hear the songs

Mill Pond

The gritty title song about the meaning of home and how it might change with time.

Snowflake Kisses

A haunting song about loss and the enduring power of place and season.

Porcelain Heart

A sweet love song for anyone fortunate enough to give and receive love.

THE LYRICS

The one stoplight still blocks traffic at the Elm Square bridge

And Gerry’s still sells chocolate frappes like they always did

The old school’s now a soccer field and the ice skates gather dust

‘Cause winter’s not as fearsome now as it always was

Though I moved and raised a family where the sweet magnolias bloom

That small town by the windswept coast is where I set my roots

So lay me down at the river’s edge when my journey ends

In the place where I come from where I’ll take my final rest

 

Lay me down where I come from though the Mill Pond’s choked with weeds

Where I’m from won’t make no lists but it’s surely home to me

Lay me down where I come from where the river meets the sea

Forged by storms and bitter winds they surely did make me

 

The grass grows ‘round the memory stones like an old cloak torn and frayed

Not often that I’ve read the words that mark their silent days

All the rest I care about have scattered to the wind

I have no need to travel back to see them once again

But lay me down at the river’s edge when this journey ends

In the place where I come from where I’ll take my final rest

 

Lay me down where I come from though the Mill Pond’s choked with weeds

Where I’m from won’t make no lists but it’s surely home to me

Lay me down where I come from where the river meets the sea

Forged by storms and bitter winds they surely did make me

 

Lay me down where I come from not where I choose to be

Where I’m from ain’t no place special but it’s surely home to me

Lay me down where I come from in that small town by the sea

Forged by storms and bitter winds they surely did make me

It’s the place where I come from and it’s surely home to me

Throwing Spaldeens against the stoop and pennies against the wall

Fire escape when it got too hot and football in the fall

Bronx Bombers’ for the kid from Brooklyn and pickles from a barrel

I’d heard those stories all my life from the man I’ve tried to follow

 

His mother’s hand full of love in a bread line full of loss

In his eyes but not his voice we saw the lingering cost

Hard scrap tears were never bitter as his stories cried with joy

Still I struggled to hear the man while I was just a foolish boy

 

My father’s stories often told never seemed much use

While I harbored my resentment and tried to kill the youth

Now he’s gone and I understand how his stories nourished me

With a father’s love that he passed on to my own family

 

Cheap whiskey in his lazy boy my kids worship at his feet

Laughing about his night in jail with his long-lost friend Kabib

If there’s glory in the escapades from that Coney Island town

It’s in the love those boardwalk memories continue to pass down

 

My father’s stories often told never seemed much use

While I harbored my resentment and tried to kill the youth

Now he’s gone and I understand how his stories nourished me

With a father’s love that he passed on to my own family

 

There’s so much now as I grow old that I wish to emulate

After all those rebellious years and resentment so misplaced

Now when I see his face and eyes stare back from the mirror’s gaze

I hope he’s proud of what I passed on and kept good his loving name

 

My father’s stories often told never seemed much use

While I harbored my resentment and tried to kill the youth

Now he’s gone and I understand how his stories nourished me

With a father’s love that he passed on to my own family

With a father’s love that he passed on to my own family

With a father’s love

Driving west on one thirteen New England won’t let go

Snowflake kisses on the windshield my thoughts swirl like melting snow

Familiar buildings and old friends slightly weathered but steadfast

Winter’s memory where we used to sled like snowflake kisses you float past

 

Snowflake kisses drift against my brow

New England chills me to the bone nor’easter winds bear down

Country roads and old stone fences covered white with snow

Southern breezes soft and gentle in the here and now

Can’t melt the cold of old New England and snowflake kisses from long ago

 

Driving east out on one ten nothing sinister to find

Around the bend in the blackening snow after all this time

Where once on a December night icy moonlight reflected red

Snowflake kiss frozen for all time try to remember what we last said

 

Snowflake kisses drift against my brow

New England chills me to the bone nor’easter winds bear down

Country roads and old stone fences covered white with snow

Southern breezes soft and gentle in the here and now

Can’t melt the cold of old New England and snowflake kisses from long ago

 

If I turned left at the next street I know it would look the same

Same old house in the same old place same tears and the same pain

 

Snowflake kisses drift against my brow

New England chills me to the bone nor’easter winds bear down

Country roads and old stone fences buried white with snow

Southern breezes soft and gentle in the here and now

Can’t melt the cold of old New England and snowflake kisses from long ago

Can’t melt the cold of old New England and snowflake kisses from long ago

It’s another Mother’s Day peonies fill the air

The cards all promise deepest love but life’s not promised fair

Covered ears afraid to breath in the corner of my room

Silence shrieking down the halls echoing through our home

 

It’s another Mother’s Day a single picture on the shelf

Forgiveness hard after all these years for her and for myself

It’s another Mother’s Day most memories never help

Forgiveness hard after all these years for her and for myself

 

Understanding like a pearl that took me years to find

I was the rock in stormy seas her wrecked dreams left behind

If only it was in my heart to offer roses and a cake

Instead another tear drop falls on another Mother’s day

 

