Hazel Hill Woods “shall we be just like the trees” song

13 July 2021

I wrote this song in the soulful Hazel Hill Woods, Salisbury, UK, as part of a weekend run by Alan Heeks, Marcos Frangos and Jane Saunders. See https://www.naturalhappiness.net/ and https://hazelhill.org.uk/.

Please singalong! To hear the tune you can hear me singing it here: https://youtu.be/wuQWziiLdhI

Shall We Be Just Like the Trees
By Elizabeth Harrop

Here I am
And here we are
Hazel Hill Woods
Around the Fire

I’m asking myself
And I’d like to ask you
What is it that
Your soul’s here to do?

What makes your heart sing?
What makes you mad?
What expands your being?
And what makes you sad?

If you didn’t need money
What work would you do?
If time stretched out endless
What life would you choose?

I’m asking myself
And I’d like to ask you
What is it that
Your soul’s here to do?

I asked a pine tree
In the dark wood
Could I have advice please?
On must, could and should

What must I do?
Who could I be?
Where should I travel?
And once there, who to meet?

I’m asking myself
And I’d like to ask you
What is it that
Your soul’s here to do?

The pine tree held an Oak tree’s hand
And they said to me
The answer’s quite simple
Be just like a tree

We live in the wood
Being just who we are
Growing and swaying
Providing shade and shelter

I’m asking myself
And I’d like to ask you
What is it that
Your soul’s here to do?

The trees continued with their song
An audience of ants and bugs
Me and the birds
In awe of their words

The only thing
That you have to do, they said
Is to be just like us
And be true to yourself

Here I am
And here we are
Hazel Hill Woods
Around the Fire

I’m asking myself
And I’d like to ask you
What is it that
Your soul’s here to do?

I’m asking myself
And I’d like to ask you
Shall we be just like the trees
And stretch our arms up to the moon?

Shall we be just like the trees
And stretch our arms up to the moon …

Liberty & Humanity

For other ecopsychology poems I have written, please see: https://libertyandhumanity.com/themes/ecopsychology-poetry-and-art/