Sunday, December 27, 2009

God Bless Us Every One!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
from our hearth to yours.


God bless us every one!



Jerusalem Tavern, London, circa 1720, Photo by Alice ~ January, 2009


I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.
I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future.
The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me.
I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.

Charles Dickens ~ A Christmas Carol


The full length version of "Scrooge" (1935):

Monday, December 21, 2009

Commission: Brennan Brothers at Gogarty's




Commission: "Brennan Brothers at Gogarty's" The brothers along with their bartender, Dublin, Ireland, 14 x 11" Pen & ink with Guinness Stout wash.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Commission Works

I've been catching up on commissioned artworks, now that I'm post-black butterfly exhibition. Here are two of the most recent, both in pastel, and another commissioned drawing with Guinness wash is in the works. It's always a grace to work on something special for a patron, it's even more rewarding if they are pleased with the results, which is the case with each of these.

I've also been busy with shows the past few months, selling a few things, and 2 group shows coming up in January.

Happy New Year, Peace On Earth! ~ Alice



"Terra and Egan" Siblings in soft pastel on sanded paper. 16"H x 20"W



"Swan Nebula" Pastel on sanded paper, 26 x 36" Private collection, Las Vegas NV.

Monday, November 30, 2009

3 Shows for the Holidays



Vintalogie Shop, Galena Illinois


My Irish works are being shown now through December 20th at the McCord House Gallery in Palos Park, IL for a special holiday event.

A selection of my Black Butterfly charcoal works are on display for the month of December at the Vintalogie Shop on Main Street in the historic town Galena, Illinois.

I'll be on hand at The Beverly Arts Center, Chicago, on Saturday, December 5th for the Artist's Studio Sale event. I'll be exhibiting various small works for this one day only event. Everything at the show is priced $300 and under.

Also, my work is now included on the A Stroke of Genius portrait artist website. I'm in excellent company!

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Video, Black Butterfly: the muse solo show



Video footage of "Black Butterfly: the muse" solo exhibition at 33 Collective Gallery, Chicago.
Opening Reception was September 18, 2009. Show ran until October 10th. Thanks to Sergio Gomez for providing this video.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

My Work at the Visionary Art Gallery

I'm honored that my work has been accepted and featured on the Visionary Art Gallery website! I'm amazed to be included among these inspirational artists!


Find more photos like this on Visionary Art

Friday, September 25, 2009

Photos: Black Butterfly Opening Reception















I love opening nights and the "Black Butterfly: the muse" reception was the best ever for me. The show was well attended, partly because of the support of many friends, and also because of the vibrancy of the community of my co-op gallery at 33 Collective and also the Zhou B Art Center Chicago, which are both open the third Friday of each month. The reaction to my work far exceeded my expectations and I spent the night answering many questions about my process and imagery. My husband Steve White sang and played his own songs at the reception. Christine Pfeiffer read some of her own writings, as well as my poems and those of Maya Angelou and Oscar Wilde. Many thanks to both of you for lending an extra dash of culture and class to the event! Also, big thanks to Sergio Gomez for all of your help setting up the show.

Here are photos from the opening reception which took place Friday September 18th, 2009. Thanks to my friends Mike Barret Kolasinski and Mary Beth Deitrick for taking photos for me throughout the evening.

Gallery hours at 33 Collective,
Monday through Thursday:
10 am to 2 pm
Friday: 10 am to 7 pm

Zhou B. Art Center
1029 W. 35th St.
First Floor
Chicago, IL 60609
Ph. 708-837-4534

Friday, September 18, 2009

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Solo Exhibition, Black Butterfly: the muse




Black Butterfly: the muse

Alice McMahon White
charcoal realist drawings on mylar drafting film

September 18th through October 10th

Opening Reception:
Friday, September 18 from 7 - 10 pm
Featuring live dance performances,
music by Steve White and
poetry readings by Christine Pfeiffer.

