November Rains by Avrim Topel

The moment you picked up the phone
I knew the tone
You didn’t have to say a word
I’ve been around
long enough to know
if I am in or out

I can’t understand
why fate keeps
dealin’ me this hand
You know it
always comes up less
and never more

For I am no stranger to
these November rains
They chill my heart
my bones
my soul

Bittersweet city night
Misty mornin’
Foggy dawn
The barstools and the games
Shiny pavement
The laughter and the glow
that come from face with no names

Oh, for the life of me
I can never see
You know I always
come up less
and never more

For I am no stranger to
these November rains
They chill my heart
my bones
my soul

November Rains by Avrim Topel

SAFER WATERS
Kyle Jefferson, Avrim Topel, Linda Moroziuk

The chapter’s closed
The storm is over
We rode the waves
We’re getting closer
 
The tide is changing

CHORUS
Moving on to safer waters
Holding on getting stronger
Cleanse my soul
Make me whole
I’m moving on to safer waters

In this new world
Anything’s possible
Everyone’s beautiful
And we are unstoppable 

The tide is changing

CHORUS

OUTRO
Safer waters
Moving
Safer waters

END

DEMO             Avrim Topel    ave@avrimtopel.com   302-750-8563   Taxi H-0110-8563 

SAFER WATERS

SAFER WATERS
Avrim Topel, Linda Moroziuk, Kyle Jefferson

The chapter’s closed
The storm is over
We rode the waves
We’re getting closer
 
The tide is changing

CHORUS
Moving on to safer waters
Holding on getting stronger
Cleanse my soul
Make me whole
I’m moving on to safer waters

In this new world
Anything’s possible
Everyone’s beautiful
And we are unstoppable 

The tide is changing

CHORUS

OUTRO
Safer waters
Moving
Safer waters

END

SAFER WATERS FULL

Venom In Your Veins
M Allen, J Bisto, A Topel

In this dusty dried up desert
Where the devil feels no pain 
This parched land never tasted
The forgotten kiss of rain

The wind howls like a choir 
With a poisonous refrain
Drawing out the venom 
The venom in your veins                 

CHORUS
It’s too late, it’s too late
Mercy never knew this place
Can’t escape, can’t escape
The venom in your veins

Survival is a traitor
A cruel master of your fate
It keeps a wandering heart beating
But as it gives it takes
Oh as it gives it takes

CHORUS
It’s too late, it’s too late
Mercy never knew this place
Can’t escape, can’t escape
The venom in your veins

Temperature rising
Getting hard to breathe
How long can you fight it
As the fever feeds the heat?

CHORUS
It’s too late, it’s too late
Mercy never knew this place
Can’t escape, can’t escape
The venom in your veins

END

DEMO             Avrim Max Topel    ave@avrimtopel.com   302-750-8563   

VENOM IN YOUR VEINS

PRAY FOR THE POSITIVE
Avrim Topel
                                               
When that light you’re needing
Feels so far away
All that you believe in
Disappears and fades,
When it’s time to lean in 
You can’t be afraid…’cause hope is on it’s way

CHORUS
You gotta pray for the positive 
Give what ya got to give 
Live how ya wanna live
Always be an optimist,
Lose negativity
Be the best that you can to be
Bring the changes we all need
Pass the message, and plant the seed,
You gotta pray, pray pray
Pray for the positive

There’s a higher power
High up in the sky
Sending out a signal
Helping us to fly 

You can tap the power 
You just gotta try… spread your wings and fly

CHORUS    
INSTRUMENTAL 
Everything that we could ever need’s                                                                                                               In the clouds for you and me …
 
CHORUS
You gotta pray for the positive 
Give what ya got to give 
Live how ya wanna live
Always be an optimist,
 
CHORUS OUT
Lose negativity
Be the best that you can to be
Bring on the change we need
Pass the message and plant the seed,
You gotta pray, pray pray
Pray for the positive

END

DEMO

PRAY FOR THE POSITIVE (V2)

IT’S GONNA BE MAGIC
Avrim Max Topel

I’m blasting off to reach the stars
I’m shooting for a record high
My heart knows that I’ve worked so hard 
Tonight I’m gonna kiss the sky. 

