(Pyrite = Fool's Gold) 2020 Cortney Matz

Pickaxe ready and a grim expression
There's a yellow road and I'ma find it
Perseverance takes a powerful vision
There's a lot of work in gold mining
I don't know which way to find the gold
There's a whisper in my soul
Better mind it
Here I go on a long-ass shot 

To find the hill with a ribbon inside it
Twelve long months I've been chasing chunks
I wonder if I'm crazy for trying
Old timers say you gotta follow your own nose
But what if mine's lying?
Dig away, it's the same every day
Other veins obey, but not my one
What's this flash in the pan?
Oh man, it's a big fat nugget of shine!

Look at me, I'm the new queen bee
All of life's a game and I'm winning
Burn these rags with my rucksack bags
I'll be rich enough for fine linen
Come, my friends from your pain and poverty
Everybody eats for free when I'm with them
When I'm dead they'll raise their heads
In memory of the very best of women

Oooo

Pardon me, hate to bust your bubble
But I'm sure you've heard that there are dangers
Deep out here in the mine and shine
True gold aint the only thing that glitters
See this color, the shape and density
I truly hate to see you embittered
Gold is softer and has no scent
But what you found is its image spitter

Don't you run, my song's not done
There's a lot more vision with insight
Give your pity to dreams forgotten
Mine thrives with every day I'm alive
I've been fooled by a thing or two before
Doesn't hurt me anymore
I'll be alright
One thing I know for sure:
In heaven no one walks on roads made of pyrite
You can bet when I walk through heaven
I'll be treading gold that came from my mine

single songs

Pyrite Road

Walking down the street today
Heard a stranger stop and say, "Let me get that"
Held the door as I walked in
In a city crammed with people, made me feel seen
Don't underestimate the power of kindness

A little boy comes late to school
Gives the teacher a handful of dandelions
Fingers of covered all in mud
But I can tell you boy, does she feel loved
Don't underestimate the power of kindness

It may not be an act of bravery or strength
But kindness changes ordinary everyday
Everybody needs a little touch from grace

People come and people go
Maybe we will never even know their name
In a casual exchange
But every minute counts when a life is changed
Don't underestimate the power of kindness
I cannot overstate the power of kindness
Don't underestimate what you can do with just a word or two

The Power of Kindness

Cortney Matz, 2020

Among the Ponderosa trees
Under the evergreen
We're dancing cheek to cheek like lovers do
And as we're swaying in the breeze
Pinecones beneath our feet
Each one is whispering, "I love you"
Who knew living in Los Angeles could lead to this?
A honey-colored night within a sleeping forest

The Ponderosa knows its name 
But it cares nothing for fame
All of those silly games - so Hollywood
It takes a stand and stakes its claim
Makes it's intentions plain
Nothing can make it change what it knows is good
With you, there is nothing more to do than to be true
All is on display, with nothing left to disapprove

Among the Ponderosa trees
Moving in harmony
We are as evergreen as the pines we knew
And as we're swaying in the breeze
Pinecones beneath our feet
Each one is whispering, "I love you"

The Ponderosa Trees

Written by Cat Stevens/Yusuf
Performance 2020 by Cortney Matz

Now that I've lost everything to you
You say you want to start something new
And it's breaking my heart you're leaving
If you want to leave, take good care
Hope you got a lot of nice things to wear
But then a lot of nice things turn bad out there

I've seen a lot of what the world can do
And it's breaking my heart in two
'Cause I never want to see you sad
But if you want to leave, take good care
Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
Just remember there's a lot of bad

Oh baby, baby it's a wild world
And it's hard to get by just upon a smile
Oh baby, baby it's a wild world
But I'll always remember you just like a child

Baby I love you, but if you want to leave take good care
Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
Just remember there's a lot of bad
A lot of bad

Oh baby, baby it's a wild world
And it's hard to get by just upon a smile
Oh baby, baby it's a wild world
But I'll always remember you just like a child

And I can see you standing there
The way you looked at me with that soft smile
And the sunset in your eyes
Saying it's alright
It's always alright
But don't forget what I've been to you
Oh, what you will put me through

Oh babe, it's a wild world
And it's hard to get by even with that smile
Oh baby, baby it's a wild world
But I'll always remember you just like a child
I'll always remember you just like a child
I'll always remember you like this

Wild World

Written and performed by Cortney Matz 2020
*Listener note: there are three fairy tales referenced in this song - can you find them?

Locked behind bars of her fixed circumstances
She sings to the forest while gazing outside
Stranded but hopeful she waits through the boredom
Watching horizons and biding her time

But the story's not over, the end's yet to come
She can let her hair down when love comes around
Locked in a tower as high as the sky
As she watches the world pass by

Stuck in a room full of great expectations
She drops all pretenses and has a good cry
Overwhelmed by the sheer impossibilities
Bound by a promise and caught in a lie

But the story's not over, the end's yet to come
There's beauty and grace in this dreadful place
Spinning and spinning and spinning again
Who knows what will happen then?

Laden with purpose and burning with mission
She marches through treacherous paths in the wild
Waylaid by cunning and cruel devices
She falls for a trap laid by dangerous minds

But the story's not over, the end's yet to come
The monsters at night are more bark than bite
The story's not over, the end's yet to be
Look beyond what the eye can see

And so my dear listener, when you hear this song
Remember your tale is still going on

MacBookPro's Album

The Story's Not Over

Cortney Matz 2020

I see you locked inside a cage of your own making
Too strong for breaking, but you've grown too big to stay
Suspended high above the ground
No way out but down
And you're scared of falling

Caught between the dust and stars
You don't know yet who you are
But you've been swallowing fire
Let go, free fall
Who knows what happens when you let your guard down
Breathe out
Anyone can tell you those wings weren't meant for sitting still
Find out when you will

You figure out you're in this cage beneath the night sky
Watching them fly by like it's what they're made to do
Suddenly it all sinks in - that's the club you want to be in
But how to get up there?

When you're caught between the dust and stars
Realizing who you are
And maybe you can breathe fire
Let go, free fall
Who knows what happens when you let your guard down?
Breathe out
Anyone can tell you those wings weren't meant for sitting still
Find out when you will

Shaking with fear as you look below
No staying put, nowhere else to go
Take a deep breath as you leave behind that empty cage
Stretch your wings outside and fly

I am here to tell you those wings weren't meant for sitting still
Fly them when you will

My Little Dragon

This is an account full of rough recordings, songs in process. Feel free to listen in, but the final versions are here: http://soundcloud.com/cortney-matz

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