I’ve been creating music for many years under the name Runaway Horse with my longtime collaborator Robert Musseman III, along with other regular musical contributors, drawing on the alt-country and Americana traditions of the Southwest, where I lived most of my life in New Mexico and Texas. With my most recent album Mujer, I began exploring my voice in Spanish, and that journey has opened a new era for me as a Latina modern folk artist releasing music under my own name, Mariana Tirsa. While there are still upcoming Runaway Horse releases, I’m most excited to follow this new path that weaves together my heritage, bilingual songwriting, and vision for what’s ahead.
RUNAWAY HORSE
MUJER (Woman)
Released in 2025, Mujer (Woman) is my first bilingual album, a heartfelt tribute to my mother, Alicia Cahue, and to the creative force of women who have shaped our world. Blending English, Spanish, and a touch of French, these songs weave together my dual-language upbringing, the love of poetry, and my search for my artistic voice from my maternal lineage. This album is also an offering and an invitation—for those who seek to honour their loved ones through art, to reconnect with their roots, and to discover the power of giving voice to their own creativity.
Beyond my personal connection, this album delves into the broader meaning of the divine feminine (Roses and Roses). I've explored the idea of ancestry, both biological and spiritual, as a connection to the land and our cellular heritage to our grandmothers. I've also drawn inspiration from Sufi mystical traditions of the divine feminine and the prayer of the rosary (Mercy).
The song "Mi Voz" (My Voice) is a tribute to my mother's unfinished dream of compiling her memoir journals and becoming a poet. The lyrics are taken directly from her writings, offering a glimpse into her inner world. The spoken word section features her published poem, a testament to her poetic talent and her love of the poetry of the Spanish mystic from the sixteenth century, St. John of the Cross.
Lastly, Starlight Love is a song I wrote to move through the grief and awe of being by my mother’s side during her final days at home in hospice care after a long illness.
I hope this album resonates with those who wish to honour their loved ones through art, those who seek a deeper connection to the divine feminine, and those who yearn to express their creativity.
~Mariana
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Mi Voz + Poem
(c.Mariana Tirs, Alicia Cahue 2023)
En estas paginas desnudas
Digo lo que no puedo decir
Mi corazon no aguanta sufrir
Hora por hora
Noche y dia
En mis lagrimas repremidas
Mido lo que quiero soltar
En la poesia de San Juan
Veo mi voz poeta
Mi corazon lucha vivir
Pulmon y pecho
Mano y braso
Voy a escribir
Voy a escribir
Mi vos, mi vos, mi vos …..
Esta es mi vos, esta es mi vos
Mi vos, mi vos, mi vos….
Esta es mi vos
Esta es mi vos
Poem
In Answer To your question
Why are you here? Or one of the things I never dreamt about.
I know so little about poetry yet today I want to write a poem in the style of San Juan de la cruz.
Where do I look for such poetry?
I’m studying poetry for the first time in my life
Probabaly a revelation in my life is about to come
For poetry is the second most beauitful thing that exists in the world for me
Even if I don’t understand most of what poets say
Perhaps here now at at last I will understand what poets do mean
I would like to write like as San Juan de La cruz
Becasue I want to write poetry about my relationship with God
That is what I’m here to learn
En los caminos mysteriososSigo mi fe espiritu y alma
En las oraciones de mi vida
Pido por el artista y poeta
Mi corazon pide a dios
Calma y paz
Letra y aire
Voy a escribir
Voy a escribir
Mi vos, mi vos, mi vos …..
Esta es mi vos, esta es mi vos
Mi vos, mi vos, mi vos….
Esta es mi vos
Esta es mi vos
En los caminos mysteriosos
Sigo mi fe espiritu y alma
En las oraciones de mi vida
Pido por el artista y poeta
Mi corazon pide a dios
Calma y paz
Letra y aire
Voy a escribir
Voy a escribir
Mi vos, mi vos, mi vos …..
Esta es mi vos, esta es mi vos
Mi vos, mi vos, mi vos….