View online gallery

33 Collective Gallery
Zhou B. Art Center
1029 W. 35th St.
First Floor
Chicago, IL 60609
Ph. 708-837-4534

Gallery Hours
Monday through Thursday:
10 am to 2 pm
Friday: 10 am to 7 pm

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Panthea Daily Study






White lilies and panthea moth. Charcoal and white pastel on Mylar drafting film, 16 x 12", in vintage frame. The white lily was the signature flower for Oscar Wilde, and I also consider it my own signature flower. I’ve used it as a logo since I started my career as an artist, and also have used the lily often in the Black Butterfly muse series. I love the symbolism of peace and purity.

Wilde writes of lilies in his poem “Panthea.” Wilde’s beliefs were Pantheistic, characterized by oneness with nature. The word pantheism derives from the Greek words pan ('all') and theos ('God'). Thus pantheism means 'All is God'.
Pantheism is the religious belief that Nature is divine (God) and we humans are part of the One, interconnected whole. It is in realizing our connection to the One Universe (Nature, God, Brahman, Tao, Space) that we find truth, spiritual fulfillment and solace. Pantheists usually deny the existence of a personal God (theism) and creationism (a separate God who created the world from nothing).

Many philosophers, scientists, poets and artists have identified themselves with pantheism since antiquity. Spinoza (Ethics, 1673), Henry David Thoreau, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Oscar Wilde, Henri Matisse and Albert Einstein are some famous pantheists.

There is a moth by the same name, and I like the idea of the dusky moth with the white flower.

From "Panthea" by Oscar Wilde

Nay, let us walk from fire unto fire,
From passionate pain to deadlier delight,-
I am too young to live without desire,
Too young art thou to waste this summer night
Asking those idle questions which of old
Man sought of seer and oracle, and no reply was told.

For sweet, to feel is better than to know,
And wisdom is a childless heritage,
One pulse of passion-youth's first fiery glow,-
Are worth the hoarded proverbs of the sage:
Vex not thy soul with dead philosophy,
Have we not lips to kiss with, hearts to love, and eyes
to see!

Dost thou not hear the murmuring nightingale
Like water bubbling from a silver jar,
So soft she sings the envious moon is pale,
That high in heaven she hung so far
She cannot hear that love-enraptured tune,-
Mark how she wreathes each horn with mist, yon late
and laboring moon.

White lilies, in whose cups the gold bees dream,
The fallen snow of petals where the breeze
Scatters the chestnut blossom, or the gleam
Of all our endless sins, our vain endeavor
Enough for thee, dost thou desire more?
Alas! the Gods will give naught else from their
eternal store….

Saturday, September 12, 2009

The Butterfly Effect



Portrait of my artist friend Martin Soto, chanting in his “cocoon” meditation room at his studio at Zhou B Art Center, based on the theory that the flapping of a butterfly’s wings can cause a hurricane on the other side of the world. The interior life can have profound effects on the world as well. Martin allowed me to take photos of him while he was practicing Buddhist chant. He uses meditation as a means to put himself in a good frame of mind to create. Martin has begun to paint butterflies on the canvas wall coverings in his meditation room, after we had a discussion that spirit is one symbolic meaning of butterflies. The day I photographed Martin he was in emotional turmoil, and it was amazing to watch the transforming power of his prayer. I thought this was a perfect metaphor for the Butterfly Effect drawing. The nautilus is a symbol for spirituality, and has 31 chambers while the Buddhist prayer beads have 30. It wasn't a conscious decision, but this piece for me has a strong relationship with hurricane Katrina.

Monday, September 7, 2009

"Madame Butterfly"



"He will call Butterfly from the distance
I without answering
Stay hidden
A little to tease him,
A little as to not die.
At the first meeting,
And then a little troubled
He will call, he will call
"Little one, dear wife
Blossom of orange""

~ Puccini


"Madame Butterfly" model, dancer Cori Kolasinski, daughter of an artist friend. Charcoal on Mylar drafting film, 24 x 20."

This is a "double sided" drawing, I drew on both sides of the translucent Mylar, and it will be hung in a frame between 2 sheets of glass. The piece is meant to be hung near a picture window in the gallery space, with daylight shining through the window during the day, and with spot lights after dark. There will be room behind the piece so that viewers will be able to view the work from either side. Kind of a quick loose drawing, because I wanted to show movement. I used the progressive setting on my camera to capture movement - I have hundreds of usable photos from the shoot. The res was a bit lower, but the captures were fairly clear. I'll definitely draw more from this shoot at a later date. The voluminous skirt Cori wore during the shoot appeared lit from within in the north light of the studio as she did pirouettes and arabesques. I believe this will provide drama with light showing through as the piece hangs in the gallery.

