone You are not alone You are not alone
6.
Shine 03:13
SHINE
 ©2016 Mary Elaine Mahon/Six Pelicans Publishing, BMI Looking out, looking in Looking back to where I’ve been To here and now Open heart, open mind Open myself up to find I’m free from doubt (Chorus) When I start breaking through the walls of fear I find I fall through the cracks into a place where I can shine Shine, shine Giving out, giving in Give my all and then begin to live again Take a chance, take my time Take a leap of faith to find I’ve freed my mind (Chorus) When I start breaking through the walls of fear I find I fall through the cracks into a place where I can shine Shine, shine (Bridge) One earth, one moon, a silver pearl, a heaven strewn with stars One web, life’s design, her body blue, her mind divine, here’s where we are (Chorus) When we start breaking through the limits we’ve defined We fall through the cracks into a place where we can shine Shine, shine Breathing out, breathing in Breathing’s where your life begins Begin again
7.
Denali 04:24
DENALI ©2016 Mary Elaine Mahon/Six Pelicans Publishing, BMI Rising o’er the lowlands over 18,000 feet She surpasses Everest in vertical relief She thrusts her grand granitic dome into the Arctic sky then Wraps the weather round her, disappears before your eyes (Chorus) When she lifts her veil to show her face It feels like grace, it feels like grace She weaves her mystic spell in time and space Then vanishes without a trace The midnight sun is circling low, she steps into its light Her pale face flushed with Alpenglow, she is a wondrous sight O'er the grand Alaska Range Denali reigns as queen and All that gaze upon her know that she commands the scene (Chorus) When she lifts her veil to show her face It feels like grace, it feels like grace She weaves her mystic spell in time and space Then vanishes without a trace More than forty climbers lie lost upon her slopes It was not within her power to fulfill their dreams and hopes When winter comes she’ll take them deep into the Arctic night To dance beneath the polar stars and shimmering northern lights Then she lifts her veil to show her face To gaze on all in her embrace She weaves her mystic spell in time and space Then vanishes without a trace Denali, I sing Denali, I sing Denali, I sing … Denali
8.
Rolling Home 03:01
ROLLING HOME ©2016 Mary Elaine Mahon/Six Pelicans Publishing The road ahead winds dark and long The highway hums its simple song I'll be driving all night long (Chorus) Rolling home to you Fill her up, pull my sweater on Cup of coffee, make it strong Darling leave the porch light on (Chorus) Rolling home to you Through rafts of fog, round curves and bends a purple sky, the day begins You’re sound asleep when I roll in (Chorus) Rolling home to you, oh (Bridge) Back to the touch of your fingertips The sweet warm wetness of your lips Back to your body next to mine Back to our arms and legs entwined, oh Quietly I fall into bed You pull me close then kiss my head I roll into your arms outspread (Chorus) Rolling home Rolling home to you, oh I’m Rolling home to you
9.
Rebekah 03:32
REBEKAH 
©2016 Eli McNamara and Mary Elaine Mahon/Six Pelicans Publishing, BMI Woke up last night, you were clean, clad in white With lavender strewn in your hair Mother kissed your two feet then blessed your two hands Gently she laid you to rest I was so young and you seemed so strong You had a laugh like a queen Now I wish for your song but now that you're gone I'm content with your voice on the screen (Chorus) Oh Rebekah, I’m hearing your voice in my own Oh Rebekah With cascading black hair and a smile like spring You effortlessly closed your eyes Now that we've all been released from the pain I’ll just keep listening (Chorus) Oh Rebekah, I’m hearing your voice in my own Oh Rebekah (Bridge) And I wasn't told when you left this world Over ten long years ago But bitterness was laid to rest When your song surged through my soul (Chorus) Oh Rebekah, I’m hearing your voice in my own Oh Rebekah, I’m hearing your voice in my own I’m hearing your voice in my own I’m hearing your voice in my own Oh Rebekah
10.
10. THE OTHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT © 2012 Lisa Aschmann/Nashville Geographic, ASCAP; Elaine Mahon/ Six Pelicans Publishing, BMI; & Penny Nichols/2000 Smiles Music, BMI Long day, so tired Can’t sleep, too wired Get up, get a drink Can’t work, can’t think (Chorus) And I know, I’ve got to find another way Back through the other side of midnight to the new day Missed turns, closed doors Blind alleys I’ve been down before Loose words, deaf ears In the dark with my worst fears (Chorus) Mocking bird outside my window Ever hopeful as he sings his song Still sleepy I sink back into my pillow While in the darkness he presses on (Chorus) Warm sun, cool skin Welcome to the world again Chorus in the oak tree Sink back into a reverie (Chorus)
11.
SHADOWS DANCING 