Esta es mi vos
Esta es mi vos
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My Voice
(lyrics by Mariana Tirsa & Alicia Cahue c.2024)
In these naked pages
I say what I cannot sayMy heart cannot bear to suffer Hour by hour
Night and dayIn my repressed tears
I measure what I want to releaseIn the poetry of San Juan
I see my poetic voiceMy heart struggles to live
Lungs and chest
Hand and armI will write
I will write
My voice, my voice, my voice .....This is my voice, this is my voice
My voice, my voice, my voice.... This is my voice
This is my voice- Poem-
In Answer To your question
Why are you here? Or one of the things I never dreamt about.I know so little about poetry yet today I want to write a poem in the style of San Juan de la Cruz.
Where do I look for such poetry?
I’m studying poetry for the first time in my lifeProbably a revelation in my life is about to come
For poetry is the second most beautiful thing that exists in the world for me Even if I don’t understand most of what poets say
Perhaps here now at at last I will understand what poets do mean
I would like to write like as San Juan de La cruz
Because I want to write poetry about my relationship with God
That is what I’m here to learnIn the mysterious paths
I follow my faith, spirit and soulIn the prayers of my life
I ask for the artist and the poetMy heart asks God for Calm and peace
Word and air
I'm will write
I'm will write
My voice, my voice, my voice .....This is my voice, this is my voice My voice, my voice, my voice.... This is my voice, This is my voice
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Mujer (c. Mariana Tirsa 2016)
Leche eterna
Divina feminina Siguendo me en el cielo Con allas de pazCorazon sagrada
mujer de las estrellas Escuchando me con su forma Transformada en luzMujer Mujer Eres tu pura luz Eres tu pura luz eres tu...pura luz
Aguas Profunda
El mar es la mujer Tocando me en la arena En las olas de me serGracia y misercordia
En los brazos de mi mama Quidando me con sus manos siempre en enternidadMujer Mujer Eres tu pura luz Eres tu pura luz eres tu...pura luz
Mama querida tu fe y poesía tu silencio y alegria oraciones por toda la vida
(Instrumental)
Mujer Mujer, (Eres tu pura luz X2 ) Mujer, mujer, (Eres tu pura luz X2), Mujer, mujer, (Eres tu pura luz X2)
Eres tu
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Mujer Mujer
Milkyway
Divine feminine following me in the sky
With wings of peace
Sacred heart
Woman of the stars listening to me with her form
Transformed into light
Woman, Woman, you are your pure light.
You are your pure light. You are your pure light.. you are...pure light
Deep waters
The sea is the woman touching me in the sand
In the waves of my being
Grace and mercyIn the arms of my mother keeping me with her hands
Always in eternity
Woman, Woman, you are your pure light.You are your pure light. You are your pure light.. you are...pure light
Dear mother your faith and poetry
Your silence and joy
Prayers for all life
Woman Woman, (You are your pure light X2 ) Woman, woman, (You are your pure light X2), Woman, woman, (You are your pure light X2)
You are you
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Roses & Roses (c.2017 Mariana Tirsa)
From the belly of a woman and the seed of a man
Back to the womb of my grandmother
That’s where I began
That’s where I beganIn the black of midnight
It is both empty and it is fullBack to my ancestors Everywoman and everyman Everywoman
Roses, and roses, and roses, and roses of you, X2 Roses of you, Roses of you
From the moment I was remembered Until I’ll no longer breathe
Back to the original beginning
She has always been she,Always been she
In the land where I was born
And the clay of my body
Back to the warp and the weftEvery thread in the loom, Every thread
Roses, and roses, and roses, and roses of you X2
Roses of you, Roses of youFrom the start we fight off the nothin’ afraid we’ll be left
Alone like orphansRoses, and roses, and roses, and roses of you
Roses of you, Roses of you -
Mercy
(Lyrics by Mariana Tirsa and Elizabeth Hin)
I swim in the big sea
And the waves carry me
My face presses in the sand the salt cleans
out my wounds
When you lose everything you have
and feel like no one is holding you
What grows is the faith hidden deep inside
I soar in the vast sky
And the dawn sings me
My soul rests in the clouds and Oh the deep blue
Shall answer
In life, seek peace
In humanity and in your being
with thousands of prayers shining blue
like the sea
Mercy…. For You
(Hail Mary, Full of Grace)
Mercy ….For Me
(Blessed are you among women)
What now are we to do when our world is on the line X2
What are we going to do with our world that is on the edge
I walk the poet's path words giving the way
my heart a gentle glow and oh the trees shall answer
My father is a tree
Saje for my life
My life is a bouquet of flowery songs
Mercy…. For You
(Hail Mary, Full of Grace)
Mercy ….For Me
(Blessed are you among women)
What now are we to do when our world is on the line X2
What are we going to do with our world that is on the edge
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STARLIGHT LOVE (c.2016 Mariana Tirsa)
We’re breathing hard, chasing down time, slipping from gravity, ..here it
..Comes, Here it comes, Here it comes, starlight, starbright, starlight, starlight love. //// all that is
Me, breathes when you breathe, sound of your body releasing, releasing’, all that is You, all that is me, letting go, letting go, letting go, OHoooo, here it...
