My cousin Grant teaches 2nd grade and across the years he has creatively used my music within his classrooms to lighten the mood, maintain order, inspire minds and ultimately teach lasting lessons in an interactive format — this lesson tops them all.

If you recall, I visited his class back in 2008, where we co-wrote a new version of my song The Bus. It was a really fun experience to show them a previously written line and then ask them to recreate it, in their own words, using the same structures and syllables, but totally unique to them.

This time, years later, his 2010-2011 class has been studying my song We Grow from my album Long Before the Wheel and learning about metaphors in the process … to my everlasting joy, they’ve written and recorded their own version of We Grow.

Check out Mr. Bushman’s 2010-2011 2nd Grade Class from Heritage Elementary School in Nibley, Utah singing their own version of my song We Grow.

WE GROW — BY TYLER STENSON & 2nd GRADERS

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

WE GROW
Lyrics by Tyler Stenson and Mr. Bushman’s 2nd grade class
NOTE: The italicized words are theirs.

I heard you say that you wish I stayed
An older version of me — long before my change.
If we’re not growing we are staying the same,
So I will welcome the change and stretch myself day to day…

We’re entitled to change, we grow
Like baby to man
Like ideas of Mr. Bushman
Like the airbag inside of a van
Like things from a recycled can
The change is going to happen real slow
But not a day goes by we don’t grow.

If a seed can grow into a tree
And if that tree can grow leaves,
How is that different than me?
We both breathe and we come from the dirt
And that’s where we will return
When both of our seasons fade…

We’re entitled to change, we grow
Like dust on a mat
Like the wings of a small baby bat
Like a kitten growing into a cat
Like the whiskers from a beautiful rat
The change is going to happen real slow
But not a day goes by we don’t grow.

If we’re not growing,
We are staying the same,
So, I will welcome the change
And stretch myself day to day
We’re entitled to change…

We’re entitled to change, we grow
Like egg into bird
Like the little baby cows in a herd
Like adding suffixes to a word
Like a 2nd Grader moving to third
The change is going to happen real slow
But not a day goes by we don’t grow.

THE ORIGINAL WE GROW:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

You can buy “We Grow” on CD Baby and iTunes!!

One of my favorite songs from the Long Before the Wheel album is the last track, We Grow. It’s my favorite because it’s like nothing I’ve ever written — totally unique and a pure labor of gritty love.

While the theme of this song is universal — how we’re human and therefore entitled to change and grow — the inspiration was very specific. After releasing my album Orange Chrome Sky in 2006, an avid fan of my old Rhetoric Tuesday material from 2002 wrote me an email that expressed his disappointment in the new direction of my music. He was adamant that I should return to my old ways because the new stuff wasn’t any good.

While my older music was a bit more pop-oriented and instantly appealing, my Lander: Orange Chrome Sky record had its own heartbeat and spirit — a darker piece but, in my eyes, equal in quality. Less instant gratification but more sophistication. Of course, he did not see the forest for the trees.

In the end I wrote him a calm and collected email explaining that I was sorry to have fallen short of his expectations but as a human, I was entitled to change and as an artist, growth was inevitable. I left it at that — who knows what he took from that retort.

In all, this song is 16 metaphors of growth and an artsy piece that argues that growth is not only healthy, but inevitable. Enjoy We Grow.

Learn more about the process of writing the metaphors behind We Grow!!

DOWNLOAD “WE GROW” on CD Baby or iTunes!!

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

WE GROW
by tyler stenson © 2010

I heard you say that you wish I stayed
An older version of me — long before my change.
But, if we’re not growing we are staying the same,
So I will welcome the change and stretch myself day to day.
We’re entitled to change because we grow

Like blown up balloons.
Like the flare at the end of a spoon.
Like one note becoming a tune.
Like the city lights in the darkening blue–
The change is gonna happen real slow
But not a day goes by we don’t grow.

If a seed can grow into a tree
And if that tree can grow leaves,
I ask, how is that different than me?
Because we both breathe and we come from the dirt
And that’s where we will return
When both of our seasons fade.
We’re entitled to change because we grow

Like one into two.
Like the eleventh hour turning to noon,
Then May slow fades into June,
Then you’re a grownup in your childhood room–
The change is gonna happen real slow
But not a day goes by we don’t grow.

