The lyrics and their translation above.
Originally an Irish folk song, named after the town of Carrickfergus in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The Clancy Brothers' 1964 album includes this title. A somewhat differing version was released under the name "The Kerry Boatman" by Dominic Behan in 1965.
In my version I sing and play guitars and the mandolin solo. I produced this with Band in a Box and Reaper.
Alkujaan irlantilainen kansanlaulu Carrickfergus, jonka suomensin.
Versiossani laulan ja soitan kitaroita sekä mandoliinisoolon. Tuotin tämän Band in a Boxin ja Reaperin avulla.
Armaan luo (Carrickfergus) suom. Esa Blomberg 2024

Jos kerran pääsen kotimaahan armaan luo.
Yhden ees päivän siellä viettää saan.
Ylitse uisin meren aavan myrskyisen.
Vaikka vain päivän siellä viettää vaan.
Meri rannaton ylitse on uimaton
Siivetön mä oon, lentoon kelvoton.
Lautturin uljaan, soutamaan jos löytäisin 
mä silloin luo armaan vihdoin pääsisin.

Vieraalta maalta mä kultaa niin etsinkin
armaalle sitten mä ne veisinkin.
Vain arvotonta rihkamaa mä saaliks' sain.
Koiratkin nauraa, saa mun haudallain.
Laulu vaan ei soi, kurkkuni kun kuiva on.
Ryypyn jos mä saan, mua taas laulattaa.
Päiväni lienee tuhlatut jo turhuuteen.
Hyvästi neitoset, mä jo hautaan meen.

To My Darling One (Carrickfergus) Translation Esa Blomberg 2025

If I ever get to my homeland, to my darling one.
Even if I could spend just one day there.
I would swim across the open, stormy sea.
Even if I could only spend one day there.
The sea is shoreless, unswimmable
I am wingless, unfit for flight.
A brave ferryman, if I could find to row,
then I would finally reach my darling one.

I searched for gold in foreign lands
to take it to my darling one.
But I only caught worthless junk for my prey.
Even the dogs will laugh at my grave.
The song just doesn't sound, when my throat is dry.
A drink if I get, it'll make me sing again.
My days must have been wasted in vain
Goodbye, girls, I'm going to my grave.

Armaan luo (Carrickfergus- trad. suom. EB 2024)

Tore Your Pants

This song is about opposite viewpoints and a suggestion that we avoid demonising one another. With a world appearing so polarised, it is important that we re-engage in the 'messy middle' and be prepared to reach compromise rather than a zero sum game.

High

A song about people in war zones, while we watch...
Helplessly, or...(?)

A dirty white dress
(C) HWBerkhout, aug. 3, 2025, Key: C

Solo
Verse 1
I walk through a destructed land,
and a city torn apart.
The dead and wounded are everywhere,
no tree still stands in heart.

Chorus
I could only stare, as tears filled my eyes
I see a child in a devastated street
She wears a torn, dirty white dress 
And no shoes at her feet

Solo
Verse 2
No color left to witness,
just ashes, black and grey.
I hear the moans of fallen souls,
their sounds won’t drift away.

Chorus
I could only stare in disbelief
I see a child in a devastated street
She wears a torn, dirty white dress 
And no shoes at her feet

Verse 3
What kind of world I live in?
Where assholes pretend to be what we need
Why do we follow these sick minds?
Is fear-or apathy-in the lead?

Solo +
Look what they've done,
look what they've done
This world is completely mad!

Chorus
I could only stare, as tears filled my eyes
I see a child in a devastated street
She wears a torn, dirty white dress 
And no shoes at her feet

I could only stare in disbelief
I see a child in a devastated street
She wears a torn, dirty white dress 
And no shoes at her feet
And she's weeping, in her torn, dirty white dress...

Dirty white dress

I was dreamin’ of a city
Where the buildings live forever         
Some brick and steel painting        
Like a shadow and an echo
            
Middle of October   
Sky gettin’ colder          
Wind hittin’ harder         
Like it’s tryin’ to tell ya somethin’
            
The streetlights sputter sermons
mm-hmm          
And it kinda makes me nervous
uh-huh

Well some folks speak a language         
The city don’t wanna learn        
Written in the alleys
And the barrels that still burn

Drill gang on the corner         
Spittin’ like a drummer           
But the bullets still fly          
Just chasin’ down the summer
        
I was dreamin’ of that city       
Dreamin’ of that sorrow         
Clock says it’s October           
But it’s already tomorrow

Dreamin' Of A City

My Mate Jack

My Nutsack

Swamp Mama



Another Hot Day Here is me just having some fun.

These old arthritic fingers had a hard time playing the rhythm guitar.  Thankfully Melodyne came to the rescue and fixed my mistakes. I am also playing the lead guitar and via my breath and keyboard controller the Swam tenor sax. Band-in-a-Box is supplying all but the drum tracks using my sound sources.  The drum track is from Groovemonkee MIDI 
drum loops using my SSD-5 jazz drum kit.

If you are interested in wanting to know how/why I came up with that title keep reading, otherwise just play the song.

For the last couple of weeks it has been running hotter than normal here. When it gets this hot I can not longer work outside so I stay inside in the air conditioning and make music. The past two days it has been colder than normal so I got outside.  Today it rained so I could finish this song.

Another Hot Day Here

We wake in the morning taking our places
And march to the beat of the drum
Perpetual motion somehow erases
All that we ache to become

And, oh, so we go
But one day the calm will come
Until then I’m holding out for love

Watching it sideways it all seems so shaken
The way that our world ought to be
One of these days our hearts will awaken 
And then we may finally see

That, oh, heaven knows
How the dark will be undone
Until then, I’m holding out for love

Feel this heart inside 
and know it’s always meant to shine
No matter what the world demands
Love and fate have better plans
It’s hard to see now
With eyes closed and head down

But, oh, heaven knows
How one day your kingdom comes
Until then, I’m holding out for love.

(C)2025 Dj Lekich
 
Lyrics and Music by Dj Lekich

Holding Out For Love

R.W. Davis: Lyrics
DC Ron: Music, arrangement, mix, master, vocals, harmonies, BGVs
Image by Freepik

The Trainwreck That's My Life

I've been a guitarist since the age of 15 and writing songs since then, albeit more prolifically since 2000. I prefer strong melodies and to borrow chords to move outside of the diatonic. Usually, the song mix contains my vocals, guitars and sometimes bass, with drums, keys and other instruments auto-generated. The tracks uploaded in my Soundcloud are attempts to 'illustrate' the idea and sound I imagined when writing the songs. At best, the quality of recordings are demo quality. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!

High

Andrew of the antipodes