It’s another Mother’s Day a single picture on the shelf

Forgiveness hard after all these years for her and for myself

It’s another Mother’s Day most memories never help

Forgiveness hard after all these years for her and for myself

 

Never did forgive my mother now she’s long since gone

Her frightened eyes haunt me still too much damage done

Mother Mary Bloody Mary what’s left to confront

Can forgiveness replace regrets or lift the shroud off your son

 

It’s another Mother’s Day a single picture on the shelf

Forgiveness hard after all these years for her and for myself

It’s another Mother’s Day most memories never help

Forgiveness hard after all these years for her and for myself

Forgiveness hard on Mother’s Day for her and for myself

Came across the Blue Ridge mountains not knowing what I’d find

My old man not long buried in the town I left behind

Thinking on gold rings gone cold and the unmarked dead end roads

Looking for the grace to face the mistakes I’ll forever own

 

Found myself in Music City alone and lost down on Broadway

Walked into the Mother Church though I’d never learned to pray

I was hoping for redemption and a guitar that would sing

To baptize me in notes of blue with a song from Tennessee

 

I need a song just a simple tune one to wash clean over me

And baptize me in notes of blue with a song from Tennessee

 

She stood on the Commodore stage singing about compassion

While I sat in the shadows still looking for salvation

Her music washed clean over me like the fountain of Peirene

And baptized me in notes of blue with a song from Tennessee

 

I need a song just a simple tune one to wash clean over me

And baptize me in notes of blue with a song from Tennessee

I need a song just a simple tune as I drop down on my knees

To baptize me in notes of blue with a song from Tennessee

And baptize me in notes of blue with a song from Tennessee

Three score and a few heading down this crooked road

Coffee stops at Pedro’s eggs and hash at Joe’s

Cheap motels, swayback beds, rear window goodbye views

I kept on driving this crooked highway not much more to lose

 

Bless the crooked highway and the white lines on the road

Bless the crooked highway that led me to your door

Thankful for the Speedway truck stops and friends along the way

Bless the miles that led to you driving down this crooked highway

 

North to south coast to coast days passed in a blur

My thoughts were tuned to yesterday blues around most curves

From Merrimack to Malibu there were exits and detours

Certain there was someone out there I was certain there was more

 

Bless the crooked highway and the white lines on the road

Bless the crooked highway that led me to your door

Thankful for the Speedway truck stops and friends along the way

Bless the miles that led to you driving down this crooked highway

 

I’ve seen my share of Pacific sunsets and Shenandoah blue

Felt the cold rain on my neck and soaking through my shoes

But I wouldn’t trade a second or take a different route

‘Cause the crooked highway led me to the love I found in you

 

Bless the crooked highway and the white lines on the road

Bless the crooked highway that led me to your door

Thankful for the Speedway truck stops and friends along the

Bless the miles that led to you

Oh Bless the crooked highway and the white lines on the road

Bless the crooked highway that led me to your love

Thankful for the Speedway truck stops and the friends along the way

Bless the miles that led to you driving down this crooked highway

Barely made it through the deluge on my way to you

With the streetlight and your white dress lying soft as morning dew

So melt with me into this night cast your fears aside

Put your hand in mine let the blue moon lead the way

Put your hand in mine there’s no need to be afraid

I will cradle soft your porcelain heart and keep the bulls at bay

 

The rain thrummed out a twilight song on the tin above

As summer wrapped us in her arms and crickets sang of love

Now melt with me into this night feel me deep inside

Put your hand in mine let the blue moon lead the way

Put your hand in mine all the rest will fade away

I will cradle soft your porcelain heart and keep the bulls at bay

 

Above us if the stars could cry they’d beg the clouds to part

For heaven’s sake to shine once more on our porcelain hearts

So melt with me into this night ‘til the morning shines

Put your hand in mine let the blue moon lead the way

Put your hand in mine we’ll dream the storm away

I will cradle soft your porcelain heart and keep the bulls at bay

Yes I’ll cradle soft your porcelain heart and keep those bulls at bay

Today I asked him without blinking “where you been all my life”

He answered after briefly thinking “spent the years trying to get it right”

He seemed sincere with kind blue eyes that looked deep into mine

And never flinched as I shared the song I’ve been trying to get right

 

Trying hard to get it right trying to get it right

You deserve my very best so I’m trying to get it right

 

I knew the moment she walked in and shook her raincoat at the door

That the wrongs I’ve struggled to get right was work worth taking on

Today she asked from her wild heart “where’ve you been all my life”

I answered plainly as I could spent the years trying to get it right

 

Trying hard to get it right trying to get it right

You deserve my very best so I’m trying to get it right

 

All the wrongs and petty slights that we have left behind

Lifted stones and shoveled dirt just trying to set it right

Though the river can’t turn back or day replace the night

For you from this day on I’ll get it right

 

Trying hard to get it right trying to get it right

You deserve my very best so I’m trying to get it right

Trying hard to get it right trying to get it right

You deserve my very best so for you I’ll get it right

For you I’ll get it right for you I’ll get it right

I started feeling sweet fall breezes that mark the summer’s end

When I can breathe in deeply come September once again

I watch the Black-eyed Susan fade and go to seed

As the days grow shorter and the years recede

 

