The seventh tale of Snow and Cherry

Not in my blood

it's early morning
sun rays are coming through my window
my soul is yearning
thoughts in my head spin round in circles

Why'd I keep on falling down
and coming back for more?
it's made me stronger
while trying to kill me all along
but giving up is not in my blood

the still of morning
gives me the courage I've been missing
I'm fooling no one
playing a game I know I can't win

Why instead of losing hope 
I'm coming back for more?
why do I bother?
not even I would claim to know
but giving up is not in my blood

it's early morning
thoughts in my head spin round in circles
I finally noticed
sun rays are coming through my window

Why in spite of feeling down 
I'm coming back for more?
it's made me stronger
bringing some comfort to my soul
but giving up is not in my blood

Giving up is not in my blood

Tales of Snow and Cherry

Not In My Blood

The eight tale of Snow and Cherry

Y te vas

¿Qué voy a hacer conmigo si me cuesta respirar?
¿Qué voy a hacer contigo si me vuelves a dejar?

La sonrisa rota
la mirada perdida
no hace falta que diga
que se me va la vida
que dos años se fueron
y que nunca volvieron
porque ya no estás tú
¿por qué ya no estás?

Porque si te vas
porque si te vas
porque si te vas
ya no queda nada más
y te vas
y te vas
porque nunca fui capaz

¿Qué vas a hacer si pido que te marches sin voltear?
¿Qué vas a hacer contigo ahora que te dejo atrás?

Con la fe hasta los suelos
la mirada hacia el cielo
con las alas partidas
y la mente abatida
y es que cómo te cuento
que se nos fue el momento
y que si no estás tú
¿y qué si no estás?

Poco a poco te conviertes en recuerdo y me alegro

Y Te Vas

The ninth tale of Snow and Cherry

When souls collide

love is the answer
to the pain in your soul, she said
what you're looking for
you won't find it in here

well, I don't believe it, he said
what if you're wrong, you know,
you've been wrong before
you don't know me at all

in his mind
her words
sting like a paper cut
if she's right
all he's known comes tumbling down

love is a journey, she points
and I'm getting off, he scorns
what makes you so sure?
well, I don't care anymore

In her heart
she knows
this is a story of when
the person's right
but the timing is off

oh oh the timing is off oh oh

love isn't easy
but it's worth the fall, I heard
the pain is assured
but the heartbreak is a choice

I know now
this is a story of 
when souls collide
but the timing is off

they might not meet again, that's right
but will never forget

on oh oh life goes on

When souls collide

Featuring vocals by Rosmy Jimmy

Perfect is the soundtrack of confronting one's own mortality.

(One more proof that vocals can totally make or break a song, check out my version and wonder with me why the heck am I still singing my own songs?) https://soundcloud.com/cristhopper2019/perfect)

*****

Perfect

I can't believe that
it took me all this time to realize
there's no going back
I'm fooling myself
expecting something different from the past
is it too late now?

If the next breath was my last
would I feel content with the way I am?

Life isn't always perfect
true lasting love's not for the faint of heart
how do we know it's worth the price?

Our existence
a miracle the mirror can't deny
and no one gets out alive
the reflection
is someone we can't always recognize
even if we try

If the next breath was my last
would I feel content with the way I am?

Life isn't always perfect
true lasting love's not for the faint of heart
how do we know it's worth the price?

If the next breath was your last
would you feel content? would it all make sense?

Life isn't always perfect
true lasting love's not for the faint of heart
how do we know it's worth the price?

Perfect (Ft. Rosmy Jimmy)

Merry Christmas to everyone but Merry Merry Sickmas to anyone who has to spend the holidays in quarantine like me. I wrote this song for us 🙂. I hope you like it.

*****

Merry Merry Sickmas

Merry Merry Sickmas to me
now I have to spend this Christmas in quarantine

Merry Merry Sickmas to me
I don't care about the presents under the tree

my only desire
friends and family round the fire

Christmas might look different this year
I might be alone but this will never change
what Christmas means to me

Merry Merry Sickmas to me
little baby Jesus keeps me sweet company

I can't help but feel like
somehow I ended up on the naughty list

Christmas might feel different this year
I could be alone but this can never change
what Christmas is to me
 
my only desire
friends and family round the fire

Christmas is my one true favorite day of the year
there is nothing that could ever change this fact
and that is why
Merry Merry Sickmas
Merry Merry Sickmas
Merry Merry Sickmas
to me

Merry Merry Sickmas

Life is crazy? Feels like the world is ending? Can't handle anymore?
Chill out my friend and do the Matcha Latte Cha Cha. 
Life gets better when you're in it. 

