Step into the world of Song Of The Year Songs—a playlist where backroad wisdom meets blistering truth. It’s a six-string shootout of porch-stompin’ humor, poetic grit, and tattoo-worthy heartbreak. From wink-at-the-crowd swagger to freight-train confessionals, these tracks carry steel spines and Southern grace in equal measure. Every lyric swings like a porch door in July—and you’ll feel every word like it was written in your own dust and dreams.

YOUR Song Of The Year Songs Written by Edwin H. Balder

Christmas With Us is more than an album—it’s a fireside invitation to belong. With every acoustic strum and story-rich lyric, it reminds you that you’re never truly alone at Christmas. These songs wrap around you like a favorite sweater, echoing the voices of family, memory, and hope. Whether you’re homebound or heart-heavy, this Americana collection keeps the light on and the love flowing. Put it on, and Christmas comes with company

Christmas With Us🎄 Family Playlist🎄

From the hush of “Baptized in Mahogany” to the mythic fire of “Searing Timbre,” this album traces the quiet revolutions of a woman’s heart. Each track—whether it’s the river-lit memory of “Georgia Pie,” the whispered defiance in “The Spider Queen,” or the aching mystery of “Evaporation”—offers a story not just sung, but felt. Tina Talone’s voice carries the weight of experience with the grace of someone who’s learned to move before being asked to wait. These are songs for anyone who’s ever stood at the edge of change and chosen to leap.

I See The World In You by 🌹Tina Talone🌹

Step into the spirit with The Jubilee Line—a handpicked gospel playlist that celebrates legacy, joy, and the voices that never fade. This is more than music; it’s a movement passed down through generations, where tambourines shake, harmonies rise, and every lyric lifts the soul. Inside, you’ll find powerhouse duets, poetic ballads, and up-tempo anthems that honor the sacred and the everyday. Whether you’re chasing light, healing through rhythm, or just need a reason to sing again, this line is open. Come join the chorus. The Jubilee Line starts here.

The Jubilee Line Playlist by songwriter Edwin H. Balder

Maybe Sweet Baby Girl..... someday.... 

Sweet Baby Girl by songwriter Edwin H. Balder

Come on in here, baby girl.. time for bed, 
Let me tuck you in, get our prayers said. 
Turn on the night light, after a story's read
, All the while, thoughts racing in my head.
 How do I not worry, the world won’t treat you right? 
Every woman someday has to go out and fight.
The only thing that matters, it seems, is men being right,
 I watch you grow and do your best, my shining light, 
 the field’s so uneven In a man's world,, I pray along and for you, my sweet baby girl, 
 the field’s so uneven In a man's world,, I pray along and for you, my sweet baby girl, my sweet baby girl, 
You’re growing up, doing well in school,
 Working within the system, playing by the rules. 
Compassion for others, in all that you do, 
Knowing the challenges that lie ahead for you.
 I see the strength, the fire in your eyes,
 You’ll face the world and win...no compromise.
The only thing that matters, it seems, is men being right,
 I watch you grow and do your best, my shining light, 
 the field’s so uneven In a man's world,, I pray along and for you, my sweet baby girl, 
 the field’s so uneven In a man's world,, I pray along and for you, my sweet baby girl, my sweet baby girl,
I hope you know you’re strong and wise, Your courage, love, it never lies. Tell me, tell me, do you understand, You have the power to command.
Tell me, tell me, do you understand, You have the power to command.

Though the world may be tough, and the fight long, 
Remember you’re brave, you belong. Keep your head high, heart full of grace, 
In every challenge, you’ll find your place.
 I’ll be here, cheering you on,
 For you, my  sweet baby girl, the brightest dawn.
The only thing that matters, it seems, is men being right,
 I watch you grow and do your best, my shining light, 
 the field’s so uneven In a man's world,, I pray along and for you, my sweet baby girl, 
 the field’s so uneven In a man's world,, I pray along and for you, my sweet baby girl, my sweet baby girl,
I pray along and for you, my sweet baby girl, my sweet baby girl, .....
 good good  night...my sweet baby girl.......

Link to best of our country hits that you can cover to get to the top... https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/country-hits-you-might-need?si=307edea8be674dc3bedee9345a814080&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

All Rights Reserved Edwin H. Balder
Thanks so much to my band: Hot Cookie
See Our Music Videos Here> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-509h42heKT05D8egf2U9w

Sweet Baby Girl by songwriter Edwin H. Balder

Time for a Cowgirl Hero to WIN...

Cowgirl Hero by songwriter Edwin H. Balder

On the dusty plains of Texas, 'neath the wide open sky, Her folks left the farm to brothers, no one knows why. One day they disappeared, a mystery untold, The farm was left to her, a legacy bold.

 She's a cowgirl hero, rising from the dust, Fighting for her place, in her strength we trust. With grit and determination, she'll break the mold, Our cowgirl hero, a story to be told.

 The farmhands didn't respect her, just because she's a lass, She gave them all chances, but they didn't pass. Fed up with their stubborn ways, she let them all go, To the local resort, where the winds of change blow.

 She's a cowgirl hero, rising from the dust, Fighting for her place, in her strength we trust. With grit and determination, she'll break the mold, Our cowgirl hero, a story to be told.

 Found housekeepers on break, enjoying a bite, She saw potential in them, a future so bright. Hired them on the spot, together they grew strong, The farm thrived like never before, proving doubters wrong.

 She's a cowgirl hero, rising from the dust, Fighting for her place, in her strength we trust. With grit and determination, she'll break the mold, Our cowgirl hero, a story to be told.

Now the farm's a powerhouse, the region's pride, Everyone owns a piece, working side by side. Our cowgirl hero, with heart and soul, Turned dreams into reality, reaching her goal.

She's a cowgirl hero, rising from the dust, Fighting for her place, in her strength we trust. With grit and determination, she'll break the mold, Our cowgirl hero, a story to be told.

Link to best of our country hits that you can cover to get to the top... https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/country-hits-you-might-need?si=307edea8be674dc3bedee9345a814080&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

All Rights Reserved Edwin H. Balder
Thanks so much to my band: Hot Cookie
See Our Music Videos Here> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-509h42heKT05D8egf2U9w

Cowgirl Hero by songwriter Edwin H. Balder

This song and others you will find on the "Too Hip For The Room Playlist' are songs I loved but others felt were too outside the mainstream to move to the release stage. Well I saw The Boss was releasing old tracks so why not me. Each song in this collection is loved by the songwriter but so often that is not enough/ Be Well /Do well /Stay safe and know I love you all...EdAll rights reserved by Songwriter Edwin H. Balder(Lyric sheet available on request- Thanks to all the studio players)

The Weight of Two by songwriter Edwin H. Balder

mighty fine, working all the time, mighty fine...
Mighty Fine by Songwriter Edwin H. Balder
five forty-five, hit the second clock
already spilled half the coffee on my socks
boots by the door, lunch in a bag
truck’s runnin’ hot, check engine tag
my boy needs cleats, jersey's near two bills
guess they play like pros now in the kids' leagues still
his eyes lit up—I said “we’ll see”
which means I’ll skip lunch the rest of the week
[pre-chorus]
and i’m just tryin’ to stay ahead
stackin’ hours on a thread
they say we’re doin’ mighty fine
got a roof, got the power line
kids don’t know that bills don’t bend
i just work, repeat, pretend
every Saturday I swap for gold
old jeans turned into winter coats
you ask how I am—I toe the line
smile and say,
“we’re doin’ mighty fine”
second shift ends past midnight light
grab a six-pack, head home right
dog’s been fed but stares like more
wife’s asleep by the sliding door
stepped on a toy in the hallway dark
thought about college and how we’ll start
daughter’s got dance and her shoes don’t fit
but she twirls like she don’t notice it
[pre-chorus]
and i sit on the back porch rail
countin’ stars I let derail
they say we’re doin’ mighty fine
got the bills stacked in a halfway line
kids still laugh, wife still sings
dog still barks when the front bell rings
every Sunday, we stretch what’s left
watch cartoons, try to rest
you ask how I am—I sip the wine
shrug and say,
“we’re doin’ mighty fine”
i once dreamed bigger, once dreamed bold
with guitars, stages, stories told
but now it’s band-aids and cereal spills
weekend markets and overdue bills
sometimes I stare and don’t quite speak
think about knees that used to be knees
but then my boy kicks the ball just right
and damn if that don’t feel like light
my daughter smiles, calls me her king
my wife hums joy into the simplest things
this ain’t the life I drew in pen
but it sure beats not livin’ again
they say we’re doin’ mighty fine
and maybe this hurt’s by design
kids still grow, love still shows
even when the garden won’t grow
every scar’s another vow
every “how” becomes a “somehow”
you ask how I am—I ain’t lyin’
I smile and say,
“we’re doin’ mighty fine”
mighty fine...
we’re doin’ mighty fine...
might be tired, might be broke
but there’s still laughter in the smoke
mighty fine...
we’re doin’ mighty fine..
mighty fine...
we’re doin’ mighty fine..mighty fine...
we’re... doin’ ....mighty ......fine.........

Link to best of our country hits that you can cover to get to the top... https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/country-hits-you-might-need?si=307edea8be674dc3bedee9345a814080&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

All Rights Reserved Edwin H. Balder
Thanks so much to my band: Hot Cookie
See Our Music Videos Here> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-509h42heKT05D8egf2U9w

Mighty Fine by Songwriter Edwin H. Balder

This song is open source ...Cover Away!
The Land of Close and Almost  by songwriter Edwin H. Balder
played my part just off the stage
behind the lights and center page
steel string, low key, old sunburst wood
made a lot of stars sound good
i've had stadium crowds on their feet
for a solo that never had my name on the seat
then I slide back down, no bow, no boast
just another face in the land of close and almost
rode the bus through a thousand towns
tuned the set while they wrote it down
shared my soul with neon halls
while the headliner soaked it all
knew better than to wait for a wave
some stories just ain’t made to save
you shake the hand, you lift the load
then disappear on a different road
but it’s been almost wonderful to me
this life just shy of marquee
no gold-plated name, no fan mail flood
but I’ve bled truth in every chord I strummed
in the shadow of the spotlight’s ghost
I found my home
in the land of close and almost
there’s a brotherhood behind that mic
where late-night jokes outlive the likes
we raise our cups to second takes
and harmonies the star can’t fake
we play for rent, and for the hush
when a room goes still in a quiet rush
no interviews, no headlines bold—
just worn-down calluses and gold
i’ve watched the glitz, i’ve seen the fall
signed names on vinyl with no call
stood behind a singer in rhinestone light
while my chord held up their biggest night
but I learned a thing the front don’t teach—
the deepest love don’t need a speech
there’s glory in the hidden hand
that helps a stranger take a stand
so to the drummers, techs, and pedal men
the ones who try, then try again
we built this whole damn song by host—
this land of close
and almost
yeah, it’s been almost wonderful to me
a patchwork prayer in every key
i’ve earned my keep in grace and grit
and left no stage without a bit
may not be the name they toast
but I belong
in the land of close and almost
still I belong...
in the land of close and almost
close and almost (close and almost) close and almost
still I belong...(belong)
in the land of close and almost
close.. and.. almost.. (close and almost) ...close ...and ...almost......