I started thinking sweet fall breezes would bring the chill back in

Best to lay a cord or two before the snow flies on the wind

And though my favorite sweater needs more yarn to mend

It comforts when the thoughts of you arrive with the summer’s end

 

Summers come summers go we’re back in school again

Those first cool days of autumn when you were more than just a friend

Summers come summers go and the summer sun descends

Autumn’s chill with your memory comes with the summer’s end

 

I’ll light another fire and keep the frost at bay

The corn has all turned brown and the birds have flown away

Though the leaves all trumpet crimson gold they can’t chase the winter gray

Leaving me so blue and cold thinking of our summer days

 

Summers come summers go we’re back in school again

Those first cool days of autumn when you were more than just a friend

Summers come summers go and the summer sun descends

Autumn’s chill with your memory comes with the summer’s end

 

Those sweet dog days of summer you lying next to me

Gone with autumn breezes summer just a memory

 

Summers come summers go we’re back in school again

Those first cool days of autumn when you were more than just a friend

Summers come summers go and the summer sun descends

Autumn’s chill with your memory comes with the summer’s end

Autumn’s chill with your memory comes when the summer ends

If you’ve ever been to Cleveland you know storms come hard and mean

The grey gets down into your soul and the wind bites sharp and fierce

I met her there one winter with so much still to lose

Blown apart by the Cuyahoga River Blues

 

Midnight madness in the Heights as we played the game

Coventry midnights in the Heights tortured sheets by break of day

The morning light across our eyes left us blinded to the truth

Blinded by those Cuyahoga River Blues

 

Trying hard to forget all that I once knew

But she keeps surfacing from beneath the Cuyahoga River Blues

 

Through the wrong end of the scope it all appeared so clear

Something about the pines and hills that soothed our deeper fears

Silent days flowed into years as we drifted through

Struggling beneath the Cuyahoga River Blues

 

Trying hard to forget all that I once knew

But she keeps surfacing from beneath the Cuyahoga River Blues

 

I always loved the setting sun through the summer smog

Yeah I always loved the setting sun above the Terminal Tower

Like a pastel paint by number that’s colored mostly blue

Soot-stained memories from our muddled youth

                    

When I was in Cleveland those storms came hard and mean

The grey got down into my soul and the wind bit sharp and fierce

I met her there one winter both with so much still to lose

Blown apart by the Cuyahoga River Blues

Today I saw van Gogh’s almond tree and I cried a tear

Thinking of you trapped in spring like the blossoms soft and white

But the Amstel flows and the roses bloom in Amsterdam tonight

 

Today I saw Anne’s hidden rooms and I cried a tear

For floating clouds and summer dreams forevermore denied

But the bikes ride by and the canals are alive in Amsterdam tonight

 

The sun is setting on the rooftops the streets are crowded as boats drift by

The day weighs heavy my thoughts won’t stop in Amsterdam tonight

 

Tonight I saw the Boss go down and I cried a tear

For fallen idols, autumn leaves, and the dimming of the light

But the trains still run and the show goes on in Amsterdam tonight

The trains still run and the show must go on in Amsterdam tonight

 

The sun is setting on the rooftops the streets are crowded as boats drift by

The day weighs heavy my thoughts won’t stop in Amsterdam tonight

In Amsterdam tonight in Amsterdam tonight

MILL POND ALBUM RELEASE SHOW

ENO HOUSE ARTIST DEN – MARCH 2

the story behind
Mill Pond

Mill Pond is a powerful collection of songs that explores what it means to call a place “Home” — a theme that resonates deeply as Rich reflects on the people, places, and journeys that form our unique personal identities.

These songs came about by drawing on my experiences as a cancer surgeon, father, friend, lover, and fellow traveler. The songs paint a picture of the many ways we think about home, and how that image can change throughout the course of a lifetime. From the gritty title track, Mill Pond, to the hauntingly evocative Snowflake Kisses, time and place take a front seat, helping to drive the emotional connections we experience when thinking of “Home”.

Mill Pond was born when I was fortunate enough to be connected to acclaimed producer Jon Shain. I was introduced to Jon through fellow singer-songwriter Kirk Ridge after I performed on Kirk’s radio show, Pass the Hat, on WHUP-FM Hillsborough, North Carolina. Further good fortune led to my meeting Jon’s long-time friend and musical collaborator FJ Ventre. Jon and FJ guided Mill Pond to completion as Producer and Recording and Mixing Engineer, respectively, as well as lending their musical talents to these songs as collaborators. An unexpected connection developed between me and Jon, when we realized we had both grown up in adjoining towns on opposite sides of the Merrimack River in Massachusetts. This led to a unique understanding by Jon of the sense of place and the emotions these songs evoke.

Having arrived in Durham, North Carolina over 30 years ago, I was fortunate to have had a long career as a physician and surgeon at Duke University. Although I had long been writing songs, it was during the COVID pandemic that I focused my energies as a singer-songwriter, leading to Mill Pond.