©2016 Mary Elaine Mahon/Six Pelicans Publishing, BMI My mind keeps wanting to make sense of this Was I mistaken, was there something I missed? My thoughts keep running like a rat on a wheel As if some piece to this puzzle will be revealed (Chorus) And I’m holding on tight, but I’m losing control And the dervish dances by the devil’s hole To the beat of my heart, in the fire of my soul It’s shadows dancing, shadows dancing Shadows dancing ‘til I let go No easy answers here nothing to talk about No genie granting wishes dispelling shame and doubt Even though I cannot know what goes on in your heart Alone we walk together through this jungle in the dark (Chorus) And you’re holding on tight, but you’re losing control And the dervish dances by the devil’s hole To the beat of your heart, in the fire of your soul, It’s shadows dancing, shadows dancing Shadows dancing ‘til you let go (Bridge) The bridge is gone between us, the gulf is growing wide We cannot reach other across this great divide I could cry myself to sleep or I could scream and shout For now I’m moving on, we’ll see how things work out I hope that you’ll find a little peace in your heart Here’s a little something I would like to impart (Chorus) When you’re holding on tight, but you’re losing control and the dervish dances by the devil’s hole to the beat of your heart, in the fire of your soul it’s shadows dancing, shadows dancing Shadows dancing, ‘til you let go
12.
SWEET FLORIDA ©2016 Mary Elaine Mahon/Six Pelicans Publishing, BMI (Intro) Poisoning the water, stealing from the well The politics of poison it’s a bitter pill they sell Power over water, oh the profits they will take And leave your springs and rivers ravaged in their wake Rowing down these waterways that course throughout my years It’s so sad the state they’re in, I am brought to tears I close my eyes imagining the way it used to be When the eelgrass waved like mermaid’s hair, a glistening emerald green Silent stands the heron as she watches from the weeds Comes a cry, an osprey high in the cypress trees Gators dozing on the banks, soaking up the sun But trouble brews in paradise - on this blue spring run (Chorus) If they could love you like I love you Feel your warm embrace Oh Florida, sweet Florida, in your beauty they’d find grace Sharks and whales were denizens, ‘til your land rose from the sea Then mastodon and giant sloth upon these banks convened Now resting in the white sands of your rivers and your caves The stuff of dreams, imagining the life borne of this place Now the water’s cloudy, but not my memories There’s no compare between what’s there and what I used to see Algae, slime and hyacinths where eelgrass used to be Where is the blue that I once knew, why this tragedy? (Chorus) If they could love you like I love you Feel your warm embrace Oh Florida, sweet Florida, in your beauty they’d find grace (Outro) Poisoning the water, stealing from the well The politics of poison it’s a bitter pill they sell Power over water, oh the profits they will take The price will be your lifeblood, please don’t let this be your fate
13.
Spring 03:31
SPRING ©2016 Mary Elaine Mahon/Six Pelicans Publishing, BMI Spring she comes on sudden like a cloudburst from the sky A symphony of color and a feast for winter eyes A waking dream bursting at the seams New life abounds, lost joy is found Hope always springs eternal from a field of fallow ground (Chorus) Saturated red, poppies fill my head The center's wide, I fall inside a bee's dream Spring invites the trees and they arrive dressed in green lace The clouds deliver rain and send a rainbow down from space The dance begins, the birds and bees fly in With joyous sounds and love abounds Hope always springs eternal from a field of fallow ground (Chorus) Saturated blue, delphiniums greet you A Bunting lands near where you stand, the sun beams Spring she is revisionist, she doesn't mind my plans I prepare the canvas with a shovel, rake and hands and With small seeds brown that I cast upon the ground Whole worlds are found, and dreams abound Hope always springs eternal from a field of fallow ground (Chorus) Saturated green, so lush here by this stream The hardest hearts just burst apart and sing Spring she doesn't linger on the landscape when she's done She comes back to remind us once each new year has begun and Leave she must to summer's heat and dust Cicada's sound, the clock's unwound Hope always springs eternal, always springs eternal Always springs eternal from a field of fallow ground
14.
REACH FOR THE STARS ©2016 Mary Elaine Mahon/Six Pelicans Publishing, BMI (Chorus) Reach for the stars and if you miss, the universe will blow a kiss Reminding you, your dreams belong And your reaching is a lovely note of longing in life’s song Reach for the stars When disappointment comes around Your ship of dreams has just gone down Your heartbeat has a hollow sound The emptiness you feel’s profound That’s the time to watch and wait In darkness new dreams germinate You’ll find new life, you’ll see the dawn Tell your story, sing your song (Chorus) Reach for the stars and if you miss, the universe will blow a kiss Reminding you, your dreams belong and your reaching is a lovely note of longing in life’s song Reach for the stars Now, when you strive to live your dreams Hope finds a way, despite all things Though off the beaten path you’ll stray Life’s the journey on the way You will bend, but you won’t break You will learn from your mistakes You’ll find joy throughout your days You’ve got the will, go find a way (Bridge) I can’t say I know the way, the whys, the whens, the hows All I know for certain is, all we’ve got is now. (Chorus) Reach for the stars and if you miss, the universe will blow a kiss Reminding you, your dreams belong and your reaching is a lovely note of longing in life’s song Reach for the stars

