what the open heart allows (2:32)
written, performed, and produced by Brad Peterson

This song was written and recorded in 2 days. The images had come to me in a dream (as is with many of my songs). In was variation of my recurring celestial dreams, it had a very Jean-Pierre Jeunet cinematic look and storyline to it. It was a pleasant and enjoyable dream in which “openness” tended to be the sublime theme and emotion. There were one or two people I passed while walking. I never saw their faces and wasn’t concerned or threatened by their shadowy figures as I climbed to the top of a bluff where I saw other characters in the distance who involved with some sort of festival.The twinkling lights looked like an abstract mirror of the stars above.  Like the others [of this series of dreams], I had the power to magnify what I saw in a night-time sky. The colors were vivid blues and yellows. Time and scale seemed to fluctuate.

After I woke up, it was still fairly dark. I made coffee I went out to the garden shed to sketch out the lyrics, chords and melody with my acoustic guitar and a notebook. It was mostly done within a few hours -after I tracked guitar, bass, drums, piano, and all the vocals, later that same day. On day two, I had been experimenting in my lab with various circuits and processes with my electric guitar for a lark. The opening sort-of sci-fi sound is actually my electric guitar feeding back; I chopped it up and altered the speed and oscillations for the effect. I added banjo and mixed the final version in about another hour.

Abounding constellations shown
Luminous we’re not alone
Traverse a path when the night is dim
We wouldn’t sleep in the state we’re in
Tried and took a fall
Tired and emotional
We don’t know which way is up
What may be will be
With our friends and enemies
Take from us this immense cup
Somewhere further down the stream someone from a dream
Nothing as it seems
Hark ye come forth here and now
All we dare avow
What the open heart allows
Full stop turn it around
Is what the open heart allows
Somewhere further down the stream someone from a dream
Nothing as it seems
Hark ye come forth here and now
Abounding constellations shown
Luminous we’re not alone
Traverse a path when the night is dim
We wouldn’t sleep in the state we’re in
Somewhere further down the stream someone from a dream
Nothing as it seems
Hark ye come forth here and now
All we dare avow
What the open heart allows
Oh What the open heart allows Oh What the open heart allows