Prologue

Everything lasts just a little while
the blink of an eye, the length of a smile
all things come and all things go
some more quickly and some more slow

Fire burns up and water pours down
cold contracts, the wind blows around
earthquakes shake the entire ground
buildings go up and buildings fall down

So we begin
begin again

Big ideas and detailed plans
faith and cash in heart and hand
wood and metal and glass and slate
glue and plaster, paper and paint

Raise the roof, hammer in nails
wash it up clean with water from a pail
make it last for a hundred years
we'll be gone but someone will be here

Build it for good
build it for good

Protection from the rain
the crowd, the unknown
a root to heal the pain
just a place to go

Empty yet, the rooms are filled
with something waiting, latent still
the soul of a building, the power of a place
style expressed through light and grace

It's simple, really, a common need
origin, refuge, source, retreat
comfort and love at the end of a day

May everyone have a home someday

Shelter for All from Ephemera
©1996 Suzanne McDermott/Drexel Road Music (ASCAP) All Rights Reserved