More country songs you can cover : https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/song-of-the-year-songs?si=15ee4215ebcd4cdcb9004bd452a2c2d7&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing


The Land of Close and Almost  by songwriter Edwin H. Balder

When the ouline of broken is as black as the the pain
Just Mascara by Songwriter Edwin H. Balder
mascara on the pillowcase
says more than words ever could say
when love runs out, it don’t walk away—
it stains, it streaks... it stays
she left the bathroom light still on
and half a curl in the flat iron gone
her perfume like a last goodbye
hauntin’ the mirror while i ask why
that streak of black beneath the glass
told me more than her lips ever has
it wasn’t the fight that broke our spark—
it was the way she smeared the dark
mascara, runnin’ like a river down her face
screamin’ secrets we both tried to erase
she wept in colors—black and brave
and every tear was a vow she gave
no goodbye note, no morning sun
just mascara… sayin’ “we’re done.”
i cleaned the sink but left that line
as if erasin’ her would cross a line
some loves end sharp, some loves get loud
but this one whispered from a cloud
no slammed door, no midnight call
just makeup trails on a peach-toned wall
she broke in silence, soft and stark—
and signed her exit in the dark
mascara, fallin’ like a ribbon through the pain
tellin’ truths our tongues couldn’t explain
she cried the verse i couldn't write
a ballad born in bathroom light
she didn’t shout, she didn’t run—
her mascara… said, “i’m done.”
black lines curl where courage bends
and all that’s left are might-have-beens
a woman don’t break all at once
she fades in streaks and haunted fronts
if you ever see those painted tears
don’t ask “what’s wrong” if you weren’t near
that line don’t lie, it don’t pretend—
it’s love that leaked
when trust hit end
mascara, rainin’ down in velvet ache
in every droplet, a vow she’d break
she wore goodbye in that shade of night
and left a love too dark to fight
no curtain call, no second drum—
just mascara... sayin' "i'm done."
mascara on the pillowcase...
it stains, ....it streaks... it stays....

Link to best of our country hits that you can cover to get to the top... https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/country-hits-you-might-need?si=307edea8be674dc3bedee9345a814080&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

All Rights Reserved Edwin H. Balder
Thanks so much to my band: Hot Cookie
See Our Music Videos Here> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-509h42heKT05D8egf2U9w

Just Mascara  by Hot Cookie

We were just gettin’ by on a patch of land
A family farm worked by calloused hands
Christmas each year depended on the yield
And this one looked thin from the frost in the field
We’d scrambled hard to bring the harvest in
Before the cold set deep in the wind
Mama kept hope in the kitchen light
But you could feel the worry in the quiet nights
Then one morning, Dad said, “Let’s go”
Tossed me in the truck, drivin’ slow
Radio played Perry Como’s song
“Silent Night,” and we sang along
He turned down Main, past the feed and grain
Where the pickup rarely ever came
I felt a buzz in my chest and gut
Like somethin’ big.. like somethin’ was up
We pulled up to Jeff’s Jewelry place
Dad had a look I couldn’t quite trace
Jeff met us both with a quiet smile
Said, “Ain’t seen you two in a while”
then he handed Dad a velvet sack
Opened it slow, then stepped back
Inside was a locket, gold and devine
With all our names etched inside
and a photo of us all look'en just fine
We’d bought a lot of things, some big, some small
But that was the best thing of them all
A photo of us in the autumn leaves
Holdin’ tight to what we believe
It wasn’t about gold, or what it cost
It was love you carry, never lost
I learned then, what a gift can mean
That was the best thing I've ever seen
On the ride back home, I looked around
At the fields, the barn, the frozen ground
Then I saw the rack behind Dad’s seat
Where his old Remington used to be
That rifle was part of our everyday
Hung in the truck like it’d always stay
But now it was gone, and I understood
He’d sold it off for better then good
Mama opened the box that night
Tears in her eyes, soft candlelight
She held that locket close to her heart
Like it stitched our lives into one small part
And Dad just smiled, didn’t say a word
But in that silence, everything was heard
We’d bought a lot of things, some big, some small
But that was the best thing of them all
A photo of us in the autumn leaves
Holdin’ tight to what we believe
It wasn’t about gold, or what it cost
It was love you carry, never lost
I learned then, what a gift can mean
That was the best thing I've ever seen
Yeah, the best thing we ever found…
Was the love that never let us down

All rights held by the songwriter Edwin H. Balder
Link to more of our Singer/songwriter style hits you can cover into fame because of your take!

https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/best-new-folk-americana?si=04e0155163644977b37cf8c0a04f3c53&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing




Better Than Good

The House has been rumblin’ for a week or so
Folks talkin’ ‘bout snow, lights startin’ to glow
But it ain’t just the gifts or the food on the stove
It’s the sound of the season that pulls me back home
I remember the gospel from the church down the street
And Perry on the record with that mellow beat
It wasn’t the tinsel or the tree trimmed just right
It was singin’ together that made Christmas feel bright
Mama hummin’ low while the pie cooled down
Daddy tappin’ time with a grin, not a frown
We didn’t have much, but we had enough
‘Cause Christmas with love is the real kind of stuff
So don’t wrap it in silver, don’t dress it in gold
The heart of the season can’t ever be sold
It was Christmas with us, not just Christmas alone
Voices and laughter, a place to call home
The music, the memories, the stories we trust
That’s the magic of... Christmas with us
Now I’m standin’ here with my own little one
Tryin’ to pass down the joy, the warmth, the fun
We play those old records, we sing through the night
And I see in her eyes that same kind of light
I wonder how many stood here through the years
singing here now with my child, fightin’ back tears
Thinkin’ ‘bout winters when I was young
Free from worry, the world was fun
Snowball fights ... sledding down the hill
Laughin’ loud in every winter thrill
Every Christmas a family dream come true
And now I’m passin’ that dream to you
It was Christmas with us, not just Christmas alone
Voices and laughter, a place to call home
The music, the memories, the stories we trust
That’s the magic of ...Christmas with us...
Thanks to the dreamers, the singers, the cooks
To the ones who find magic in old storybooks
To the families that gather, the friends who still care
May your Christmas be full of the love we have shared
It’s Christmas with us, not just Christmas ..alone
sending our family's love to your home....
....Merry... Christmas......love...from all of us....

All rights held by the songwriter Edwin H. Balder
Link to more of our Singer/songwriter style hits you can cover into fame because of your take!

https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/best-new-folk-americana?si=04e0155163644977b37cf8c0a04f3c53&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Christmas With Us

Uncle Boo played ‘em all
From the Grand Ole Opry to Preservation Hall
And when Christmas came, if he wasn’t on tour
He’d come back home through the old screen door
He’d bring with him sweet old Betsy
A pre-war Martin, worn but sexy
Passed down from his daddy’s hand
A six-string soul from a sacred land
And on Christmas Day, he’d sit and play
By the fire’s glow, let the carols sway
He'd sing his music, the whole house warm
Wrapped in love, we all sing along
And little did I know that year—
He’d leave me more than songs to hear
After dinner, coffee poured
The snow fell soft outside the door
He tuned up Betsy, low and sweet
sang like angels'... feelings deep
We joined in on “Silent Night”
And “O Come All Ye” felt just right
The room was still, the hearts were wide
And Boo just smiled with quiet pride
And on Christmas Day, he’d sit and play
By the fire’s glow, let the carols sway
He'd sing his music, the whole house warm
Wrapped in love, we all sing along
And little did I know that year—
He’d leave me more than songs to hear
Folks were grabbin’ coats and gloves
When Boo gave me a little shove
He said, “I’m not hittin’ the road no more—
So I’m givin’ you what I adore”
He handed me that precious girl
That D- forty-five, that whole damn world
I tried to say no, tried not to cry
But he just winked ..and.. waved... goodbye...
He said, ‘This guitar’s seen every stage
From honky-tonks to chapel praise
But now it’s time for her to stay
And sing your songs on Christmas Day’
I held her close, I felt the weight
Of every note, of every fate
And knew that Boo had passed love down
On Christmas day ..in his ..old.. hometown...
Now every year, I take that seat
Where Boo once played so calm, so sweet
And when the family gathers near
That D forty-five still rings sincere
And on Christmas Day, he’d sit and play
By the fire’s glow, let the carols sway
He'd sing his music, the whole house warm
Wrapped in love, we all sing along
And little did I know that year—
He’d leave me more than songs to hear
fingerpicking guitar solo
Uncle Boo’s D forty-five… still sings our Christmas alive

All rights held by the songwriter Edwin H. Balder

Link to more of our Singer/songwriter style hits you can cover into fame because of your take!

https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/best-new-folk-americana?si=04e0155163644977b37cf8c0a04f3c53&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Uncle Boo’s D-45

Mom’s been workin’ overtime
Pressin’ clothes so we all look fine
Dad had the car in the garage all day
Polishin’ chrome, clearin’ the gray
now Ready to go, hearts dressed in grace
To meet the night in a holy place
Midnight Mass, down on the square
Where every soul from town was there
Neighbors, classmates, farmers too
All in pews Praying to you
And in your glow, the world felt right
Wrapped in love and candlelight
hearts were warm, stars were bright
In our little country Silent Night
We saw the folks we’d known all year
From school hallways to hauling gear
But tonight, no work, no fear, no run
Just quiet songs and the Holy One
The choir sang with voices low
And we sang along to hymns we know
The bell rang soft, the priest stood tall
And peace came down to touch us all
Midnight Mass, down on the square
Where every soul from town was there
Neighbors, classmates, farmers too
All in pews Praying to you
And in your glow, the world felt right
Wrapped in love and candlelight
hearts were warm, stars were bright
In our little country Silent Night
I held my coat, Dad held my hand
We didn’t need to understand
And when we sang “O Holy Night”
I saw my mother’s eyes take flight
She’d worked so hard to get us there
And now we stood in answered prayer
It wasn’t just tradition’s call
It was the grace that held us all
From boots and barns to polished shoes
We came to feel what love still proves
That even in the coldest air
A light can rise from anywhere
Now every year, we dress and go
Through snow and time and candle glow
And though the town may change its face
That church still holds our sacred place
Midnight Mass, down on the square
Where every soul from town was there
Neighbors, classmates, farmers too
All in pews Praying to you
And in your glow, the world felt right
Wrapped in love and candlelight
hearts were warm, stars were bright
In our little country Silent Night
hearts were warm, stars were bright
In our little country Silent Night...
country.. Silent ..Night...

