Some songs contrast so beautifully that they need to heard together, back-to-back.  This is how I first heard them together via my Soundcloud's random rotation. Here some of my favorites so far. I've tried to pair them so the sequence goes 1&2, 3&4, etc

Great Pairings

i clean up the world
you fall in beside me
i’ll cover the Wuhan lab
you shore up the army

i follow the news
the news is disaster
i’ve given up on my booze
to wash the world faster

every morning
every hour

stop at the top of mountains
soul care repair

it happens this way
to each generation
the entropy cabaret
and reason’s cessation

every morning
wake up to the truth
every hour
plenty more to do

stop at the top of mountains
rest there fresh air 

every morning
wake up to the truth
every hour plenty more to do

stop at the top of mountains 
pure prayer up there

Tikkun

Billions Of Years From Now came about as I pondered this endless plight of humanity, and the apparent possibilities of our extinction by our own hands, which does seem diametrically opposed to our oft benign nature, especially during crises. These aren’t original ideas, as so many others throughout history have thought about this as well. To Love The World Anyway is a phrase that asks us to care about the world even in difficult times, through personal hardship and suffering, by accepting the world as it is. When I first heard this phrase, I laughed at its apparent, naive folly. Over the years though, as I cared for plants and animals, and helped others (often begrudgingly)… I was slowly learning about what loving the world anyway really means. It is kinda like weathering a storm, while simultaneously balancing anger and frustration with compassion and unconditional love. Being a parent has taught me a lot about this as well. In other news… we just endured a powerful winter blizzard, with heavy snow, and strong winds that caused a lot of snow drifting. The best drift in the yard was in my driveway. It is 4 feet deep. After the storm blew through, the temps dropped to well below zero. I was outside shoveling for a good part of the day. A neighbor with a backhoe was plowing out our drifted-in road, and was making a few 15 foot piles of snow along the way. Some of us were essentially snowed in. There are thick ice jams on the roof which have revealed another place I’ll need to patch this spring. During the winter, I usually go up on the roof and shovel the deep snow off of it. Later that day, I put extra forage out for the animals, and noticed one rabbit had holed up underneath an old couch I have outside on the porch. The local elk herd (Wapiti) is down out of the mountains now. The herd can be seen in the hay fields just down the road from here. They head for the windswept, south facing knolls, and it is fascinating to see how they survive in this harsh climate. Once in a late night blizzard, I had to stop on the road, and was engulfed in the elk herd as they passed by. There were a hundred or so in the herd. Well, hope you like this song. Thanks for dropping by, Mark

Billions Of Years From Now

l'art pour l'art - Chiaroscur
April 2025
Duration: 3:10
Listen to the Playlist, l'art pour l'art: https://soundcloud.com/bruce-klepper-1/sets/lart-pour-lart
Cover art painting: Carol Klepper
Cover art lettering: John-Marc Ventimiglia
For guitar, harp, bansuri, Bhutan bells, Tibetan singing bowls, brushed gong, gong, virtual instruments and percussion

l'art pour l'art - Chiaroscur

it's about a man ghosting. when someone is coming on strong!! 

I took you to London
Where we used to be
The city lights shone so bright 
And that big old moon peering down 
That's the way we should stay 

Make a pact departure 
Float on out with the tide 
As the waves crashed over my face 
I Swear for you I could have died 

And the angels cry 
Even the Angels cry 
Go to sleep my baby
Go to sleep my little child
Wake when the storm is over
When the tides no longer wild
And the angels cry 
Even the Angels cry 

Arms of an evil ocean 
Pull me out to sea 
Love with no devotion 
Is there any life left in me. 

And the angels cry 
Even the Angels cry 
Go to sleep my baby
Go to sleep my little child 
Wake when the storm is over
When the tides no longer wild. 
And the Angels cry
Even the Angels cry 

instrumental 

Washed up on a distant shore 
A tred on empty shell 
Why is love so pitiful 
Like a living lonesome hell 

And the Angels cry
Even the Angels cry 
Go to sleep my baby 
Go to sleep my little child 
Wake when the storm is over 
When the tides no longer wild 
And the angels cry 
Even the Angels cry 

 

And The Angels Cry

a little musical gift for my dear friend Francesco
@francescocartocci

la favola della buonanotte

Just a little impromptu-ish take on "Anything You Can Do" from Irving Berlin's 1946 musical "Annie Get Your Gun".
I was joined by mezzo-soprano Bethan Morris, and the piano track was provided by Helen Roberts.

We were making a cake, and found that we are altogether much more fond of fondant than of guns...and honestly who would sign up for a mass shooting if they could join a cake tasting instead..

We hope you'll enjoy our inanities.

Anything You Can Do (Annie get your gun - Iving Berlin - the patissier's ed)

Not exactly fine dining music. Rather, a bit of easygoing and no fuss music with my good friend David Dunham. Good with a cup of coffee and maybe a piece of apple pie.   Thank you David.  It's always a pleasure to make music together.  Check out David's soothing guitar here ---> @david-dunhamuser589535203

Old Timer at the Diner

Old Timer at the Diner with David Dunham & Debra Buesking

"Oblivion" was originally composed for bandonéon, piano and bass, by Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla in 1982. I have fallen in love with his music and had to play my own arrangement. Here is a YouTube of the original: https://youtu.be/hLX1-0VFjwE?si=LyDwslnJIlL8vT_9

My sincere thanks to David Dunham for his generosity in mastering my track. @david-dunhamuser589535203
Original image courtesy of Kristin Snippe, Unsplash

Oblivion by Astor Piazzolla

I am a finger-style guitarist living on the Texas high plains.  At the core of my music is melody that is inspired and informed by my Christian faith, family, friends, and countless influences through the years from the great composers, to jazz, folk, rock, Latin, Celtic, and the many fine musicians I have come to love on the Cloud, some I have been privileged to collaborate with.  Thanks for stopping by to have a listen. Comments are always welcome. Feel free to click on the picture of any track to learn more about it.