Singer in the Storm
A dove flies free from the prison bars
And lights the candles with the stars
And carries news home from afar
She's a singer in the storm, she's a singer in the storm
She does not fear the pouring rains that drench her to the bone
She only fears the consequence of living all alone
She does not mourn the lessons learned
While falling from the sky
She only mourns for those who turn away as they pass by
He who joins with people's voices
He who honors women's choices
He who dares to cry, rejoices
With the singer in the storm
She does not fear the raging wind that calls her into a song
She only fears the consequence of a forest dead and gone
She celebrates her lover's touch, it caught her by surprise
Still she mourns for the narrow minds who stare as they pass by
Late in the night she hears the painter scream
But tonight she knows it is not a dream
Again and again recurring themes call for the singer
To come and heal a wounded heart
Confront an ancient lie
To cross a fragile
And offer hope to those to dare to try
She who walks the unpaved road
She who picks up half the load
She who knows that the dove is code
For the singer in the storm
The dove flies free from the prison bars
And lights the candles with the stars
And carries news home from afar
Are you the singer in the storm
Let the dove fly free
The dove is in me and she lights my way
So I may be the singer in the storm
~Holly Near
Born in Ukiah, CA in 1949, Holly began singing in high school, including work with a local folk group. She built on her performing career with acting parts on Mod Squad and appeared in a number of guest roles in seminal 70s TV shows like Room 222 and The Partridge Family. In 1970, she was a cast member of the Broadway musical Hair. Following the Kent State shootings in May of that year, the entire cast staged a silent vigil in protest. The song, “It Could Have Been Me” (which was released on A Live Album, 1974), was her heartfelt response to the shootings. In 1971, she joined the Free The Army Tour, an anti-Vietnam War road show of music, comedy, and plays organized by antiwar activist Fred Gardner and actors Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland.
Holly Near has been recognized many times for her work for social change, including honors from the ACLU, the National Lawyers Guild, the National Organization for Women, and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; she was named Ms. Magazine Woman of the Year and received the Legends of Women’s Music Award. During her travels in the Pacific with the Free the Army show, Holly became a globally conscious feminist, linking international feminism and anti-war activism. She was an active participant and coalition builder in what she calls the “heady days” of 70s activism, when so many movements were gestating and jostling with one another.