It’s gonna be Magic  
Its finally magic time for me,                                                                          So close I can grab it 
I’m gonna let the whole world see

CHORUS
It’s gonna be magic
It's finally magic time for me                                                                            Like abracadabra 
I’ll be the best that I can be
Olie Olie in free
I’ll be makin’ history.     
There’s nobody stoppin’ me
             .                 
Shooting stars and meteors
Places I’ve not been before
Gonna be a wild ride,
Half of me is Peter Pan
Half of me is Rocket Man
All of me is ready to fly

It’s gonna be Magic
Its finally magic time for me,                                                                             So close I can grab it
I’ll be the best that I can be

CHORUS
It’s gonna be magic
It's finally magic time for me                                                                         Like abracadabra 
I’ll be the best that I can be
Olie Olie in free
I’ll be makin’ history.     
There’s nobody stoppin’ me
It’s gonna be magic

END

IT'S GONNA BE MAGIC

Picasso
Avrim Topel, Karen Kiley, Brian White
   
417 Fresno Lane 
White picket fence
Fresh coat of paint
Prettiest little house you ever seen,
Shrubs were trimmed 
Lawn was mowed
Flowers grew in a perfect row
Just like a Home and Gardens Magazine

We were really good at puttin’ on a show
But if you ever peeked inside the window 

          CHORUS
          We were more Picasso
           Behind those 
           Screen doors
           But the lord knows
           We were  lovin’, trying, but hell yeah, there were times when
           We were fist holes in the drywall, that no one ever saw
           We weren’t those Kodak moments hanging in the hall     
          We were more Picasso

Mamma put a shot in her Folgers cup
Used Chanel #5 to cover up 
That half pack of Salem's she went thru everyday
Daddy was five credit cards deep
But when that bank loan Caddy cruised the street
Everybody thought we had it made

I was just a teenage rolling stone
Getting by, by getting high on a little home grown

            {CHORUS}

                                   {BRIDGE}
                                    We just tried to hide our small town dirt 
                                       We weren't a Norman Rockwell, that’s for sure  

              {CHORUS}

{Tag}: First verse/first 4 lines

END

PICASSO

You Don't Have To Be Alone Tonight (Let Me Love You Baby))

The barmaid said drink up, last call, 
when love came walking down the hall
her eyes met mine as if to call 
You don't have to be lonely tonight 

I wondered, would she take a chance
on reckless love, a one night stand
I tried to tell her with a glance 
You don’t have to be lonely tonight

You don’t have to be alone tonight 
Let me love ya’ baby, Let me love ya’ baby 
For just this night and nothing more 
If that’s what you’re looking for 

Her eyes told me she wanted more 
She followed me right out the door
She whispered SOFTLY, “mi amour,
You don’t have to be lonely tonight

You don’t have to be alone tonight 
Let me love you baby, let me love you baby
I’ll love you ‘til the morning light
You don’t have to be lonely tonight


The night is dark, the hour is late
The heat is on and I can’t wait
There won’t be any hearts to break tonight

You don’t have to be alone tonight 
Let me love ya’ baby, Let me love ya’ baby 
For just this night and nothing more
if that’s what you’re looking for 

You don’t have to be alone tonight 
Let me love you baby, let me love you baby
I’ll love you ‘til the morning light
You don't have to be lonely tonight 

You Don't Have To Be Alone Tonight ( Rock)

Somewhere In The Universe
A Topel, J East, P Isaacs

Nothing’s faster than the speed of light
Can’t be two places at the same time
But I like to think she’s by my side
Somewhere in universe

Wonder if we see the same sun
Different moons when we look up
But at least we’re on the same side of love
Somewhere in the universe

           CHORUS
           Somewhere in the universe
           She's still with me, i’m still with her
           Magic’s real, we made it work
           Reality is grounding me here on earth
           But hey I got the girl
           Somewhere in the universe

Don’t get me wrong, if I had my way
Time would have her here today
My heart don’t have this empty space
Somewhere in the universe

             CHORUS

Instrumental 

If I could I’d catch a ride
To that special place in space and time
You know the one, where the stars aligned
Somewhere in the universe
 
END

Somewhere In The Universe by Avrim Max Topel, Paul Isaacs, Jeffrey East

Eighteen 
Avrim Max Topel

Met her at a dive bar        
Down in Waco
No one has to try hard           
When ya’ both know                                                

