looking for "Song for the North Star" lyrics

This must be it. It's called "Letter to the North Star".

HOT TUNA LYRICS
LETTER TO THE NORTH STAR LYRICS

(Jorma Kaukonen)
Winter's been a long, long time
Summer's here again
I've been trying to make you mine
Since I don't know when
Way your soul can let you fly
Makes me love you more
Spirit flowing into mine
What I'm living for
So don't hold back little baby
When I reach out to you
I'm doing my best to bring you 'round
Swing you into view
So I can better see your face
And you can look at mine
And we can feel each other move
Together down the line
One more time I'm asking you
Let this moment be
All our lives can intertwine
Till eternity
Please don't let your pride run free
Make the past go by
There's a place out there for us
If we only try
With what we got together now
Rest ain't hard to do
You can't see it ain't no jive
All my love for you

You're good Gez. I searched for 15 minutes and couldn't come up with anything.

Why thank ye Wilso ;-)

I did find the quah album and saw the "song for the north star" on it, but I can't for the life of me find the lyrics.

Sorry, wrong song... "Letter to the North Star" is NOT the same as "Song for the North Star" (though they're written by the same person, probably with a common theme in mind)

"SONG FOR THE NORTH STAR" starts with the lines:

They gave me money to find the sky
And I took it with no question
Didn't even ask them why
But days are open, and skies are free
...

Montana & Wilson, thanks for trying (I spent at least an hour searching myself...) anybody know the rest of the lyrics.

~kyle

Lyrics to SONG for the North Star
I need some chords to "flesh out" this song in a bad way. (Key of 'D')

Thanks,
tude1

I know it's been over two years since you posted this request but I just registered to this site so Here are the lyrics...IF anyone is still interested. A beautiful song to be sure....Thanks Jorma!..........

Song For The North Star" (by Jorma Kaukonen, 1973):

They gave me money
to find the sky
And I took it with no question
Didn't even ask them why

But days are open
And skies are free
And the time it took to learn that
Didn't leave its chains on me

I lived in shadow
Way from the sun
And the tremblin' in my mind
Kept my heart and body on the run

But freedom called us
Called out our names
And the beckon of the highway
Saw through all our useless games

The love we wanted
Was lost in lies
And the chance that (or, 'chances') slipped on by me
Like the flashin' sorrow in her eyes

Chorus:
Then we took the rise (again, I've listened to this a few hundred times and it would seem to be correct--at first listen you might think he sings "ride" or "rides" but I'm pretty dang sure it's "rise") together
For the first time in our lives
Feeling just like one suspended
Then we said time won't (........??? ...I think he sings, "Time won't keep our strife")

Our time is open
For us to see
And our freedom skims alot along (I know this sounds incorrect but trust me I've listened to it a hundred times and that's the order of the words as he sings them)
Like the seagulls soaring at the sea

And our freedom skims alot along like the seagulls soaring at the sea

End
NOW! how 'bout those chords?!?!?

THanks, yes I was still looking for these, but I'm not convinced you have the last line right. It 'sounds' right, but it sure doesn't 'feel' right to me. I'll give it a listen again later.

I think, however, you may be mistaken about the

"Feeling just like one suspended" line.

I think it should be:

"Feeling just like one is better than wasting time on tears and strife"
(but then, it's been awhile since I've actually listened)

I'm pretty sure I could give you the chords easily enough. I have to take off to an appointment now - I'll follow up later when I have time

(If you don't hear back from me within a day or so, feel free to nudge me)

~kyle

Thanks so much for your response!
I really had my doubts that I'd hear back from anyone on this. Guess I need to exhibit a little more faith, eh, wot?

I'm gonna sit right down right now and give a listen to that line "Feeling like one suspended" again. I try to "empty out my head" of any presumptions before I listen to songs that are a little cryptic like this one of Jorma's; and you never quite know if the artist "flubs" a line and then in the mixing process just end up masking it...after all, I've seen artists forget the lyrics to their own songs while performing them live (especially if they tend to get a little "lubricated" before the show... And what's the deal about the difficulty in even locating the lyrics and "bona-fide" chords for this song. I even sent a friendly e-mail to Jorma's website, although I never received a response. The closest I've gotten after a few HOURS (don't laugh, I've got dial-up) searching is someone's "tab take" -- which is pretty good but one fellow (where I found the tabs) said he believed that Jorma's lawyers removed them from the web??? Hasn't anybody ever told these guyz that "imitation is the highest form of flattery"? And here's one fer ya...one critic I encountered on the web spoke of "the sappy strings" that are a part of the arrangement for that song! Where do deez guyz come from?? I live critics who prob'ly never wrote a song in their lives -- or got one published HA! Do you have the re-released version of Quah with Tom Hobson vocals? Another great example of "wise" counselors who, at the time of the original release, thought OL' Tom a little too "over the top" to put onto the vinyl. I feel somehow priveleged to have been exposed to his music, particularly the 'cowboy' number (the title escapes me at the present) at the end of the CD. An interesting chap during his life -- there's a link to learn bore about him off of Jorma's site. Anyhow, sincere thanks for the opportunity to ramble and for your response. I've never taken the time to actually be a part of a forum like this before -- usually the registration process is so lengthy and laborious it tends to be a deterent...and I don't like giving out all that info, hat size, off-shore bank accounts, yaddayaddayadda.

bless GOD

Dear tude1,

Hmmm, I don't think so, but I don't know... The one I have (and I've only seen 3 or 4 copies in my lifetime, all identical) DOES have Tom Hobson's name and photo on it, but I think the vocals are mostly Kaukonen's. (I think "Sweet Hawaiian Sunshine" may be Hobson singing). Was there an earlier release with only Jorma Kaukonen on it?

the chords below are from memory (haven't listened to the song, except in my head, for quite some time), and I don't know tablature or any other musical notation, just basic chords (anything beyond that I play by ear and don't really know how to write out, but I'll give it a try here).