*****

Matcha Latte Cha Cha

El trabajo nunca se acaba
siempre mil pendientes hay para mañana
en la guerra de lo importante y lo urgente
se nos olvida vivir el presente

Al mal tiempo con buena cara
es mejor que actuar como si no pasara
con cada error algo nuevo aprendemos
otra manera de cómo no hacerlo

Un paso para atrás
no es volver a empezar
dos pasos para atrás no es fracaso
más bien un cha cha chá

Do the Matcha Latte Cha Cha
la vida para contarla hay que vivirla
Matcha Latte Cha Cha
mi vida es mejor si tú estás

El pasado ya no regresa
el futuro guarda más de una sorpresa
no hay más que lo que tenemos en frente
en el presente vivir plenamente

Un paso para atrás
no es volver a empezar
dos pasos para atrás no es fracaso
mas bien un cha cha chá

Do the Matcha Latte Cha Cha
la vida para contarla hay que vivirla
Matcha Latte Cha Cha
mi vida es mejor si tú estás

Matcha Latte Cha Cha

Depending on the times, our biases and temperament, the cultural messages can feel suffocating. Here's a song that came to me about that. 

*****

We win

try again but better
they don't care how hard your life has been

work yourself to death
dawn to dusk, from the cradle to the grave

you must win, you always have to win
only losers blame the game

get back at them, harder
tooth and nail, like your life depends on it

is there anything worth saving?
is there a way to tell?

all alarms and all surprises
need to go to start again

2022

We Win

I ran into the following excerpt that inspired this song. I hope you find something in it that hooks your mind up just like it did for me.

“Hypocrisy is unavoidable and necessary. If people were required, at all times, to live up to ideals of honesty, loyalty, and compassion in order for those ideals to exist, there would be no ideals. Being a moral person is a struggle in which everyone repeatedly fails, becoming a hypocrite in each of those moments. A just and peaceful society depends on hypocrites who ultimately refused to abandon the ideals they betray.” 
Michael Gerson

*****

Couldn't if I tried

couldn't help to be the first to walk away
troubled, stone-in-hand
who am I to say that I know better?

what's the point in making claims I couldn't possibly sustain and
is it better than to look the other way and to throw my hands up?

they say i should let go
that it's indefensible
not worth the effort
and just hypocritical
but i'd hate myself
because I'm not that cynical
they say to let go
but I couldn't if I tried
but I couldn't if I tried
no I couldn't if I tried

how can anybody face the doom and gloom,
the elephant in the room
when we often fail at making sense?

what's the point in making claims no one could possibly sustain and
is it better than to look the other way and to throw our hands up?

most of us are tryna be better
and all of us are far from there
should we just give up
since we know we'll fail again?

Couldn't If I Tried

I wrote this little tune for my 7yo niece, whom I had the most wonderful time during the 2022 holidays with.

*****

Había una vez en el pequeñísimo, pequeñísimo reino de Büchen, una pequeña princesa de color de rosa y su nombre era Lu-lu-ise, y ésta es su historia. 

Lu-lu-ise
princesa de Büchen
heredera del reino Armenta-Hahn

Su castillo
es de tres pisos
su vestido es rosa púrpura

Le gusta ir a la escuela
muy temprano caminando va
siempre hace su tarea
y disfruta ayudar a los demás

Sus hermanitos
Benedikt y Michelito
con ella siempre quieren jugar

Su papa la peina
y su mama, la reina,
ha hecho pfannkuchen para cenar

Juega con sus muñecas
LOL y rainbow high
su carruaje es su bicicleta
no hay lugar donde no pueda llegar

También las princesas
se desesperan, no son perfectas
no obtienen todo lo que desean
este reino no es de cuento

Lu-lu-ise,
Oh Lu-lu-ise,
Lu-lu-ise,
Oh Lu-lu-ise!

Cuando te falten las fuerzas
Necesarias para continuar
Sigue, no te detengas
Nunca olvides que sola nunca estás

Cuando te falten las fuerzas
Necesarias para continuar
Sigue, no te detengas
Nunca olvides que Dios contigo está

2023

Lu - Lu - Ise

This incredibly exciting track was born from collaboration with my dear friend Kyle Walz. I'm still in the state of awe with the final product. He magically transformed an 8 bar piano progression into this track full of energy and excitement. Thank you, Kyle. I'm looking forward to more collaborations in the near future. I wanna learn as much as I can from you. Particularly, the amazing box you make musical magic with. I wanna learn more of that, jaja! 

