Here is a tune written with my electronica songwriting buddy and longtime friend Jon Healey who has a day job as a columnist with the LA Times.

It is from an album of this genre we will put out in the spring titled Heaven Knows. Have fun. Lyrics follow.

Shaky Ground
By David Snyder and Jon Healey

Verse

Who can love you
More than you do
Who can?
I ask who?
I thought you knew

Chorus
I thought you knew
I thought you knew
This game is through

Verse
Breaking the turtle’s shell
Walking on shaky ground
Crawling the ocean floor
Making my way up town


Chorus:
Shaking me up
Shaking me down
Shaking me up
Shaking me down
Shaking me down
In this shanty town
In this shanty town
Shaky ground

Verse

Over the wall
Into the sand
Together we fall
Hand in hand
Over the wall
Man to man
Together we fall
Hand in hand
Promises made
No heaven up here
Yes we can
Nothing to fear

Chorus

Fifty shades
Fifty shades of grey
No sign of night
No sign of day
No sign of night
No sign of day
No sign of day

All music and lyrics copyright 2014 by Jon Healey and David Snyder


Shaky Ground

Walking Backwards
By David Snyder

V1

A man in a Black Mercedes
Just pulled on up on the row
Greasy hair and diamond rings
Tells me things I need to know
I say tell me something lawyer
How do you stand the radio
Sounds like the kind of music
They might be playing down below
All the young kids chasing
Somebody else’s schemes
Repeating worn out phrases
They don't even know what they mean
I look up don’t see the sky
Just neon everywhere
Every cell in me says what the hell
You know I just don’t care

CH:

I’m walking backwards
All the way back down the hill
Away from the big machine
I hate working in this mill

V2

Next I meet the Devil
Dressed in purest white
Pointing to the billboard charts
And a stadium of light
I say tell me something devil
Something don’t feel right
Your music sounds like gunfire
And it’s drowning out the night
And every prophet’s chasing
Somebody else’s schemes
Souls like scattered ashes
In a world of broken dreams
I look up don’t see the sky
Just neon everywhere
Every cell in me says this is hell
And I’m getting out of here

CH 2:

I’m walking backwards
All the way back down the hill
Away from the big machine
I hate working in the mill
Gonna drive back to the lake all right
Gonna get myself baptized
Gonna kiss that pretty girl
You know the one with the angel eyes
I’m walking backwards
Running from this scene
I’m walking backwards
Walking backwards to my dreams
		
CH 3:

I’m walking backwards
All the way back down the hill
I say to hell with your big machine
I hate working in the mill
Gonna drive back to the lake all right
Gonna get myself baptized
Gonna kiss that pretty girl
You know the one with the angel eyes
I’m walking backwards
Running from this scene
I’m walking backwards
Walking backwards to my dreams


All music and lyric copyright 2016 by David Snyder



Walking Backwards

Earth Odyssey
By David Snyder

V1

You say you’re tired of the pain
And you’re tired of the rain
And you’re tired of playing
The same old games again and again
You're tired of staring out into space 
waiting for something to change
Well that makes two of us
Like ashes to ashes in a world of dust

CH

And we could have been heroes
Like Sergeant Pepper and Major Tom
Yeah we could have been heroes
Like Sergeant Pepper and Major Tom
But I’m afraid my love
That now we’ll never know
I knew it this morning when I turned on the radio

V2

You say you're tired of facing the night
And you’re tired of waiting for dawn
You say you’re afraid of the shadows
Afraid of the light
Afraid of everything that’s gone wrong
Well, that’s makes two of us

CH

And we could have been heroes
Like Sergeant Pepper and Major Tom
Yeah we could have been heroes
Like Sergeant Pepper and Major Tom
But I’m afraid my love
We will never know
I knew it this morning when I turned on the radio

V3

So you tired of the pain
And you’re tired of the rain
you’re tired of playing the same games 
again and again
Well that makes two of us
We just need something
And someone else to trust
We just need something
And someone else to trust	

Words and music copyright 2016 by David Snyder


Earth Odyssey

A World Apart    

By David Snyder

This song is my prayer that we will be able to stop the senseless violence
in this world gone mad. My deepest condolences to the families in pain
across the world, of every color, creed and ethnicity.


Ch 1

Tell me why	 
is it so hard for us 
to understand 
these angry hearts 
tell me how 
much longer 
must we be 
a world apart 
	
V1

Some people blame it on money	 
some people blame it on the color of their skin 
some people blame it on everybody else 
but the body 
that they're in 

Ch 

Tell me why
is it so hard for us 
to understand 
these angry hearts 
tell me how 
much longer 
must we be 
a world apart 

V2

Some people blame it on yesterday 	 
makes them feel cheated to remember it 
and other people just throwaway tomorrow 
simply because .... they can't forget 

CH

Tell me why
is it so hard for us 
to understand 
these angry hearts 
tell me how 
much longer 
must we be 
a world apart 


All music and lyrics copyright David Snyder, 1991, renewed 2016.


