we are soil & spirit

by: Tim "Gus" Gustafson and the Kids of Day Camp

We are soil and we are spirit;

(We are soil and we are spirit;)

Dust of earth and light of stars.

(Dust of earth and light of stars.)

Washed in rain and bathed in sunlight;

(Washed in rain and bathed in sunlight;

Soil and spirit in our hearts.

(Soil and spirit in our hearts.)

We help in the garden,

Growing plants and flowers;

Zinnias and watermelons

Growing with the soil’s power.

When the storm comes blowing,

Through the leaves on the trees;

That’s the Spirit working,

Bringing the rain on the breeze.

Refrain (We are soil and…)

Sometimes we grow broccoli

And eat the flowering head.

Sometimes we grow rhubarb,

And eat the stems instead.

Sometimes we grow carrots,

Then we eat the roots.

Sometimes its strawberries,

Then we eat the fruit!

Refrain (We are soil and…)

Soil has different layers:

Clay and silt and sand.

So that plants can put down roots,

So that they can stand

In an ecosystem

Of life and energy;

Plants bring food and beauty

And joy that we can see.

Refrain (We are soil and…)

Worms are decomposers,

Breaking down the leaves,

Building up the soil again

With nutrients for seeds.

Breathing in the oxygen

That the plants produce

We breathe in the breath of God’s

Spirit on the loose!

Refrain (We are soil and…)

Can you smell the lilacs

And the red, red rose,

Planted in the living soil,

As the garden grows?

Then the bees will pollinate

When we plant the seeds.

If things get too crowded,

Then we pull the weeds.

Refrain (We are soil and…)

Apple trees and cherry trees

And the bright sunflowers

Sprout up from the soil to grow

Into the tallest towers.

Where the dove can build a nest

Or can eat the seeds

In a world where God has blessed

The soil that’s you and me.

Refrain (We are soil and…)