A few years ago, I arranged Ruth Carlyle’s poem A Homely Blessing for her to sing. The song was released as a charity single in aid of the Faith in Action Homeless Project in south London. We’ve teamed up again, and I’ve arranged another one of Ruth’s poems Walking to the Beat of My Heart. Again, this features David Barton on the piano and Ruth on vocals. The song tells of Ruth’s early morning walks before dawn where she longs for daylight to break through.  

Walking is one of Ruth’s passions; when she was working for Macmillan Cancer Support, she was part of a Walking for Health partnership with The Ramblers. She believes in the benefits of walking, not just for health, but for wellbeing and a sense that the darkness and shadows pass as people walk with companions. In light of this, the Walking to the Beat of My Heart single is being released in aid of The Ramblers. Ruth’s niece, Lily has created the artwork for this project.  

It was a joy to work with Ruth again as her poems provide so much light and shade to interrupt musically. Enjoy! 

Listen to Walking to the Beat of My Heart here. 

Find out more about The Ramblers charity here.