There was a time when I was heading in a musical direction, due to my love of wordsmithing (even optioned a concept TV show called “Get It Out Of My Head” back in 19′). Technology makes that concept almost a reality.
The songs below are unfinished demos pulled from my old Tascam 4-track cassettes. Most were written between the early 1980s and 2005, with one exception: “Bloodstains in the Snow,” written in 2026. They include experiments in soft ballads, country, rock, blues, and even Bossa Nova (you were right, Eric).
Of course they are still rough around the edges. They were saved by having AI closely follow the original, uploaded 4-tracks (vocals, guitar, drums, piano, and bass) and repair/fill the open spaces. Mostly, I wanted to assign the proper singer (the one I heard in my head), instead of my voice on every song… They remain just demos, but the bones are good.
In an age when entire songs can be generated from a simple prompt, these come from an earlier process—when the lyrics were written by hand and the ideas were built track by track. I’m sharing them as a glimpse of what almost was.
Lyrics for each song appear below its player.
The Knot That Ties You Down
Written during a trip on a Greyhound Bus
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So, we stumble into another fight
Where we both were wrong and we both were right
You ask for me to hear the words you want me to believe
But I don’t know how to stay and I don’t know how to leave
We lived through too much living and sought distance from the pain
But tears all lose their meaning when they dry without a stain.
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Where is the knot that ties you down
Your head, your heart, your soul
That hollow feeling you don’t belong
The kind that takes a toll
The answer is not always held in hand
When the time has come to go
It’s difficult to understand
Outside the one you know
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There’s something wrong in paradise I can’t see through the tears
The crying shakes the body aches, the passing of the years
And here I still stand frozen with the pain we left behind
We’ve stumbled off our chosen path and lost all sense of time
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Where is the knot that ties you down
Your head, your heart, your soul
That hollow feeling you don’t belong
The kind that takes a toll
The answer is not always held in hand
When the time has come to go
It’s difficult to understand
Outside the one you know
.
The cruelty of this world, we were the refuge from such things
But the outside found its way within, and our hearts no longer sing
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We spent too long in falling that we’ve forgotten how to fly
Now the hourglass is empty, and this love has passed us by.
.
Where is the knot that ties you down
Your head, your heart, your soul
That hollow feeling you don’t belong
The kind that takes a toll
The answer is not always held in hand
When the time has come to go
It’s difficult to understand
Outside the one you know
Sliding Down This Hill
(Woahoh)
Here I go again
I’m sliding down this hill
(Woahoh)
Here I go again
Watch me slide on down this hill
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Ain’t got no possessions
None that I can keep
Ain’t got no possessions
Just these dreams while I’m asleep
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Got to find me a congregation (hey)
Is there somewhere that you know
I got to find me a congregation
Cause I’ve no place left to go
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My feet get so tired
Nobody knows just how I feel
Lord, my feet get so tired
Leather worn right to the heel
.
And still I walk around
That sun appears in the sky to be high
Surrounded by the sound
People singing live – and – let – die
People singing live – and – let – die
People singing live – and – let – die
Live – and – let – die
Live – and – let – die
Live – and – let – die
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Mama said my sanctuary
Is in learning to be still
My mama said my sanctuary
Is in learning to be still
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But I don’t ask forgiveness
I never have and never will
Lord, Lord, I don’t ask forgiveness
As I slide on down this hill
.
And still I walk around
That sun appears in the sky to be high
Surrounded by the sound
People singing live – and – let – die
People singing live – and – let – die
People singing live – and – let – die
Live – and – let – die
Live – and – let – die
Live – and – let – die
The Boundary Bar
Feel good, line-dancing, fun… Written while living in Northern Idaho.
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I’m going to shimmy-shuckle down to the Boundary Bar
to put a knuckle on another chin.
Although it’s late, it felt great, to debate
the condition my life was in.
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Now the Boundary Bar had a muscle machine
named Billy who was black as coal (yeah)
At six foot four stood in front of the door
keepin everything under control.
Let’s roll.
.
Since ninety-five the place stays alive
Tippin taps by the Double-D
Tight skirt, what a flirt, in a low-cut shirt
Bring a strong man to one knee.
.
About eleven o’clock, the place is ready to rock,
keeping Billy busy every night (yeah).
The music is thumping.
The bump and the jump on the floor is a hell of a sight
All night.
.
Let’s go down to the bar tonight
Gonna raise some hell till the morning light
You can set them up, I will knock them down
Hard to stay in place as this world keeps spinning around
.
Now, at the top of the scene is a nicotine dream,
cigarette with a smoke and blow.
