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Down In The Ground

by Peter Mayer

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about

This song was commissioned by soil scientist Michael Thompson and the Soil Science Society of America. I'm so grateful to them both for this opportunity to delve into the ground a bit deeper, and to ponder its importance for us all!

lyrics

DOWN IN THE GROUND standard tuning

Made of only rock were the fields of long ago
But ice and wind and water wore away the stone
And life journeyed out from the sea to the land
And the rock turned to clay and to silt and to sand

And the algae and bacteria lived their earthly lives
And laid their bodies back into the ground when they died
And the layers of the living made the layers of the loam
And by and by ten thousand things made a home
In the ground
Down in the ground
Down in the ground
Down in the ground

And all the many living organisms hidden there
Mingled with the minerals and the water and the air
And a million generations came and disappeared
Building up the land for a hundred million years

And so it was a tiny seed would fall upon the earth
And it would come alive and send a root into the dirt
And reach up with a leaf to catch the burning sun
And live by the light and the power that comes
From the ground
Down in the ground…

CHORUS:
Up from the soil, up from the mud
Up from the life of the ground do we come
From miraculous stone and mysterious clay
The magical sun and the mystical rain
From the numberless lives that have gone before
Who died and rise up in us once more
And that’s how the sacred circle goes around
Down in the ground…

We are like the blades of grass, we are like the trees
Coming from the living soil under you and me
From the bounty of the harvest and the fertile garden rows
From the dust of our ancestors, that is how we grow

And though it may appear that we are leading separate lives
Underneath the ground all our many roots combine
In the land that is our body and the earth that is our bones
We are all the children of the universe below


CHORUS:

credits

released December 20, 2023
Music and Lyrics written by Peter Mayer.
All parts (vocal, guitar, bass, and midi keyboard) performed, recorded, and mixed by Peter Mayer.
Mastered by Randy Gildersleeve at Gildersound in Forest Lake, MN.

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about

Peter Mayer Stillwater, Minnesota

Minnesota's Peter Mayer has been singing and songwriting full-time for 25 years, performing in venues across the United States and beyond. He writes songs about science, nature, and spirituality. His work has been included in song books, church hymnals, and folk radio playlists across the country. Peter has eleven albums to his credit. He lives in Stillwater, Minnesota. ... more

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