C

My Wooden Heart

My Wooden Heart - xthopper x Kyle Walz collaboration

I wrote this epic little tune for my 5yo nephew Benedikt. When I asked him what he wanted his song to be about, without a trace of doubt, he candidly replied: The Avengers, Thanos, dinos (dinosaurs) and Blue Demon (A famous late Mexican wrestler). I took notes and made a bulleted list. My Mom heard our exchange and later, knowing what her grandson loves to pretend play to, she suggested I should add the Archangels as well as medieval knights, swords and armors included (obviously!), to the mix. Her suggestion triggered a whole trip back in memory lane to my own pretend play as a little boy. What you're about to listen is the result of my own hero journey in search for that one song I needed to rescue from the Dragons and bring home. I hope you like it as much as Benedikt and his siblings (Luise and Michel) and, of course, I did. In the process, I was reminded of how much our hearts truly are carefully made for adventure. The hero's journey speaks to some of our innermost desires almost from day one. Cheers!

*****

La Batalla Final

En la batalla final entre el bien y el mal,
los Arcángeles y los Avengers
enfrentan al ejercito del Chanclas
comandado por Thanos y la temible Baba Yaga.
Y cuando todo parece perdido...
Del reino lejano de Buchen llegan tres jovenes Ritter 
con la fe capaz de cambiarlo todo
¿Vencerá el bien una vez más?

¡Los Jóvenes Ritter y la Batalla Final!

Los chicos malos avanzan guiados por Thanos
y con sus poderes derriban a los Avengers.
La Baba Yaga duerme a Luise y a Michel atrapa,
pero Benedikt y los Arcángeles llegan a luchar

¡Es la batalla final entre el bien y el mal!
Gabriel a Michel ayuda a escapar
y Rafael despierta a Luise.
Y junto a Miguel y Benedikt,
¡se preparan para contraatacar!

En equipos, Luise y Rafael oran por los heridos,
y Michel con Gabriel vuelan muy alto para defender
mientras que Benedikt y Miguel se lanzan de frente para vencer
y con sus ataques logran hacer al mal retroceder

¡Es la batalla final entre el bien y el mal!
Cuando los buenos parecen ganar...
¡el Chanclas inesperado aparece!
Y usando el guante de Thanos,
los héroes caen derrotados.
¿Será que los chicos malos han ganado al final?

Y cuando la batalla parece perdida 
y la oscuridad acecha, lista para cubrirlo todo,
Benedikt, herido y sin poder levantarse,
reúne lo que le queda de fuerzas y eleva una última oración:
"Señor... escucha mi suplica: salva a mis hermanos"
En ese momento, desde el cielo, una luz envuelve a los jovenes Ritter
Dios atiende su oración y restaura sus fuerzas.
Y les concede el poder de cada Arcángel:
A Michel, alas para volar como Gabriel
A Luise, el don de sanar como Rafael
Y a Benedikt... la espada de fuego de Miguel

¡Es la batalla final entre el bien y el mal!
la espada corta el guante a la mitad
y cobarde, el Chanclas sale corriendo
¡Es la batalla final entre el bien y el mal!
Los chicos buenos pelean sin dudar
hasta que los malos se rinden
Avengers y Arcangeles,
con los Santos y los Angeles,
todos juntos aplauden,
a los jovenes heroes que luchan con fe hasta el final

Y así termina la batalla final... por ahora...
porque mientras el mal exista, 
los Jóvenes Ritter volverán a luchar con gran fe 
y con la confianza que Dios siempre los acompaña.

La Batalla Final

The fifth spirit Of Light and Darkness tells the story of a little pathway over the mountainside whose fertile grounds allowed a beautiful rose to grow. Inadvertently, the pathway couldn't keep up with the flower needs, and so the flower dried up and died. Souls like these might be condemned to grief their way into the hereafter. Unless they let go and move on. Pain is inevitable, suffering, in contrast, is optional. 