Bless God indeed! Are you a follower of Jesus?
~kyle
----------------------------------

Song for the North Star
words & music by Jorma Kaukonen


(Jorma does some finger noodling at the end of each stanza, but the basic chord structure doesn't change)


*(He does a cool 2-finger progression here at the end of the above line - I'll try and describe it here. The first "step" in the progression is the A7 above, in case that's not obvious):


(I don't know what the time signature of the song is supposed to be, but I'm numbering 16 beats per line. The words "Our time is..." from the final verse are sung over the last step in the above progression, with the word "...open" sung as you come out of the progression to hit the "D" chord.
If this all doesn't make sense, the basic chord is still A, so you ou can just strum A for a few bars it'll work fine)

------
hope this helps
~Kyle

Follower of the Lord Jesus Christ indeed! Matter of fact, I've recently finished a wonderful book entitled, "Rediscovering The Kingdom (Ancient Hope For Our 21st Century World) by Myles Munroe and although I am not a trinitarian, this book contains rich truths regarding the present and coming kingdom of the King. Also, I am beginning to enjoy the fruits of "journaling", i.e., dialogueing with God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Truly wonderful and very healing. My pastor recently turned me on to a book outlining what it is entitled "How To Hear God's Voice" by Mark and Patti Vokler. They've also written a sort of companion book (for those of us who are "right-brained" ;o), entitled, "Dialogue With God". Truly I am falling more in love with our Lord more every day.

Thanks so very much for the chords. I, too, do not "get" tablature. I've seen it written out in a couple of different ways and it's too corn-fusing for a simple country boy like me. Fortunately and thanks to my Dad springing for guitar lessons back in the day, I'm able to read music, albeit v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y, mostly melody lines and I'm trying to muscle-up on my chord knowledge. Like you said, I just listen and do my best to pick it out (OUCH!).

There is some speculation that the Cowboy song I referred to earlier (Barrier) was written by Tom Hobson and yes, the original release of said work by Jorma did not have Tom on it. Pretty rare I would imagine. Waxing nostalgic I gotsta say I used to have a real treasure trove of music (on vinyl, of course). Pretty eclectic compared to most (Ever hear Sopwith Camel's "Monkeys On The Moon"?LOL) but as the years ticked by...oh well, gone with the wind....Something else I'd love to get a hold of is a recording of Jonathan Edwards' "Rockin' Chair" album. On the original vinyl was a recording entitled "I Like The Christian Life". I can't remember all the words and the rest of the album is really great. Had the pleasure to meet him in a great venue here in Virginia called The Birchmere. When I asked him why he didn't feel inclined to play my request for that song he said "I don't really play "'that kind of music'" anymore". All I could say, lovingly, of course was, Well, bro, Just don't fergit how the Lord saw fit to bless you with such a wonderful set o' pipes!" He paused, smiled and said , "you're right, thanks!" and signed my ticket stub. Jes keepin' it real, ya know?

God bless you richly

Amen, bro! God has been teaching me and Gail so much in the past few years about hearing his voice and walking in the spirit. Not long ago we came to realize that our minds were so cluttered with "religion", and we began to see conflict between some of the doctrines we'd been taught and what the Bible seemed to be saying, so we decided to "throw out" everything we'd learned about theology, the church, spiritual life, etc, and start fresh, asking the Holy Spirit to teach us what's really important, meaningful, and true. This has led us to questions and conclusions (there are still far more questions than conclusions...) that have gotten us into hot water with some of our church leaders and cost us some friendships (I don't really care much about what church leaders think, but losing friends hurts), but the circle of friends we have now are the best we've ever had. We're discovering deeper fellowship and and ever-increasing sense of the Lord's presence and guidance in our lives. It's been quite a journey!

I could recommend a few books too, but I might never stop... I'd guess the book that has most profoundly impacted my thinking is "Love, Acceptance, and Forgiveness" by Jerry Cook (an easy and enjoyable read, but don't let the title fool you - it'll rattle your paradigm!)

The title "Rediscovering the Kingdom" is certainly intriguing to me. So much of church thinking is wrapped up in the "success" mentality, where the focus is on marketing strategies, formulas, and programs to enhance the growth and image of the the local church, but not necessarily on enhancing personal growth, spiritual fellowship, and equipping and releasing saints to follow the voice of their master. Our churches desperately need to rediscover a "Kingdom" mindset, instead of the "franchise" mindset so many of them operate under.

My, look at me yakking on (and off topic too!). sorry. Visit our fellowship's website at www.tuesdaytogether.us, and check out my reading list and links, if you're interested. And I also invite you to visit my music website at www.kyleknapp.com - Jorma Kaukonen and Jonathan Edwards were both strong influences in my early musical development.

Many blessings to you my brother,
~kyle

One correction:
"And our freedom skims on upward like the
seagull soaring at the see."