Here is my first musical compilation of demos – some songs I’ve written over the years, as far back as 1985. I was inspired to put this book together after having the chance to be part of a miracle…

The Accidental Miracle – Steven Max Stern meets The Wailers

…then to continue along, down my rediscovered rabbit hole – where I find myself today 🙂

I hope you will enjoy them and find inspiration each day – to shine as brightly as you possibly can.

1ove

Steven

Jah Light – Poetry and Musical Demos

by Steven Max Stern

Anything
Jah Light
Love Me Now
Perpetual Hibernation
Seams
Drives
Feeling Like the Day
Stand I Up
Two Birds
A Lion is Stirring

Anything

Yesterday I saw you holding flowers

A simple smile braced on your face

Dancing, singing, running round for hours

As time slips off to that distant space,

I recollect that tender face,

And there’s no way of ever really knowing

In which direction choices lead you growing

Daily changes come around, as the

Sun lifts its head out from the clouds

And it’s so hard when everything’s falling

You yell out loud but no one hears you calling

And it’s ok because you know

In life we live, out life we grow

You know that I want you

You know that I need you

Anything

I would for you

Anything

If I could for you

Anything

I would for you

Anything

If I could for you

Long before I met you I was falling

They say you sometimes hear gravity calling

Pulling me down with her gentle hands

Rubbing my face into her sweet sands

I raise my head at the slightest sound

It’s the questions that always bring me round

Will you stay with me?

Will you be the one?

Can I wake up again?

Will I still see the sun?

Daily changes come around, as the

Sun lifts its head out from the clouds

And it’s so hard when everything’s falling

You yell out loud but no one hears you calling

And it’s ok because you know

In life we live, out life we grow

You know that I want you

You know that I need you

Anything

I would for you

Anything

If I could for you

Anything

I would for you

Anything

If I could for you

Jah Light

Rise up, he said

Put a loaded gun to my head

Stand up and join in the dance, yeah

Stand up, I did

Took a loaded gun from his hand

Should know your right from your wrong, yeah

Boogieman dancer’s got no grief

Shaking his body to the rhythm’s beat

Got no troubles he push them aside

‘Cause right now he jamming dancer

Rockin’ raging, raging in Jah light

Inside Jah light, dancing in Jah light

Inside Jah light, raging in Jah light

Inside Jah light

Its time you take to write a personal constitution

Everybody’s got an individual resolution

You reap what you sew, and sew what you fake

From the power within, rise I up for the chase

From the power within, rise I up for the chase

From the power within, rise I up for the chase

Boogieman dancer’s got no grief

Shaking his body to the rhythm’s beat

Got no troubles he push them aside

‘Cause right now he jamming dancer

Rockin’ raging, raging in Jah light

Inside Jah light, dancing in Jah light

Inside Jah light, raging in Jah light

Inside Jah light

Its time you take to write a personal constitution

Everybody’s got an individual resolution

You reap what you sew, and sew what you fake

From the power within, rise I up for the chase

From the power within, rise I up for the chase

From the power within, rise I up for the chase

Boogieman dancer’s got no grief

Shaking his body to the rhythm’s beat

Got no troubles he push them aside

‘Cause right now he jamming dancer

Rockin’ raging, raging in Jah light

Inside Jah light, dancing in Jah light

Inside Jah light, raging in Jah light

Inside Jah light

Perpetual Hibernation

So I see says the blind man

It’s not what you have that proves your worth

As the 1000 ill confusions

Come tumbling down to this earth,

Earth,

Oh why?

A perpetual hibernation

It’s where I want to be

A perpetual hibernation

It’s for you and me

A perpetual hibernation

Mm, ah, the cat’s got your tongue yeah

The people standing over there would like another one

I’ll see you later, or maybe I should stay awhile

The jury’s in, no longer should I be in denial

Denial,

Oh why?

