Inspired by the poem "I am Rich" by my dear friend, Dr. Ludwig Palacio.  In 2016, my wife and I were diving the Belize Barrier Reef and ended our trip visiting Punta Gorda, Belize. A pack of stray dogs hung around the ATM near the town square and one caught our attention.  We needed a veterinarian and were introduced to  Dr. Palacio.  Dr. Palacio was generous with all his resources and nursed the  sickly mutt back into good health within a few months. It was while we were touring the We Art Gallery, I first read the poem Dr. Palacio had published. He asked me to put it to music.  The final version will be released in December in time for Christmas.

I Am Rich

Strutting Doom Symphony

It's all about constant change, both in life and in music. As for the music, the original goal was to make use of panning to illustrate the "walking on by" at the beginning and end of the song. The second phase was creating a fuller sound without having various parts drowned out, or in some way, channel my inner Phil Spector.

The finale is the sound of footsteps walking by and then the shutting of the door as the song ends. End of a relationship. End of the song.

Maybe the best relationship advise I can give is: if you love someone, set them free ... don't quote me, quote Sting. :-) This is sort of my "resigned to my fate" version. I've been on both sides of that fence. I've walked away knowing it wasn't going to work out (long term). Sadly, I've been on the other side knowing the pain of love lost. But in the end, I didn't really lose anything that was mine to lose. I could go on and talk about how a true love is neither possessive nor jealous but hopefully, the song makes that point clear.

Original Mix using Reaper v4.x
Remix using Reaper v7.x
VSTs:
- Voxengo OldSchoolReverb
- Blue Cat Chorus
- FocusRite Red 3 Compressor
Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Footstep Sound FX courtesy of freesfx.co.uk
Drum sound bytes courtesy of Free Studio Drum Sounds and 9th Wonder Kit

Just Walk On By
----------------------
Just walk -- walk on by
No need to tell me another lie
Keep it to yourself (I tell you)
Just walk on by ...

That's what I said -- keep on walking
You don't need to do any more talking
What you say just don't matter
Just walk on by ...

[Solo]

You say that you love me, ain't that right?
So where were you all last night?
He he! That really don't matter
Just walk on by ...

So many years, I've been holding on
Now you don't want to say: "So long."
Well, you know I hate long good byes, so
Just walk on by ...

[final solo]

[footsteps as she leaves and shuts the door
thus closure to the song and the relationship]

... you know I hate long good byes.

:: Words and music copyright Rick Engler

Reflections

Just Walk On By

Just Walk On By (Original)

Lost 

Oh my god! 
Hold me, I am low 
I am lost 
Hold me, don’t let go!

Lost

One minute things are going fine
But life can turn on a dime
Every day you roll the dice
And sometimes you find yourself on thin ice

You go for a routine medical check
And they find something you didn’t expect
You’ve been eating healthy food you take a daily jog
Now you’re wondering if you’ll outlive your dog

You’ve been working so hard for all these years
 but what do you have to show for it
All these things you bought but what do you have to show for it

Some people spend their lives accumulating wealth
But what’s the point of money if you don’t have your health

It’s nice to set some long term goals and think about your future days
But sometimes you need to take a step back and make sure you’re on the right highway

You’re hanging by a thread that you used to think was a thick rope
Your road was very flat but now you’re climbing a steep slope

You get up in the morning and you go to work 
You get up in the morning an you go to work
You get up in the morning and you go to work
Five days a week

You’ve been working so hard for all these years
but what do you have to show for it
All these things you bought but what do you have to show for it


You wake up every morning  go  about your day
Sometimes you wonder if it’s goanna be okay
You try to take it one day at a time
Some days are bad others are fine

Incidental finding, life threw you a curve
You're driving down the highway and you're trying not to swerve.
Incidental finding, life threw  you a curve
You're driving down the highway and you're trying not to swerve.

Incidental Finding

ZZSTARRIDER

29 - 6-2024

Chilled synth beat

Knightley

Ordinary Days!-Dias Ordinarios en el dispensar Divino!-🌹🎻🌷🌱🌺

Sarasota sad boi music recorded live at Oscura in Bradenton, Florida. 

Liminal (Live at Oscura)

Greetings! Each song is a chapter from the book of my life. I hope you enjoy, dance and day dream to my music.
            Born in Chicago by Canadian immigrants, we moved to Florida when I was a kid. I remember always laughing and playing with family, friends, and our German Shepard.  We would explore and discover many beautiful plants and creatures in the forest or at the beach. I learned to play violin before guitar and was active in garage bands or tackle football with friends. I traveled a lot with my parents and later as a career janitor, working mainly in the brewing industry where I met interesting people.  I am currently working on a novel and enjoy spending my time writing poetry and making up songs. I also have the privilege to teach guitar at the School of Rock, Tampa North. The owner of this location is my dear Smokin' Havanas bandmate, Chuck Roeh
  My wife and I have a non-profit animal rescue that inspires me endlessly. I am blessed.  I have the privilege to spend these precious days caring for the many dogs and cats my wonderful wife, Amy, is introduced to. I encourage you to visit us at www.laborofloveanimalrescue.org
Volunteering time, treasure, and talents is a choice. Please consider volunteering in your community, and thank you for visiting.  Love is patient and kind.
May peace be with you always,
+David

I Am Rich

David Voykin

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