The main purpose was to have a piece that would be an example of the nature of my chosen surface. I also wanted to include a dancer in my "muse" series, what better theme than a dance version of the well known Puccini opera, "Madame Butterfly?"

Artistic video with music from the opera:

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Small Brass Butterfly Shrines - Daily Drawings





Charcoal and white pastel pencil on Mylar drafting film. Image size 4 x 2", frames 5 3/4 x 3"

I found these fabulous small vintage solid brass religious icon shrines at my local antique dealer's. There were yellowing postcards of Jesus and Saint Therese in the frames, but I got sacrilegious and drew butterflies for them instead. I've used a paisley patterned backing paper behind the translucent Mylar - nice with the brass of the frames. The doors are hinged.

The butterfly has long been a Christian symbol of resurrection, for it disappears into a cocoon and appears dead, but emerges later far more beautiful and powerful than before.

As a symbol of Christ's resurrection after three days in the grave, the butterfly is seen especially around Easter. But the butterfly is also a symbol of every Christian's hope of resurrection from the dead.

Close up of one of the butterfly shrines:

Monday, August 31, 2009

#9 Dream (Homage to Salvador Dalí)






Charcoal on Mylar drafting film, 12 x 24".

A surrealistic impression of John Lennon's murder.

For the drawing, I've used a reference photo of the Charter Arms .38 revolver the police confiscated at the scene of the crime, tagged as shown in the photo. The butterflies, white lily, and stormy backdrop are from my own references I took on recent vacations. The flower placed inside the gun barrel is reminiscent of 1967's “Flower Power,” photo by Bernard Norman, showing a long-haired antiwar protester shoving carnations into the gun barrels of MPs during an anti-Vietnam protest at the Pentagon. The caterpillar and butterflies are symbols of the earthly life, spirit, and transformation in the afterlife, and were often used by artist Salvador Dalí.

Lennon was murdered on December 8, 1980, shot four times in the back.

In 1979, Lennon's assassin (nameless, as Yoko requested) began drinking heavily and developed an obsession for contemporary art. He bought numerous items of art, including a Salvador Dali, amassing a debt that was becoming way out of control. He began reading with an insatiable appetite, especially “The Catcher in The Rye.” He often interpreted lyrics as if they had been written especially for him. #9 Dream from Lennon's "Walls & Bridges" album was a special song for John - some say the strange and haunting lyrics of #9 Dream are John's premonition of his own death. According to John, the foreign-sounding phrase "Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé." doesn't mean anything...it is just a phrase that came to him in a dream and he decided to base a song around it.

As I was drawing from the storm landscape reference photo, I noticed a vague dark spout along the horizon. There was a tornado touchdown this past July during the storm I had photographed while we were driving, skirting the eye of the storm near Galena, Illinois. I'm not sure if I had captured the funnel's beginning, but I emphasized the funnel effect in my drawing. The sense of impending doom was strong that afternoon and it matches my unease in the current climate in the states.

My motivation for drawing this piece is the surge in gun sales since U.S. President Obama was elected, just one of the many issues in the current American landscape. "It's simply paranoia," said Thomas Mannard of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence. "And it's irresponsible, from my point of view, to be touting how wonderful this is. More guns definitely equal more death."

Mr. Lennon still inspires.

I have a dream...


#9 Dream

So long ago
Was it in a dream, was it just a dream?
I know, yes I know
Seemed so very real, it seemed so real to me

Took a walk down the street
Thru the heat whispered trees
I thought I could hear (hear, hear, hear)
Somebody call out my name, as it started to rain

Two spirits dancing so strange

Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé

Dream, dream away
Magic in the air, was magic in the air?
I believe, yes I believe
More I cannot say, what more can I say?