If we’re not growing, we are staying the same
So, I will welcome the change and stretch myself day to day.
We’re entitled to change because we grow

Like a high tide caused by that moon.
Like a flower knowing Spring is coming soon.
Like wings inside a cocoon,
(Or anything else that is destine to bloom)–
Like our faith in the things we know to be true
Or like the courage found in the wine and the booze–
The change is gonna happen real slow
But not a day goes by we don’t grow.

DOWNLOAD “WE GROW” on CD Baby or iTunes!!

As an aside, a group of second graders recently studied my song as a lesson in metaphors. To my everlasting joy, they’ve written their own set of metaphors and recorded their own version of We Grow. Give it a listen!!

WE GROW
By Mr Bushman’s 2nd Grade Class

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Track #4 off of my Long Before the Wheel EP is a short and sweet tune called Clover. While most of my songs are rather ambiguous and their meanings obscure, this one is fairly obvious.

There was a time in my life when I was — not lonely — but definitely ready to finally find that certain someone. With that in mind, I had always heard that if you want something badly enough, you should put it in the atmosphere and allow the universe to conspire to make it so. Cue this song.

I wrote Clover for the love I had not yet met — that rare clover hiding amongst the billion blades in the grass. I hoped this song would bring her my way…

DOWNLOAD CLOVER on CD Baby or iTunes!!

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

CLOVER
by tyler stenson © 2010

As a man of chance, not much for fate,
My superstitions are hard to break.
But, if Lucky see, then Lucky do,
Then Clover I’ll be lucky to find you.

I’ve had a pocket-pair with an Ace up my sleeve
At an all-in table that boasted one King.
But, my luck has been known to wear walking shoes
So, Clover I’ll be lucky to find you.

Clover I’ll be lucky
To ever find something like you.
Please, Clover make me lucky.

In all the world there’s a billion blades
In the grass on the ground that all look the same.
I’ve combed them over- I’ve sifted through-
And Clover I’ll be lucky to find you.

Clover I’ll be lucky
To ever find something
So small and so lovely.
Yes, Clover I’ll be lucky if I ever find you.
Please, Clover make me lucky.

DOWNLOAD CLOVER on CD Baby or iTunes!!

In August, I received a phone call from one Amy Weber telling me about an exciting new TV show that she was producing called Good Samaritans. Somewhere along the way she had caught wind of my music and thus, the purpose of her phone call was revealed — she asked that I write the theme song for the TV series.

Her instructions were simple; write a song that fit my typical vibe, focusing on good deeds and helping a neighbor in need. With that, she gave me two weeks to write and record the song. Done and done.

Sure enough, two weeks later I emerged from the recording studio with a song I simply call The Samaritan Song.

The show will be airing this month and I’m proud to say my original song will be featured at the beginning and end of each episode — in true theme song fashion. I’m beyond honored to have been asked to be a part of this show and loved the project from start to finish.

You can catch me on their production team page and you can read more about the show below.

Have you ever helped a stranger without asking for anything in return? Or maybe you’ve walked past someone in need and afterwards wished you would have stopped to help? Have you ever needed help?

Our hidden camera show will follow ordinary people as they are placed in extraordinary circumstance to see just how far they are willing to go to help their fellow man or woman. We will capture their honest reactions and see how they react during their moment of truth. Will they step up to the plate and do the right thing or will they turn their back on someone in need?

Unbeknownst to them, we will reward their kindness with cash and prizes!

Learn more about the Good Samaritans TV show here: www.goodsamaritanstv.com

Inspiration is a funny thing — months ago, I felt inclined to write about the mystery woman of my dreams and even though Clover came to be, Old Man Muse must not have been finished with me. No, not quite.

After digging a little deeper, I’ve officially written a new song in the same vein as Clover called That I’ll Know You… and today’s live recording can be heard below. Simply put, it’s a love song for the woman that I thought might never show. Thought. Enjoy the new song.

That I’ll Know You…
by tyler stenson © 2010

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

I’ve gotten good at being alone,
Through the Valentines and the Mistletoe,
Though I’ve tried to find my heart’s Muse-
Oh, that I’ll know you when I see you.

It’s not that I have never loved,
It’s that my timing has been a victim of
The Winds of Change-
My, how they blew.
Oh, that I’ll know you when I see you.