All rights held by the songwriter Edwin H. Balder

Link to more of our Singer/songwriter style hits you can cover into fame because of your take!

https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/best-new-folk-americana?si=04e0155163644977b37cf8c0a04f3c53&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Country Silent Night

Packed my bag, my finals done
No ticket, no wheels, just chasin’ the sun
Held out my thumb on the interstate
Cold wind bit, but my heart felt great
First ride was a trucker named Joe
Said he missed his kids in Idaho
Played me Elvis on the dash
Told me Christmas flies by fast
Thumbin’ home for Christmas time
Every mile a different rhyme
Stories shared in borrowed seats
Hearts that meet on snowy streets
Didn’t know where I’d end that day
But love kept showin’ me the way
Next was a nurse in a beat-up van
Said she’d worked three shifts, barely ran
She gave me cocoa in a paper cup
Said “Christmas heals, but it still cuts up”
She talked of her mom who used to bake
Of candlelight and frozen lakes
And though her eyes were tired and red
She smiled like joy was just ahead
Thumbin’ home for Christmas time
Every mile a different rhyme
Stories shared in borrowed seats
Hearts that meet on snowy streets
Didn’t know where I’d end that day
But love kept showin’ me the way
Got picked up by a young Marine
Said he’d seen things I’d never seen
But Christmas made him feel brand new
Like peace was something he could do
He gave me gloves, said “stay warm, kid”
And told me things he never did
We sang along to Springsteen loud
Two strangers lost, but somehow proud
Last ride came from a man named Ray
Said he’d driven since Christmas Day
He missed his wife, she passed last year
But kept her photo on the mirror
He dropped me off at my old street
Said “go find joy, go feel complete”
I waved goodbye, then turned around
To see my folks and hear that sound
Those were the days, no fear, no phone
Just a thumb and hope to get back home
Now they’d say it’s far too wild
But back then, I was just a child
And every ride, each voice, each face
Was part of Christmas’s embrace
I didn’t know what I would find—
But I found love in every kind
Thumbin’ home for Christmas time
Every mile a different rhyme
Stories shared in borrowed seats
Hearts that meet on snowy streets
Didn’t know where I’d end that day
But love kept showin’ me the way
Now I sit by the fire’s glow
Thinkin’ of the long ago
And all those rides, and all those hearts—
That made my Christmas from the start

All rights held by the songwriter Edwin H. Balder

Link to more of our Singer/songwriter style hits you can cover into fame because of your take!

https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/best-new-folk-americana?si=04e0155163644977b37cf8c0a04f3c53&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Thumb'en home

🎄 Christmas With Us

Christmas With Us is a modern acoustic Americana LP that invites listeners home—not just to a place, but to a feeling. These songs are rooted in memory, family, and the quiet truths that define a life. They echo with porchlight warmth, handwritten letters, and the kind of love that lingers long after the wrapping paper’s gone.
This isn’t a holiday album built on sparkle or sentimentality. It’s Americana at its most honest—story songs that unfold slowly, like snow falling on familiar ground. Each track carries the weight of lived experience, told with tenderness, grit, and grace.
From the opening lines to the final refrain, Christmas With Us honors the people we miss, the moments we treasure, and the hope that still flickers in winter’s hush. It’s music for those who believe that the holidays aren’t just about celebration—they’re about connection.
Crafted with acoustic intimacy and lyrical depth, this LP is a gift for anyone who’s ever found comfort in a quiet song, a shared memory, or a voice that feels like home.
“We hung our hearts on the old pine tree / lit the past in harmony.”

With love and thanks,
Edwin H. Balder

Christmas With Us LP

Walking through these streets alone
Everyone's got somewhere to go
But I see you there, you're just like me
Searching for where we're meant to be
The same tired eyes, the same quiet hope
We're all just learning how to cope
In this place we call community
We find ourselves, we find ourselves
In this place we call community
We find ourselves, we find ourselves
Late at night when the world gets still
I wonder if you're awake too
Staring at your ceiling, counting fears
Wishing someone would see right through
All the walls we build to stay safe
But maybe safety's overrated
In this place we call community
We find ourselves, we find ourselves
In this place we call community
We find ourselves, we find ourselves
Sometimes strangers become the ones
Who hold you when you fall apart
Sometimes the people you never knew
End up closest to your heart
We're all broken, we're all whole
We're all learning, we're all growing old
In this place we call community
We find ourselves, we find ourselves
In this place we call community
We find ourselves, we find ourselves
We find ourselves, we find ourselves
We find ourselves, we find ourselves
We're all strangers here tonight
But maybe that's alright


🌹Thanks to the players from H.C. and Del's studio

All Rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder. 

Be sure to visit Tina's playlist here: 
https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/tina-talone-may-this-kind-of?si=c962a19838244cafab03c08ba110c75f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

And Tina's new music video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TZvNm4nfdQ

Community by🌹Tina Talone🌹

This is an Open Source song with open rights to cover!
Fools under a yellow umbrella
Talkin’ big like they’re some kinda fella
Books unread, but they quote like kings
Truth ain’t welcome in their rings
They sit on chairs the color of fear
Plastic thrones that disappear
They smile wide, but never see
The cracks beneath their canopy
Yellow umbrella, coward’s shade
Coverin’ lies that power made
They don’t care, they just pretend
To give a damn, to comprehend
But outside that circle, truth still breathes
In broken hearts and fallen leaves
And every time they fake the light
They kill a little more of right
They pass the mic like sacred wine
But every word’s a crooked line
They preach of peace, they sell the war
They lock the gate, then praise the poor
Their cults wear suits, their crimes wear ties
They drown the truth in alibis
And every time they raise their glass
Democracy slips through the cracks
I’ve seen the yellow glow at dawn
Where cowards sit and kingdoms pawn
They clap for power, not for grace
They fear the mirror, not the face
They build their walls with empty praise
And call it love, and call it faith
But I’ve walked through storms they never knew
And I still bleed red, white, and blue
Yellow umbrella, coward’s shade
Coverin’ lies that power made
They don’t care, they just pretend
To give a damn, to comprehend
But outside that circle, truth still breathes
In broken hearts and fallen leaves
And every time they fake the light
They kill a little more of right
So let it rain, let thunder speak
Let silence rise from voices weak
I’ll stand outside, I’ll take the pain
I’ll never sit beneath that stain
Yellow umbrella, fade away
Your plastic throne won’t rule the day
The fools may laugh, the wise may cry
But truth don’t need a place to lie... Oh lord
The fools may laugh, the wise may cry
But truth don’t need a place to lie... Oh lord
The fools may laugh, the wise may cry
But truth don’t need a place to lie... Oh lord Oh lord Oh lord....

All rights openly ganted by songwriter Edwin H. Balder

More from The Indivisibles members: https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/buy-the-indivisibles?si=1bae3eef17d34c4cb68e417d091d1c5e&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Yellow Umbrella by The Indivisibles

This song is Free To Cover and Open Source as per songwriter Edwin H. Balder
She walked with the quiet
She listened to leaves
She spoke to the wild
And taught us to believe
[sad acustic guitar riff]
In the hush of the forest, in the eyes of a chimp
She saw the soul of the world, not just a glimpse
She didn’t shout, she didn’t fight
She just lived the truth in morning light
And every step she took was grace
A gentle echo in this place
What you do makes a difference
And you have to decide
What kind of a difference you want to make
It’s the mirror we hold, the vow we take
To matter to the world, to matter to ourselves
To walk well, to walk kind
To leave love where we dwelled
She taught us that wonder is never too small
That the roots of compassion can grow through us all
She held the earth like a fragile flame
And whispered, “You matter—your choices, your name”
So cherish the nature you’re blessed to meet
The moss, the moonlight, the dirt beneath
Let every creature, every breeze
Remind you who you’re meant to be
What you do makes a difference
And you have to decide
What kind of a difference you want to make
It’s the mirror we hold, the vow we take
To matter to the world, to matter to ourselves
To walk well, to walk kind
To leave love where we dwelled
She’s gone from the forest, but not from the song
Her voice is the wonder that carries us on
What you do makes a difference…
So make it strong....(.voice)  wonder that carries  on..
.carries  on..(.carries  on) carries  on..
.carries  on..(.carries  on)carries  on..(.carries  on)
wonder ..that ..carries  ..on..

Thanks to all who rushed to thier DAWs...
 from GarageBand to
• 	Logic Pro 
• 	Ableton Live
• 	FL Studio 
• 	Pro Tools 
• 	Reaper 
• 	Cubase and HC and Tina and Tommy and Del's folks wow! LOvE YOU

A Difference (💔For Jane💔)

I wish I could help myself, but I sure can not
If you tell it to me, I’m gonna tell it a lot
I talk too fast, I spill too sweet
Your secrets ain’t safe when they land at my feet
I wish I could help myself, but I sure can not
If you tell it to me, I’m gonna tell it a lot
If you tell it to me,... I’m.. gonna.. tell it a lot...tell.. it ...a lot...!
You said “Don’t tell nobody, but Taylor and I broke up last night”
I said “Sure thing, sugar,” then I hit send right on sight
By breakfast it was trending, by lunch she blocked your name
Now you’re mad at me for playing the truth-telling game
You whispered “I’m quitting, but don’t tell the boss”
I told my girls at brunch, now you’re fired and lost
HR called you early, said “We heard it from a friend”
Guess I’m that friend who tells it all again
You said “I kinda like Jenny, but keep it on the low”
I told her in the powder room, now everybody knows
She told her boyfriend, who told your wife
Now you’re sleeping on the couch for life
I wish I could help myself, but I sure can not
If you tell it to me, I’m gonna tell it a lot
I talk too fast, I spill too sweet
Your secrets ain’t safe when they land at my feet
I wish I could help myself, but I sure can not
If you tell it to me, I’m gonna tell it a lot
If you tell it to me,... I’m.. gonna.. tell it a lot
I told you so, but you told me first
I didn’t mean to make it worse
I’m just a gal with a mouth that runs
And a heart that thinks gossip’s fun
I wish I could help myself, but I sure can not
If you tell it to me, I’m gonna tell it a lot
I talk too fast, I spill too sweet
Your secrets ain’t safe when they land at my feet
I wish I could help myself, but I sure can not
If you tell it to me, I’m gonna tell it a lot
If you tell it to me,... I’m.. gonna.. tell it a lot
So next time you whisper, think it through
‘Cause I’m the echo that’s coming for you
coming for you, think it through, think it through
coming for you
coming for you 
coming for you (coming for you)
I wish I could help myself, I wish I could help myself, 
I wish ..I could.. help myself, but I sure can not
If you tell it to me, I’m gonna tell it a lot
I talk too fast, I spill too sweet
Your secrets ain’t safe when they land at my feet
I wish I could help myself, but I sure can not
If you tell it to me, I’m gonna tell it a lot
If you tell it to me, I’m gonna tell it a lot
If you tell it to me,... I’m.. gonna.. tell it a lot...tell.. it ...a lot...!


🌹Thanks to the players from H.C. and Del's studio

All Rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder. 

Be sure to visit Tina's playlist here: 
https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/tina-talone-may-this-kind-of?si=c962a19838244cafab03c08ba110c75f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

And Tina's new music video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TZvNm4nfdQ

Tell It To Me 🌹Tina Talone🌹

You were my lifesaver… my be-braver…
My cheerleader when I was just a bleeder…
Lost in the show, but you didn’t let me go…
Didn’t let me fall… you caught it all…
[Verse 1: Add brushed drums, warm piano, mellow guitar]
When my voice was gone for good
You didn’t yell—you understood
Tried to show me light in the dark
In a town that tore me apart
You held the silence like a song
Helped me find where I belong
Tuned my soul to something true
Played the chords I never knew
You were the sound when I had none
The echo under every sun
You were the verse I couldn’t write
The harmony that held me tight
You were the song of the year
The one I needed to hear
You were the song of the year
The one that dried every tear
I was broken, out of tune
A shadow fading far too soon
But you saw rhythm in my ache
A melody I couldn’t fake
You turned my silence into flame
Gave my story back its name
You didn’t fix me—you just stayed
And let the music find its way
You were the bridge I never crossed
The lyric I thought I’d lost
You were the breath between the lines
The reason I still try
You were the stage when I had none
The spotlight when I tried to run
You were the song I couldn’t sing
But now I wear it like a ring
Now I sing with open hands
No fear, no shame, no second chance
You taught me how to bend, not break
To write the truth for my own sake
You were my cheer when I was low
My be-braver when I let go
You were the sound beneath the pain
The hook that brought me back again
You were the sound when I had none
The echo under every sun
You were the verse I couldn’t write
The harmony that held me tight
You were the song of the year
The one I needed to hear
You were the song of the year
The one that dried every tear
You were the song…
You were the song…
You were the song of the year…
The one I needed to hear… the song of the year…
The one ..I needed... to hear…

🌹Thanks to the players from H.C. and Del's studio

All Rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder. 

Be sure to visit Tina's playlist here: 

https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/tina-talone-may-this-kind-of?si=c962a19838244cafab03c08ba110c75f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing



And Tina's new music video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TZvNm4nfdQThanks to the players from H.C. and Del's studio

All Rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder. 