about

“Reach for the Stars is, at the least, worth multiple listens, and is deservedly at best, on the forever playlist. It should be on every folk deejay’s playlist in 2017!”
~ Victoria Parks, WGRN, Columbus, OH ~

In Elaine Mahon’s newest release, REACH FOR THE STARS, she does just that! Mahon, a Ph.D in Astronomy, lets her astronomical perspective shine through in this cohesive collection of personal songs. REACH FOR THE STARS continues to build on the universal themes of life, nature and love that Mahon explored through story and myth on her 2013 release RISE. With this new release, Mahon steps into her mastery as a songwriter - with songs that will be recalled again and again in one’s memory.
Mahon weaves her stories throughout the release with tracks like Lean into Love, a sweet and powerful song of how to reach out for love. Love is also explored from a familial point of view and sung from a mother’s perspective as in Afterglow, You Are Not Alone and Reach for the Stars. Bringing in her affinity with nature and science, Mahon celebrates her love of the Earth. Listen to Look Up, the beautifully crafted When My Mother Sings, Denali and Sweet Florida, an environmental call to action for her home state. Listen on and you’ll hear from a road weary traveler, of journeys through grief and uncertainty, and of redemption and hope found in a field of fallow ground.

REACH FOR THE STARS is Elaine Mahon’s second release through the Gatorbone Record label. Elaine’s vocals and delicate fingerstyle arrangements on acoustic guitar are complemented by accompaniment from the same array of talented musicians that played on her 2013 release, RISE: Lon Williamson (bass), Gabriel Valla (additional guitar, mandolin and mandocello), Jason Thomas (violin), Hannah Alkire (cello), Penny Nichols, Elisabeth Williamson, plus her son Sam Mahon on harmony vocals.

credits

released February 3, 2017

All songs © Mary Elaine Mahon/Six Pelicans Publishing (BMI) except

Track 4 "When My Mother Sings"
©2012 Lisa Aschmann/Nashville Geographic (ASACP), Mary Elaine Mahon/Six Pelicans Publishing (BMI) and Penny Nichols/2000 Smiles Music (BMI)

