Turn Off the News and Build a Garden With Me

This is one of my favorite songs for many reasons and I can listen to it over and over again. Turn off the News and Build a Garden by Lukas Nelson is worth tuning into even if it’s not your usual favored genre of music.

The lyrics and tune exude a similar sentiment to an article written earlier this week that resonated with a number of community members titled Walking Each Other Home.

It’s heartwarming to see Willie Nelson there with two of his sons. Lukas Nelson is the singer-songwriter and lead singer here, sounding a lot like Willie. Legacy.

I also love the sentiments and especially of faith in humanity and appreciation for the simple life. Plus, as some of you know, my family has a garden and a gardening website, and we love families working together in family businesses, so two more reasons to love this song.

This acoustic version with the three of them is my favorite rendition though it has one expletive. But if you can’t tolerate that, this is a wonderful performance as well, with no swearing. It just doesn’t have the Nelson family trio there.

I hope you’ll tune in and enjoy it as well. It’s a song that instills a pause in the busy-ness and a moment to reflect and reorient to a calmer simpler idea of life, love, family and community.

And, here are the lyrics.

Turn Off the News and Build a Garden

By Lukas Nelson

I believe that every heart is kind
Some are just a little underused
Hatred is a symptom of the times
Lost in these uneducated blues

I just wanna love you all I can
All these other thoughts have me confused
Now I don’t need to try and understand
Maybe I’ll get up, turn off the news

Turn off the news and build a garden
Just my neighbourhood and me
We might feel a bit less hardened
We might feel a bit more free

Turn off the news and raise the kids
Give them something to believe in
Teach them how to be good people
Give them hope that they can see
Hope that they can see
Turn off the news
And build a garden with me

Trust builds trust
All that negativity’s a bust
Trust builds trust
Don’t you wanna be happy?
Ohh

Turn off the news and build a garden
Just my neighbourhood and me
We might feel a bit less heardened
We might feel a bit more free

Turn off the news and raise the kids
Give them something to believe in
Teach them how to be good people
Give them hope that they can see

Hope that they can see
Turn off the news
And build a garden with me
Turn off the news
And build a garden with me

Lukas Nelson, musician, singer, song-writer

Tune into this song and turn off the news and build a garden. Even if you can’t create a garden in the moment you can in your mind, and chances are you will find a little patch of peace there, whether in the garden of your mind or land.

Turn Off the News and Build a Garden

Jam Session of Turn Off the News and Build a Garden

Favorite casual and relaxed jam session with all three Nelsons’ that contains one expletive.

Performance of Turn Off the News and Build a Garden

Expletive-free, this performance is one of my favorite of the live stage versions of this song by Lucas. This one was for a benefit for SurfRider Foundation, and includes the talented singer-songwriter, surfer, philanthropist, Jack Johnson.

RELATED: Backyard growers, should you wish to learn more about gardening and even gardening business ideas.

LeAura Alderson

Hello! I’m LeAura, owner and co-creator of iCreateDaily.com®.  As an autodidactic philosopher, generalist, personal development advocate, entrepreneur, writer, editor, author, ideator, media publisher, and podcaster, I’m passionate about helping others achieve their best possible life! Our small family of entrepreneurs, writers, investors, educators and creators own and run websites around topics we enjoy, such as gardening, health and fitness, creativity and pets, with more to come.

While my greatest teacher is Life… my formal training includes certifications in mediation, fitness, and strategic intervention coaching, including marriage and family. Today, the synergy of creating websites, articles and podcasts, brings together all my favorite things: family, learning, growth, creating, connecting and contributing. To share these with you is a privilege, that serves my lifelong aspiration to help others.

My personal areas of creativity are in writing, masterminding, ideation, synthesis and bringing ideas to life through business and entrepreneurship, all with a pervasive spiritual foundation with a focus on elevating the lives of others.