Be sure to visit Tina's playlist here: 
https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/tina-talone-may-this-kind-of?si=c962a19838244cafab03c08ba110c75f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing


And Tina's new music video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TZvNm4nfdQ

Song Of The Year by 🌹Tina Talone🌹

I was no longer / I’m here but gone
I speak in shadows / I sing in none
No more to yesterday’s fears…
Evaporation… disappears…Johatsu......Evaporation
[Verse 1:long  acoustic dulcimer solo fades in,lush phrasing]
I left no note, no final call
Just faded through the paper wall
The city lights, they blinked too loud
So I dissolved into the crowd
No suitcase packed, no name to claim
Just silence where I used to remain
I walked away from all I knew
And vanished in the morning dew
Evaporation…
I was no longer / I’m here but gone
I speak in shadows / I sing in none
No more to yesterday’s fears
Evaporation… disappears
They’ll say I broke, they’ll say I ran
But I became a different man
Or woman, ghost, or something else
A whisper lost inside itself
I saw the cracks in every face
The shame, the debt, the silent disgrace
So I became the missing line
A verse erased from someone’s time
I wasn’t stolen, wasn’t chased
I chose the fog, I chose erased
I wasn’t weak—I just withdrew
From all the things I couldn’t do
I am the echo in the rain
The name you’ll never speak again
I am the space between the sound
The one who’s lost but never found
I was no longer / I’m here but gone
I speak in shadows / I sing in none
No more to yesterday’s fears
Evaporation… disappears
Evaporation… disappears…Johatsu
Evaporation… disappears…Johatsu
I was no longer… I’m here but gone…Johatsu
Evaporation… disappears…

🌹Thanks to the players from H.C. and Del's studio

All Rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder.

Be sure to visit Tina's playlist here:
soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/tina-talone-may-this-kind-of?si=c962a19838244cafab03c08ba110c75f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

And Tina's new music video here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TZvNm4nfdQ

Evaporation by 🌹Tina Talone🌹

Searing timbre / burned in sound
The voice I lost / the one I found
Ashes echo / through the air
I sing what’s gone / I sing what’s there…
I was a whisper in the flame
A name erased, a song untamed
I walked through fire just to feel
If pain was proof that I was real
The chords were cracked, the mic was cold
But still I sang what couldn’t hold
A searing timbre, sharp and true
The kind that cuts and carries through
Searing timbre / voice of mine
Carved in smoke and turpentine
I bled in rhythm, broke in rhyme
But still I sang / I kept the time
Searing timbre / soul on fire
The echo born of lost desire
I sing the scars / I sing the flame
Searing timbre / still my name
I was the silence in the crowd
The note too sharp, the cry too loud
I sang in rooms that wouldn’t hear
But still I burned through every fear
The stage was cracked, the lights were dim
But I was gospel in the hymn
A voice that wouldn’t fade or bend
A song that didn’t need to end
I am the tremble in the steel
The heat beneath what others feel
I am the verse that won’t behave
The echo rising from the grave
I am the sound that won’t be tamed
The fire that sings without a name
I am the timbre, raw and seared
The voice you lost, the one you feared
Searing timbre / voice of mine
Carved in smoke and turpentine
I bled in rhythm, broke in rhyme
But still I sang / I kept the time
Searing timbre / soul on fire
The echo born of lost desire
I sing the scars / I sing the flame
Searing timbre / still my name
Searing timbre… still my name…
Searing timbre… still my name…
Searing timbre… still my name…

🌹Thanks to the players from H.C. and Del's studio

All Rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder.

Be sure to visit Tina's playlist here:
soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/tina-talone-may-this-kind-of?si=c962a19838244cafab03c08ba110c75f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

And Tina's new music video here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TZvNm4nfdQ

Searing Timbre by 🌹Tina Talone🌹

He called me his Georgia Pie…
But I was  city born, so I’d wonder why…
He played that harp like a summer sunrise…
Me with my guitar, just trying to try…
Georgia Pie… Georgia Pie… Georgia Pie…
We met by the river, no stage, no lights
Just a patch of shade and a day done right
I was scribbling verses, chasing a tune
He came drifting in like a breeze in June
Didn’t speak a word, but he played so clear
Notes like stories I needed to hear
His harmonica danced with my strumming hand
And suddenly, I could understand
Georgia Pie… Georgia Pie…
He called me sweet like a southern breeze
Georgia Pie… Georgia Pie…
But I was Brooklyn born, wild and free
Still I sang with him, side by side
The best thing I ever heard in life
Georgia Pie… Georgia Pie…
He played the truth without a plea
He couldn’t speak, not in words or sound
But his melodies spun the world around
He’d nod and hum, then let it fly
A tune that made the pine trees sigh
I asked him once, “Why Georgia Pie?”
He smiled and played a lullaby
I never got the answer clear
But I felt it deep, like music near
He was the verse I couldn’t write
The chord that made the wrong feel right
He was the hush before the storm
The fire that kept my fingers warm
He was the echo in the breeze
The song that brought me to my knees
He was the pie I couldn’t bake
But still I sang for heaven’s sake
Georgia Pie… Georgia Pie…
He called me sweet like a southern breeze
Georgia Pie… Georgia Pie…
But I was city  born, wild and free
Still I sang with him, side by side
The best thing I ever heard in life
Georgia Pie… Georgia Pie…
He played the truth without a plea
Georgia Pie… Georgia Pie…
Georgia Pie… Georgia Pie…
He disappeared like a morning mist…
But left a song I still resist…
Georgia Pie… Georgia Pie…
The best thing I ever heard in me…

🌹Thanks to the players from H.C. and Del's studio

All Rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder.

Be sure to visit Tina's playlist here:
soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/tina-talone-may-this-kind-of?si=c962a19838244cafab03c08ba110c75f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

And Tina's new music video here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TZvNm4nfdQ

Georgia Pie by 🌹Tina Talone🌹

You didn’t ask / I didn’t speak
like we  were always just gonna meet
The air went still / the world fell quiet
And I knew the truth / without trying to write it…
We were just talking, nothing planned
Your hand brushed mine, not quite a stand
The light was low, the room was wide
But all I saw was what you tried
No lines rehearsed, no script to read
Just silence blooming like a seed
You leaned in close, I didn’t move
And something shifted in the groove
You said it all without saying
You touched the part I kept delaying
You found the note I couldn’t play
And held it there, then walked away
You said it all without saying
You turned the night into relaying
A thousand things I couldn’t name
But still I felt them just the same
I felt the warmth before the flame
The hush before you spoke my name
You didn’t speak, but I heard loud
The way you looked beneath the cloud
No need for words, no need for sound
Just breath and space and hearts unbound
You didn’t ask, I didn’t cry
But something real had passed us by
It wasn’t lips, it wasn’t skin
It was the fire that burns within
It was the pause, the held-back sigh
The way you didn’t even try
It was the echo in the air
The way you didn’t have to dare
It was the truth we didn’t speak
But still it made my knees go weak
You said it all without saying
You touched the part I kept delaying
You found the note I couldn’t play
And held it there, then walked away
You said it all without saying
You turned the night into relaying
A thousand things I couldn’t name
But still I felt them just the same
You said it all without saying
You turned the night into relaying
A thousand things I couldn’t name
But still I felt them just the same
You said it all… without saying…
You said it all…
You said it all… without...... saying….you said it ...all....

🌹Thanks to the players from H.C. and Del's studio

All Rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder.

Be sure to visit Tina's playlist here:
soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/tina-talone-may-this-kind-of?si=c962a19838244cafab03c08ba110c75f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

And Tina's new music video here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TZvNm4nfdQ

Without Saying by 🌹Tina Talone🌹

She spins her web in velvet thread
Tells every girl to wait instead
To hold their hearts, to bite their tongues
To dream in cages, die unsung…
She wears a crown of woven lies
Her throne is built on never wondering whys
She tells you love will come in time
If you just wait and toe the line
She paints the sky with patient blue
And says the stars will wait for you
But I have seen the webs she weaves
And all the girls she makes believe
She whispers, “Don’t you chase the flame”
“Don’t speak too loud, don’t stake your claim”
She teaches silence like a song
And says that waiting makes you strong
But I have watched the years go by
The dreams that wilt, the hearts that cry
I’ve heard the hush behind the praise
And seen the light begin to fade
Delay little in this life if you can
Don’t wait for someone else to understand
Run with your fire, sing with your hands
Don’t let her web become your land
Delay little, my sisters,  don't delay
The world won’t wait, it moves away
She’ll tell you stillness is divine
But I say move before you’re out of time
She calls herself the Spider Queen
The keeper of the in-between
She spins her tales in silver thread
And wraps your dreams until they’re dead
She says that love is worth the wait
But never shows you what it takes
She says that time will bring you peace
But only if you never cease
I saw her once in morning light
Her crown was cracked, her veil too tight
She looked at me with hollow eyes
And sang her song of sweet disguise
But I had learned to play my own
To write my name in flesh and bone
To sing before the silence came
To burn before she spoke my name
Delay little in this life if you can
Don’t wait for someone else to understand
Run with your fire, sing with your hands
Don’t let her web become your land
Delay little, my sisters,  don't delay
The world won’t wait, it moves away
She’ll tell you stillness is divine
But I say move before you’re out of time
Delay little… delay little…  don't delay…
She spins her web… but I won’t stay…
Delay little… delay little…  don't delay…
The Spider Queen… fades away…

🌹Thanks to the players from H.C. and Del's studio

All Rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder.

Be sure to visit Tina's playlist here:
soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/tina-talone-may-this-kind-of?si=c962a19838244cafab03c08ba110c75f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

And Tina's new music video here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TZvNm4nfdQ

Spider Queen  by 🌹Tina Talone🌹

The one I saw… the one that stayed…
The one I saw… never went away…
I walked down the steps to the edge of the light
Where the water held still like the end of the night
And the sky leaned low, and the silence grew wide
Then the surface broke—and I knew inside…
The water was calm, the water was dark
It held the hush without a mark
The sunset burned in orange and gold
But the quiet was deeper than stories told
Then a flash below, a sudden bite
A ripple rose in fading light
It wasn’t loud, it wasn’t grand
But it moved the world where I chose to stand
It came to me, that wave so small
Insignificant, barely a call
But it touched my feet, and I felt the change
Like something sacred, soft and strange
I didn’t cry, I didn’t run
But I knew the shift had just begun
The one I saw, the one that stirred
opened a song in me I never heard
The one I saw beneath the glass
The moment that would never pass
The ripple that became my name
The silence that was never the same
The one I saw, the one I knew
The one that made the sky turn blue
The one I saw, the one that stayed
The one that never went away
I’ve sung on stages, lit and loud
I’ve chased the cheers, I’ve faced the crowd
But nothing ever moved me more
Than that quiet wave on that quiet shore
It didn’t ask, it didn’t plead
It didn’t promise, didn’t need
It just arrived, and I became
The girl who saw, and knew her name
I was the stillness, I was the stone
I was the one who stood alone
But now I sing with open hands
Because I saw, and understand
It’s not the storm, it’s not the cry
It’s not the fire that fills the sky
It’s just the ripple, soft and true
That says, “I see the world in you…”
The one I saw beneath the glass
The moment that would never pass
The ripple that became my name
The silence that became my flame
The one I saw, the one I knew
The one that made the sky turn blue
The one I saw, the one I stayed
The one that never went away
It’s not the storm, it’s not the cry
It’s not the fire that fills the sky
It’s just the ripple, soft and true
That says, “I see the world in you…”...
I ..see ..the ..world... in you…”

🌹Thanks to the players from H.C. and Del's studio

All Rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder.