On a river of sound
Thru the mirror go round, round
I thought I could feel (feel, feel, feel)
Music touching my soul, something warm, sudden cold
The spirit dance was unfolding

Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé


Lyrics, by John Lennon


The butterfly wings along the flower stem are after this painting by Salvador Dalí:




Artist Statement, Black Butterfly: The Muse




Solo Exhibition opens September 18th through October 10th 2009 at 33 Collective Gallery at Zhou B Art Center, Chicago.

Statement:

It’s all about inspiration.

In my series of symbolist figurative works “Black Butterfly: The Muse,” the ethereal butterfly represents the artist's muse and subjects are always those who are involved in the creative arts. Butterflies may seem a trite symbol, but in the summer of 2008, I had an unusual amount of butterfly sightings, especially black varieties. These occurred just as I was going through a burst of artistic creativity. I wrote my first poem in decades about the encounters as metaphoric of the artist's muse and began to include butterflies in a new series of charcoal drawings executed on heavy weight frosted Mylar drafting film.

I'm most influenced by the visionary artists, magic realists such as the Pre-Raphaelites, William Blake, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Andrew Wyeth. I admire the deep emotion they convey through use of the figure and props and their subtle manipulation of reality.

Classical themes from literature or gods and goddesses find a place in “Black Butterfly.” The artist’s muse and gifts can have destructive effects on the ego, and the butterfly metaphor of death and transformation in the afterlife is a strong element in my works depicting celebrities who died through drug abuse or murder. Celebrity portraits have an element of a “cover tune” and are not my usual fare; however, I have used a few of them here to illustrate the idea of giftedness and the celebrity that can be the result of strong personal charisma. These icons of popular culture are our heroes, gods and goddesses of our era. Wherever possible, I have obtained the permission of the original photographer to use their references.

While I most often use my own references, I also embrace the contemporary idea of internet community, sometimes presenting drawings from online artist friend’s self-portrait photography. Combining historical classical painting themes with these personas and symbols, my intent is to relate a deeper truth about the subject and the meanings of life and art in general.

From a technical aspect, I enjoy playing with the translucent quality of the Mylar film in the drawn and erased surface, which is so beautiful for rendering the reflective quality of human complexions. I am also experimenting with the color and texture of the backing paper, sometimes layering a drawing or digital image on the backing paper which shows through the Mylar surface. One drawing of John Lennon is framed in a lighted shrine box, with an electric candle shining through the Mylar. Cast off vintage frames are part of my process; I enjoy taking something that may be regarded as trash and reusing it in an unexpected and creative manner. These lend a sculptural quality in the work, and reflect on my classic style and subject matter.

These drawings are meant to be noble representations of individual subjects, and also illustrative of the best aspects of our time: bringing together a wealth of influences, a recognition of art history, and a contemporary attitude, to create images that are of the moment, but that hopefully will also remain relevant in the future.

~ Alice McMahon White, Chicago, September 2009

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Still I Rise ~ Daily Drawing





“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” ~ Maya Angelou

Black Butterfly series, miniature portrait of poet and author Maya Angelou. Charcoal and white pastel on Mylar drafting film with digital print poem underlay, in vintage tabletop swing frame. Image size 9 x 7"



Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

The Picture of Dorian Gray

"I knew that I had come face to face with some one whose mere personality was so fascinating that, if I allowed it to do so, it would absorb my whole nature, my whole soul, my very art itself." ~ Oscar Wilde ~ The Picture of Dorian Gray






My solo show is scheduled to open at 33 Collective Gallery on September 18th. I have just a couple more wall holes to fill before then. “The Picture of Dorian Gray” (36" x 28" charcoal on Mylar drafting film in vintage mirror frame) is another work for Black Butterfly: The Muse, my series inspired by the arts, with my subjects coming from the various artistic disciplines.