(So) we left for L.A.                      
Rented a place
She got a job
But I liked to play   
                      
                         CHORUS
                          I was 18            
                          She was 24
                          Livin' the dream                
                          But she wanted more,  
                          I learned my lesson                    
                          Making a mess of                          
                          Her and me                                            
                                                  *”When I was eighteen”                   
                          Spent every cent I ever saved  
                          Missed payin’ rent and misbehaved
                          I-swear-some-nights-that I (can) still see her
                          Waving bye to me                                 
                           …  *C’est la vie …
                          Cryin' at the front door                   
                          She was 24
                          I was 18

She went to work
At 6 AM
'Round the same time     
When I'd roll in                 

I loved to party
She hated heartache 
That's when she told me
This was a mistake 

                             CHORUS

                             BREAKDOWN                                          
                             Six years made a difference back then
                             I wish that we could try again … 
 
                             CHORUS

                             OUTRO
                             Cryin' at the front door               
                             She was 24                                
                             I was 18                                      

END

EIGHTEEN

I’M MAD AT GOD - Male (original)
Chris Garner

The good book says to pray when bad things happen to good people
But that’s not what I’m gonna do,
There ain’t no friggin’ way that I’ll be praying how I‘m feelin’
Not after what He put her thru…

CHORUS
I’m mad at God, I’m mad at my maker
I don’t know why He had to take her
Now I’m at odds with my creator
He let her die and didn’t save her,
I feel so abandoned since He let her down
And now these knees are never gonna hit the ground
I’m mad at God
And I feel robbed
I’m mad at God

Preacher tried to tell me that the good Lord has a plan,
That Jesus was our saving grace
But what He just laid on me’s way too much for any man,
And right now I’m so far from faith

CHORUS 2
I’m mad at God, I’m mad at my maker
I always thought He was my Savior
Now I’m at odds with my creator
He let her die and didn’t save her
I feel so abandoned since He let her down
And now these knees are never gonna touch the ground
I’m mad at God
I’m mad at God
I feel so bad
Like I’ve been robbed
I’m mad at God
I’m mad at God
I thought that
Saving was his job
I’m mad at God
I’m mad at God
I hurt so bad
It feels so wrong

BRIDGE/BREAKDOWN
I don’t know why He’d need her more than I do
I’ll have to go to heaven just to learn the truth …
or … I’ll have to go to heaven if I wanna find the truth …

OUTRO
I’m mad at God
I’m mad at God
I feel so bad
Like I’ve been robbed
I’m mad at God
I’m mad at God
I thought that
Saving was his job
I’m mad at God
I’m mad at God
I hurt so bad
It feels so wrong

END

I'M MAD AT GOD

This Ol’ Zippo
Avrim Max Topel
    
Grandpa won it playin’ poker on the day that he deployed to Japan    
There’s a pock mark on it’s cover from a bullet meant for Daddy in Namn
Came with me for two tours to Iraq
Kept me safe and brought me back
And today it helps define me as a man

CHORUS
This ol’ Zippo
Two inches of American steel with a heart and a soul
Connecting me and keeping it real every place that I roll,
Protecting me from harm           
Way more than a lucky charm       
It’s my angel watching over me
When there’s fire in the hole,
It’s like my shadow,            
it goes where I go
This ol’ Zippo

Lit the candles in the chapel at the alter on our wedding day
And it fired up the barbecues for picnics every holiday 
It’s my compass and my guiding light    
That helps me thru my darkest nights         
It’s my bible every evening when I pray

CHORUS

BRIDGE 
Someday  when the time has come, I’ll pass it on to my son
And tell him what it’s meant to me, like my Dad had done   

CHORUS 3

END

THIS OL ZIPPO

The Girl Who Changed The World
Avrim Max Topel

My Dad said there's no limits as to all that I can be
If I follow in the footsteps other women left for me
I wanna right the dark like Rosa Parks who sat strong on that bus
And sing out like Aretha with Respect for everyone
                               
I’ll  kiss the sky like Whitney ‘fore I die  
And NASA’s Katherine Johnson who gave us space to fly

         CHORUS
          I’ll dare to make a difference like those women did for me
          The ones who went the distance going down in history,  
          I’ll spend my whole life learning                   
          How to stand up like they stood
          I’’ll dedicate my life each day to hope and spreading good,
          Yeah, I’ll be flying with my freedom flag unfurled
          I wanna be that girl and change the world
        
