Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream was to end discrimination and bring about racial equality. He devoted his life to pursuing this dream and inspired not only his generation, but future generations as well. There are many songs to use as dedications and in observation of MLK day, but here is a hidden gem- “Follow That Dream” recorded by Elvis Presley. “Follow That Dream” was a 1962 musical film starring Elvis. The words can be quite inspiring and I have found them resounding for me at this moment in my life. The original lyrics and music were composed by Fred Wise and Ben Weisman. I find this song is a great way to begin a discussion about our dreams and aspirations in life. Here are my adapted lyrics:
When you heart gets restless,
Time to move along.
When your heart gets weary,
Time to sing a song.
And when a dream is calling you,
There’s just one thing you got to do.
You gotta follow that dream
Where ever that dream may lead,
You gotta follow that dream
Where ever it may lead.
Gotta find the one thing
To make my heart free.
Something I’ve longed for,
A dream to be.
And when I find it,
I may find out.
Just what freedom is all about
I gotta follow that dream
Where ever that dream may lead,
I gotta follow that dream
Where ever it may lead.
You gotta follow that dream
Where ever that dream may lead,
You gotta follow that dream
Where ever it may lead.
Wade is a board-certified music therapist and one of the directors at Spectrum Creative Arts. He completed additional training programs in Orff-Schulwerk, Neurologic Music Therapy, and Performance Wellness. As a songwriter and creative writer, Wade has authored several music resource books for music therapy and music education.