BELINDA - The Beautiful Willow (a.k.a. Bertha)

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UPDATE: As of Friday, November 28, the beautiful tree "Belinda," which was called by many different names, is no longer a landmark in Somerville, MA. Deborah herself didn't have the heart to make this announcement, but below you can read her words on "Belinda" before she was cut down, during the fight to save her. In addition, the links above will bring you to photos, music, news articles and more -- all dedicated to this magical tree and the people who loved her. -MB

To see a year in the life of "Belinda," leading up to her death, go to the Somerville Trees Blog.
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For years I've been singing about the beautiful willow named Belinda (aka Bertha and Tim). Now this beautiful tree is endangered! A run-down of events and a letter to Somerville Mayor Curtatone are here. Below are more photos, lyrics, and a jukebox where you can hear the tunes -- and soon, hopefully video of the Arlington High School Chorus singing their new 4-part arrangement of "Belinda" arranged by Pasquale Tassone.  Come hear me sing the song this weekend, Nov. 21 & 22nd, in two solo concerts at the Newburyport Firehouse to celebrate my birthday! See tour schedule here.

	The song, "Belinda" is a true story, so the lyrics below and the recording tell the tale. The song "Birth 'a Bertha" is a sequel . Read more about when and how I wrote them below and listen to them in the jukebox. On Wed. Nov. 19 at at 3pm the Arlington High School Chorus and I visited Belinda and sang "Belinda" and "Birth 'a Bertha." (see photo at left, by Greg Nadeau and more photos here). We'll try to get some video onto YouTube soon. We'll be singing "Belinda" again in their Winter Concert Dec. 3 at Arlington High School. This is part of a special project connecting professional musicians with students.
The treasure map! Belinda is in Davis Square, Somerville, MA - on the bike path just west of the Somerville Theater:

In short, I'd ridden past this beautiful tree many times on my bike, but one day I stopped, saw it and was completely overwhelmed with how magnificent the tree was, how unexpected in Somerville and how inspired I was that someone loved it enough to protect it and let it grace the city in that way. I loved it, but had no idea it had a name.

Then one day I was working with a temp in my office. I asked him where he lived, he said he lived just down the street from the beautiful willow. I knew exactly the tree he meant! He told me the willow's name was "Belinda." The next time I walked by the tree I looked up and thought, 'That's Belinda!" and spontaneously began singing a little samba, which became the song "Belinda."

I sang "Belinda" for years in my concerts – with the audience singing along. I even wrote a version of the song for full orchestra -- so people have now sung and heard the song all over the US and Europe.

One day, about five years after I'd started performing it, a man came up after a show and said, "That tree you sing about? I know that tree. But it's not called Belinda — its name is Bertha!" So the NEXT time I walked past I looked up and thought, "Hunh! So that's BERTHA!" and AGAIN, spontaneously a very different tune came into my head. That became the song, "Birth 'a Bertha."

I've gotten many stories from fans who've visited the tree and love it. One of my favorites is from a woman who wrote to tell me that she was picking up a twig from under the tree when a man asked her what she was doing. She said she wanted to take a part of Belinda home with her, root it and plant it in her own garden. The man was surprised and said it was his own father who had first planted the tree.

In Summer 2008, the Arlington High School Choir Director, Cheryl Christo, asked if I'd come do a project with the High School music students. I live in Arlington and have long been impressed by the music and theater departments there, so we agreed to perform three pieces of mine: one with chorus, one with orchestra and one with band. The vocal piece they chose was "Belinda" and composer (and former music department head of AHS), Pasquale Tassone, took my orchestral score and arranged it for 4-part choir of about 80 kids.

Before our first rehearsal Cheryl said the kids were dying to know where the tree actually was. I said I'd be happy to take them there and she said, "Hey, it'd be cool if the kids could sing the song to the tree." Thus was hatched our plan to sing "Belinda" to Belinda.

