Joy Clark

[“Tell It to the Wind” by Joy Clark]

[gentle acoustic guitar music]

When I was just a little girl I’d go outside and listen to the wind I thought it held all my secrets within Peering out of my window gave me hope There was something out there meant for me I’d see the clouds roll by and the leaves blow down my street I wondered if it’d take my dreams and set them free And I tell it to the wind Oh, and I tell it to the wind So now and then I think about that little girl And how she knew so much about her little world But there is wisdom in a child’s eyes And when her world grew in size It wasn’t always what she thought it would be But as I travel back and forth to distant lands I know the wind still takes me further than I planned And so I tell it to the wind Oh, and I tell it to the wind Ooh, I tell it everything I hope for And I tell it everything my heart desires And everything I dream of And everything that I aspire to I tell it to the wind Oh, and I tell it to the wind I tell it to the wind Ooh I, I tell it to the wind

[vocalizing]

[whispers]

[audience applauding and cheering]

Joy Clark: I wanna bring my heart. I try to bring my heart to wherever I go. Yes, I’m a singer-songwriter, and I want people to sing with me, and I want to, I want people to be free to clap and to dance and to snap as well. It doesn’t always have to be, you know, you can hear a pin drop. I want to bring all those parts of myself and be, hopefully be welcomed in. [laughs]

[“Shine” by Joy Clark]

[bluesy electric guitar music]

This is a little song called “Shine,” ’cause I believe in people being their full selves and not hiding a thing.

Glow like your life depended on it Don’t let anybody bring you down ‘Cause I, I see your truth and I’m bettin’ big on it So come on, come on, come on, come on and let it out ‘Cause you can’t keep from shining anymore And I see your light creepin’ through the door And won’t you come out and play here with me? ‘Cause I need everything that you can bring Shine your light, radiate the great that makes you you Shine your light Illuminate your true in everything you do Hey, yeah

Feel free to clap if you want. Unh, ah, unh, unh.

[audience clapping rhythmically]

Y’all got it, okay, Appleton, clapping it on the two and four. All right. [laughs] Second verse.

Glow like a star shooting fire and grit And don’t leave any part of you behind Arms open wide, I wanna see you lit So get up, get up, get up, get up and take this ride ‘Cause you can’t keep from shining anymore And I see your light creepin’ through that door And won’t you come out and play with me, yeah? ‘Cause I’m gonna need everything that you can bring Shine your light, radiate the great that makes you you Shine your light Illuminate your true in everything you do Come on, shine your light And radiate, radiate, yeah Illuminate your true in everything you do Hey, yeah

[bluesy electric guitar music]

[audience clapping rhythmically]

Shine your light

All right, can y’all sing that with me?

Audience: Shine your light

Oh, oh, okay.

Shine your light

Audience: Shine your light

Shine your light

Audience: Shine your light

Shine your light

Audience: Shine your light

Shine your light

Audience: Shine your light

Y’all sound so good, yes, you do, you sound so good Yeah Shine your light

Audience: Shine your light

Shine your light

Audience: Shine your light

Yeah

[bluesy electric guitar music]

[audience applauding and cheering]

Yeah Mm, yeah

I would say Mile of Music is a soft place to land. It’s kind of like a summer camp for musicians. And for the past three years, I’ve been seeing my friends and making new friends, and it’s like, oh, we see each other again, and we take pictures, and you just make memories. So it’s a place to come together and to have a really soft place to land. That’s what it is for me. It’s one of my favorites.

[“One Step in the Right Direction” by Joy Clark]

[gentle electric guitar music]

I’m looking out on the road And all that’s ahead Oh, I don’t travel alone The horizon’s my friend Oh, but mile after mile I feel anxious inside And all the worry and doubt keep plaguing my mind But I feel the sunshine on my face And I know this road is not a race So I keep going my own pace Until I find my place, ’til I find my place I’ll take it one step in the right direction One step in the right direction I say goodbye to the fear, I’m leaving them behind ‘Cause those were formative years And I don’t need them this time And I release my regrets And I learn how to roll with the tide No, my sun has not set I’ve got a great view in sight Mm, mm, I feel the sunshine on my face And I know this road is not a race So I keep going my own pace ‘Til I find my place, ’til I find my place I’ll take it one step in the right direction One step in the right direction

[bright electric guitar music]

Yeah, I feel the sunshine on my face And I know this road is not a race So I keep going my own pace ‘Til I find my place, ’til I find my place I’ll take it one step in the right direction Yeah, one step in the right direction One step in the right direction La, la, la, la, la, la One step in the right direction

Oh!

Yeah Ooh One step in the right direction-rection-rection Oh, one step in the right direction Direction, direction One step in the right direction Well, I’m looking out on the road And all that’s ahead

[audience applauding and cheering]

This is my last tune. And I saved this because it’s a song that is honoring my grandmother, who, my family, we lost last year. And she used to tell me to go get my lesson, ’cause I was homeschooled. And sometimes when we stayed at her house, you know, me and my brothers and sisters would not be doing our schoolwork. We’d be jumping on the beds and swinging from the chandeliers and watching cable and all that stuff. And when she got wind of that, she would come down the hallway, and we would hear her slippers, and it’d be, “chh, chh, chh.” And we’d start, “Oh, she coming, she coming.” And she’d come in the room and she’d say, “Y’all, y’all get your lesson. Go get your lesson, get your lesson.” And when I was grieving, and I was writing with Margaret, and I was just telling her those stories, and I had this blues riff that I didn’t know where it went to. And then once we started working on this song, I knew exactly what the riff was for, and it was for my grandmother, Catherine Johnson. And this song is called “Lesson.”

Ah, ooh

[bluesy electric guitar music]

Ah, ooh Ah, ooh Ah, ooh Ah, ooh

If you could hold that down for me.

Ah, ooh

Feel free to sing it.

Ah, ooh Ah, ooh Sitting at the table pouring out my day At the feet of an angel, she knew just what to say Eyes that knew freedom and sorrows unsaid But she breathed out her wisdom And here’s what she said She told me to be grateful, she told me to be kind She told me to stand up for what is right Said there’s a time for peace And God help us, there’s a time for strife Well, she said go and get your lesson You will find your blessin’ Go and get your lesson You will find your blessin’

[scatting]

Each and every good life has seen the hardest of times But you just learn from it, honey And keep your head held high She told me to be grateful, she told me to be kind She told me to stand up for what is right Said there’s a time for peace And God help us, there’s a time for strife But she said go and get your lesson You will find your blessin’ Go and get your lesson You are gonna find your blessin’

[bluesy electric guitar music]

[scatting]

She told me to be grateful and she told me to be kind She told me to stand up for what is right Said there’s a time for peace And Lord help us, there’s a time for strife Well, she said, go and get your lesson And you will find your blessin’ Go and get your lesson And you, you gonna find your blessin’ Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go And get your lesson, yeah Oh, you’re gonna love that lesson Go and get your lesson, go and get your lesson Go and get your lesson Go and get your lesson

[audience applauding and cheering]

[bluesy electric guitar music]

[audience applauding and cheering]