*****

Tiempo 

Rayos de sol tocan la tierra
del suelo nace y se marchita una flor
y por la vereda
se escucha triste una voz
que canta una canción

El río que va por la ladera
se llevó todo lo que queda de la flor
y por la vereda
se escucha triste una voz
que canta una canción

Nada voy a hacer con la obsesión
Esa forma tuya de cantar esa canción
Nada voy a hacer si entre tu y yo no queda más tiempo
antes que se oculte el sol

Y del lugar donde ella estuvo
solo ha quedado el daño y la erosión
y en la vereda
siguen los restos de su voz
con esa canción

Y aunque las flores se marchiten
la primavera volverá con su color
y en mi vereda
no se volvió a escuchar su voz
el tiempo se acabó

Of Light and Darkness

Tiempo

The sixth spirit Of Light And Darkness tells the story of a soul whose love for his mother inspired a song. Written long ago, some of the words have faded away, but the music stuck. The feeling remained but the love evolved. On the verge of oedipal obsession, we can only be thankful half of it has been unintentionally relinquished to the pass of time. A mother is a boy's first primary object of desire, but when the time comes, he shall move past the umbilical bond and make room for the soon-to-become most important woman in his life.

****

I wrote this song when I was a teenager for a Mother's Day celebration. Almost twenty years after (now) I get the amazing opportunity to finally record it. I have forgotten half of the words, but it's probably for the best. I don't think the second part was memorable at all, even for me. Jaja. Today's my Mom's 64th Birthday. Feliz cumpleaños, mamá. Thank you for all the love.

*****

Sencillamente

¿Quién es esa mujer que veo todos los días?
¿Quién es esa mujer que es parte de la familia?
¿Quién es esa mujer que todas las mañanas 
me dice que Dios te bendiga?

Mujer que cuidas de mi vida
Mujer que Dios siempre te bendiga
Mujer que pese a las caídas
das lo mejor de ti cada día

Mujer que siempre estas a mi lado
Mujer que nunca has renunciado
Mujer que sólo llevas por nombre
sencillamente madre

Sencillamente

The eight spirit Of Light And Darkness.

*****

All there is

the things that I thought I was gonna do, I didn't do
the places I thought I was gonna go, I haven't gone
the job that I thought I was gonna have, I do not have
the people I thought I would stick around, I left behind

Is this all there is?
I do not believe

the lessons I thought I was gonna learn, I still don't know
the piano, the dog, the house with the porch, I still don't own

Is this all there is?
I do not believe

the woman I thought I was gonna love, I couldn't love
the man that I thought I was going to become, I am not

Is this all there is?
I cannot believe

All There Is

The seventh song from Deconstructed

Solo para ti

Cada que me besa
con esa destreza
sabe cuanto me gusta
su mirada traviesa
Cuando ella me mira
pierdo la cabeza
Baby soy de ti
sólo para ti

You're what I want for me
and I can't go on así
so baby just let me be your man

Ay, you’re the one for me
sabe cuanto me gusta
su mirada traviesa
Ay, tú eres para mí
Baby soy de ti
sólo para ti

You're what I want for me
and I can't go on así
so baby just let me be your man

Deconstructed

Solo Para Ti

The second tale of Snow and Cherry

Cold morning coffee

Cold morning coffee
i keep on messing up
i couldn't say i love you
every time just like the one before
just like before

Cold morning coffee
i've got myself to blame
my mind wants to be here
but my heart is somewhere else
somewhere else, somewhere else

broken hearted on my own
sick and tired of being alone

Cold morning coffee
i'm ready to forget
the neighbor's dog is crying
i guess I'm not the only one in pain
my heart's in pain

broken hearted on my own
sick and tired of being alone

Cold morning coffee
i'd give it all away
just to have another chance to
try it all again
all again, all again

Cold Morning Coffee

The third tale of Snow and Cherry. 

I wrote this song for my niece (5) and nephew (2) who live in Germany. They know I live in a place called New York where there are many rats who live in the subway. These rats are so bored during quarantine that they started holding their own parades with their very own marching band. This song is about the handsome little rats that play instruments in the Rat Marching Band as they parade along. Hey! Rats gotta rat. I hope you like it as much as they like it.

*****

La Marcha de las Ratas

La marcha de las ratas viene ya

Entre los sonidos de trompetas
bien organizadas al marchar
suena el flautín
luego el trombón
y las ratitas van tocando esta canción

Marcha por delante el clarinete
sigue muy de cerca el saxofón
el conductor
con gran fervor
va dirigiendo con las notas del tambor

La marcha de las ratas viene ya

Hay entre la audiencia un ajetreo
Luise y su hermano Ben Mateo
saben cantar, tan, tan
esta canción, son, son
y van moviendo la colita de la emoción

Paso a paso van sin detenerse
porque es hora ya de terminar
hasta la próxima
las ratas volverán
con los sonidos que producen al marchar

La marcha de las ratas ya se va

cristhopper

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