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LEAD ME

by Laura Tsaggaris

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about

“LEAD ME” is Laura Tsaggaris’ first new music in over 4 years. Laura sometimes says she doesn’t ‘write’ songs. She likes to think they have a way of finding her. “LEAD ME” found Laura on a nonstop, overnight drive from DC to Florida at the height of the first wave of COVID-19 and George Floyd protests. With a sleeping family in the car, she recited a poem, sang a melody, and nodded to a beat only she could hear for a full 4 hours. She’d drawn the dreaded midnight to 4am shift. “I was so glad to have a song that I was working on, because the drive was brutal,” Laura recalls. “It's amazing how awake and alive I was at that moment. This music in my head and the thought that it could connect with people kept me going.” Along with the music came images of two friends who define steadfast community service. She emailed the poem to both women upon reaching her destination.

At its core, “LEAD ME” calls for unity in the face of this country’s civil, racial and environmental unrest. “After the 2016 election, my mental health couldn’t take being tuned in. I kept telling myself that I could do my part to try to turn things around by just focusing on raising kind children," Laura explains. "But things in the news have become impossible to block out. It’s obvious that I need to change my approach.”

While “LEAD ME” makes a compassionate plea for its singer to take up the mantle of social responsibility, it makes another message clear. This is a burden that must be shared. “We need a government that shows general human decency. A positive example of how we should act towards one other would be a great start. Our children need to see and hear that.“

Interwoven with the song’s political commentary is an affirmation of artistic purpose. The early years of motherhood saw Laura’s creative channel closed. True to form, this songwriting desert felt bigger than the last. But with a triumphant return cemented in the shape of “LEAD ME,” she feels back on course. “This song felt ‘important’ from the moment I wrote it,” Laura says.

Indeed.

lyrics

I am not doing enough.
I can't even bring myself to watch.
Sure I talk about it and I feel bad.
But, I am not doing enough.

I see people picking up slack,
bringing others' needs up on their backs,
making it a point to just serve somebody*
and find a way to even up the stacks.

Mama, show me what you live for.
Come and shape me.
Mama, tell me what you did for someone lately.

You gotta do more.

This is a privilege that you can't resign.
'Shit goes back to way before you was born dude.**
So, would you teach me how to walk a mile in your shoes?
And, could you teach me how to walk in mine, too?

Can you lead me to believe that you are kind?
Lead me with the balance of a heart, and a soul, and a mind.
Lead me through a system of change, 'cuz we are running out of time.

Mama, show me what we live for.
You gotta shape me.
Mama, tell me what we did for someone lately.

You gotta do more.


*”Gotta Serve Somebody,” Bob Dylan (Slow Train Coming, 1979)
**”That Was Your Mother,” Paul Simon (Graceland, 1986)

© laura tsaggaris 2020

credits

released October 7, 2020
Written by Laura Tsaggaris © Moon Punk Music (ASCAP)
Produced and mixed by Tim Lyons
Mastered by Stephen Marcussen at Marcussen Mastering, Hollywood CA
Piano, strings and vocals recorded at The Mantle, New Hill East Washington DC
Drums recorded by Brian Griffin

Laura Tsaggaris: vocals and piano
Tim Lyons: electric guitar, drum programming, glockenspiel, synthesizers
Sandy Choi: violin
Eric DeWaardt: viola
Brian Griffin: drums and drum programming
Wes Lanich: Wurlitzer
Loewi Lin: cello
Gino Madrid: violin
Patrick Thornton: bass
background vocals: Katie Holloran, RJ and Brendan Fochler, Moira McLaughlin, Gilly and Dash Lyons

© laura tsaggaris 2020
℗ Overtime Records 2020

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Laura Tsaggaris District of Columbia

Laura Tsaggaris (sah-GAIR-iss) is a singer, guitarist and songwriter.

Her story begins in Pennsylvania where she grew up in the Pittsburgh area. College and a tennis scholarship brought her to Williamsburg, VA. She left that historic city with a love for another: Washington, DC. She works to give back to her now adopted hometown through the musical talents that have taken her far and wide. ... more

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