She was hardly a genius with the body of Venus
and ready for a one-man show
.
So, with a tip of the hat, I said,
“Hey, a kitty cat, wanna shuffle with a dapper Dan?” (yeah)
There was a hustle, a bustle, a tussle of muscle,
Big Billy was her old man (goddamn)
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Let’s go down to the bar tonight
Gonna raise some hell till the morning light
You can set them up, I will knock them down
Hard to stay in place as this world keeps spinning around
.
Let’s go down to the bar tonight
Gonna raise some hell till the morning light
You can set them up, I will knock them down
Hard to stay in place as this world keeps spinning around
Bloodstains In The Snow
A song about the senseless death of two people who did not deserve to die.
On a day so cold it froze the breath
Word went round of a senseless death
A line of masks in a wall of hate
A tale unfolds, in a twist of fate.
.
On her final day, she made a choice.
To take a stand and use her voice.
“I’m not mad” was all she said.
A trigger pull and she was dead
.
A trigger pull and she was dead
.
Ashes to ashes
Dust to dust
Where do we turn
Who do we trust
When killed for virtues
Voices grow
We’ll make our stand
On the bloodstains in the snow
.
Another day so cold it froze the breath
Another word went round about a senseless death
Another line of masks. Another wall of hate
Another tale unfolds.
Another twist of fate.
.
On his final day, he made a choice
To take a stand and use his voice
One went down, he came to aid
Ten pieces of lead was the price he paid
.
Ten pieces of lead was the price he paid
.
Ashes to ashes
Dust to dust
Where do we turn
Who do we trust
When killed for virtues
Voices grow
And make their stand
On the bloodstains in the snow
On the bloodstains in the snow
On the bloodstains in the snow
Hope Is Just A Child
They say that hope is just a child
Although her innocence is gone
She keeps her head above the clouds
And does her best to carry on
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She buys her perfume in the grocery store
Loves to wear her faded jeans
Styles her hair just like the pictures
in her favorite magazine
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Some people say she came from Nashville
But not the one in Tennessee
She never did believe in miracles
Prefers to call them destiny
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and uh-oh (uh-oh)
they say (they say)
She’s a wild one
Cause she walks
and she talks
in a language nobody understands
But the fire in her eye
when she’s smiling
is warm like the summer sun
And those eyes when she cries can break the strongest man
.
She harmonizes Sinatra songs
She loves the happiness they bring
And though nobody ever joins along
She doesn’t care she loves to sing
.
In a little place down by the river
Where the water’s slow and wide
She throws her clothes into the air
swims onto the other side
.
And those who gather ’round to watch her
No one ever makes a sound
They know a brighter day is dawning
Whenever hope would come around
.
and uh-oh (uh-oh)
they say (they say)
She’s a wild one
Cause she walks
and she talks
in a language nobody understands
But the fire in her eye
when she’s smiling
is warm like the summer sun
And those eyes
when she cries
can break the strongest man
.
and uh-oh (uh-oh)
they say (they say)
She’s a wild one
You're Never Far Away
Written about a loved one passed away… Still hits.
There’s some things I don’t understand, like the mending of my heart.
So, I’ll let the memories guide me, cause I know not where to start.
Moving on is difficult, when frozen by each tear.
So, I’ll wait until they roll away, and everything is clear.
.
I watched you slowly close your eyes—your soul no longer bound
I felt the changing of the air, and you left without a sound.
I will release you to the stars, but in my heart you’ll always stay.
I only need to close my eyes, and I can hear you say—
that you’re never far away.
.
When it feels there’s no tomorrow and yesterday has come and gone.
I realize how time is borrowed, and all too soon it’s gone.
.
When I look up to the sky, at the clouds up through the trees.
I can see you passing by. I can feel you in the breeze.
I can hold you close inside my heart and there you’ll always stay.
I only need to close my eyes and I hear you say—
that you’re never far away.
.
I thank you for each memory and all the love you send
I’ll make the most of every moment till I’m by your side again
.
I carry more than grief alone. I carry everything you gave
And through the tears I finally see, there is strength inside the brave
And though the ache can rise again, like waves we cannot stay
I hold one truth within my heart—
that you’re never far away
.
You’re never far away
There's Too Many Hours In A Day
Originally a straightforward 4/4, but the phrasing fit a Bassa Nova groove better.
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There’s too many hours in the day… Here me when I say
Wish someone could come along, and take a few away
But they stay.
So don’t ever worry, if the edges start to fray
It’ll be okay
Sometimes its best, to say…
.
Look around
This is all amusing.
