Infinite Hearts - Decolonization Mix
The room in my heart is infinite
There’s no limit to what can fit in it
And if love is what I give love is what I get
Its a balance between mind body spirit
I wrote this song after attending my first meditation retreat at the Vallecitos Mountain Refuge in New Mexico more than twenty years ago. It reflects the powerful experience of practicing mindfulness of the heart, body, and spirit within a spiritual community.
The original version of the song is available on my Planting Gardens album, released in 2006. I rewrote the verses in 2018 while living through the first Trump administration and witnessing the racist colonialism of his words, actions, and policies.
I see you appear
weighed down by your money and your fear
ignorance and insecurity
trying so desperately to be free
by clinging onto power and control
over your sisters and siblings and brothers
threatening the health of our very earth mother
exploiting her as you do her daughters
polluting and selling and controlling our waters
I see you and you’re breaking my heart
tearing families apart
because of where they were born
leaving poor families torn
or by the color of their skin
locking up our children
I see you - you’re as old as this country itself
compromising our emotional health
you were there in the slave trade
the very fabric from which this country was made
Colonialism and white supremacy go beyond any one person, and are part of a larger disease of our national psyche. While they are embodied by this current president and his administration, they are not new to this country. In fact, oppressive ideologies and policies are embedded within the founding of the United States.
This song is a call for the collective awakening, healing, and liberation of our country from the historical and ongoing effects of colonialism and white supremacy, which are being played out in the chaos, cruelty, and discrimination of this current administration.
This is not solely an external task, as we have all inherited traumas from America’s racial karma. While we work to heal and transform our own suffering, we also work to heal and transform our collective suffering. We say no to the abusive and bullying behavior of those in positions of power, while holding deep love for ourselves and all our relations. We meet the colonizers with fierce compassion that does not accept abuse and also recognizes the humanity within us all.
You never learned the lessons
from your Smith and Wessons
and your fire hoses
your fear exposes
your vulnerability
you were there in manifest destiny
and you’re still trying so deperately to be free
locked in the prison of your hatred and insanity
You were there in the boarding schools
you were the criminally cruel
policies stealing children from their families
with the stroke of a pen
we always knew we would see you again
and you’ve never really been that well hidden
trying the same old tricks to no avail
racist confusion will always fail
This is a sickness an old disease
let us help you with your suffering please
this is a sickness an old disease
let us help you let us help you
On this President's Day, for all past, PRESENT, and future presidents, may we rise up together and lift our voices in song to protect all of our relatives and future generations from the harms of colonization and white supremacy!
Please listen, sing, and share.
With gratitude,
Joe
Infinite Hearts-Decolonization Mix
Joe Reilly and The Community Gardeners
Words and music by Joe Reilly
Joe Reilly - Vocals, acoustic guitar
Jenny Jones - Vocals
Lesley-Anne Stone - Vocals
Billy King - Electric guitar
John Driscoll - Drums
Chris Good - Bass
Mark Stone - Percussion
Glen Michael Blair - Keyboard
Chris DiMeglio - Trumpet
Recorded and engineered by Ian Gorman on location at the Frog Holler Farm in Brooklyn, Michigan and at La Luna Recording and Sound in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Mastered by Glenn Brown at GBP Studios in Lansing, Michigan.