Be sure to visit Tina's playlist here:
soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/tina-talone-may-this-kind-of?si=c962a19838244cafab03c08ba110c75f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

And Tina's new music video here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TZvNm4nfdQ

I See The World In You 🌹Tina Talone🌹

She wasn’t born with a name that sang
But the forest knew her before she came
A child with hands too small to hold
But the strings bent down and made her bold…
[Verse 1: Fingerpicked guitar, slow phrasing, long rhymes]
She found it in a pawnshop case
Dust on the frets, no saving grace
A body bruised, a neck gone dry
But still it hummed when she walked by
She touched it once, it didn’t flinch
The grain was cracked, the bridge a pinch
But something whispered through the stain
A voice that knew her kind of pain
(But something whispered through the stain
A voice that knew her kind of pain)
She took it home, no lessons taught
Just fingers bleeding what she thought
She didn’t strum, she didn’t plead
She let it teach her what she’d need
The chords came slow, the notes came wrong
But still it held her all night long
And in that Mahogany, she found her name
Not carved in fame, but born in flame..a fire that today let's us all know her name( all know her name ...all know her name)
[Verse 2: , bass groove, odd rhyming cadence]
She played for ghosts, for kitchen chairs
For empty rooms and midnight stares
She sang to walls that wouldn’t bend
To lovers who forgot the end
She wrote in ink that wouldn’t dry
She prayed in keys that made her cry
(She wrote in ink that wouldn’t dry
She prayed in keys that made her cry)
But through it all, that guitar stayed
The only thing she never betrayed
It held her close when no one did
It knew the child she kept well hid
It didn’t ask, it didn’t speak
But gave her voice when she felt weak
(It didn’t ask, it didn’t speak
But gave her voice when she felt weak)
She didn’t need a stage or light
Just wood and wire and sleepless night
She didn’t need applause or fame
Just one more song to stake her claim
(She didn’t need applause or fame
Just one more song to stake her claim)
[Bridge: Strip back to guitar and voice, then build with bass riffs]
She was baptized in mahogany( baptized in mahogany)
Not water, not wine, not prophecy
She was saved by sound, by string, by tone
By something built to feel alone
She didn’t rise, she didn’t fall
She just became the sound of all
(She didn’t rise, she didn’t fall
She just became the sound of all)
baptized in mahogany( baptized in mahogany)
The girl, the ghost, the flame, the fight
The one who played to make things right
[Verse 3: emotional phrasing, long rhymes]
Now she stands where silence grows
Where rivers hum and memory flows
She plays for those who never knew
That music’s not what you walk through
It’s what you hold when breath runs thin
When love won’t start, but won’t give in
It’s what you clutch when words betray
When all you’ve got is what you play
(When all you’ve got is what you play)
When all you’ve got is what you play
She doesn’t speak, she doesn’t preach
She lets the notes do what they teach
She lets the wood become her skin
The strings her blood, the sound her sin
She doesn’t bow, she doesn’t beg
She walks with rhythm in her legs
She is the song, the soul, the flame
The one who never played for fame
(never played for fame)
never played for fame
[Outro: Repetitive echoes, fading guitar,  bass heartbeat]
Baptized in mahogany…
She found her truth in melody…
Baptized in mahogany…
She played, and that was all she’d be…
Baptized in mahogany…(Baptized in mahogany)…
Baptized in mahogany…She found her truth ..in ...melody…

🌹Thanks to the players from H.C. and Del's studio

All Rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder.

Be sure to visit Tina's playlist here:
soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/tina-talone-may-this-kind-of?si=c962a19838244cafab03c08ba110c75f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

And Tina's new music video here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TZvNm4nfdQ

Baptized in Mahogany by 🌹Tina Talone🌹

Dust on the windows, light breaking through
I’ve been waiting for something true
The road was long, the nights were cold
But I held on to stories told
Coffee gone bitter, silence too loud
I walked through the wreck, head unbowed
The sky kept changing, but I stayed still
Chasing the warmth I couldn’t feel
Every mile, every scar
Led me here, where the warm things are
Every tear, every song
Pulled me closer to where I belong
Where the sun belongs
Where the shadows run
Where the heart can mend
And the day’s not done
Where the sun belongs
Where the light begins
Where the soul comes home
And the sky leans in
I’ve seen the rain, I’ve felt the flood
I’ve walked through fire, I’ve tasted blood
But still I rise, still I sing
Still I reach for everything
Old photographs, letters worn thin
I read them like prayers I keep within
The past is a lantern, the future a flame
I carry both and call them by name
Let the past be wind
Let the future spin
Let the silence speak
Let the healing begin
Where the sun belongs
Where the shadows run
Where the heart can mend
And the day’s not done
Where the sun belongs
Where the light begins
Where the soul comes home
And the sky leans in
 silence, I’ve been the sound
 lost, I’ve been the found
 echo, I’ve been the cry
 truth no one could buy
storm, I’ve been the rain
the pain...the pain...the pain
I’ve been the fire, I’ve been the song
I’ve been the place the sun belongs
Now I stand where the light pours in
No more hiding, no more spin
I’ve earned this warmth, I’ve earned this sky
I’ve earned the right to ask why
So if you’re lost, if you’re low
If you’re waiting for the glow
Know the sun won’t ask your name
It just shows up and burns the shame
Where the sun belongs
 shadows run
 the heart can mend
 day’s not done
Where the sun belongs
 the light begins
Where the soul comes home
And the sky leans in
You’re not too late
You’re not too far
You’re just arriving
Where the sun belongs

Where the Sun Belongs by #AKB

Kept the pen warm while the spotlight faded.  
Built the hooks they danced to, never stated.  
Watched the charts climb with someone else's name.  
Now the silence breaks, I'm rewriting my game.  
Wrote for stars who never knew the fire.  
Gave away gold just to pay the wire.  
Held my tongue while the crowd got loud.  
Now the mic’s mine, see me rock the crowd.  
This ain’t borrowed.  
This ain’t fake.  
Feel the tremor  
when I shake.
I got a release for you.  
This is the beat that’s gonna break the scene.  
Raw rhythms, real talk, no sheen.  
I got a release for you.  
This track don’t stop, it climbs and soars.  
Built for the rebels who unlocked doors.  
I got a release for you.  
Kept it quiet while the world kept spinning.  
Played the long game, now I’m winning.  
Every lyric etched in nights and fire.  
Every beat’s a step climbing higher.
Ghost in the booth, now I’m front and center.  
Wrote their verses, now I’m the inventor.  
No more silence, hear me rise.  
This is an anthem in disguise.
I got a release for you.  
This is the anthem they can’t deny.  
Built from the truth they tried to buy.  
I got a release for you.  
Feel the beat drop, breaking the mold.  
This is my story, finally told.  
I got a release for you. I got a release for you. I got a release for you.  
Beats so straight, they're taking flight,  
Cause this is music born from night.  
I was quiet while they played their game,  
Now hear my anthem light the flame.
I got a release for you. I got a release for you. I got a release for you.  

I Got a Release for You written by Edwin H. Balder

Light returns in places sorrow touched.
Peace arrives without a sound.
Names once whispered in the quiet
rise again where love is found.
Storms may come with heavy warning.
Skies may dim without a flame.
But something deep begins to shimmer
when the heart recalls a name.
Forgiveness doesn’t ask for perfect.
Mercy moves without a map.
Time can bend but never cancel
what was held in every gap.
Footsteps echo through the silence.
Laughter lingers in the breeze.
Memory walks beside the living
like a song that never leaves.
Faith inside makes daylight brighter.
Hope within turns grief to grace.
Love survives beyond the moment.
Truth remains in every place.
Guidance hums in every shadow.
Comfort lives in every gust.
Joy returns when least expected.
Peace is born from sacred trust.
Eyes may close but never vanish.
Hands may rest but still remain.
Hearts may break but keep on beating
in the rhythm of the rain.
Every light that flickers gently
holds a promise in its glow.
Every wind that moves the branches
knows the path that souls will go.
This too shall pass like morning mist.
This ache will fade like winter’s chill.
This silence holds a deeper meaning.
This stillness sings of something still.
No need to name what’s always present.
No need to prove what’s always near.
No need to fear the fading echo.
No need to doubt what’s always here.
Love returns in ways unspoken.
Joy arrives without a sound.
Faith remains when all feels broken—
never lost, just waiting to be found.
Every storm will find its ending.
Every light will rise again.
Every soul will feel the turning.
Never a doubt. Never.. a ...doubt
Every soul will feel the turning.
Never a doubt. Never.. a ...doubt
Never a doubt. Never.. a ...doubt

All Rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder. Thanks to all the wonderful talent that made these recordings possible including the Del Studio Players, Tina, Tommy, Hot Cookie, The Indivisibles, AKB, and TBOJAR   For More tracks like this enjoy The Jubilee Line Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/the-jubilee-line?si=0e644986d56741c2b6eb7dc09f516a71&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Never a Doubt written by Edwin H. Balder

Boots hit gravel before the sun could rise.
Hands found work where prayers once lay.
Fields stood dry beneath a silent sky.
Dust clung tight to yesterday.
One day marked for rest and reverence
now holds sweat and borrowed time.
Guilt rides shotgun in the silence
while hope hums low beneath the grime.
Three mouths wait for bread and shelter.
Two small dresses hang to dry.
One newborn sleeps beside his mother
while bills stack high and dreams run shy.
Some folks kneel with polished shoes.
Others bend where labor calls.
The rich pass by with empty glances.
The poor still try to make that hall.
A man can love without a steeple.
A soul can shine through sweat and clay.
The heart still knows what’s sacred,
even when it works on Sunday.
Rain forgot the rows this season.
Crops bowed down without a fight.
Faith feels thin beneath the burden
but still walks forward toward the light.
Scripture waits inside the kitchen.
Grace lives quiet on the floor.
Truth don’t mind a rearrangement
if the spirit’s at the core.
Four Sundays circle every calendar.
One might bend to feed the rest.
The heavens know the weight of hunger.
The heavens honor honest sweat.
Forgiveness isn’t bound by timing.
Devotion doesn’t wear a clock.
The sacred lives in every moment
where love and labor never stop.
Hope ain’t dressed in robes or ribbons.
Peace don’t ask for perfect form.
The big man sees the shifting rhythm
and walks beside the working worn.
Doing the best a man can manage.
Holding tight to what is true.
Always first in heart and honor—
but today, the soil... needs ....tending too....soil... needs ....tending too....

All Rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder. Thanks to all the wonderful talent that made these recordings possible including the Del Studio Players, Tina, Tommy, Hot Cookie, The Indivisibles, AKB, and TBOJAR   For More tracks like this enjoy The Jubilee Line Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/the-jubilee-line?si=0e644986d56741c2b6eb7dc09f516a71&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Four Sundays written by Edwin H. Balder

I have been you.
I’ve stood where the path disappears.
I’ve watched the light retreat like it owed me nothing.
I’ve whispered to the sky and heard no reply.
But I kept walking.
And something walked with me.
The forest was quiet, but not kind.
Branches reached like questions I couldn’t answer.
The sun had left without a warning,
and the shadows moved like they had purpose.
I looked up for stars, but the sky was empty.
No moon, no map, no mercy.
I stepped where the ground felt unsure.
The wind carried voices I didn’t recognize.
I thought about turning back,
but the way behind me had vanished.
I closed my eyes and whispered the word I always say—
not loud, not proud, just true.
I trust you now to care for me
when I don’t know what care looks like.
I trust you to take my hand
even when I don’t reach for it.
I trust you to lead me where I ought to be,
not where I planned to go.
I’ve followed maps that betrayed me.
I’ve chased light that never stayed.
I’ve stood in storms that didn’t ask my name
but still knew how to shake me.
I’ve walked through dust that clung like memory
and left me changed.
You don’t need to shout to be heard.
You don’t need to shine to be seen.
You don’t need to prove you’re real—
you just need to stay when I fall.
I’ve learned that faith isn’t loud.
It’s the quiet step forward when nothing feels certain.
I’ve been the man who doubted the dawn.
I’ve been the voice that questioned the silence.
I’ve been the one who asked for signs
and missed the ones already given.
But I’ve also been the one who kept walking
because something inside said “go.”
The forest didn’t change, but I did.
The night didn’t end, but I found light.
The path didn’t appear, but I moved forward.
The dust didn’t clear, but I breathed through it.
I didn’t find the answer—
but I found the one who walks with me.....the one... who walks... with me......

All Rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder. Thanks to all the wonderful talent that made these recordings possible including the Del Studio Players, Tina, Tommy, Hot Cookie, The Indivisibles, AKB, and TBOJAR   For More tracks like this enjoy The Jubilee Line Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/the-jubilee-line?si=0e644986d56741c2b6eb7dc09f516a71&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Storm and Dust written by Edwin H. Balder

Almighty....
Wind carried no name, but stayed.
Sky held no tears, but gave shade.
Branches whispered without sound.
Light bent low and touched the ground.
Rooms echoed with no reply.
Truths unraveled mid-goodbye.
Night stretched long without a door.
Faith kept breathing through the floor.
Breath sank deep beneath the wave.
Stars forgot the light they gave.
Tongues spoke prayers in borrowed tone.
Signs kept changing, left unknown.
Fire held mercy in its glow.
Dust remembered long ago.
Ashes shaped a name once claimed.
Flame stood still, but never blamed.
Light curved softly through the trees.
Ground moved quiet under knees.
Steps were taken, none were planned.
Paths were lifted by a hand.
Thunder never made the case.
Proof was never asked for grace.
Names dissolved in silent air.
Presence lived in being there.
Storm broke loud, then bowed away.
Silence answered, “Not today.”
Echo rose from shadow’s seam.
Voice replied through unseen stream:
Almighty.
Wind wrapped round like sacred thread.
Light stepped forward, softly said:
Almighty now.
 Path held firm beneath the weight.
 Sky remained beyond the gate.
 Dust gave shape to what was lost.
 Dark knelt down and paid the cost.
 Question asked, and answer came:
 Almighty.

All Rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder. Thanks to all the wonderful talent that made these recordings possible including the Del Studio Players, Tina, Tommy, Hot Cookie, The Indivisibles, AKB, and TBOJAR   For More tracks like this enjoy The Jubilee Line Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/the-jubilee-line?si=0e644986d56741c2b6eb7dc09f516a71&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Al Mighty written by Edwin H. Balder

I saw a man sleepin’ under neon,
wrapped in a coat that used to fit.
He whispered something to the sky,
and I swear the stars leaned in a bit.
I passed a woman on the corner
with a paper sign and quiet eyes.
She didn’t beg, she didn’t barter—
just watched the world like it was wise.
I’ve walked through alleys full of stories
that never made it to the page.
I’ve heard a laugh behind a dumpster
that sounded like it broke the cage.
I’ve seen a kid with shoes half missing
kick a can like it was gold.
He didn’t ask for anything—
just danced like he’d been told.
There’s someone up there who sees the cracks.
There’s someone who knows where mercy lacks.
There’s someone who walks where the light won’t go.
There’s someone who stays when the cold wind blows.
I don’t name him, I don’t preach.
But I know he’s got a longer reach.
I’ve cursed the sky and slammed the door
on nights that didn’t make much sense.
But something always held me still
before I jumped the fence.
I’ve prayed in ways that don’t sound holy—
like muttered words and silent tears.
But every time I thought I’d vanished,
I was carried through the years.
It’s not about the steeple or the sermon.
It’s not about the robe or the ring.
It’s about the way the broken whisper
and still get heard by something.
I’ve got a buddy upstairs who listens
when I don’t know what to say.
He’s the reason I keep walking
when the world says “turn away.”
I’ve got a buddy upstairs who watches
when the lights go out too soon.
He’s the reason I keep singing
when the song feels out of tune.
There’s someone up there who sees the cracks.
There’s someone who knows where mercy lacks.
There’s someone who walks where the light won’t go.
There’s someone who stays when the cold wind blows.
I don’t name him, I don’t preach.
But I know he’s got a longer reach.
 I’ve seen him in the quiet.
 I’ve felt him in the fall.
 I’ve heard him in the laughter.
 I’ve known him through it all.
 I got a buddy upstairs who cares.
 I got a buddy upstairs who cares.
I got a buddy upstairs who cares.
I got a buddy upstairs who cares.
I got a buddy upstairs who cares.
I got a buddy upstairs who cares.
I got a buddy..... upstairs........ who cares.......

All Rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder. Thanks to all the wonderful talent that made these recordings possible including the Del Studio Players, Tina, Tommy, Hot Cookie, The Indivisibles, AKB, and TBOJAR   For More tracks like this enjoy The Jubilee Line Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/the-jubilee-line?si=0e644986d56741c2b6eb7dc09f516a71&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

I Got a Buddy Upstairs Who Cares written by Edwin H. Balder

Voices rose from porches and pinewood pews.
Songs were stitched into the seams of Sunday shoes.
Hands kept rhythm on the backs of kitchen chairs.
Faith was passed like stories whispered into prayer.
Names were carved into the wood of worn-out stages.
Melodies survived the silence between ages.
Every note was carried by a heart that knew the cost.
Every shout was proof that nothing sacred should be lost.
The line keeps moving through the fire and the rain.
The sound keeps rising through the joy and the pain.
The light keeps shining through the dust and the time.
The song keeps walking down the Jubilee Line.
This is the Jubilee Line.
Where the voices never fade.
Where the rhythm finds the broken
and the harmony is made.
This is the Jubilee Line.
Where the sky is always wide.
Where the music lifts the weary
and the soul is dignified.
Grandma sang with hands that knew the weight of labor.
Uncle preached with chords that cut through every favor.
Children learned the steps before they knew the words.
Truth was taught in verses louder than the birds.
Every singer holds a thread from those before.
Every chorus opens up a sacred door.
Every solo carries echoes from the past.
Every measure proves the legacy will last.
 The song was never meant for silence.
 The sound was built to break the chain.
 The line was drawn through every trial.
 The joy was born inside the strain.
The music climbs beyond the steeple.
 The rhythm walks where feet have bled.
 The Jubilee Line keeps on singing
for the living and the dead.
This is the Jubilee Line.
Where the voices never fade.
Where the rhythm finds the broken
and the harmony is made.
This is the Jubilee Line.
Where the sky is always wide.
Where the music lifts the weary
and the soul is dignified.
 Step in, step in, the line is strong.
Step in, step in, the song goes on.
 Clap hands, clap hands, the joy is real.
 Clap hands, clap hands, the truth can heal.
 This is the Jubilee Line.


All Rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder. Thanks to all the wonderful talent that made these recordings possible including the Del Studio Players, Tina, Tommy, Hot Cookie, The Indivisibles, AKB, and TBOJAR   For More tracks like this enjoy The Jubilee Line Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/the-jubilee-line?si=0e644986d56741c2b6eb7dc09f516a71&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The Jubilee Line written by Edwin H. Balder

I learned to make a fist from my older brother at five,
and trust me, that skill’s kept me alive more times than I can count.
He showed me how to square up before I knew how to spell my name.
We didn’t have bedtime stories—we had bruises and broken lamps.
Mama prayed, Daddy drank, and we ducked when the shouting started.
I wore my first scar like a badge and never asked for a refund.
By seven, I knew how to take a hit and how to hide the tears.
By ten, I stopped hiding anything at all.
I’m a fighter, always have been, even when I didn’t want to be.
This skin’s beyond thin—it’s paper stretched over dynamite.
One twist, one wrong word, and I’m back in the ring.
It’s not about winning—it’s about not backing down.
I’ve thrown punches in parking lots and whispered apologies in hospital rooms.
I’ve fought for love, for pride, for silence, for nothing.
Sometimes I fight just to feel something that isn’t shame.
Sometimes I fight because it’s the only thing I trust to stay.
I’ve been hit by friends, by strangers, by truths I wasn’t ready for.
I’ve lost teeth, lost time, lost the thread of who I was supposed to be.
I’ve seen the look in her eyes when she realized I wasn’t safe to love.
I’ve walked out of rooms I should’ve stayed in and stayed in fights I should’ve walked from.
I’ve buried the best parts of me under layers of defense.
I’ve told myself I’m fine while bleeding through my shirt.
I’ve made peace with the fact that peace never made time for me.
I’ve stared down mirrors and dared them to blink first.
I don’t romanticize the damage—I just carry it.
I don’t ask for forgiveness—I just keep moving.
I don’t know what healing looks like, but I know what survival costs.
I don’t cry anymore, but I still flinch when someone says “safe.”
I’m the kind of man who’d die from a blow he didn’t see coming.
Not because he’s weak, but because he’s always looking the other way.
I’ve got stories stitched into my knuckles and regrets tattooed on my ribs.
I’ve got a heart that punches back and a mind that won’t stay quiet.
I’ve got a past that won’t let go and a future I don’t trust.
I’ve got one truth left: I fight.
Not for glory. Not for fame.
Just because that’s what got me down the line.
That’s just me.
No anthem. No apology.
Just a man who learned to swing
and never stopped.
That’s just me.(That’s just me.)That’s just me.
That’s just me.(That’s just me.)That’s just me.
That’s just me.(That’s just me.)That’s just me.
That’s just me.(That’s just me.)That’s just me

All rights reserved by songwriter and producer Edwin H. Balder.
For more ride-and-rock tracks, click here: https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/rusty-marshall-band?si=c5040230a7334213b5d7609527997d7c&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

That’s Just Me Rusty Marshall Band

The road don’t care what you’ve done.
It just asks if you’re still ....chasing thunder......
He lit his first smoke off a burning bridge.
Took his first punch with a grin and a twitch.
He’s got scars where names used to be.
And a throttle hand that don’t believe in peace.
He drinks like the past is still chasing him.
And rides like the future ain’t worth a sin.
He’s buried brothers in dust and flame.
and when he rides he calls their names.
He’s got blood on his boots and glass in his grin.
Every barroom brawl was a prayer to begin.
He don’t ask for mercy, don’t speak of regret.
He just pours another round and lights a cigarette.
The road is his gospel, the bike is his creed.
He’s chasing thunder — not hope, not need.
He rides with ghosts who never forgive.
And he swears that’s the only way to live.
No apologies, no second tries.
Just engines screaming under blackened skies.
If you ride with him, you ride and never tell
And you better be ready ...to ride through hell...
He’s chasing thunder — not dreams, not light.
Just the roar that drowns out the night.
He’s chasing thunder — through blood and bone.
Where the broken ride alone.
He’s chasing thunder — no brakes, no prayer.
Just a brotherhood built on dare.
He’s chasing thunder — and if you fall behind…
If your a brother ...gonna toss you a line
He found a brother broken down , lost in the dark.
No patch, no pride — just gun shot marks.
And for the first time, he didn’t speak.
Just held the man and made him believe.
They’d fought, they’d bled, took off chasing thunder
to save a brother that got pulled  under.
He didn’t cry, didn’t rage, didn’t run.
He just whispered, “your not done.”......chasing ....thunder.......!
Brotherhood ain’t built on grace.
It’s forged in fire and a thousand mistakes.
It’s the silence when the world goes black.
And the promise that you’ve got his back.
It’s not forgiveness — it’s the ride.
And the thunder you chase side by side.
He’s chasing thunder — not dreams, not light.
Just the roar that drowns out the night.
He’s chasing thunder — through blood and bone.
Where the broken ride alone.
He’s chasing thunder — no brakes, no prayer.
Just a brotherhood built on  each dare.
He’s chasing thunder — and if you fall behind…
If your a bother... gonna  toss you a line...
The road don’t care what you’ve done.
It just asks if you’re still ....chasing thunder.
chasing thunder......
chasing thunder.......chasing .....thunder.....