          POST CHORUS
          Oo oo oo oo oo oo  
          Change the world,
          Oo oo oo oo oo oo

I’ve been watching Oprah Winfrey touching lives and healing hearts
An’ I’ll take those lessons with me when it’s time to lead the charge
I’ll be speaking truth like Maya Angelou
And soar Godspeed like Flo Jo before my time is through

            CHORUS

            POST CHORUS/BRIDGE
            You’re gonna watch me go the distance
            Change the world
            You’re gonna see me make a difference      

            BREAKDOWN
            I’ll dare to make a difference like those women did for me
             The ones who went the distance going down in history  
          
            CHORUS OUT                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
            I’ll spend my whole life learning                   
            How to stand up like they stood
            I’’ll dedicate my life each day to hope and spreading good,
            Yeah, I’ll be flying with my freedom flag unfurled
            I wanna be that girl and change the world

            OUTRO
            You’re gonna watch me go the distance
            Change the world
            You’re gonna see me make a difference     

END

THE GIRL WHO CHANGED THE WORLD

THE PROMISE
Avrim Max Topel 

I was havin' a li'l guy talk with a friend   
About spending life with someone til the end
He asked me 'bout commitment
What it is and what it isn't
And today, if I would do it all again

He said that he loved everything about her
But was scared somehow the sweet would turn to sour
I smiled because I knew 
How love had changed me, too,
But I never knew until I said I do
                                                                                       
              CHORUS
              'Cause it's way more than a courthouse piece of paper
              Or my grandma’s emerald diamond ring I gave her
              I knew she was the one
              When those vows were said and done
              To the girl I loved                
              And witnessed by my Maker,
              So, lookin’ back, now
              If I’m bein’ honest,
              When I said I do I knew it was
              The promise        
                                                                            
VERSE 2
There’ll come a day your heart will let you know
You’ve found the perfect one you can’t let go
You’ll feel the joy inside
When you’re standing side by side
And those two words you recite produce one soul

CHORUS

BRIDGE
When he asked me if I’d do it all again                                                                       
 I told him, “In a heartbeat, my old friend”             
            
CHORUS/BREAKDOWN

END

THE PROMISE (MIX 2)

You Don't Have To Be Lonely Tonight

I thought I saw an angel where
the moonlight lit her face and hair
her eyes met mine as if to share
“You don't have to be lonely tonight” 

I wondered, would she take a chance
on reckless love, a one night stand
I tried to tell her with a glance
“You don’t have to be lonely tonight”

You don’t have to be alone tonight
alone tonight, alone tonight
I'll love you girl for just this night
With all my heart, with all my might
I'll love you 'til the morning light
You don't have to be lonely tonight

Her eyes told me she wanted more
She followed me right out the door
She whispered SOFTLY, “mi amour,
“You don’t have to be lonely tonight”

You don’t have to be alone tonight
alone tonight, alone tonight
I'll love you girl for just this night
With all my heart, with all my might
I'll love you 'til the morning light
You don't have to be lonely tonight

The night is dark, the hour is late
The heat is on and I can’t wait
There won’t be any hearts to break tonight

You don’t have to be alone tonight
alone tonight, alone tonight
I'll love you girl for just this night
With all my heart, with all my might
I'll love you 'til the morning light
You don't have to be lonely tonight



You Don't Have To Be Lonely Tonight(V2)

A Sober Man 
Avrim Max Topel

Lookin’ back when I was crashin’
Couldn’t turn my life around           
From hittin’ on that whiskey        
I was lost and goin’ down

Switched it up to wine and soda
Even tried another town
All I knew was by my lonesome    
That I’d burn it to the ground

I struggled for a long time stayin' stuck
’Til I finally found a way to give it up

      CHORUS
     When I hit my bottom nothin’ seemed to work
     ’Til my Higher Power brought me to that church 
      I was lost, I was wasted   
      When I wound up in those basements
      Hearin' my own story shared with different words,
      Their stories taught me how to work His plan
      Now I’m passing on that hope
      A sober man

People question how I did it all the time
When they ask me how it works, I say, just fine
If you're open and get honest
You'll find hope again, I promise
’Cause your truth will set you free to live your life