Track 7 "Rebekah"
©2016 Eli McNamara and Mary Elaine Mahon/Six Pelicans Publishing (BMI)

Track 11 "The Other Side of Midnight"
©2012 Lisa Aschmann/Nashville Geographic (ASACP), Mary Elaine Mahon/Six Pelicans Publishing (BMI) and Penny Nichols/2000 Smiles Music (BMI)

THE MUSICIANS

ELAINE MAHON
Lead Vocals
Acoustic Guitar
Harmony Vocals on tracks 1, 3, 6, 11 & 12

LON WILLIAMSON
Bass

GABE VALLA
Additional Guitar on tracks 2, 3, 9 & 14 Mandolin on tracks 2, 4, 5, 10 & 11 Mandocello on track 4

JASON THOMAS
Fiddle on tracks 6, 11 & 13

HANNAH ALKIRE
Cello on tracks 7 & 14

PENNY NICHOLS
Harmony Vocal Arrangements
Harmony Vocals on tracks 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12

SAM MAHON
Harmony Vocals on tracks 1 & 9

ELISABETH WILLIAMSON
Harmony Vocals on tracks 6, 9 & 11
Produced by Elaine Mahon, Lon and Elisabeth Williamson

CREDITS

Recording & Engineering:
Lon Williamson, Gatorbone Studios, Keystone, FL

Additional recording: Elaine Mahon, Six Pelicans Studios, Gainesville, FL

Recording (cello): Butch Hause, The Ranger Station, Berthoud, CO

Mixing:
Lon Williamson and Pete Winter, Winterstone Studios, Tallahassee, FL

Mastering: Pete Winter, Winterstone Studios, Tallahassee, FL

Harmony Vocal Arrangements: Penny Nichols

Additional Harmony Arrangements: Elaine Mahon & Lon Williamson

Instrumental Arrangements were collaborations between each artist, Elaine Mahon and Lon Williamson

Duplication: Oasis Disc Manufacturing, www.oasiscd.com

CD Design: Annie Capps, www.swampstreetdesign.com

Cover Photo: Original Image and text below by NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA).

Photo of Elaine Mahon on back of package: Sam Mahon

Photos of Elaine Mahon inside package and booklet: Randy Batista www.randybatistaphotography.com

Management, Promotion and A&R: Kari Estrin, www.kariestrin.com

Gatorbone Records #GR0030 www.gatorbonerecords.com

ABOUT THE COVER IMAGE:
Object NGC 2174, Monkey Head Nebula, Sharpless Sh2-252
In celebration of the 24th anniversary of the launch of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (on April 24, 1990) astronomers have taken an infrared-light portrait of a roiling region of starbirth located 6,400 light-years away. The Hubble mosaic unveils a collection of carved knots of gas and dust in a small portion of the Monkey Head Nebula (also known as NGC 2174 and Sharpless Sh2-252). The nebula is a star-forming region that hosts dusky dust clouds silhouetted against glowing gas. Massive, newly formed stars near the center of the nebula (and toward the right in this image) are blasting away
at dust within the nebula. Ultraviolet light from these bright stars helps carve the dust into giant pillars. The nebula is mostly composed of hydrogen gas, which becomes ionized by the ultraviolet radiation. As the interstellar dust particles are warmed from the radiation from the stars in the center of the nebula, they heat up and begin to glow at infrared wavelengths. The image demonstrates Hubble’s powerful infrared vision and offers a tantalizing hint of what scientists can expect from the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope. Observations of NGC 2174 were taken in February 2014.

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Elaine Mahon Gainesville, Florida

With her 2017 release, REACH FOR THE STARS, Elaine Mahon has written a collection of songs that evoke a sense of wonder while inspiring hope and offering empowerment. Mahon's songs reflect her perspective as an astronomer, while remaining deeply rooted in the natural world we all live in. Mahon performs solo at festivals, venues and house concerts in Florida and throughout the Southeastern US. ... more

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