REBEKAH'S SMILE (4-Track Cassette Video)

I'll be performing this new song on Sunday (12/1/24) at VCA!

I will perform “Rebekah’s Smile” this Sunday, December 1, 2024 at 2:00 pm at Vashon Center for the Arts as part of a celebration of Rebekah Kuzma’s life on what would have been her 52nd birthday. The event is free. Donations to the Women in Balance Institute are welcome.

Vashon Island has lost a beloved member of our community. Rebekah Kuzma died by suicide on October 16, 2024.

As co-lead singer of the folk rock band St. Ophelia, she was a highly regarded member of our local music scene. While we were not super close, she was my friend. I was stunned to learn that she had taken her own life.

When I heard the news, I flashed back to the last time I saw her as she prepared to perform a set at a fundraiser for Vashon Household at Dig Deep Gardens. We exchanged smiles, a hearty hug and a brief chat. I was always delighted to see her. Reflecting on this fleeting encounter, I don’t recall any signs that she was hurting.

In a touching article written by Elizabeth Shepherd in our local paper, I was moved by a pair of quotes from Rebekah’s husband, Jonathan.

“Rebekah was haunted by the notion that she was unloved, unwanted, a burden.”

“Life for Rebekah had always been a struggle. For the 30 years I had known her, she was continually plagued by fears and doubts. She never felt secure in her worth no matter how much love she received, no matter how much she achieved.”

These heartbreaking statements echoed in my mind as I sat at the far end of the old lodge at Camp Sealth during Rebekah’s memorial service. As the slide show played on the big screen, pensive music filled the air and tears rolled down my face. As I scanned the room taking in the large crowd gathered to mourn her passing, I wished Rebekah could have witnessed this outpouring of love.

That night, I struck upon a song idea. It wasn’t much to begin with, just three simple chords and an opening line: “I wish you’d seen us all today at the shoreline in the rain.” “At Camp Sealth in the lodge” did not sing well, so I employed a bit of poetic license and moved the setting of the memorial service to the shoreline. I recorded a sketch of the idea into my phone and turned in for the night.

First thing the next morning, I bounced it off of my partner, Elaine Summers. She dug it. We got right to work crafting this little seed into a full-fledged song. By the time I left to catch the 12:45 ferry to Southworth, we had refined the first two verses and written a chorus.

While driving on the peninsula, I worked up a rough third verse. After dinner that night, we crafted the last verse and knocked out a bridge and by the time our heads hit the pillow, we had a completed song. Without further ado, here it is. (Lyrics below.)

Paid subscribers can download this video by visiting my rarities page.

Peace & Love Songs,

Pete

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REBEKAH’S SMILE

I wish you’d seen us all today
At the shoreline in the rain
There was nothing we could say
Nothing we could do to make it change

As the waves were crashing on the beach
We had to let you go
How could it be our love was out of reach?
We will never know
We were just too blind to see behind Rebekah's smile

I wish you’d seen what we could see
All the bright light of your beauty
Just walking down the street
You were sparkling like your jewelry

As the waves were crashing on the beach
We had to let you go
How could it be our love was out of reach?
We will never know
We were just too blind to see behind Rebekah's smile

So where does it leave us now?
Just wondering why and how
How are we gonna make sense of all this?

Wish you could hear the music play
As the tears roll down my face
Your voice carried us away
There will be no one to take your place

As the waves were crashing on the beach
We had to let you go
How could it be our love was out of reach?
We will never know
We were just too blind to see behind Rebekah's smile
We were just too blind to see behind Rebekah's smile

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