This is a portrait of artist/musician/model Ryan Dies. I met Ryan in an art jewelry shop, “1 ofmykind jewels” during a recent trip to the historic town of Galena, Illinois. Ryan was friendly and engaging right off. He was wearing a heavy beaded choker of his own design and looked so handsome I couldn’t resist asking him if I could take a few photographs to be used for a drawing. Ryan was happy to pose for the references, and the natural light was beautiful that day. Peacock feathers and ornate gilt mirror frames were part of the décor of the shop, so ideas for the drawing were formed almost immediately during the shoot. We had a nice conversation about the Chicago art scene and I talked with Ryan about a couple of his very good surrealist paintings that were on display. Later as I looked through the photos I decided Ryan would make the perfect model for a contemporary “Dorian Gray.”
The Picture of Dorian Gray is the only published novel by the Irish poet Oscar Wilde. It is a story about a handsome young man who becomes enthralled with the idea of a new hedonism. He begins to indulge in every kind of pleasure, moral and immoral.

I used a compilation of several of the reference photos from Ryan’s shoot for the finished drawing. The peacock feathers seemed a natural symbol for Dorian’s pride in his physical appearance, the pride that made him wish to never grow old. I took liberties by changing Ryan’s existing forearm tattoo to one with a butterfly and poppy flowers – symbols for transformation and for “Dorian’s” travels to an opium den as a way to escape his crimes. I decided to add the skull ring on Dorian’s hand – a design by Jodie McGill of 1 ofmykind. I thought the skull was very appropriate as a reference to the plot of Wilde's novel. The butterflies in this work refer to Dorian’s muse: his own handsome mirror image; saved from corruption by the putrefying portrait that grows more horrifying with each sin committed by his increasingly evil character. I decided that I’d prefer to keep the decaying “picture” implied only, by using the ornate mirror frame to display this work.

Outside of physical beauty there is no comparing Ryan’s pleasant personality with the ugly character of Dorian Gray. He has been delightful to work with and I look forward to following this talented young man’s career.

Here's a fun and appropriate related video. Enjoy!

Friday, August 14, 2009

Roses and Rue





From the Black Butterfly series.

Mini portrait of Oscar Wilde – image size 10×8” Charcoal and white pastel pencil on Mylar film. A copy of an early draft of Roses and Rue, in Wilde’s own hand, shows through the translucent Mylar.

Roses and Rue

by Oscar Wilde, for actress Lillie Langtry

Could we dig up this long-buried treasure,
Were it worth the pleasure,
We never could learn love’s song,
We are parted too long

Could the passionate past that is fled
Call back its dead,
Could we live it all over again,
Were it worth the pain!

I remember we used to meet
By an ivied seat,
And you warbled each pretty word
With the air of a bird;

And your voice had a quaver in it,
Just like a linnet,
And shook, as the blackbird’s throat
With its last big note;

And your eyes, they were green and grey
Like an April day,
But lit into amethyst
When I stooped and kissed;

And your mouth, it would never smile
For a long, long while,
Then it rippled all over with laughter
Five minutes after.

You were always afraid of a shower,
Just like a flower:
I remember you started and ran
When the rain began.

I remember I never could catch you,
For no one could match you,
You had wonderful, luminous, fleet,
Little wings to your feet.

I remember your hair – did I tie it?
For it always ran riot -
Like a tangled sunbeam of gold:
These things are old.

I remember so well the room,
And the lilac bloom
That beat at the dripping pane
In the warm June rain;

And the colour of your gown,
It was amber-brown,
And two yellow satin bows
From the shoulders rose.

And the handkerchief of French lace
Which you held to your face-
Had a small tear left a stain?
Or was it the rain?

On your hand as it waved adieu
There were veins of blue;
In your voice as it said good-bye
Was a petulant cry,

“You have only wasted your life.”
(Ah, that was the knife!)
When I rushed through the garden gate
It was all too late.

Could we live it over again,
Were it worth the pain,
Could the passionate past that is fled
Call back its dead!

Well, if my heart must break,
Dear love, for your sake,
It will break in music, I know,
Poets’ hearts break so.

But strange that I was not told
That the brain can hold
In a tiny ivory cell
God’s heaven and hell.