      CHORUS

I surrendered my free will like those before me
When healing came from other people’s stories

      CHORUS

END

A SOBER MAN

PALESTINE

Tomorrow Tonight
Avrim Max Topel, Karen Kiley, Riley Roth


I’ve never felt this way before
Sitting on a kitchen floor    
Sharing everything about me,  to you 
There must be magic in the air
Something ‘bout you I swear 
Has me falling and forgetting how to 

Breathe 
Yeah I 
Don’t wanna sleep
Or say goodbye 

                           CHORUS
                            I wanna stay in this moment 
                            Lost in your eyes
                            So let's keep this conversation going
                            Like we’re never gonna run out of time 
                            Like we got forever 
                            Til the sun’s in the sky 
                            Cuz Baby, I don’t wanna think about 
                            Tomorrow tonight 

Let’s put the world on pause
Keep it all about us 
While we still got the moonlight shining 
I know it’s not just me
Feeling something between
You and I, baby let’s not fight it 

We
Feel right 
To hell with the sleep
Or saying goodbye 

                             {CHORUS}

                             {CHORUS}

END

TOMORROW TONIGHT

Like Nobody’s Business
Avrim Max Topel

Sometimes I need to ride by my lonesome
Disappear from here and slip away
Deal with all the damage that I've done
Ask the man upstairs for help and pray

Find myself some solitude               
Leave this hell behind when I do     

CHORUS
Time alone like nobody's business               
On the road in search of forgiveness,
Drive my Superglide
(And) Let my demons die 
On my own with God as my witness,  
Grateful that I know what the fix is,   
Time alone like nobody's business

POST CHORUS/TURNAROUND

Ridin’ where the rubber hits the road
Fessin’ up to rectify my soul  
Fending off my storm clouds
Sorting out my doubts

CHORUS 

I need the breeze to set my spirit free
Cleanse my soul and find a little peace

BREAKDOWN/CHORUS 
Time alone like nobody's business
On the road in search of forgiveness

CHORUS 
Time alone like nobody's business               
On the road in search of forgiveness
Drive my Superglide
(And) let my demons die 
On my own with God as my witness                 
Grateful that I know what the fix is, 
Time alone like nobody's business       

END

LIKE NOBODYS BUSINESS

Handle It With Prayer
Avrim Max Topel, Jason Sever, Les Hauge

Been rode hard and put up wet
Run as ragged as it can get
Not sure that there’s much left 
For you to use
Still you’re wantin’ too

So if you wanna take hold girl you gotta know
I’ve taken this thing far as it can go
You better take it slow
And since we’re telling truth
Girl if I were you

               CHORUS
                 I’d handle it with prayer
                 Cuz it’s cold and dark in there
                 It ain't seen the sunshine 
                 Since it got broke up the last time
                 I’ve drug that thing around
                 Chasin’ whiskey down
                 It’s been places even the devil would dare
                 My heart’s in a sad state of repair
                 If you can handle it
                 Handle it with prayer

I know this ain’t your first rodeo
We’re diggin’ deep we’re gettin close
That cross hangin’ round your neck
Is the only faith I’ve known
I’ve been going it alone

So when you’re talking to God say a little for me
Help me be the man I know you’re gonna need
Cuz when I’m with you girl that's who I wanna be
I hope that there’s hope for me

                   CHORUS

                   CHORUS/BREAKDOWN

END

HANDLE IT WITH PRAYER

ONE IN A MILLION
Avrim Max Topel

You're one in a million
Nobody can touch you                         
This world's a better place for all you do, 
Your heart-song keeps singing                         
That joy that you're bringing            
The sun keeps shining through
With everything you do

You’re beaming with brilliance
Resolve and resilience                                                   
Your beauty let’s your conscience be your guide,       
Your eyes are alluring
Alive and assuring
Like starS
In the sky

You're touching lives and healing hearts forever    
And leading by example every day
Reflecting strength and courage like a mirror 
Allowing confidence to lead the way

INSTRUMENTAL (for dialogue)

You’re casting spells of new found hope and wonder
With certainty that let’s your spirit fly                         
You chase away the storm clouds with your wonder                             
Recapturing sweet dreams like lullabies                  

You're one in a million
No one’s got what you do
This world's a better place because of you                                                          
So keep that love comin’    
You’re one in a million
That’s you

END

ONE IN A MILLION (MALE)

ONE IN A MILLION (FEM)

CITY OF SECOND CHANCES (JN) 
Avrim Max Topel

He was lost ‘cause he had wasted                                                                               
Half the best years of his life    
Now the loneliness he faced was 
Adding hopeless to his strife
With no one left to miss him         
He’d been on his own for years
When he finally said he’d listen
That’s the way he wound up here

           CHORUS
            In the city of second chances, 
            No life is a waste
            Love wins over violence, 
            Hopelessness gets faith
            Lost souls find acceptance
            And broken hearts get bound
            In the city of second chances 
            Fallen angels find their ground  

He had given up on heaven
There was fleeting in his eyes 
A man who knew rejection 
Who was barely still alive,
He’d run clean out of vision
He was runnin’ scared and blind 
But when he looked for help above
Someone finally said “its time"

           CHORUS

INSTRUMENTAL

           CHORUS

END

CITY OF SECOND CHANCES (JN)

Don’t Feel Much Like Christmas  

There’s something that I wanna do
Before this holiday is through
I’ve been calling up my angels, I don’t want to be alone anymore 
                                                           
I need to make things right with you
and I’m praying that you’ll hear me through
All I wanna do is fix us and get back to where we were before                                                                       
‘cause it don’t feel much like Christmas since the day that you walked out the door
   
You got the kids on Christmas eve
I’m home alone but I still believe   ( I believe )  
in redemption and forgiveness and the power to renew and restore
‘cause the way that I’ve  been feeling it just don’t feel much like Christmas no more

        I know I’m not the only Dad
        who’s sitting home alone and sad this Christmas. 
       The gifts beneath my Christmas tree 
        seem empty without you and me, I miss us

So there’s something that I'm gonna to do
to bring it back to me and you
I’ve been prayin’ to my angels that they’ll carry me this Christmas Day
Cause it don’t feel much like Christmas ever since you left and went away

       I know I’m not a perfect man                                
         But I need you understand this Christmas    
         I’ve changed my ways, I’ve seen the light
        and what I need this holy night’s forgiveness
        
There’s something that I’m gonna do
Before this holiday is through
I’ve been calling up my angels, I don’t wanna be alone any more  
Cause it don’t feel much like Christmas since the day that you walked out the door  

No,  it don’t feel much like Christmas since the day that you walked out the door 
No, it don’t feel much like Christmas since the day that you walked out the door


Don't Feel Much Like Christmas*

There’s an hour each year when the world gets still like the hush from a fresh fallen snow
At 11pm before Christmas
with the fade of the embers’ last glow
Snuggled silently by the Christmas tree as the flickering candles burn low Lights on branches cast shadows
on the presents stacked down below
Yuletide logs softly smoldering before snuffing out their last light Looking back a year knowingly
as the world nestles in for the night
Drifting off into dreamtime and slumberland calm and still lull distractions away
At 11pm before Christmas
at the dawn of the holiday
One more moment serene and so precious ‘fore awakening Christmas Day
Peace and silence surround us
more than anytime else in the year, When the whole world goes soundless and everything else disappears
There’s an hour that comes when the world gets still and the angels return every year
At 11 the night before Christmas
the message is oh so clear
At 11pm before Christmas in the quiet that all can hear

At 11pm Before Xmas 4.4

 Far away in the Southern Ocean
where gentle giants live proud and free,
There is danger on the horizon          
from the Japanese whaling fleet                 

Sometimes in life you can hear a calling
to right a wrong that’s worth fighting for,    
Good Sea Shepherds, heed the warning,       
Lead the charge to the whale wars  

There’s blood in the water
And murder and mayhem                          
The Sea Shepherds sail

To stave off the slaughter
The mission to save them
The good must prevail

The stakes are too high,  
they fight so the species never dies,
Hear them cry…       

It’s foreign business in violation 
of sacred life at it’s very core,
There’s death and annihilation
in the seas off the Arctic shore

With solo intention
To stage intervention,
The harvest must fail

Protecting the pods
Against perilous odds
The good must prevail

The stakes are too high
They fight so the species never dies…
Here them cry…

Far away in the Southern Ocean
Far away in the Southern Ocean

DOC   5.30.2016


Whale Wars

The Waning Moon, this salty mist,               
Impending doom, a lover’s tryst, 
An angry sea, a deadly kiss,
When Love is War

This solitude, and loneliness,
Are longing for a sweet caress, 
Tomorrow’s dreams meet the abyss,
When Love is War 

When the truth becomes hollow and empty    
In a world that exists without laws
Your ghosts from the past come to haunt you
While your destiny never takes pause,        
All it takes is one fatal distraction 
To render your perfect plans flawed
When love is war

When love is war across the sea
The timeless tides of destiny
Are lost for all eternity
When love is war

DOC 2016

When Love Is War (slow)

When lovers at night time become strangers at dawn       
And duty’s a mistress with battle-lines drawn                          
Where the end is betrayal but you carry on
When love is war

The Waning Moon, this salty mist,              
Impending doom, a lover’s tryst, 
An angry sea, a deadly kiss,
When Love is War

This solitude, and loneliness 
Are longing for a sweet caress, 
Tomorrow’s dreams meet the abyss,
When Love is War 

When the truth becomes hollow and empty    
In a world that exists without laws
Your ghosts from the past come to haunt you
While your destiny never takes pause,        
All it takes is one fatal distraction 
To render your perfect plans flawed
When love is war

When love is war across the sea
The timeless tides of destiny
Are lost for all eternity
When love is war

DOC 2016

When Love Is War  (tempo)

Verse 1
I remember looking in the bleachers, 
seein’ that empty seat where
I wished he was sittin’ with a proud look on his face,
and I remember walkin’ in the front door, 
Mamma makin’ dinner for us four,
knowin’ we would only be three and an empty space,

Pre
I can’t recall a time he wasn’t busy
No, I don’t know if he knew what he was missing,

Chorus
He showed me exactly what I didn’t want to be
I wanted him there more than anything,
he couldn't see, I was too young to understand,
That’s how I learned how to do it right when it was my turn,
didn’t miss a minute of the good stuff 
they were growin’ up, I was their biggest fan, 
He taught me what I shouldn’t do 
that’s how I learned how to,
How to be a man

Verse 2 (half verse)
Every time they say I love you, 
call me up when they don’t have to
just to hear my voice it makes me realize

Pre
that every door he closed back then was worth it
I opened up my heart cause I know they deserve it

Repeat Chorus 

Bridge
Those bitter pills turned sweeter over time    
when I knew his story never would be mine   
                                                                               

Chorus

END

HOW TO BE A MAN (Marti Dodson, Avrim Topel)

Here's a new song co-written with Clay Mills and Randy Morrison.

She’s Thinkin’ I’m Drinkin’
Randy Morrison, Clay Mills, Avrim Topel
ave@avrimtopel.com   302-750-8563


Final break-up, ain’t no make-up,
This time she won’t be comin’ back
Yeah, she walked out, said we’re done now,
I told her I was fine with that

She said I’ll regret those words

     She’s probably thinkin’ I’m drinkin’
     Five shots down on a Thursday night
     Couldn’t wait for the weekend
     Half-way to the deep end
     tryin’ to drown her memory in tequila and lime
     If she’s thinkin’ I’m drinkin’ tonight
     well, she be right

Time has shown me that she knows me
better than I know myself sometimes
Yeah, she gets it, I can’t live with
without that girl in my life

     Chorus

She said I’ll regret those words
guess I’m showin’ her

     Chorus

END

She's Thinkin' I'm Drinkin'   (C. Mills, R. Morrison, A. Topel)

Breathless   
Avrim Topel  

V1
You stole into the room like a thief in the dark           
I was over the moon when you took my heart   
                                           
Ch 1    
To a world where the rules don’t exist          
We’re taboo, but with you, I can't resist          
No, I never felt passion like this
You leave me breathless

V2
Somewhere under the covers when it's just you and I        
I’ll keep your secrets, you keep holding me tight         
                                                     
Ch 2    In that world where the rules…

Bridge
Your love is relentless, abandon and reckless,   
Love’s sweet seduction fills the sky     
This heat and desire bring on fever and fire   
burning away in the night    

V3
You mesmerize me, I slip under your spell       
I get trapped in your dream, but I won’t kiss and tell      
 
Ch 3
In my fantasy rules don't exist  
We’re taboo, but with you I can’t resist
when I melt from the heat of your lips    
You leave me breathless

Outro
You leave me breathless
You leave me breathless

END

Breathless

Beaver Valley

There's a little patch of heaven in the countryside
Where northern Delaware meets the Pennsylvania line
All along the river banks of the Brandywine
It's the prettiest place I know

With farms and mansions on her hills
and country roads that give me chills
I loved her then, I always will
and every time I go back

I grew up in Beaver Valley 
Blastin' Wilson Pickett
Singin' Mustang Sally
on the a.m. radio,
whoa-o-o-o-oh

Throwin' back long neck Rolling Rocks, 
Chillin' by the river, 
Hidin' from the cops
It's the best place that I know
Back in Beaver Valley

I pumped Ethel for gas money
to make some extra cash for me and my honey
We'd buy some Boone's Farm Apple Wine
and head down to the Brandywine

Down by the river
Parkin' with my baby
under the moonlight 

Down in the valley
We made love
every Saturday night

After Friday nights at the bowlin' alley
We'd hop into our cars, have a big road rally
Pedal to the metal for a wild ride 
Back down to the river side 

Chorus


Beaver Valley

WHISKEY TO WINE 
T Murrah, A Topel

My friends say I’m a lucky man 
My lady loves me as I am
She don’t try to change my crazy life 
She pours it on so lovingly  
That she brings out the best in me
I'm amazed the way she makes me shine

CHORUS
That woman turns my whiskey to wine 
With a look and a smile and moves that drive me wild
I love her hugs and tender touch
I just can't get enough
Every time her lovin’ lips lock on to mine
That woman turns my whiskey to wine

My sad and lonely hurt like hell
I drank those bar brands from the well
And thought, I’ll never fall in love again,

When I asked God to hear my prayer
She asked, Mind if I take this chair?
When she ordered us a bottle, I knew from my first swallow…

CHORUS

From the bottom of the barrel to that sweet fruit on the vine 

CHORUS
 
END

Whiskey to Wine

GRACIE LEE  - Susan Cameron (edit and music by Avrim Topel)

The angels told him he didn't have long to be on earth, 
and heaven would soon be his to see
But he had reasons (he needed) to stay here, and they were three
His wife, his strong man son and Gracie Lee

Named for her granddaddy Lee and the grace of the man above
She was on this earth to comfort him and shower him with  love
When asked where she came from her eyes twinkled and smiled
As she raised her little finger and she pointed to the sky

On the day when her daddy was called,  he (really) wanted to stay
But the man above had other plans and took him home that day
I thought my heart would break when I saw her sweet face
At the service for her daddy, yet she handled it with grace
  
See, she knew that day would come and she knew what she would do
She would send a message up to dad and tell him a thing or two
So she found a Chinese lantern that would fly up very high
she wrote this message on it, and sent it to the sky;

She said daddy, I love you, daddy I miss you,  Daddy I know you still hear me.
I’m sad I can’t hug you, I  can’t even kiss you, but I’ll always be your Gracie Lee

The lantern flew high, reached the sky and disappeared from sight.
It reached heaven and her angel and it stayed there over night
The next morning her mother got a call she could not believe 
The caller said we found a lantern with words signed Gracie Lee

It said daddy I love you, daddy I miss you, Daddy I know you still hear me
I’m sad I can’t hug you, I  can’t even kiss you, but I’ll always be your Gracie Lee

The lantern was perfect and came back down to earth 
To leave a wife and son is hard, but to leave a daughter’s worse
Every night when daddy sends his love she hears is loud and clear

He says Gracie I love you, Gracie I miss you, Gracie  I know you still hear me.
I’ll be sending heavens angels and their blessings  straight to you .
(See) I'll be (waiting, and) watching all the good things (that) you do.
She said daddy I love you, daddy I miss you, Daddy I know you still hear me
I’m sad I can’t hug you, I  can’t even kiss you, but I’ll always be your Gracie Lee.

END

DEMO              

GRACIE LEE - Lyrics by Susan Cameron

Avrim "Ave" Topel is a previously published songwriter who writes in several genres including Pop, Country, Adult Contemporary, and Rock. He is affiliated with ASCAP. 
Ave seeks to place his songs with artists, bands, and film and television projects looking for original music. He particularly enjoys co-writing and writing for specific artists or projects.

Avrim Topel

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