A Place Beside the Fire

Jonathan Mosen never dreamed of publishing music on the streaming services, yet “A Place Beside the Fire” is there now, a Christmas song that holds his heart, his hopes, and his dreams. Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube Music carry it, and anyone who asks for it by name will find it. The song is a set of requests to Santa, and Mosen expects other people to recognize themselves in them. He felt called to share it, and he is inviting us to listen. When a Blind and hard of hearing songwriter turns his hopes for a better world into a holiday song, music becomes his voice, and that voice belongs in our celebrations.

Every creative choice in the song started with Mosen. He wrote it himself, and he came up with both the arrangement and the melody. He worked extensively with Suno, an artificial intelligence (AI) music generator, which carried his ideas into finished sound. A note of explanation and disclosure tells listeners exactly what he did and what Suno did.

The vocals belong to Mosen too. His hearing is degenerating, which means he can no longer sing on pitch, so he turned to AI again, this time to produce a sample of his voice. That process gave the singing a slight American accent. Apart from the accent, he says the voice sounds like him because it is him. A Blind and hard of hearing artist has told us how his own voice reached the recording, and we can listen knowing the whole story.

When a Blind and hard of hearing songwriter sings his wishes, a community that listens learns what to build. Mosen says that if you are Blind, you may be glad a song says these things, and that if you are not, the song may offer a view into what at least some Blind People hope for in a better world. Community building works the same way: plans are strongest when they begin with the lived experience of Blind People and others who face barriers. A holiday gathering planned without those wishes leaves them outside the room, and this song brings them in.

Playing the song is how a community listens, and listening is how it learns what to build.

Lyrics:

Dear Santa, I know you recall
The letters that I sent,
The toys I wanted, big and small,
To make my heart content.
I’d lie awake on Christmas Eve
And listen for your sleigh.
I’ve got a different list this year,
But just as much to say.

I found my voice. I know my worth,
The dreams I will pursue.
But some people think because I’m blind,
There’s so much I can’t do.

Want a place beside the fire
And a voice in every room,
A chance to put our hands to work
And show what we can do.
We have such a lot to give.
We have dreams. We’ll see them through.
Make the world believe in us
The way that we believe in you.

Somewhere there’s a child tonight
Who’s waiting for the chance
To read about your reindeer
With a Braille book in their hands.
Let all know that Braille is beautiful,
So parents need not fight.
Let it be that, just like other kids,
They learn to read and write.

And when I book a ride back home
To join the Christmas crowd,
My dog is waiting at my feet.
I hear a car slow down.
Let me get into that rideshare
With no argument or fear.
Let the end of dog discrimination
Finally come this year.

A place beside the fire
And a voice in every room,
A chance to put our hands to work
And show what we can do.
We have such a lot to give.
We have dreams. We’ll see them through.
Make the world believe in us
The way that we believe in you.

I sent another cover letter
And my records there to read.
Let the questions be about the work,
The skills the job will need.
And when I find the perfect gift,
I want to buy it on my own.
Build the websites, build the apps,
So I can buy my gifts alone.

When I’m with a friend for coffee,
Let the server stop and think
Before they talk to my companion
About what I’d like to drink.

I could be teaching someone’s child.
I could be building someone’s home,
Doing work beside a colleague,
Raising children of my own.
Santa, raise their expectations.
[Unclear lyric] stopping us from going far.
They must see more than just our blindness,
So they know who we truly are.

We want a place beside the fire
And a voice in every room,
A chance to put our hands to work
And show what we can do.
We have love enough to give.
We have dreams. We’ll see them through.
Make the world believe in us
The way that we believe in you.