So, shine sun, shine
And burn brighter than the others
So that I might see your brand of beam
And want another and another.
I cannot call your name
Cause I don’t know who I’m calling to-
Oh, that I’ll know you when I see you.

I’ve pictured it one thousand times;
My hands have run the length of your spine,
Down to your thighs,
To your glass shoe.
Oh, that I’ll know you when I see you.

So, to my Love I haven’t met,
Where for art thou Juliet?
You see, I switched the lines
But the play reads true:
Oh, that I’ll know you when I see you.

So, shine sun, shine
And burn brighter than the others
So that I might see your brand of beam
And want another and another.
I cannot call your name
Cause I don’t know who I’m calling to-
Oh, that I’ll know you when I see you.

LIKE THIS SONG? THEN PLEASE VOTE FOR ME AS PORTLAND’S BEST MALE ARTIST: http://bit.ly/akdIA

I spent a couple hours in the recording studio today with Rob Stroup recording a new song called Often & Much. What makes this song slightly different than my others is that I co-wrote it with my good friend Melissa Bollea. Although this is simply a demo, unfinished with some definite tweaks on the horizon, I want you to enjoy it to the fullest. Introducing Often & Much…

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

OFTEN & MUCH
by tyler stenson & melissa bollea

I’ve been drifting for days on the blue
And that horizon is telling the truth.
It says the land is a lonely distance from this view
But there is a light house cutting through.

You’re my hope.
You’re my sail.
You’re my crutch.
So, my head, returns to you often and much.

I’ve been trying to buy me some time
With all these buffalo nickels and dimes
And I’ve been reading books
(Just to learn from the lines)
But those words don’t rhyme.

You’re my hope.
You’re my sail.
You’re my crutch.
So, my head, returns to you often and much.

So, pull up the anchor;
Release the white dove
And set a course for the sun
And pray this gail
Will guide my sail
To the one I love.

You’re my hope.
You’re my sail.
You’re my crutch.
So, my head, returns to you often and much.

Track #3 off of Long Before the Wheel is a mysterious gypsy tune about a very strange encounter I had while touring through San Louis Obispo, CA — simple show at the Cal Poly campus that turned into a full moon hike through Poly Canyon with a group of strangers.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

THAT MOON
by tyler stenson © 2010

Just before the summer,
I was playing my guitar
When a boy came from the audience
And motioned toward the stars.
He said it was a full moon
And It’s all the light we’ll need
For walking Poly Canyon … it’s a site to see.
He said, We’re walking Poly Canyon,
Come along, it’s a site to see.

So, we rose up in a clearing
That was filled with all these shapes
From all the heads of all these architects
That never grew tired of learning
Of Nature and Her systems
And how man can live within ‘em
And how the two can live as one
Just like it was long before the wheel and before the gun
-I wonder how they lived before the wheel and before the gun.

That moon was brighter than day
And who knows, maybe even God’s way to say:
Hey, I know by the looks of it
You’re human and you’re small
So, may that moon make you feel 10 feet tall.

I looked up at the two mountains
With that moon high up above ‘em
And it looked much like a pendant
Dangling from the neck of a woman.
With so much beauty there to offer,
There’s that much more to lose.
I said, This might be a stupid question
But do you suppose we’ve landed on that moon?
Oh, please forgive my stupid question,
But some would argue, that we’ve never touched that moon.

Scotty handed me a cig
And I burned it to the ground
And in the dirt, I turned those embers
Into something like a ghost town.
Then a man came out of nowhere-
He was the law but fair.
He said, On such a night like this,
You know it pains me,
But I have to ask you to leave.

That moon was brighter than day
And who knows, maybe even God’s way to say:
Hey, I know by the looks of it
You’re human and you’re small
So, may that moon make you feel 10 feet tall.

The sign said that the Lions
Would be hunting men like us
And that the Snakes had a taste
For human heels just above the dust
But that moon was all we needed
To be giants on that day
And to walk among the comforts
That no evil thing would dare to come our way.

That moon was brighter than day
And who knows, maybe even God’s way to say:
Hey, I know by the looks of it
You’re human and you’re small
So, may My moon make you feel 10 feet tall.

Hey, I know by the looks of it
You’re human and you’re small
So, may that moon make you feel 10 feet tall.