A World Apart

Stranger at the Gate
by David Snyder

V1

Girl I think you know I’ve never loved
Someone as good as you before
But the stars just gave me courage so
I thought I’d  knock upon your door
I have no way of knowing
If I’m what you’re looking for
But if we dive into that ocean
We might find out for sure

CH:

Cause I am just a stranger at the gate
And I hope that I have not arrived too late

V2

Girl I think you know
I’ve never seen these city streets before
But I’ve heard about America
From the ones who came before
And there’s a lady in your harbor
With her lamp held to the wind
I have crawled upon my knees to her
Once I reached the end

CH:

Cause I am just a stranger at the gate
And I hope that I have not arrived too late
Cause I am just a stranger
And I do not know my fate
But I hope that I have not arrived too late

V3

And if your God he does decide
To ever let me in
I will ask him if he really thinks that I have ever sinned
Or if everything we’ve ever feared
Was just magic and pretend
If those I thought were enemies
Were really my best friends
And if he asks me what I have to say
I will say it once again

CH:

I am just a stranger at the gate
And I hope that I have not arrived too late
Cause I am just a stranger
And I do not know my fate
But I hope that I have not arrived too late
I hope that I have not arrived too late


(Oooh Ooooh) Guitar Solo, Rideout

  All music and lyrics copyright 2016 by David Snyder


Stranger at the Gate

When the World Was Real
David Snyder

V1.

I miss the 4 track reel to reel
I miss that love that we used to feel
It was strong as American Steel
And brave men weren’t afraid to kneel
My lover sang me Let it Be
She reminded me Paul’s mother was named Mary
My friends knew all the notes to Purple Haze
Cause people could really play back in those days

CH:

Dylan asked me how it feels
To be out there on my own
Well I really don’t mind that much at all
I’ve always been a rolling stone
But I miss those days in a million ways
It’s exactly how I feel
I miss those days baby…
I miss those days
when the world was real



V2.

I kind of miss Led Zeppelin 4
The smell of vinyl in a record store
Walk in the valley of nevermore
Pull on my railroad boots and head right out the door
I dream sometimes of that silver girl, and I wonder
If she’s still sailing round the world
If the bridge over troubled water fell into the sea
Then she’s probably left stranded on the shore

CH 2:

Morrison said break on through
Keep going to the other side
But we never made it to the promised land
I guess we must have missed the ride
Well I look around and I’m a stranger babe
It’s exactly how I feel
I miss the magic baby…of the days
When the world was real…

Interlude:


CH. 3

Dylan asked me how it feels
To be out there on my own
Well I really don’t mind that much at all
I’ve always been a rolling stone
But I miss those days in a million ways
It’s exactly how I feel
I miss those days baby…
I miss those days
when the world was real
when the world was real
like a 4 track reel to reel
like the love we used to feel
strong as American steel
when the world was real
when the world was real
when the world was real

All music and lyrics copyright 2014 by David Snyder


When The World Was Real


Sanctuary
By David Snyder

V1

Sometimes you win 
Sometimes you lose
you  never get a chance to choose
then you read the front page news
and you could say to yourself
what’s the use

CH 1:

So I’m glad you’ve been
My sanctuary in the storm
Yeah the world is cold as money baby
But you’re the fire that keeps me warm

V2

Sometimes the world 
Will break your heart
Sometimes love rips you all apart
You look overboard, searching for clues
tangled up in the fishnet
you see the lost and the confused

CH 2:

So I’m glad you’ve been
My sanctuary in the storm
I pull up my anchor
Even though my sails are torn
And I sail towards the shoreline
And I fall into your arms
Yes you’ve always been 
my sanctuary in the storm

Break: Ooooooh

Ch 3

Yes you’ve always been
My sanctuary in the storm
And I sail towards the shoreline
And I fall in to your arms
Yes you’ve always been my sanctuary in the storm
Yes you’ve always been my sanctuary in the storm



All music and lyrics copyright 2016 by David Snyder



Sanctuary

Long Distance Runner
By David Snyder

Prologue (The Delirium):

Blue Haze, Summer
Long Distance Runner
Blue Phase, Summer
Long Distance Runner

Verse 1

Think fast, moon blast
Seagrass, long past,
Love  right, hang tight
Seems right
Light dust, moon rust
Clock out of water, clock out of order
Mariner’s daughter

Ch:

Twist and shout
Cool haze of summer
Blue haze of summer
See past the border 
Ring flash, sea splash
Twist and shout
Roundabout
Cool haze, cool haze, 
Cool haze of summer
See past the border
Long Distance Runner
Knights of the Order
Long Distance Runner

V2

There  is no dark side of the sun
It’s dark for everyone
Into the water
Long Distance Runner
Learn past, run fast, seagrass
Ten past the corner
Long  Distance Runner

CH

Learn past, run fast, seagrass
Ten past the corner
Long Distance Runner
Long Distance Runner