All rights reserved by songwriter and producer Edwin H. Balder.
For more ride-and-rock tracks, click here: https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/rusty-marshall-band?si=c5040230a7334213b5d7609527997d7c&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Chasing Thunder Rusty Marshall Band

He tuned his soul to the sound of chrome.
Raised on riffs and the rumble of home.
Leather and scars were the only truth.
He found his church in a barroom booth.
The road was long but the rhythm stayed.
Every mile was a debt he paid.
They don’t ask why — they just roll.
Gasoline hearts and rock and roll.
If you’ve got a brother at your side…
You don’t need a map for the ride.
Rock and ride — through the fire and the rain.
Through the breakdown, the bruises, the pain.
Rock and ride — with your boots on the line.
Every chord, every curve, every sign.
Rock and ride — when the world says no.
You throttle up and let it go.
Rock and ride — till the last goodbye.
And you’ll know who’s real when the engines die.
He’s seen the edge and he’s kissed the fall.
Watched good men fade behind the wall.
But when the music hits and the tires scream…
He remembers every outlaw dream.
They don’t cry — they burn and bend.
But they’ll bleed for a brother to the bitter end.
They don’t ask why — they just roll.
Gasoline hearts and rock and roll.
If you’ve got a brother at your side…
You don’t need a map for the ride.
Rock and ride — through the fire and the rain.
Through the breakdown, the bruises, the pain.
Rock and ride — with your boots on the line.
Every chord, every curve, every sign.
Rock and ride — when the world says no.
You throttle up and let it go.
Rock and ride — till the last goodbye.
And you’ll know who’s real when the engines die.
He’s older now but the fire’s still lit.
The road still calls and he won’t quit.
He sees his brother fighting for breath.
And it hits harder than love or death.
So he rides slower, but he rides true.
Because that’s what real brothers do.
Being a brother ain’t just blood and name.
It’s showing up when life’s a flame.
It’s the silence shared when words won’t land.
It’s the grip of a calloused hand.
It’s knowing you’d trade your pride and ride…
Just to keep your brother alive.
Rock and ride — through the fire and the rain.
Through the breakdown, the bruises, the pain.
Rock and ride — with your boots on the line.
Every chord, every curve, every sign.
Rock and ride — when the world says no.
You throttle up and let it go.
Rock and ride — till the last goodbye.
And you’ll know who’s real ....when the engines die.
Rock and ride....Rock and ride...Rock and ride

All rights reserved by songwriter and producer Edwin H. Balder.
For more ride-and-rock tracks, click here: https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/rusty-marshall-band?si=c5040230a7334213b5d7609527997d7c&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing


Ride and Rock Rusty Marshall Band

Funny ...(.Funny )...Funny .....Funny thing about that
I bought a smart fridge; it judges with tears
When I grab cheese, it shows my work out fears
My therapist said to build a fence —
Around my feelings, so I charge them rent.
Tried yoga, trapped in downward dog,
Now barking at problems like a lost cause
I’m not broken, just creatively cracked.
I’m the kind of mess you can’t subtract.
If life’s a circus, I’m the snack stand.
Selling popcorn with one shaky hand.
Funny thing about that —
I Google symptoms, funeral plans start sprouting.
Funny thing about that —
99 problems, ..98.. borne of my doubting.
[hook riff]
Fun thing about that —
Life’s a joke, I laugh late, but who's counting
Funny ....Funny ...Funny .....Funny thing about that
I dated an astrologer, you see,
She ditched me when Mercury spun crazily.
Told my mom, "I’m emotionally quite mature,"
She laughed, and grounded me, as her cure
Ex claimed I was "mysterious," a sign —
I forgot her birthday three years, just like mine.
I’m not toxic, just a little fermented.
My charm’s expired but still well-vented.
If love’s a game, I lost the dice.
and run from fate like folks run from Ice
Funny  thing about that —
I collect red flags like carnival bribes.
Funny thing about that —
My love language? Silence with maybe soon bribes.
Fun thing about that —
Ghosted myself, no joy for a man who just hides
Funny ....Funny ...Funny .....Funny thing about that
Turned 40, my body threw a bash,
Inviting pain, regret,  more then a dash
being left out tucks me in tight,
Sleeping like I’m not even here, night after night.
Asked the doc am I'm well am I  right,
“Define well” , then he walk away..out of  my sight
Tried journaling, but my pen retired,
Asked the universe, but she said she was a lier
Downloaded mindfulness,  but its advice betrayed,
Told me “breathe,”  maybe get laid
Funny thing about that —
I Google symptoms, funeral plans start sprouting.
Funny thing about that —
99 problems, ..98.. borne of my doubting.
Funny thing about that —
Life’s a joke, I laugh late, but who's counting
Funny ....Funny ...Funny .....Funny thing about that
Here’s to the mess, the weird, and all that’s fun.
Bad decisions make the best stories — second to none.
Funnny thing about that…
may not chage a thing
Except  the frig judgmental tone  and this song I sing

Funny ....Funny ...Funny .....Funny thing about that...


All rights reserved by songwriter and producer Edwin H. Balder.
For more ride-and-rock tracks, click here: https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/rusty-marshall-band?si=c5040230a7334213b5d7609527997d7c&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Funny Thing Rusty Marshall Band

He sat by the fire with a notebook and pen,
Said, “I’ve seen the world break and build again.”
I was just passing through, chasing some plan —
But I stayed for the words of that old wise man.
He said, “Don’t trade your joy for a job that pays more,
Don’t lock up your heart just to open a door.
The world will tell you to hustle and win,
But the best kind of wealth comes from deep within.”
I wrote it down, but it burned in my chest —
Truth like that don’t need to rest.
The wise man said, “Keep your colors bright,
Don’t dim your soul just to fit the light.
Sing your song, even if no one stays —
The echo might guide someone else someday.”
The wise man said…
And I’m still listening.
He said, “Love is a garden, not a race to the ring,
It grows in the quiet, not in what spotlight’s bring
Don’t chase the ones who only want fame
Find someone who sees your roots and don't play games
I didn’t ask, but he knew what I’d lost —
Some wisdom comes without a cost.
The wise man said, “Keep your colors bright,
Don’t dim your soul just to fit the light.
Sing your song, even if no one stays —
The echo might guide someone else someday.”
The wise man said…
And I’m still listening.
He said, “Connection’s the thread that we weave,
It’s the hand on your back when you’re ready to leave.
Don’t let tears replace the sound of a laugh,
Real love remembers— like a dear photograph.”
He said, “You’ll forget my name, and that’s okay —
But remember the feeling, and pass it on someday.
To a kid on a bus, or a friend in the rain,
Say something true —to soften their pain.”
The wise man said, “Keep your colors bright,
Don’t dim your soul just to fit the light.
Sing your song, even if no one stays —
The echo might guide someone else someday.”
The wise man said…
And I’m still listening.
He packed up his notebook and tipped his hat.
Said, “You’ll be fine — just... remember that.”
And I walked away with more than a plan…
I walked away
a wiser man......
walked away....
a.. wiser.. man....

All rights reserved by songwriter and producer Edwin H. Balder.
For more ride-and-rock tracks, click here: https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/rusty-marshall-band?si=c5040230a7334213b5d7609527997d7c&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Wiser Man by Rusty Marshall Band

Midnight hums in my dim-lit room,
My pen dances, but the chords won’t swoon.
Empty coffee cups, crossed-out lines,
A voice too soft for the spotlight’s shrine.
“Play it louder,” they say with a grin,
But my heart’s a storm buried deep within.
I wear these dreams like a second skin,
But the mirror whispers, “Where do you begin?”
Every “no” is a scratch on my guitar,
Still, I’m tuning hope to a shooting star.
Check back with me on that—
When these melodies crawl out the shadows,
And the words I bleed finally catch.
I’m more than pen with a notebook heart,
But tonight, the doubt’s a work of art.
Yeah, check back with me on that.
Yeah, (Yeah Yeah Yeah) check back with me on that.
I’m a symphony half-built, still in combat,
But darling, just… check back with me on that.]
I’ve played bars where the crowds don’t stay,
Sang my truth while the jukebox played.
Label suits said, “Come on, rewrite the track,”
But my soul’s a fire that won’t cut back
I write anthems for ghosts of my past,
Every chorus a bridge I’m hell-bent to pass.
I grind through the night with a pen in my hand,
Writing out futures that don’t always land.
Every chorus I craft is a prayer in disguise,
But the only reply is the silence that sighs.
It’s a gift, it’s a curse, it’s the fire I chase,
Every “no” leaves a scar I can’t erase.
I bleed on the page, but the crowd walks away,
Still I’m singing my truth in the break of the day.
Echoes in the room, bouncing back at me,
No applause, just the sound of my own melody.
But I keep on pushing, I keep on strong,
‘Cause the echo’s still proof that the song belongs.
Respect in my flow, no shade, no fight,
I honor the love when I write at night.
If I want you to feel it, I’ll say it clear,
No wishful thinking, I’ll keep you near.
This is soul in the struggle, rhythm in the pain,
Every setback’s fuel for the notes I sustain.
I’m a soldier of sound, with a heart that won’t quit,
Even echoes remind me I’m built for this shit.
So check back with me when the crowd’s in sync,
When the echoes turn louder than the doubts I think.
I’m a gift and a curse, but I’ll never fall flat,
I’m a storm in the booth — check back.. we me..  on that.
My hands shake, but the mic won’t tell,
And the road’s a lonelier place to dwell.
I’m a hurricane in a whispered sigh,
Mapping constellations — who gives a shit why.
Check back with me on that—
When these melodies crawl out the shadows,
And the words I bleed finally catch.
I’m more than a pen with a notebook heart,
But tonight, the doubt’s a work of art.
Yeah, check back with me on that.
Yeah, (Yeah Yeah Yeah) check back with me on that.
I’m a symphony half-built, still in combat,
But darling, just… check back with me on that.
One day, I’ll crack the radio’s code,
Turn “too delicate” into a crescendo bold.
For now, I’m the echo before the roar,
A phoenix in verses, rising through the floor.
Check back when the world sings along,
My name in the rhythm, my pain in the song.
Check back when the doubts finally fade—
I’ll be the wildfire the shadows made.
I’m a symphony half-built, still in combat,
But darling, just… check back with me on that.
Yeah, check back with me on that.
Yeah, (Yeah Yeah Yeah) check back with me on that.
Yeah, (Yeah ....Yeah ......Yeah)............ check..... back..... with me...... on that..........