Track #2 off of Long Before the Wheel is a bittersweet ballad that was written for a special few — Scotland Barr and Kipp Crawford.

As the video and song suggests, Scotland passed away in September of 2009. When I heard the news, I began to write a song in his honor based on his song called Spanish Dust. Midway through writing the piece, in November, Kipp passed away tragically and, because this was a song for Music Men, I thought it highly appropriate to include him in the tribute.

I will never claim that I knew either of them extremely well but our brief passing in time had great effect. I will always remember them for their talents and their contribution to the Portland music community and beyond.

Read more about Scotland Barr
Read more about Kipp Crawford
DOWNLOAD DAFFODILS NOW

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

DAFFODILS
by tyler stenson © 2010

Who was September
To decide it was time
To pull your pen from the page
That drew out your line
Since 1965?
-Long before your time.

May your fields be pure gold
And yellow like the loveliest sun.
May we hear your bones
Singing at the top of their lungs.
May all your fields be songs and daffodils.

Oh, then November
Would not be outdone
And dimmed that bright old smile
From an Ashland Son
That burned since ‘78
-Then all at once faded away.

May your fields be pure gold
And yellow like the loveliest sun.
May we hear your bones
Sounding out the beat of a drum.
May all your fields be songs and daffodils.

I for one, hope you found your Sun Years
And finally laid your eyes on some Spanish Dust.
Your words fill up our Paper Dixie Cups,
In a cheers to you,
One of the few who knew love.

So, may all your fields be pure gold
And yellow like the loveliest sun.
May we hear your bones
Singing at the top of their lungs.
May all your fields be songs and daffodils.

May all your fields be songs and daffodils.

DOWNLOAD DAFFODILS NOW

Track #1 off of Long Before the Wheel is a simple song called Leave Oregon. It was the first song I wrote after moving to Nashville and it’s therefore a vulnerable discussion of the West vs. East and the distance I felt from Home as a result.

What I like most about this song is that it’s deceptively motivational and even though it questions my move into the Lion’s Den of music (aka the Music City), I consider it to be a fearless march to war — much to gain, little to lose.

Enjoy Leave Oregon, no matter where you’re from — no matter where you’re going.

Leave Oregon will be released on Oct 2nd
At the Secret Society Ballroom in Portland, OR

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

LEAVE OREGON
by tyler stenson © 2010

It’s the loudest sound;
When the heart knows what it wants and makes it known.
So, I’m leaving this town
Because it’s the season that changes all things into Gold.

But who am I to leave Oregon
When the rearview facing West holds all I love
And before me is October,
Where I might become my own fall,
But might never know my cards until I call?

Deep in the Lion’s Den
I’ve noticed Autumn holds a difference in the East;
Made up of different reds.
That color is bold, but just a lonely shade of dream.

So, who was I to leave Oregon
When the rearview facing West held all I loved
And before me was October,
Where I might become my own fall,
But might never know my cards until I call?

This is my loudest sound
And it’s meant for no one
But my loved ones in the West.
I’ll aim to make you proud
On a southern stage,
Lit by the lights, doing what I do best.

So, who was I to leave Oregon
When the rearview facing West held all I loved
And before me was October,
Where I might become my own fall,
But might never know my cards until I call?

OK, no more teasing. Below is my new Long Before the Wheel EP in its entirety. Songs and artwork. Of course, these are just listening samples and cannot be downloaded — the album will be officially for sale on October 2nd, 2010. Until then, stay tuned and spread the word!!

DOWNLOAD LONG BEFORE THE WHEEL NOW!!

OFFICIAL ALBUM RELEASE PARTY
Saturday October 2nd @ the Secret Society Ballroom
Portland, OR
More details to come.

1. LEAVE OREGON (lyrics)
The first song I wrote in Nashville … for my loved ones in the west.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

2. DAFFODILS (lyrics)
For Scotland Barr and Kipp Crawford … may your fields be pure gold.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

3. THAT MOON (lyrics)
A gypsy tune about a bizarre night in San Louis Obispo, CA.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

4. CLOVER (lyrics)
A love song for the love I haven’t yet met.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

5. WE GROW (lyrics)
16 metaphors of growth for those that expect an artist to stay the same.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

——

LEAVE WHERE I’M FROM – for those NOT from Oregon
The first song I wrote in Nashville … for my loved ones in the west.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

——