Comes, Here it comes, Here it comes, starlight, starbright, starlight,starlight love. //// all that is
You, I can feel in my hands, sound of your heart beating and beating, all that is you, all that is me, I love you, I love you, I love you, Ohooooooo
here it...Comes, Here it comes, Here it comes, starlight, starbright, starlight, starlight love (Instrumental)
You are fading away ////
I say you’re doing so great...eyes so
Clear, gentle morphine, all of you is still here with me,
we’re letting go, letting go, letting go, starlight... all that isYou, dreamin’ and dreamin’, sound of your soul expanding, expanding, all that is me,all that is you, saying goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, Ohoooooo Here it..
(abridged X2 full X4) Comes, Here it comes, Here it comes, starlight, starbright, starlight, starlight love..here it, Comes, Here it comes, Here it comes, starlight, starbright,starlight love..here it
Comes, Here it comes, Here it comes, starlight, starbright, starlight love..here it Comes, Here it comes, Here it comes, starlight, starbright, starlight love..here it
We’re breathing hard, chasing down time, slipping from gravity.
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Mariana Tirsa: lead vocals tracks 1-6, keyboard synth track 5, piano tracks 1 & 6
Alan Burrows: bass tracks 2,3,4, & 5
Jack Daniel: drums tracks 2,3,4, & 5
Cheryl Cher T Pepper: percussion track 5
Eliah Kurko: bells and vocal chorus track 5
Michael Kurko: vocal chorus track 5
Joseph Manzello: electric guitar tracks 3 & 5
Robert Musseman III: acoustic guitar 1,2, 3, 4, 5, & 6, harmony vocal tracks 2, 3,4,& 5,
Jana Pochop: synth performance, programming & bass tracks 1& 6
Robin T. Smith: piano tracks 2,3,4, & 5
Jekaterina Grigorjeva: violin track 5
Sadie Ward: harp track 5
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Production (Mujer, Mercy, Starlight Love, Roses): Mariana Tirsa and Robert Musseman III
Production (Mi Voz): Jana Pochop - Golden Hour Production, Albuquerque, NM
Engineering: Jake Waters (Fire Sation Studio, San Marcos, TX) and Andre Moran (Cedar Creek Studio, Austin, TX)
Mixing: Max Lorenz (Good Danny’s Studio) and Russell Tanner
Mastering: Russell Tanner
Photography: Elena Mudd Photography (front cover and …)
Photography: Mariana Tirsa (collage photo)
Photography: Omar Mena Photography (group photo)
Graphic Design: Emily Shirley
RUNAWAY HORSE ~ Singles
Falling is the haunting single from Runaway Horse, written over five years ago, yet prophetically relevant today. Recorded in El Paso, TX, the song reflects on the fragility of democracy and the unsettling sense of ground slipping beneath us and dreams lost. With its desert-soaked Alt Country sound, reminiscent of Calexico and Neko Case, Falling weaves stark imagery and plaintive vocals into a cinematic meditation on cultural and creative loss, and the uneasy beauty still found in uncertain times.
“The Man No One Sees” is a tender folk ballad in the tradition of The Decemberists, honoring the quiet collaborators and unseen companions who shape the music from behind the scenes. At once personal and universal, the song reflects on the men whose strength comes not from visibility but from silence, presence, and steady peace—those who remain out of the spotlight yet are essential to the harmony of both art and life.
Beautiful Blue Debut EP (2013)
Americana Ballads
