FAWM 2026 / Song 5 Instrument: koa baritone ukulele tuned low DGBE

in October, I received an exciting invitation to collab with my brilliant composer friend Henco on a choral composition. My assignment was to write a song for Advent that “could be performed at any time of year.” I wrote these lyrics on the plane to the Ohio Valley Filk Festival, and Henco turned them into a gorgeous choral piece, accompanied by piano, that we performed at church this winter.

One of my goals in writing the lyrics, after doing some research on the Advent season and Bible stories around Christmas, was to play with the idea of light being “good” and dark being “bad,”intentionally turning that false binary into something more round. I’m quite happy with how the lyrics came together.

I have been meaning to create an acoustic version I could sing and play solo, and since I am an alto in the choir and didn’t really know the melody to our song as well as my harmony — nor do I have any chords for it, I decided to try my hand at creating a new melody, just for fun. The choral piece is, of course, the official version of our song, but I can always use practice writing melodies, and this was really fun to explore on ukulele.

See all my originals here: https://tinyurl.com/seligsongs

#ukulele #singersongwriter #personwithukulele #girlwithukulele #acousticonetake #fuc #uke #acoustic #advent #queer #baritoneukulele #baritoneuke

Look, you miraculous child Do you know what a dream you are? Only an absolute incarnation Could make it this far

Here in the waiting The darkness can hold every one of us A little light slants as the season breathes There is just enough

Just enough light To see between On the border of possible

Just enough dark For a wilderness place To be sought and found

Just enough light For a hovering wing To promise us flight, To say love changes everything

Just enough dark For the myst’ry To get in your body And turn you around

Just enough light Just enough dark For just where we are now

See, we are making a place For our stories and holiest haunts Only a hope that can die and return Could speak to our want

Joy may come mornings But darkness can be where we find our peace A little light shines like all flesh together Will be relieved

Just enough light To see between On the border of possible

Just enough dark For a wilderness place To be sought and found

Just enough light For a hovering wing To promise us flight, To say love changes everything

Just enough dark For the myst’ry To get in your body And turn you around

Just enough light Just enough dark For just where we are now