Allan Thomas

Allan Thomas had an important musical input into Divine Light Mission in the early 1970's by which time he had already had significant experience as a professional musician and had played/was playing with musicians as sophisticated as Cannonball Adderly. Possible major success was frittered away when the business of the music industry and the lord-is-on-the-planet-bringing-peace-to-the-world concepts of the Divine Light Mission met and did not coexist successfully. Allan was a vocalist with Blue Aquarius and sang at the last Blue Aquarius concert. He was and is a talented song-writer. He was even able to create an appealing song on the subject "Who Is Guru Maharaj Ji?" which was used as an anthemic sound track to the inspirational final scenes of the movie of the same name. He did the same with the song "Family of Love" for the film "Family of Love." In 1976 Divine Light Mission release an audio tape "Praising Hymn" which contained, as the name suggests, songs by Allan praising Him (ie Prem Rawat aka Guru Maharaj Ji) in extravagant, unrealistic and ridiculous ways with songs that were far better than the messages they espoused.

Like many old hippies, "premies" and "new-agers" Allan chooses to reject negativity and does not concern himself with discreditable events in the past (like the Incarnation of God actually being a pathetic phony) but despite his upbeat memoire about his involvement in Rawatism he did find himself "back in the secular world" by the late 1970's ignoring Rawat's warnings that he would rot like 3 tons of vegetables. All Allen's fervent and well-meant proclamations about Guru Maharaj Ji in his songs have been proven to be nonsense by the passage of time though the music lives on. His former wife, Carole Thomas née Cook is no musical slouch either.

---

Lyrics:

---

Praising Hymn

1. Teach Me

Teach me how to be patient
Teach me how to be still
Teach me how to be thankful
To know when I've had my fill
I'm trembling with anticipation
Hoping you say you will
Teach me to love you
Cause it's making me ill

---

2. Your Love

Your love is much too strong to bear
Your love is the kind of love to share
Your love keeps me awake all night
Your love has me dreaming it's all right
Your love has given me new hope
Your love has opened up my cold heart
Your love has broken some kind of a spell
Your love is deeper than I can tell

---

3. And the music
People take care of living in the world
People take care
People take care of living in this world
People take care, we've got to share

---

4. Comfort

I call on you whenever I need your comfort
I don't have to think when I need your comfort

---

5. Let's Rise In Love

There's an energy that flows through every living thing every living thing
And we can know that life flow within our hearts
But we've got to open, we've got to open , of we've got to open up our hearts
And our eyes and let His love come shining, shining, shining through the veils that bind our eyes
Then we'll be free like the clouds that you kept in the sky
And like the motion of the ocean
Once we merge, once we merge with that temple within our souls
We'll go home, home, home and we'll never be alone

---

This next one is one of my favourite songs. I've been listening to it for over 20 years after a friend gave me a copy of the Family Of Love video that hadn't been destroyed back in 1982 though that version was sung by a woman who I guess was Kathy Sisler according to the film credits.
6. Oh Love

Your soft minstrel music flows to me
Like sweetest water to a thirsty bird
I rise and fall with your melody
Like a leaf swaying gently in a summer breeze

Could be there's a lifetime to be shared
And mysteries becoming bright and clear
Until the time you tell me we must part
Well I grateful to my God you found my heart
Oh love, oh love, oh love

Sometimes your loving reaches into me
So strong I have to turn my eyes away
I'm afraid to let my feelings show
Cause I want you more than I dare to let you know

I never imagined such a place
Where love could be known all night and day
Where love is the only reality
And the fruits of love are the only thing you see

I prayed to God and I prayed in the silence too
I prayed to God that somehow I'd find you
Now you've come to gently open my heart
And now I pray we'll have to part (this verse not in your version)

Now thoughts of love enter all I do
And thoughts of love just lead me back to you
We can live in this land of harmony
For the grace of God is blessing you and me

---

7. Praising Hymn (sounds like Blue Aquarius)

chorus:
I live to sing His praises
I breathe to speak His name
He can use me any way He will
I am His, body and soul

Put me on an island
Take away my food and my shelter too
And I'll be alright as long as I can keep Him in my sight
Dry as a canyon, stranded in the delta sand
That's how I feel when I can't find or feel
His loving hand in mine
Stop look and listen
You don't wanna be missin' the aim of your human life
And if you wanna be sure, test it
See if it's pure
And you know why we say say "He's here"
Dwelling in the moment of ??? all that moves
You can't you can't get away no matter what you do or say
So surrender and save yourself some time

chorus
Bring me love, bring me joy
Bring me everything I need
To make me a happy boy
Oh lover lover come on do me right
I'm your body I'm your body and soul and soul

---

This next song is by Carole Thomas née Cook, ex-wife and singer/songwriter
9. I Thank You

And for the lesson you have shown me
I thank you
There were times when I felt alone
Many times that I could not find home
Then you came and you took me right to your heart
And all I want to ask you now is never let us be apart
Now the sun is breaking into my life
In stand tall and straight with my head held high
There's no need to make any more mistakes
And for the love that you have shown me
I thank you
There's no need to make any more mistakes
And for the strength that you have shown me
I thank you

You took away all the fears that I had
You made me see that nothing is really bad
You gave me the sweet love when I needed it most
And the power of your caring
I'm beginning, just beginning, to know 3:15

---

10. Another Chance (live and acoustic)
Spoken Intro: In this song there'll come a part that says "Now I can see every moment is a chance for you and me" and at that point it would be nice if I could have you all help me with that
chorus:
The sun is rising from a dark blue sky
Up comes the morning with a silent sigh
With the morning comes the possibility of hope
For many people it's the way in which they cope
A new day is the promise of another chance

For the drunkard it's a bottle of booze
For the working man it's a good job he won't lose
For the orphan it's an outstretched hand
And for the lonely it's someone who'll understand
A new day is the promise of another chance
But now I can see that every moment is a chance for you and me

For the oppressed it's a peace minded move
And for then hungry it's a belly full of food
To the convict it's the day he makes parole
And for the searcher it's the day he finds his soul
A new day is the promise of another chance

chorus
Now I can see that every moment is a chance for you and me

---

11. Surrender

I've been travelling around from town to town
Trying to find the real meaning
And after miles and miles of trials and smiles
My youth passed away like a dream
But since that day when I met my Lord
There's no end to the joy of love

The Lord is in me, the Lord is in you
As life is in every seed
Though it cannot be spoken of the mouth
And it cannot be written on paper
Receive that Word from which the universe came
The Word is the guru
Have you heard his Holy Name?

A million suns are ablaze with light
A sea of blue spreads in the sky
And my heart is coloured with the colour of love
Maharaji has opened my eye
Maharaji has opened my eye

---

12. Find That Love Inside

Aren't you tired of wanting a love that you can count on to be constant and care for you
Aren't you tired of waiting for your dream to come true
Haven't you had enough of black and blue scarred frustrations shattering you
Find that love inside for that love can't be denied

When will you wake from your slumber
Whose kiss will it take
To remind you what you're living for
How can anyone reach you when you're just a decoy
for your feelings which have dry
Why you fool when you can't even cry
Find that love inside for that love can't be denied

---

Stills are from the Divine Light Mission film, Family of Love, in which the song was the soundtrack during the high point of the movie during which Prem Rawat's youthful followers line up to kiss His feet and donate money to Him.