Life has its way of flowing… Got to keep on going
Look around
And if it gets confusing
Just leave the past behind you… Don’t let it all unwind you.
If they’re not your dues to pay
You can walk away
.
There’s too many reasons to hide… Even if we tried.
To many ways to say that access is denied
Swallow that pride.
And don’t ever worry if the pressures are applied
Take them in stride.
Sometimes its best, to say…
.
Look around… This is all amusing
Life has its way of flowing… Got to keep on going
Look around… And if it gets confusing
Just leave the past behind you… Don’t let it all unwind you
If they’re not your dues to pay
You can walk away
.
There’s too many times we fight.
(no end in sight)
Too many shades of gray between the black and white
(and all are right)
So don’t ever worry if you toss and turn at night.
(just hold on tight).
Sometimes its best, to say…
.
Look around
This is all amusing
Life has its way of flowing… Got to keep on going.
Look around… And if it gets confusing
Just leave the past behind you… Don’t let it all unwind you
If they’re not your dues to pay
Just walk away
Down In California
Late 90s. Included because my friend Trevor Goddard (RIP) is on the on the drum kit.
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Way down in California, by the lines of Mexico
Lenny’s packing up the fault-lines, for a move to Idaho
Strangled by intentions. He had nowhere left to run
Trapped under reflections of an anesthetic sun
.
The wreckage and the spoilage
Left in the waters flow
He’s running to a heaven
He imagined long ago
.
Grace had bolted for the border. She rode the engines whine
But she tripped on every wire. Now she’s inside doing time
Behind the bars of borstal, there’s too much space to fill.
Drowning in stagnation, and can’t afford the bill
.
She’s wandering in spoilage
Where the waste will never flow
She’s stranded in a heaven
She created long ago
.
When they broke out to the desert, they screamed up at the sun
You let us down the other night, while we were on the run
But they knew the sun was laughing, and they’ve nowhere left to go
They held the answers in the heat, of a hell-cursed afterglow
.
They know the sand within the glass
Has spilled upon the floor
The good things never came to pass
No more…. No more… No more
If Love were Enough, You'd Be Free
About a good friend (child abuse survivor) who died by suicide. We never know about the battles some are fighting. Be kind—always.
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Johnny learned young how to smile on command,
how to shake a hand steady with a shaking hand.
He could light up the room—make a dark moment bright,
And never let on how he was losing his fight.
He kept it all hidden like a nail in the floor,
You don’t see it ‘til you bleed and you’re wondering what for.
.
Johnny tried to prove he could outrun pain,
The speed of a smile, with passion in his veins.
He wore life like armor, wore charm like a knife,
cut a path through the dark just to prove he held a light.
.
Oh Johnny… if love was enough, you’d be free.
But the past don’t drown just because you can breathe.
So you walk with your wreckage and you carry the weight,
and you fill every fracture of every single break.
Every high has a hook, every low has a key,
They both turn the same lock so you can never be free.
.
Johnny thought if he ran faster, it wouldn’t hurt like it did,
but the body keeps records of what the mind never hid.
He was reduced to living where the sidewalk talks back,
where hunger takes its toll and sleep comes in scraps.
He watched the world pass by like it didn’t care at all,
like some are born standing and some are born to fall.
.
If you met him anywhere, you’d never, ever know.
He’d wrap you in kindness, keep you warm by his glow.
But when alone he’s crushed by a weight that that bears his name.
He’s holding onto anything, while losing the game.
.
And he doesn’t hate his life—He just hates what it cost.
How he’s trapped on a battlefield, wandering and lost.
Never finding the shelter. Never safe in his dreams.
Just an outline of a shadow, with invisible seams.
.
He wrote of his journey—gave his silence a face,
Of the falling in battle, while still asking for grace.
And if you listen close, you can hear words of release.
How some do survive… but surviving isn’t peace.
.
Johnny left his life quietly, and by his own hand.
Holding the book of his battles, so the world could understand.
How some hold it all together, while breaking deep inside.
Leaving only confusion about the reasons they died.
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Oh Johnny… if love was enough, you’d have been free.
But the past pulled you down to a place you couldn’t breathe.
So you walked with your wreckage till you were crushed by the weight,
Now the world understands, every smile, every break.
Johnny… you opened our eyes so we can see.
That life is much more than a fading memory.
.
We know… if love was enough, we’d be free.
But the past don’t drown just because we can breathe.
So we walk with your wreckage and we carry the weight,
and we fill every fracture of every single break.
.
Every voice has an answer, every word has a key,
And with understanding we learn to be free.
Colors To Gray
Awkward, unfinished song, but there’s still something in it I would like to tinker with.