Epilogue (The Redemption)

Think tall, see small
Run for the border
Run for the border
Long Distance Runner

All lyrics and music copyright David Snyder 2016


Long Distance Runner

Secret Town

Words and Music
By David Snyder

V1

I hear the rain coming down
in your secret town
I see the writing on the wall
In your secret town
I can almost see it all
In your secret town
I think the night’s about to fall
In your secret town

Here comes the young girl
Looking for a lover
Who’ll discover everything
Here comes the highway
Just like a tinderbox
To make your mind go up in flames

CH

A minor miracle
The grace to make a choice
In these secret games
A minor miracle
The grace to make a choice

V2

Here comes the dark horse
Painted like the white horse  
In your secret town 
Here comes the stardust competing with the dirt and rust 
In your secret town 
Here comes the rebel
He thinks he’s only human  
He’d give his heart to anything 
Just tender mercies
These loves among the ruins 
Don’t you think I feel the same 

CH

A minor circumstance 
The chance to place a bet
On these secret games
A minor miracle
The chance to place a bet
On your secret name

Outro

Do you want me to spell it out for you
Do you want me to spell it put for you
I love your secret town, I love your secret town
I want to walk with you, hand in hand in hand in hand
In your Secret Town

All music and lyrics copyright David Snyder/Day of Faith Publishing (ASCAP)


Secret Town

Just the Way We Are
By David Snyder

V1

Well I’ve never been to New York City
I’ve never seen Fifth Avenue
And if they ask me to order some fillet mignons girl
You know I wouldn't have a clue

PreChorus

And I’ve never looked too deep inside of me
Cause I don’t think there’s too much there to know

Chorus:

But if you don’t mind
My dirty old truck
And you don’t mind this dirty old bar
And you don’t mind this dusty old house
I’ll return the favor….And take  us
just the way we are …. Just the way we are girl

V2

Well I’ve never  made more than a million dollars
but I know how spit tobacco on a country night
and I know how to pound some shooters after hours
and I know how to dodge a trooper running every damned red light

PreChorus

And I’ve never looked too deep inside my soul
Cause I don’t think there’s too much there to know

Chorus:

But if you don’t mind
My dirty old truck
And you don’t mind this dirty old bar
And you don’t mind this dusty old house
I’ll return the favor….And take  us
just the way we are… Just the way we are girl

Bridge

And there’s something ‘bout the smell of a Georgia pine
That’s putting only one thing on my mind
Try hard enough and you might crack my spine
But if it feels good, girl well that’s just fine ….         

REPEAT CHORUS

Words and music by David Snyder 2018/ASCAP
David Snyder: Vocals, 12 string, piano, arrangement

Just the Way We Are

Every Day She Touches Turns to Gold
By David Snyder

V1

Well I’ve never seen
The seven wonders of the world
But I’ve seen the most important one
She’s standing on the front porch waiting for me
Every day when I come home

Ch:

And every day she touches
Gives me a better start
She makes me warm, when I feel cold
And every day she touches
Makes me feel so young at heart
And I know we’ll never grow old
Cause every day she touches, every day she touches
Every day she touches turns to gold
And I sing:
Wooooo…ooo, oh yeah
Woo…oo  I just love my girl
And I sing:
Wooooo…ooo, oh yeah
Woo…oo  I just love my girl

V2

Got no desire to be
the famous king of anything
I already have all I need to know
And everything I want, I’m holding in my arms
And I swear, I’ll never let her go

Ch:

And every day she touches
Gives me a better start
She makes me warm, when I feel cold
And every day she touches
Makes me feel so young at heart
And I know we’ll never grow old
Cause every day she touches, every day she touches
Every day she touches turns to gold
And I sing:
Wooooo…ooo, oh yeah
Woo…oo  I just love my girl
And I sing:
Wooooo…ooo, oh yeah
Woo…oo  I just love my girl
Cause every day she touches, every day she touches
Every day she touches turns to gold
Words and Music copyright 2018 David Snyder/ASCAP

David Snyder, Vocals, Piano, keyboards

Produced, arranged, mixed and mastered by David Snyder

Every Day She Touches Turns to Gold

David Snyder is an award-winning songwriter and North Carolina-based Independent Artist.   He plays guitar, violin, bass, keyboards, mandolin, percussion and the radio. He is also a Regional Coordinator for the Nashville Songwriters Association and has numerous writing credits with a wide variety of recorded artists. He owns his own record label, Day of Faith Records and writes and records with many artists nationwide in almost all genres, including alternative, jazz, "new country," bluegrass, Americana, rock, psychedelic, soul, jazz, gospel, funk, fusion and electronica. He has been playing the guitar since the age of 12 and playing professionally since the age of 15.   His fondest musical memory is having received some guitar tips from Chet Atkins after sneaking backstage at a concert when he was 15.   His music has also been performed at the Julliard School and the Lincoln Center.  David is classically trained but draws from a wide variety of influences in his music.

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