Songs For The Inner Child

Song Samples from Songs for the Inner Child are located on the Song Sample Page.

1. How Could Anyone     Libby Roderick     © 1990 Turtle Island Records 2. It's A Joy To Get To Know You     Nicole Milner     © 1972 Nicole Milner     Sheet Music 3. Return Again     music by Schlomo Carlebach     words by Rafael-Simkba Kahn     © Schlomo Carlebach 4. Everything Possible    (Abridged for Universality)     Fred Small     © 1987 Pine Barrens Music 5. You Can Relax Now     Susan McCullen     © 1986 Heartland Publishing

6. Peace Be With You     Shaina Noll     © 1992 Singing Heart Productions     Sheet Music 7. All Through The Night     Traditional 8. Lullaby and Goodnight     Johannes Brahams 9. Lullaby     Cris Williamson     © 1977 Bird Ankles Music 10. Deep Peace      Traditional lyrics      music by Bill Douglas      © Ziji Music

Description

A collection of chants and lullabies, both traditional and contemporary. Sung with the gentle voice of a loving mother, the songs are healing and soothing for listeners of all ages, carrying powerful messages of affirmation and comfort. New Age keyboard artist Jim Oliver produced, and contributed instrumentally to many of the tracks. Rusty Crutcher, best known for his "Sacred Sites" series of albums, plays saxophone on "Deep Peace" Shaina's husband, Richard, contributes harmony vocals and recorder tracks. Songwriters Cris Williamson, Libby Roderick, Susan McCullen and Bill Douglas are among those whose songs are featured on the album along with Shaina's composition, "Peace Be With You".

A Sample of the Lyrics
(Complete lyrics for all the songs are printed in the CD booklet)

"How could anyone ever tell you you were anything less than beautiful… how could anyone ever tell you you were less than whole… how could anyone fail to notice that your loving is a miracle… how deeply you're connected to my soul…" Libby Roderick		"Peace be with you, oh my dear one… peace be with you, precious child… angels hover all about you, they protect you, night and day… angels over all about you, they will guide you on your way…" Shaina Noll
"You can relax now… you are the child of God, and that will never change" Susan McCullen		"Deep peace of the running wave to you, deep peace of the flowing air to you, deep peace of the gentle night to you, moon and stars pour their healing light on you…" Traditional Gaelic Blessing

A German Translation of the Song Lyrics

Reviews

Justine Toms, The Journal of New Dimensions Radio, Volume 23, Number 1: " If your heart is troubled--if the news is getting you down--if you feel compelled to pull the covers up over your head, go ahead and do it, but not before you put this album on and set it to 'continuous play'. These are lullabies, soothing refrains that will work on the deep soul level. Noll's voice rings like a bell--bright, clear and unwavering. She's chosen some of the most healing and beautiful songs that I have come across. The arrangements are simple, and the mood is one of comfort and loving presence. Noll includes songs such as "How could anyone ever tell you you were anything less than beautiful", "It's a Joy To Get To Know You", "All through the night" and Cris Williamson's lullaby, 'Like a ship in the harbor, like a mother and child...' This album is truly a blessing."

Newsletter of the East/West Bookshop, Menlo Park, CA: "I have been extremely moved by Shaina Noll's Songs For The Inner Child. It's a collection of lullabies and "reminders" that evoke feelings which reach deeply into the most innocent and open part of ourselves. She gives you all the words to each song and you can sing to your children and listen for yourself. The rich, deep quality of her voice and the slow tempo quickly break down the barriers inside that protect our tender hearts. What a gift she has given us! Thank you, Shaina!"

Gwen O'Hara Heston, Hope: Women's Journal Of Arts & Dreams: "Shaina Noll's crystalline voice is soothing, clear, and lyrical. I want to send her a warm embrace in words for this album! Her album begins with a deeply moving How Could Anyone: "How could anyone ever tell you, you were anything less than beautiful? How could anyone ever tell you, you were less than whole?" This song reaches me deeply, and will be moving for many women survivors of childhood trauma who have, quite possibly, never heard these deeply healing messages as children. Be aware that this music may elicit feelings of grief. This gem of an album is full with soft and comforting melodies. Return Again is a beautiful, sad song of returning to your soul. There is, too, the incredibly beautiful Celtic song, Deep Peace, which embraces all of nature: "Moon and stars pour their healing light on you..." Oh, I could listen to Deep Peace again and again, and actually I have! This album is a soulful gift. Shaina Noll's voice is resonant with caring and quiet strength. I wholeheartedly recommend Shaina Noll's Songs For The Inner Child for gentle help in healing dissociation, depression, grief and loss, chronic pain and physical illness."

The following is a reprint of a letter to the listener that is found in the liner notes: Dear Listener; The inspiration to record this collection of songs came to me one night as I was singing my children to sleep. As I sat rocking my youngest child, I realized that the singing my children found so calming and nourishing could extend beyond their rooms. I was doing inner child work at the time, personally and in my practice as a counselor. I suspected that the experience of being sung to could be deeply healing for many of the adults I knew. I felt instinctively that the songs my husband and I had been singing to our children could be a blessing to a wider audience. I began with six of the songs in my nightly repertoire that I felt were the most soothing. I said a prayer that any additional songs that would be useful would come to me. Within three weeks, four more songs had found their way to me, and I began work on the project. Each of these songs was chosen for the strength of its healing message. I deliberately recorded them at tempos that are unhurried; so many of us were hurried as children, so few of us got enough of the kind of loving and gentle support that these songs bring. As you listen, know that it is never too late to receive this kind of deep support. Music has the capacity to touch us in places that nothing else can. The child that lives inside of you can draw deeply from these songs, here and now, and be nourished and soothed by the energy they bring. Allow yourself to receive these songs intimately. Hear them as being sung just for you. I have felt deeply supported and inspired as I've recorded these songs. I hope they will gift and support you on your way.

A Message from Shaina

What I didn't imagine when I released Songs For The Inner Child in 1992, was that the songs would find a following for a wider audience than the "inner children" of adults as I'd first envisioned (See Letter to the Listener for what I wrote in 1992). I've been blessed, over the years, to receive hundreds of letters from people sharing their stories of how the songs have touched their lives. It has been my great privilege to discover that something I created has brought comfort and healing to so many people. I've heard that parents with children of all ages have found the songs to be a gift. They've been used to settle cranky babies and toddlers, support the self-esteem of teenagers, comfort and inspire children with disabilities or life-threatening illness. They have, I'm told, helped keep the parents calm as well. A wide range of therapists, clergy and spiritual teachers have let me know that they use the songs in their work, in individual and group settings. The songs have been particularly effective when used therapeutically with those in recovery from trauma or abuse, or dealing with serious illness in themselves or loved ones. The songs have been played at weddings, births and funerals, in synagogues, and churches of many denominations. Hundreds of copies have been donated, by myself and others, to pediatric wards, hospice facilities, homeless shelters, shelters for victims of domestic abuse, oncology wards, and more, where the songs have proven to be of comfort and support. To read in more detail about how the songs have been used as healing tools, check out the Stories page. When I first released the album, it was my intention that these songs would find their way easily to those who could benefit from them. If they find their way to you, it is my hope that they will, in some way, be a gift. --Shaina Noll