I’ve written thousands and thousands of rhymes, stories, books, and songs. But there’s only one of my many creative works that’s truly gonna last. And that’s the engraved art in my heart. And even though it’s there because I chose to have it there, I’m not the artist. Engraved art is more IN than ON. And that’s what makes it … The rest of the story…
Tag Archives: words and music
I remember sitting in my mom’s living room, with headphones on, listening to Jim Croce’s album, “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim.” The title song, about a bar fight, was a hit. But another hit on the album was, “Time In A Bottle.” The original key signature, for Time In A Bottle, was D minor. I don’t have airtight confirmation … The rest of the story…
This week, back in 1979, I lived and worked in Houston, Texas. My brother and I had established ourselves as one of the more popular music duos. And we had fans we could depend on to come see us as we performed all around the city. It was quite an experience for me. Actually making a living playing live music. … The rest of the story…
Tomorrow is not the time to start something new. Because tomorrow is a concept. Because humans need that concept to help us understand the flowing of time. And even though it helps to include tomorrow in your understanding of time, it never actually gets here. Then, on the other hand, tomorrow is already here. On the other side of the … The rest of the story…
It’s a mean world. Every day you see and experience the cold, hard truth in this world. Whether you like it or not. And whether you prefer to think positive or be negative. Doesn’t matter if you’re a glass-is-half-full person or glass-is-half-empty person. It’s the “new normal.” But this new normal is anything but new. If you’ve been alive here … The rest of the story…
OK, I heard it again. And without mincing words (who does that anymore?) I gotta say I’m insulted. Because people keep saying they “miss the old hymns in church.” And they say things like, “Only the old hymns stay true to the Bible.” Or something like, “Music, in churches these days, is repetitious ME focused drivel. Modern songs just seem … The rest of the story…
Do a search, for “retire,” on just about any search engine with the suggestions function. And you’ll probably see something like “retire ready” or “retire age” or, the best one, “retire early.” Yeah, if you’re gonna do it, retire early. I mean, why work any longer than you have to, right? Work is just for those knuckleheads who don’t have … The rest of the story…
Anger management. Ironically, most of the people who think other people are the people who need anger management seem to be so angry about it. And that makes me so angry. Not really. I’m just using absurdity to expose absurdity. The reason I brought it up is because of an article on the subject. And it talked about how some … The rest of the story…
I know this may tarnish my image as a world-class cool singer songwriter forever, but I’ll say it anyway… I’m not cool at all. Because I’ve never done “recreational” drugs. Not even pot. See? Not cool at all. Right? Yeah, I can practically hear my subscribers scrambling to find another much cooler singer songwriter to follow. So long everyone. All … The rest of the story…
Are you on the edge of a cliff in your life right now? I’ll bet you’re not reading this on the edge of a cliff… Not literally anyway. But do you get the sense you’re on the edge of disaster? Well, what’s the edge where you’re standing? Do you have a relationship about to crumble? Or, is there a financial … The rest of the story…
Is it too much trouble to ask politicians to just shut up and stop tryin’ to fix things that ain’t broke? Yeah, some of my Texas slang grammar is rearin’ up. But dagnabit, I’m serious. Can’t they just shut up?! And is it too much trouble for them to just leave us alone? It’s like they just ain’t happy ‘less they’re … The rest of the story…
When the going gets tough…you know the rest. Right? Yeah, the tough are nowhere to be found. Just kidding (mostly). When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Once upon a time there was this world. And it was good. And beautiful. Pure. But fast forward about 6,000 years…and we have THIS world. And it’s not so good. It’s … The rest of the story…
Wow. I found this description of a waning crescent moon on a university website. “John the Baptist is sometimes connected with the waning moon (Baptisry of Östr Hoby, Sweden, 12c) to explicate his role as the last prophet of the waning Old Testament which is regarded, simultaneously, as a promise of the New Testament. The moon contrasts here the sun … The rest of the story…
I don’t know how many times I’ve heard this. But it’s a lot. Someone gives a presentation and says there’ll be time for Q&A at the end. Then they say something like, “And remember…there are no stupid questions.” But there ARE stupid questions. Plenty of them. And it’s uncanny (but not surprising) how so many of them start with “why.” … The rest of the story…
It’s so cool how we have the tools to peek into the microscopic world of chromosomes and DNA. Just think about that for a second. Because some of the most brilliant minds who ever lived on planet Earth were only able to imagine those things. But now you and I can just type a few words into a browser and … The rest of the story…
A friend of mine is a business coach. And she shows her clients the value of a to do list. Plus, she helps them implement it into their business. And then, she even helps them build a system to automate much of it. It’s pretty cool. And I’ve seen her help a lot of business owners with her system. But … The rest of the story…
10 years ago I wrote some Christmas songs. And one of them became one of my favorites. Yeah, I know. How unabashedly arrogant of me. Right? No, it’s OK to favor your own creative work. And it’s OK to have enough ego to admit it. Anyway…I’ve been sharing that song for just about every Christmas since then. This year is … The rest of the story…
Did you ever attend a church where “In The Sweet By and By” was part of the praise and worship time? I did. And I think, if I close my eyes and listen real close, I can almost hear my Grandmother singing it in her kitchen. In The Sweet By and By There’s a land that is fairer than day, … The rest of the story…
OK, for this meeting of Overeaters Anonymous, I’d like to pick up where we left off during the last meeting. And that, of course, is the ever-important issue. Dessert: before or after the meal? And while Albert reads the minutes of the last meeting, let’s all sample this excellent crab dip. Mm..Mm. Overeaters Anonymous is my favorite group. My only … The rest of the story…
Over the course of my life, I’ve been inspired to write songs by a wide variety of stimuli. From a technicolor sunset, to a mountain vista, and even down to a single word. And sometimes I’m inspired by how someone will twist a phrase and use it as a product or service or even a business name. Like how I … The rest of the story…