.
She filtered all affection through a blue bellbottom brain
It was a constant misdirection on her California plane
She was burning for an exit, using open sleight of hand
Her classic face held fading grace that few could understand
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He had a technicolor attitude, a past fueled by desire
He kept his altitude in check, by holding in the fire
His baited line would serpentine between the false and true
His awkward dance was his only chance to break out from the blue
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Stories told will turn around, memories go astray
All the things life takes away
Colors to gray… Night follows day
There is no other way… And that’s okay
That’s okay
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They rode the black tar cauldron to the melting edge of spring
And approached the endless summers with an empty hollow sting
He pondered Pascal’s wager from the rail of a ridge
Then walked away with dues to pay for the burning of her bridge
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Sitting on the Oldsmobile, he watched her silhouette
Backlit by the moonlit sky, she gently placed their bet
Rejecting grace he found his place within her magic spell
Without sound he doubled down to the space he knew so well
.
Stories told will turn around, memories go astray
All the things life takes away
Colors to gray… Night follows day
There is no other way… And that’s okay
.
That’s okay
Little Queen
One of the first put to tape (early 80s).
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Looking back, she sings her song.
And lonely knights all sing along.
A little queen, for an empty throne.
A lonely time for being alone.
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She sheds a tear for the battle cry.
The little queen just wonders why.
Locked in her room, inside her mind.
A bitter sentence for a bitter crime.
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They cross the chasm, they scale the wall.
She sees them there and loves them all.
Shrouded by armor, in iron clad tombs.
The little queen knows she’ll be leaving soon.
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In the castle, kings worry. On the cliffsides, she waits.
For the wind which will carry, her down to her fate.
And all the king’s power. And all the king’s time.
Cannot save the queen, locked deep in her mind.
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The rocks far below, invitations to fall.
For those are her knights, and she loves them all.
She hungers to hear their battle song.
Through a castle window, the king looks on.
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A tear appears within his eye.
The little queen smiles as she passes by.
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The cliffside enshrined like a fortress at night.
A breaking of shackles, for a moment of flight.
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In a castle, kings worry. On the cliffside she waits.
A ghost in the wind, and the last jump to fate.
And all the king’s power. And all the king’s time.
Could not save his queen, lost deep in her mind.
All Hearts Get Broken
A simple, meaningful song about mending unresolved problems and broken communication.
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As we watch our love fall… It doesn’t matter whose to blame.
It makes no sense at all, if it always ends the same.
You said your wings have grown. The time has come to fly away.
Before the lonely seed is sewn, listen to what I have to say.
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All hearts get broken from time to time.
It’s not like us to follow and walk down that line.
Let’s leave this all behind us and dry our tears.
and talk about these days in our golden years.
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Won’t you talk with me tonight? It’s not as hard as it may seem.
We have a chance to make it right, and restore this fading dream.
Close the door and turn the key. Let’s leave the world behind.
Open up your heart and see, together we can find.
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All hearts get broken from time to time.
It’s not like us to follow and walk down that line.
Let’s leave this all behind us and dry our tears.
And talk about these days in our golden years.
Remember our first kiss? We never wanted it to end.
How could we ever fall to this? From lovers to just friends.
Let’s think back to younger days, and how things used to be.
It doesn’t have to fade away., not if we both can see.
All hearts get broken from time to time.
It’s not like us to follow and walk down that line.
Let’s leave this all behind us and dry our tears.
And talk about these days in our golden years.
Moonbeams In Paradise
Another case where straightforward lyrics worked better with a different style. Man, this one was fun (still is).
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Well, I was innocent. Or innocent enough.
I was tryin’ to play the role of kinda, sorta, semi-tough
And it was hard enough, just to try and stay sane.
Everyone I know. Everywhere I go. Everything is just the same.
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Moonbeams in paradise.
Moonbeams in paradise.
It’s hard to believe something so good, so nice.
Then moonbeams in paradise.
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Moonbeams, in the middle of the day.
I try to look into the light, it takes my breath away.
Moonbeams, in case you haven’t heard.
If you’re looking for the open door, then moonbeam is the word.
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Moonbeams in paradise.
Moonbeams in paradise.
It’s hard to believe something so good, so nice.
Then moonbeams in paradise.
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Rollin’ in the clover, feeling Casanova
Takin’ a chance before the old man gets home.
Pick you up at seven, have you back by eleven.
Good God girl, four hours alone.
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Moonbeams in paradise.
Moonbeams in paradise.
It’s hard to believe something so good, so nice.
Then moonbeams in paradise.