A perpetual hibernation

It’s where I want to be

A perpetual hibernation

It’s for you and me

A perpetual hibernation

A perpetual hibernation’s where I want to be

And for years and years these words eluded me

But here I am, reincarnated I’m back again

Resurrected to unleash these words from my pen

Unleash these words from my pen

Unleash these words from my pen

A perpetual hibernation

It’s where I want to be

A perpetual hibernation

It’s for you and me

A perpetual hibernation

Love Me Now

Love me now

I don’t know if I’ll be here tomorrow

Hold me now

I think I’m having that bad dream again

The darkness surrounds me

The midnight hour has come and gone

I see the sadness in your eyes

But they shine

And they shine

And they shine

Oh and they shine

Love me now

I miss you today for tomorrow

Feel me now

This moment in silent lingering

It’s all just a mystery

Caught up in a fantasy

I see the sparkle in your eyes

And it’s bright

And it’s bright

And it’s bright

Oh and it’s bright

Love me now

I long for your warm embrace

Hold me tight

It’s been another cold and lonely night

The darkness it blinds me

You know not the time or hour

I long to look into your eyes

I get high

I get high

I get high

Oh, I’ll get by

I get high

I get high

I get high

Oh, I’ll get by

Seams

Awake in the dawn, recollections are warm

As our love ebbs and flows with the tide

And we’re just trying to slip thru the cracks of the day

But the seams get in the way

The seams get in the way

The seams get in the way

Often we bow out in seeming disgrace

Our problems are staring us right in the face

So we put on our masks and enjoy ourselves for awhile

Temptations are lurking behind every turn

Played with fire often enough you get burned

Discovering we’re only here for the ride

But the pain won’t subside

The pain won’t subside

The pain won’t subside

One thing and nothing else matters

Just one thing and all the rest shatters

Just one thing, and all the rest fades away

all the rest just fades away

Absolution, always hard

Absolution, never easy

I try to gather all of my senses

They keep slipping thru my fingers

One thing and nothing else matters

One thing and all the rest shatters

All the rest just fades away

All the rest just fades away

All the rest just fades away

All the rest just fades away

As I lay down

As I lay down

You walk in thru that door

As we lay down

As we lay down

You walk out thru that door

One thing

Just one thing

Just one thing

Just one thing

And the pain fades away

And the pain fades away

And the pain fades away

And the pain fades away

Drives

Blowing in the breeze

A naked heart to please

But it’s ok

Flying thru my mind

This faintless hope of time

But it’s ok

I’m falling to my knees

In finding what I seek

But it’s ok

Taking over more

Than all the times before

But it’s ok

She drives me softly

She drives me softly

She drives me softly

She drives me softly

Lying here in bed

Reflecting on what’s been said

But that’s ok

Years keep passing by

Faded twinkle from your eye

But that’s ok

Lonely hearts divide

Ushers in the darkening sky

But that’s ok

Lovers that we pass

Fading gently into past

But that’s ok

She drives me softly

She drives me softly

She drives me softly

She drives me softly

Feeling Like the Day

Walked outside the door one day

Sun it shined my way

I was feeling different

No happiness today

The lights persistent stony glare

Sobering words that can’t compare

Listen up, I know what you’re thinking

No thoughts about tomorrow

It’s only temporary borrow

A desperate empty hollow

You’re thinking nothing matters

The world around you shatters

Birds were singing carrying tunes

Early morning sweet perfumes

All I know, this is all confusing

But right now, right now

I’m not feeling like the day

Sadness grows within my heart now

The bridge comes crashing we have to part now

Keeps me screaming through the day

Though we part you’ll guide my way

As the sunshine hits my face

As the sunlight hits my face

As the sunshine hits my face

Stand I Up

Can’t see the new tomorrow,

(Rise I up from the grave)

Touched by an intimate sorrow

(Rise I up from the grave)

An emptiness that fills my core

Replacing what was there before

Stand I up and push myself off

Pick I up and rush to the source

Face I off towards the rising sun

Stand I up and run (Stand I up)

Stand I up and run (Stand I up)

In a distant place and in a different light

Captivated in your sight

To get to you, I’ll keep on marching

My love for you, it keeps me marching through the night

Stand I up and push myself off

Pick I up and rush to the source

Face I off towards the rising sun

Stand I up and run (Stand I up)

Stand I up and run (Stand I up)

In another land and on a different night

Emancipated in your light

Thousands of people keep on marching

Their love for you, it keeps them marching through the night

Stand I up and push myself off

Pick I up and rush to the source

Face I off towards the rising sun

Stand I up and run (Stand I up)

Stand I up and run (Stand I up)

Two Birds

Two birds, three alone, found so many walking home to tears

Falling feathers, we watch the passing weathers

Lacking direction

Complementary protection

Making connections

Side by side two birds learning to fly

Life rolls on, years carry by

Two birds, the third come in trace

Never alone, always graced by time

No friend of mine

Turns pure water, rots the wine

To drink, to touch, beg of one

Do not leave me, don’t return to the sun

Without me

Please don’t leave

Without me

One bird living alone

Taught by time the lesson it comes to know

The other an illusion passing

Giving reason for another to sing about

Two birds coming home, two birds coming home, two birds coming home

Two birds

A Lion is Stirring

Consequences to every action

Throughout history

Comes a time when situations

Mark what you see

Several thousand years in passing

Embracing destiny

To live life without great illusions

We have to fight to be free

A crisis arises, spills into the streets

Lion of Zion, fights to be free

Raise the shield of Zion, across the land

Onward Lion of Zion, across the Promised Land

A fleeting fragmented illusion

Drawn into the sand

Around us seething angered confusion

Against One Lion, One Land

Sprouting seedlings of hatred

Come forth from the sands

You question our right to exist

We have to defend

You deny our right to exist

Jah people defend

You question our right to exist

So we will defend

A crisis arises, spills into the streets

Lion of Zion, fights to be free

Raise the shield of Zion, across the land

Onward Lion of Zion, across the Promised Land

You question our right to exist

We have to defend

You deny our right to exist

Jah people defend

You question our right to exist

Your hypocrites pretend

You deny our right to exist

So we will defend

A crisis arises, spills into the streets

Lion of Zion, fights to be free

Raise the shield of Zion, across the land

Onward Lion of Zion, across the Promised Land

Appendix

All Songs: Music and Lyrics by Steven Max Stern – Guitar, Bass and Vocals.

Recorded at iScream Studio with the most awesome coach and engineer Florina Mandel (who deserves my general gratitude for assistance, patience and often times providing solid ideas in arranging things while recording). Thank you!

*Acknowledgments*

Jah Light – with The Wailers 2017

Co-Production & Arrangement:

‘THE WAILERS’

Junior Marvin – Lead & Rhythm Guitar

Aston ‘Familyman’ Barrett – Musical Direction

Aston Barrett Jr. – Drums & Session Recording Engineer

Javaughn Bond – All Keys & Bass

special guest 🙂 Steven Max Stern – Vocals

Recorded at Bad Lions Studio in Pompano Beach, FL.

Jah Light – Remix with Mika Laura Stern on Vocals (next page)

Recorded with Florina Mandel (Engineer)

Jah Light – Original Demo Recording 2006 (page after)

Recorded with Nir Cang (Engineer)

Anything & Seams

Contributing Lyricist:

Arif Abrar

Drives

Contributing Arrangement:

Andrew Scoggin