DON BAKER - THE CYCLE NEVER ENDS
After listening to and reflecting on my album Seed, Don Baker sent me his song “The Cycle Never Ends”. Don resides in Belpre Ohio and is one of the most prolific songwriters I’ve ever known.
“The song is based on seeds blowing in the wind, taking root, and becoming something totally different at the end of their life. And my dad built his first fiddle out of an old pine board from a tool shed that was torn down. The fiddle is still in the family. Dad built a total of eight fiddles, and each kid got to pick out the one we wanted.”
The Cycle Never Ends – By Don Baker
The pinecone met the sunshine and opened up with ease
Felt the wind blowing and gave up all its seeds
Gave up all its seeds
Some were eaten by the birds but one of them lay still
A pine tree started growing way up on the hill
Way up on the hill
It stood there a hundred years continuing to grow
Felt the heat of summer, felt the winter cold
Well it felt the winter cold
Til one night in December, the wind was getting wild
Pressed against the branches and laid the big tree down
Laid the big tree down
The cycle never ends
Tall trees sway and bend
Some will break but the story won’t end
It just starts all over again
Hitched it to a team of mules and drug it down the hill
Across the muddy waters and down to the mill
Down to the mill
Dirt and sweat and sawdust laying on the floor
I sold a stack of lumber but kept my favorite board
Oh I kept my favorite board
I worked for a long time, and when my work was through
I gently held it to my chin and played a fiddle tune
Oh I played a fiddle tune
The cycle never ends
Tall trees sway and bend
Some will break but the story won’t end
It just starts all over again
Some will break but the story won’t end
It just starts all over again
Learn more about the SEED PROJECT HERE*
FLOWER - our collaborative project begins to unfold RIGHT HERE
SEED
Late in 2023, I released Seed, an open invitation for collaboration—an album designed to be shared, reshaped, and reimagined by you. Many of you took that challenge to heart, and now the time has come to showcase what’s bloomed. I’m thrilled to begin sharing FLOWER—a growing collection of songs, remixes, poems, paintings, and more, all inspired by Seed. This is your creativity, your voice, your vision. There are no limits here. No wrong notes or brush strokes. Keep creating with me and I’ll do the same.
Thank you
Todd
P.S. If you’ve created something from Seed and haven’t shared it yet, it’s not too late. Send it my way. EMAIL TODD
Special thanks to The Oakland Foundation for supporting this project.