A few days later I received a panicked phone call from a fan telling me they were about to pull down Belinda! I ran out the door and headed for the tree where I found a group of neighbors who had, at least temporarily, staved off the destruction. When I got back home, I emailed Cheryl, told her the situation and we realized we needed to sing at the tree as soon as possible. So the chorus --about 70 kids, the choir director travelled to Belinda on Nov. 19 to sing what we hope will be a musial tribute -- and not a farewell.

LYRICS to the SONGS

BELINDA
At the end of the lane, there is a tree by the name of Belinda (Belinda)
She is the loveliest tree that you will ever see, Belinda (Belinda)
She is a happy weeping willow, She is as joyful as the spring.
And every time I see her I start to sing:

Belinda, Belinda -- what a beautiful tree. Belinda, Belinda -- what a sight to see.
Belinda, Belinda -- the most beautiful tree in town
Belinda, lean your lovely limbs down on me. (What a lovely tree)

For fifteen year I lived very near to Belinda (Belinda)
She was always there but I was never aware of Belinda (Belinda)
I must have passed close by a thousand time but I was always looking at the ground
And I never saw the loveliest tree in town.

I never saw:
Belinda, Belinda -- what a beautiful tree.
Belinda, lean your lovely limbs down on me. (What a lovely tree)

About five year back they turned the railroad track into a bike lane (Into a bike lane)
So I was riding along when I had a little trouble with my bike chain. (Bike chain)
I stopped to hooked it up, and then when I looked up, oh Lordy what did I see?
She was a swingin' and swayin' with her branches hangin' down
The loveliest tree in the whole darn town. Tall and green and oh, so lovely. Ahhhh....

Belinda, Belinda -- what a beautiful tree. Belinda, Belinda -- what a sight to see.
Belinda, Belinda, Belinda, Belinda, but I didn't know her name.
And so I simply stopped and stared.
There was nothing I could say.
I loved her in silence and silently went on my way.

One day I met a young man who came to help me with on a plan I had concocted for getting mega-famous. It was a very good plan, but it was taking a long time, so we got to talking about this and that and the other thing.
I asked him where he lived.
He said, "not far away."
I said, "But exactly where?"
He said, "Just down the way"
He said, "You'll know just where,
'Cause there's a land mark there
A thing you'd never miss."

Then what he said was this:
At the end of the lane there is a tree that I named Belinda (Belinda)
She is the loveliest tree that you will ever see, Belinda (Belinda)
I live across the way, I see her every day and she fills my heart with spring.
Belinda, Belinda, Belinda of thee I sing!

Now that I know her name, my life is not the same. It is a happier place to be.
Now we can sing to Belinda the whole night through and she can hear us sing.
And though I know I'm mad to be so very glad about an arboreal thing.
Some day you'll see this tree. You'll fall in love, like me. And you will start to sing:

Belinda, Belinda -- what a beautiful tree.
Belinda, Belinda -- what a sight to see.
Belinda, Belinda -- the most beautiful tree in town
Belinda, lean your lovely limbs down on me. (What a lovely tree)
Belinda, lean your lovely limbs down on me. (What a lovely tree)
Belinda, lean your lovely limbs down on me. (What a lovely tree)

BIRTH 'A BERTHA

Oh the Birth a Bertha was a long time back.
Down in Davis by the railroad track

She got no plans, no place to go.
Just stuck up her head and started to grow.

Bertha, Bertha! Baby, youíre so fine
Bertha, Bertha! Wish you were mine!
Bertha, Bertha! Baby, youíre so big.
And I love That long green wig!

B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b Bertha! B-b-b- Bertha!
Bertha! Bertha! Yow-a!

I got skin and you got bark
What's the difference in the dark?

Carve your name right on my knee,
Won't you be my family tree?

I love your limbs, I love your trunk--
You're my arboreal hunk!

B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b Bertha! B-b-b- bertha!
Bertha! Bertha! Yow-a!

Oh the Birth a Bertha was a long time back.
Down in Davis by the railroad track
Bertha, Bertha, baby, don't you know
Bertha, Bertha - I love you so

Max hugging the willow	Julia hugs the willow
Looking up through the willow	Belinda after a trim