Scenes from the 1978 mini series "Lillie" Francesca Annis as Lillie Langtry
Peter Egan as Oscar Wilde, music "Oscillate Wildly" by The Smiths


Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)







From the “Black Butterfly: The Muse” series, installation portrait of John Lennon, charcoal on Mylar drafting film, 15 x 14” in vintage lighted corner shrine box, overall 20 x 18 x 10.” The translucent Mylar allows the back lighting to shine through the drawing. There is a small installation on the built-in shelf of the box: a traditional Indian oil lamp and incense burner, and a photo of Lennon with second wife Yoko Ono, from the cover of “The Wedding Album” (1969.) There will eventually be a real decoupage butterfly on the upper portion of the box. In the photo, I have taped a temporary one to the box to show placement.

John Winston Ono Lennon, (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980) was an English rock musician, singer, songwriter, artist and peace activist and one of the founding members of The Beatles. My installation piece is inspired by the John Lennon 1970 single Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) and incorporates references to the Beatles trip to India in 1968 to study Transcendental Meditation. Lennon’s resemblance to Jesus in the portrait is intentional as an acknowledgment of his March 4, 1966 statement to the press: “(The Beatles are) more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first-rock 'n' roll or Christianity.”

In February 1968, the flower-power counterculture was alive and well, flourishing in a village called Rishikesh in the Himilayan foothills. There, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was offering a three-month course in transcendental meditation.

While other swamis were offering traditional spiritual instruction in modest huts along the banks of the Ganges, the Maharishi had constructed an air-conditioned ashram — surrounded by barbed wire — for the comfort and privacy of celebrity acolytes such as actress Mia Farrow, Beach Boy Mike Love, folk singer Donovan and, of course, John, Paul, George and Ringo.

Symbolism:

In Hinduism, the lotus (water lily) primarily represents beauty and non-attachment. The lotus is rooted in the mud but floats on the water without becoming wet or muddy. This symbolizes how one should live in the world in order to gain release from rebirth: without attachment to one's surroundings. Water has been an object of worship since a very early age among the Hindus, and plays an important role even today in Hindu religious rites. During all purification rites, water is sprinkled on the object to be purified. The butterfly is symbolic to me as Lennon’s muse, or inspiration, and in this case, is also a symbol for transformation in the afterlife.

I used several different reference photos of John Lennon combined to create this unique image. The clouds across his forehead are taken from the cover of Lennon's "Imagine" album. The mosaic backdrop is from photos of the John Lennon Imagine memorial mosaic at Strawberry Fields in Central Park in New York City. The Lotus reference was taken by my good friend Lindybird.

I listened to John Lennon’s music, and covers of it as well, throughout the drawing process. I was frequently moved to tears by the fact that so many of the lyrics are still relevant today.

~ Imagine Peace! ~ Alice

(For my September solo exhibition, the installation will be placed in a darkened corner of the gallery, and there will be more items related to John Lennon’s life included on a pedestal.)

Studio music:

“Imagine” John Lennon
“Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur”
“Across the Universe Soundtrack”


Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) lyrics

Songwriter: John Winston Lennon

Instant Karma's gonna get you,
Gonna knock you right on the head,
You better get yourself together,
Pretty soon you're gonna be dead,
What in the world you thinking of,
Laughing in the face of love,
What on earth you tryin' to do,
It's up to you, yeah you.

Instant Karma's gonna get you,
Gonna look you right in the face,
Better get yourself together darlin',
Join the human race,
How in the world you gonna see,
Laughin' at fools like me,
Who on earth d'you think you are,
A super star,
Well, right you are.

Well we all shine on,
Like the moon and the stars and the sun,
Well we all shine on,
Ev'ryone come on.

Instant Karma's gonna get you,
Gonna knock you off your feet,
Better recognize your brothers,
Ev'ryone you meet,
Why in the world are we here,
Surely not to live in pain and fear,
Why on earth are you there,
When you're ev'rywhere,
Come and get your share.

Well we all shine on,
Like the moon and the stars and the sun,
Yeah we all shine on,
Come on and on and on on on,
Yeah yeah, alright, uh huh, ah-.

Well we all shine on,
Like the moon and the stars and the sun,
Yeah we all shine on,
On and on and on on and on.

Well we all shine on,
Like the moon and the stars and the sun.
Well we all shine on,
Like the moon and the stars and the sun.
Well we all shine on,
Like the moon and the stars and the sun.
Yeah we all shine on,
Like the moon and the stars and the sun.

“Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur”