In this piano trio, Echoes of What Was portrays a quiet conversation between piano, violin, and cello —
each reaching out to express what words cannot, echoing the beauty and fragility of fleeting memories.

Echoes of What Was

# Geburtstag

Miles From Home – Story

This song came from those late hours when you start missing someone without meaning to. 
It’s about watching a person you love grow, move on, and build their own life, while you still feel their presence in the small places they once filled.

The melodies follow the feeling of distance mixed with hope. 
A soft guitar, gentle piano and warm strings carry the memories of old phone calls, footsteps in the hallway and the way a room can still hum with someone’s voice even after they’re gone.

Miles from home, but never forgotten. 
This is a song for anyone who still listens for a voice they miss.

Enjoy....

Lyrics

Can you still hear me... when the night is long

[Verse1]
There was a time when you called me every day
Told me stories in your clumsy way
Your shoes by the door, your coat on the chair
Now the silence hangs, but I still care
I watched you pack the life you’d grown
Said, “Go find the world, make it your own.” You smiled and waved, said, “I’ll be fine,” 
But I still look for your light through mine

[Pre-Chorus] 
I close my eyes, pretend it’s near
Your voice still whispers in my ear

[Chorus] 
Miles from home, but never far, You’re written deep where the heartbeats are. Through every call, through every night, Your name still burns like a little light. You said “Don’t cry, I’ll come back soon,” 
But the room still hums your tune
Miles from home
I still wait for you

[Verse 2] 
I pass your street when the sun goes down
See reflections where you once were found
The city changed, but I still feel 
That part of you the years can’t steal
I’d trade the world for one more day
To hear your footsteps fade away
I’d let you go all over again, But I’d hold you twice as long back then

[Pre-Chorus] 
If love had wings, I’d send it through
Every sky that hides you from view

[Chorus] 
Miles from home, but never gone, You live in every whispered song. Through every storm through every tear, I feel your soul still standing here. You said “Don’t cry, I’ll come back soon,” 
But the walls still hum your tune
Miles from home
I still wait for you

[Bridge] 
The moonlight lands where you once dreamed
I trace the shadow where you leaned
If you still hear me through the rain
Know my love remains the same

[Final Chorus] 
Miles from home, I whisper still, Across the years, I always will. If you can hear me, know it’s true 
Every heartbeat carries you
Miles from home
I’m still with you

[Outro] 
I fold the night against the sky, And whisper
one last goodbye


Miles From Home

Cast of characters:

Gaz Brownie — @user-755327533 — Gaz — vocals, vocal harmonies, lyrics, and composition
K2 and the Three [and the Four] -- @k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken–drums
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 – Warwick four-string fretless bass
TexMex Shaman–@texmex-shaman –Stephen– Tom Anderson custom T guitar
J.J. Terrell– @j-j-terrell – organ and piano
Llanpsych–@llanpsych –Tez– mix, production, and mastering

This song began by Gaz composing it and on his acoustic guitar, and singing his original lyrics over it. Gaz is a brilliant songwriter, lyricist, and singer, with whom we've worked before. However, this is the first song he's shared with us. He gave it to Ken first, who started the project and invited the rest of us to it.
  Ken, who was the originator of the project, was actually the second person to lay down a part, which he did to Josh's bass, instead of the other way around, as they usually do it. Stephen then came in and replaced Gaz's acoustic guitar with his silky smooth electric guitar. JJ got down on his magical piano and organ parts not long after Stephen added his guitar. 
  This was a somewhat uncomplicated process, as Gaz gave us a fully realized song to work with right from the start. Tez sealed the deal with his expert production to cap it off, too.
  As mentioned, this is our second song starring Gaz, and we're very grateful to him for sharing his magic with us. We're all looking forward to working together again in the future, too. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed creating it. 
Original lyrics by Gaz Brownie:
V1
Im drawing the conclusion that 
Im just being polite 
And questioning myself is it me our are they right
I’m feeling a little angry hope it’s not out of spite 
Is just a reaction to this uncomfortable night 

Chorus 
When did the world stop listening 
When did the world stop listening 


V2
As we compete for space to try & speak
Everyone’s on journey on a bus to shit creek
With condescending story’s of their bad & awesome week
And I’m working on finding just a better style of technique 

Chorus 

V3
I avoid catching that struggle bus 
Don’t wanna be part of my problem and be misunderstood 
What are you looking at is there something you wanna discuss 
I push his   face up the window cause I’ve had enough 

Finish on a chorus

When Did The World Stop Listening (Eclectic Collective with Gaz Brownie)

A few breaths…
And the spiral starts again.
Shadows watch me like they already know
what I’m fighting.
I told you once— yeah, I believed I could—
but this room feels hollow tonight.
I need to say I’m done, no more cigarette,
unless you ask me to stay.
Baby… won’t you change your mind?

[Verse 1 – Slow Dark Pulse]
I keep chasing inspiration
in the wrong places,
stroking the madness
like it’ll save me.
There’s a voice in my head
that drags me back
to my pretty cigarette—
my pretty cigarette.
It’s supposed to be the last one,
the kind that makes my head spin,
but my hands still tremble
when I try to walk away.

[Pre-Chorus – Rising Tension]
A few breaths,
and the spiral winds tighter.
I get foolish,
the air gets heavy.
It never stops—
it never stops—
that voice calling me back
to my pretty cigarette,
my pretty cigarette.
This is supposed to be the last one,
the kind that makes my head spin…
and I’m trying to let it go.

[Chorus – Heavy, Echoing]
Make my head spin,
make my head spin,
spin my head—
pull me in again.
Last cigarette, last cigarette,
last cigarette…
This should be my last cigarette.
But I still want that last cigarette.
Last cigarette, last cigarette…
This should be my last cigarette—
a promise burning slow inside me.

[Chorus – Dark Extended Version]
I still want one last cigarette,
last cigarette, last cigarette…
This should be my last cigarette.
I want that final taste—
even as the habit claws at me.
Last cigarette, last cigarette…
This should be my last cigarette.
I want one last— last cigarette—
the craving pulling threads
through my bones.

[Bridge – Spoken / Distorted]
I told you I believed I could change.
Before I shut this door,
I need to stay clean tonight.
Baby, won’t you change—
change your mind?
Your shadow lingers,
mine shakes in the doorway,
trying to leave the smoke behind.

[Breakdown – Minimal / Cold]
A few breaths…
and the spiral turns again.
My pretty cigarette,
my last cigarette—
the one that makes my head spin.
Make my head spin.
Still…
it never stops,
it never will—
not unless I break the cycle
one breath
at a time.

[Outro – Slow Fade / Dark Glow]
Last cigarette, last cigarette…
slipping from my fingers
like a fading memory.
I want one last cigarette,
but the night keeps whispering,
“no more.”
A few breaths,
and everything spins again—
but this time
I’m walking out of the haze.

Smoked my last cigarette

As we approach the holiday season, carols will soon fill the air alongside larger works like Handel’s oratorio, "Messiah," which is a favorite of mine. When I was a child, my parents played Handel’s music in our home during the holidays, and in college, I sang his well-known works with the rest of our chorale.  

One movement, “All We Like Sheep,” makes me think of the biblical parable about the Good Shepherd, who leaves his flock to rescue one sheep that wanders off. I love this story for a number of reasons, but especially because it conveys the message that everyone matters to God, even when we wander and become lost. This parable, found in Luke 15 and Matthew 18, provided the inspiration for my composition, "The Rescue."

The first 25 seconds tell the story of the sheep wandering off, while the rest of the music follows the shepherd’s lengthy search. Throughout the piece, you will hear a recurring major chord that signifies a glimmer of hope as the shepherd continues his search. The shepherd nears the end of his journey when the music begins to slow down, and the very last chord represents the moment of discovery and rescue. The lost sheep is finally found and gently cradled in the shepherd's arms to return home.

The Rescue

Missing Without You

[Verse 1]
Met you on a slow blue morning
sunlight caught on your hair—
you laughed like you already knew me
and something in me shifted quiet

We walked past houses half-awake
your fingers brushing mine—
close enough to spark
but not enough to start us not yet

[Pre-Chorus]
Funny how the small things stay—
your voice the warmth
the way you said my name
like it meant something more

[Chorus]
Cause you’re the part of me
I didn’t know was missing—
the rhythm in the mess
the calm when all is spinning

Every time you go
I feel the space you leave—
it’s like the world leans sideways
tilted—missing without you

[Verse 2]
You showed up on my hardest days
hands in your pockets eyes soft—
you stayed until my breathing settled
until the walls I kept got tired

And I didn’t say it
but you knew—
the way my shoulders dropped
the way my voice found its way to you


[Pre-Chorus]
It’s wild how your silence speaks—
your presence filling
every space I thought was empty
holding what I couldn’t hold alone

[Chorus]
Cause you’re the part of me
I didn’t know was missing—
the rhythm in the mess
the calm when all is spinning

Every time you go
I feel the space you leave—
like the room forgets its center
I’m missing without you

[Bridge]
And if you ever wander
if you ever doubt—
I’ll keep a light on
I’ll say it out loud

You’re the piece that fits
the place I land—
come back home
and I’ll take your hand

[Final Chorus]
Cause you’re the part of me
I didn’t know was missing—
the pulse I follow through the dark
the truth I keep believing
Anywhere you walk
I’m already halfway there—
cause the world stays brighter
when you’re right here
I’m missing without you—
only whole when I’m with you

Missing Without You

A voice speaks from the middle of grief not the loud kind, but the quiet kind that you maybe can hear in empty rooms and unasked questions. 
The song follows someone walking through the spaces a loved one left behind, imagining how life might have felt if they had stayed. 
Every hallway, 
every chair, 
every silent corner,
is a reminder of what once was.

Two friends still wait in the shadows of memory, hoping for a return that will never come. 
The song keeps circling the same impossible question: “What if you never left?”
Would their lives look different? 
Would the light still be there? 
Would laughter still survive?

As the story unfolds, reality breaks through the dream. 
Time has moved on yet the longing remains. 
The bridge cracks the illusion, showing acceptance mixed with ache.

It’s a song about absence, the weight of remembering, and the fragile hope that the one who left might still hear their name in the night.

A quiet plea for recognition.

A portrait of the ones who stayed.

Enjoy...
----------------------------------------------------------------
Lyrics:

What If You Never Left

[Verse 1] 
What if the dawn still knew your voice
And your footsteps never faded into silence
What if the chairs, the rooms, the lonely nights 
Could breathe your presence
could erase your absence
In a world where you stayed, would light have remained
Would laughter fill the air instead of the ache
I know I’d be happier, you know I would

[Pre Chorus]
Two friends you left behind still stare in the dark
When your name is whispered, their hearts skip a beat
They don’t live forever, you know
And they still look for you

[Chorus]
What if you never left
Would the autumn leaves still tremble in your wake
Would our reflections find the strength to stand
I just want you to see us
The ones you left behind in the hollow space you made
If you never left, we might have stayed

[Verse 2] 
I walk the halls 
we used to share
And every corner holds a trace of your laughter
The clock ticks soft but the world is loud
With memories of you 
that taste like disaster
I catch a glimpse a smile in someone else’s eyes
And wonder if you ever think of us
Or only of the flight you chose, the night you whispered goodbye

[Pre Chorus]
We are not immortal, you know
Our hearts beat in borrowed time
And when I say your name, they still search. They still hope you’ll come 

[Chorus] 
What if you never left
Would the stars align with the promise of tomorrow
Would the storms pass gently, the sky stay clear
I just want you to see us
The ones whose light faded when you walked away
If you never left
maybe we’d still be here

[Bridge] 
This what if moment holds me in its grip
A mirror of what might have been
But the reflection cracks and the pieces fall
And I see it’s no longer worth dwelling in the past
Yet I still whisper into the night
You left
We stayed
And we remember

[Chorus] 
What if you never left 
Would we still dance beneath the moon’s pale glow
Would our hearts forgive the fear that kept them small
I just want you to see us
Frail, still breathing, still bearing your name
If you never left, would we still be whole
would we still be whole

[Outro] 
Look for us in the silence
In the empty air between your words
We don’t live forever
But we remember you
What if you never left

What If You Never Left

By a Thread is 🤍 I just released a very personal new Christian alternative song called “By a Thread.” I wrote it last week during an incredibly difficult time packing up my home of 24 years, when both beautiful and painful memories came rushing back. The grief felt overwhelming, and I was barely holding on — but God, along with my family, friends, and the gift of writing and producing music, carried me through it all. If you have a moment to listen, like, or repost, it would truly mean the world to me. Thank you so much for always supporting my music — your encouragement keeps me going. 💛

Written by Melinda Klotz Mercer. Performed by Spirit Sound.

By A Thread

Christmas Background Music with Guitar, Ukulele, Piano and other Solos

# Geburtstag

Axel Kroll