Please Dance this on to your playlist ..So much thanks... WHY SPACE
All rights held by songwriter Edwin H. BalderLink to our Album..YES it's free..do we seem famous?https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/masquerade-and-more?si=7f86e3876c484824abac69745d79d9d3&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Check Back by WHY🎧 SPACE

Between then and now, I’ve walked that line,
Every beat a memory, every word a sign.
True that, I’ve stumbled, true that, I’ve grown,
But the rhythm reminds me I’m never alone.
I see the shadows of our yesterday,
Echoes of the love that slipped away.
Every streetlight flickers, calling me back,
But I’m chasing forward, no time to track.
True that, I’ve been broken,
True that, I’ve been scarred.
But the music keeps me open,
And it’s healing every part.
Between then and now, I’m finding my sound,
Dancing through the fire, I won’t be bound.
Between then and now, I’m stronger somehow,
True that, I’m alive — and I’m living it loud.
I hear the whispers of the nights we knew,
Every promise faded, but the rhythm’s true.
The skyline glows with a brand-new start,
I’m remixing pain into works of art.
True that, I’ve been waiting,
True that, I’ve been lost.
But the beat keeps elevating,
And I’ll pay whatever cost.
Between then and now, I’m finding my sound,
Dancing through the fire, I won’t be bound.
Between then and now, I’m stronger somehow,
True that, I’m alive — and I’m living it loud.
I see reflections in the midnight glass,
Every broken moment, every time I passed.
But the rhythm tells me I’m not defined,
By the weight of sorrow I left behind.
True that, I’ve been learning,
True that, I’ve been torn.
But the music keeps returning,
And I’m finally reborn.
Between then and now, I’m finding my sound,
Dancing through the fire, I won’t be bound.
Between then and now, I’m stronger somehow,
True that, I’m alive — and I’m living it loud.
Yeah, I came from the silence, now I’m breaking the chains,
Every scar I carried turned to fuel in my veins.
Between then and now, it’s a war I survived,
Every lyric I spit is the proof I’m alive.
True that, I’ve been doubted, true that, I’ve been bruised,
But the rhythm’s my weapon, and the beat’s my muse.
I respect the craft, I respect the grind,
Building something lasting, leaving echoes behind.
From the mountain to the city, from the dark to the stage,
Every moment I’ve lived is a line on the page.
Between then and now, I’m not backing down,
I’m a king in the rhythm, I wear the crown.
Between then and now, I’ve found my way,
True that, tomorrow’s another day.
Between then and now, I’ll dance through the pain,
True that, the music will always remain.

Please Dance this on to your playlist ..So much thanks... WHY SPACE
All rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder
Link to our Album..YES it's free..do we seem famous?https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/masquerade-and-more?si=7f86e3876c484824abac69745d79d9d3&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Then & Now  by WHY🎧 SPACE

The Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument in Fort Greene Park honors over 11,500 American patriots who died aboard British prison ships in New York Harbor during the Revolutionary War.
That staggering number is greater than all the American combat deaths from every battle of the war combined — making the prison ships the single deadliest site of sacrifice in the entire conflict! This song is a thank you we all forget to give!
In Brooklyn’s heart, the column stands tall,
Names etched in stone, they speak for all.
The silence whispers, the shadows mark,
The martyrs rest in Fort Greene Park.
They were captured men, young and brave,
Fighting freedom, not seeking fame.
The British ships became their tomb,
Dark hulks drifting, a floating gloom.
Eleven thousand souls confined,
In rotting holds, no light to find.
Disease and hunger claimed their breath,
Each day a march toward certain death.
They could have lived, if they betrayed,
Sworn allegiance, their souls mislaid.
But they chose honor, chose their land,
And died with freedom in their hand.
So walk the steps, and see the stone,
Know their sacrifice, may they not be alone.
Raise your voice, where freedom left its mark
For the martyrs.. of ..Fort Greene Park....
For the martyrs.. of ..Fort Greene Park....
No battle claimed so many lives,
No field of war where hope survives.
But prison ships, with iron bars,
Held more dead than all the wars.
The stench of death, the cries of pain,
The chains that bound, the endless rain.
Yet still they sang of liberty,
A song of hope, of dignity.
Failure was not disgrace,
It was the price they faced.
They erased the fear,
Expanded taste,
To reach a higher place.
They chose the silence,
They chose the grave,
So freedom’s song
Could still be saved.
This is the thing we forget,
The price of freedom, the debt.
A place we can go, to honor the past,
To thank the martyrs whose courage will last.
Why Space, Why Space, remember their name,
Martyrs who perished, but lit freedom’s flame.
In Fort Greene Park, their story is told,
A chorus of courage, a spirit of gold.
Stanford White built the column high,
Adolph Weinman’s urn touched the sky.
A monument for those who died,
Who chose their country, not the bribe.
So walk the steps, and see the stone,
Know their sacrifice, may they not be alone.
Raise your voice, where freedom left its mark
For the martyrs.. of ..Fort Greene Park....
For the martyrs.. of ..Fort Greene Park....

All rights reserved by songwriter and producer Edwin H. Balder.
For more rock tracks, click here: soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/rusty-marshall-band?si=c5040230a7334213b5d7609527997d7c&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Martyrs of Fort Greene

In the desert’s embrace, as the sun sets low,
The word "Descanso" means rest, a tranquil glow.
As I journey onward, seeking peace so deep,
Dreaming of the desert’s wonders, in my sleep.
After a night’s performance, I drift away,
To a land of cacti, where coyotes play.
"Descanso" calls me, in the moon’s soft light,
A gentle whisper, in the desert night.
I’ve been chasing echoes through the midnight air,
Writing down truths that nobody shares.
It’s a gift and a curse, this songwriter’s grind,
Every verse is a mirror of the soul I find.
Descanso reminds me to breathe, to rest,
To lay down the weight that clings to my chest.
It’s not the fame, not the lights, not the streams,
It’s the quiet desert teaching me dreams.
A songwriter’s soul, forever chasing streams,
"Descanso" in the desert,
and my endless dreams.
(endless dreams)
endless dreams.
Snakes slither silently, in shadows cast,
Seeking solace in each midnight rasp.
The oasis waits, with waters pure and clear,
"Descanso" leads me, to where dreams appear.
The beauty of the desert, a timeless scene,
With sunsets painting skies in amber sheen.
I wander through this dreamscape, feeling free,
"Descanso" in my heart, my sanctuary.
A songwriter’s soul, forever chasing streams,
"Descanso" in the desert,
and my endless dreams.
(endless dreams)
endless dreams.
In the silence of the night, the desert sings,
A lullaby of peace, that the nighttime brings.
I close my eyes, and let the dream take flight,
"Descanso" is my guide, through the desert night.
We all see the stars in their stadium shows,
Spotlights blazing, the confetti flows.
But the dream’s not the crowd or the fame we chase,
It’s the tear held back on a single face.
It’s the smile that rises, the foot that taps,
The finger that snaps in the quiet gaps.
It’s one soul daring to dance along,
To hear your truth inside the song.
That’s why I write, that’s why I sing,
Not for the trophies or glittering things.
Descanso reminds me, the desert is proof,
That music’s real when it touches the roof.
As the dawn approaches, my dreams gently fade,
I awaken with the memories they made.
A songwriter’s soul, forever chasing streams,
"Descanso" in the desert,
and my endless dreams.
(endless dreams)
endless dreams.
A songwriter’s soul, forever chasing streams,
"Descanso" in the desert,
and my endless dreams.
(endless dreams)
endless dreams.

Please Dance this on to your playlist ..So much thanks... WHY🎧 SPACE
All rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder

Link to our Album..YES it's free..do we seem famous?
https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/masquerade-and-more?si=7f86e3876c484824abac69745d79d9d3&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Endless Dreams by WHY🎧 SPACE

Met you in the static, neon lights on the floor,
You came up to me like I’d been waiting before.
Eyes locked heavy, I forgot myself,
Said I’d follow you to heaven, even follow to hell.
Every beat was a promise, every look was a flame,
I thought we were writing forever, you were playing a game.
I gave you my nights, gave you my fight,
But you were already planning your exit flight.
I gave you my Friday nights,
You gave me your maybe’s.
I built a future in my mind,
You built escape routes daily.
I wore your name like a promise,
Hung your words like stars.
Thought I was more than a moment,
But I was just spare parts.
You said I lit up your darkness,
But you never stayed for the light.
You kissed me like a secret,
Then left… left in the… night.
Waste of time, waste of tears,
Wasted months, wasted years.
I thought I mattered, thought I fit,
But I was just your counterfeit.
Waste of hope, waste of grace,
Wasted love you won’t replace.
I gave you truth, you gave me spin,
I thought I’d lose you—never knew I’d never begin.
Waste of time…
[Beat cut]
And I’m done letting you define
What I was,
What I am,
What… I’ll… be…
Next time (next time).
I saw forever in your silence,
Heard forever in your lies.
I kept showing up for nothing,
Kept mistaking lows for highs.
You said I was your anchor,
But you never stopped the boat.
I was the one who stayed,
While you wrote your exit note.
You don’t get to call it love,
Just because I stayed.
You don’t get to call it truth,
Just because I prayed.
Waste of time, waste of tears,
Wasted months, wasted years.
I thought I mattered, thought I fit,
But I was just your counterfeit.
Waste of hope, waste of grace,
Wasted love you won’t replace.
I gave you truth, you gave me spin,
I thought I’d lose you—never knew I’d never begin.
Waste of time…
And I’m done letting you define
What I was,
What I am,
What I’ll be…
Next time… What… I’ll… be…
Next time (next time)… next… time!
I was never yours (never yours),
You were never mine (never mine).
Just a beautiful…
Waste of time (waste of time).
Yeah, I followed you to hell,
But I found myself again.
Your lies were neon,
But my truth is the flame.
Waste of time…
But I’m done letting you define me.

Please Dance this on to your playlist ..So much thanks... WHY🎧 SPACE
All rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder

Link to our Album..YES it's free..do we seem famous?
https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/masquerade-and-more?si=7f86e3876c484824abac69745d79d9d3&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The Next Time  by WHY🎧 SPACE

Welcome to the dance farm,
Where we grow , we grow.,,,we grow
Seeds of rhythm in the soil,
Beats that rise ..so you know ...so you know...so you know
music roots beneath the floor,
Bassline blossoms, you want more.
Every step plants sound in air,
Every move grows everywhere.
Hands up high, the harvest begins,
Truth in the rhythm, the music spins.
Welcome to the dance farm,
We grow , we grow....we grow...
Welcome to the dance farm,
We sow the sound, you love ...you know
Welcome to the dance farm,
 dance...dance ...dance ... go...go...go
I plant my pain in the ground, let it bloom,
I water the beat, it fills the room.
Every scar is a seed, every tear a song,
We grow it together, we all belong.
No fences here, just rhythm and light,
We harvest the sound, we dance all night.
The farm is alive, the soil is free,
Music is the crop, and the crop is me.
Glitter rains down, the fields ignite,
Every dancer glowing bright.
We lose ourselves, but we find the flame,
The farm of rhythm knows our name.
Living today, the struggle is real,
But the dance farm heals, the wounds conceal.
I could forget it all, let silence reign,
But the harvest calls, I break the chain.
Every beat is a seed, every drop a fight,
We grow the music, we claim the night.
No walls, no fear, no borrowed skin,
Welcome to the dance farm, we rise again.
We sow the sound, we reap the fire,
The dance farm lifts us higher.
We plant the truth, we grow the flame,
The harvest sings your name.
Welcome to the dance farm,
We grow , we grow....we grow...
Welcome to the dance farm,
We sow the sound, you love ...you know
Welcome to the dance farm,
 dance...dance ...dance ... go...go...go
We sow the sound, you love ...you know
Welcome to the dance farm,
 dance...dance ...dance ... go...go...go
 you love ...you know
 dance...dance ...dance ... go...go...go
 you love ...you know
 dance...dance ...dance ... go...go...go ... go...go...go... DANCE...

Please Dance this on to your playlist ..So much thanks... WHY🎧 SPACE
All rights held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder

Link to our Album..YES it's free..do we seem famous?
https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/masquerade-and-more?si=7f86e3876c484824abac69745d79d9d3&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Dance Farm by WHY🎧 SPACE

You can her this great song and other 24/7 with no ad or even DJ Chatter on SkyWire Radio:   https://live365.com/station/SkyWire-Radio-a77254 🎶  I walked down a road with no signs to be found,
Dust in my shoes and my head spinning round.
The wind carried whispers from places I’d been,
But the faces were strangers, the voices were thin.
I asked for directions, they pointed to sky,
Said “the map’s in your heart, but the heart can lie.”
So I kept on moving, though I didn’t know where,
Every mile was a question, every step was a prayer.
The river ran crooked, the bridge was half gone,
I played with the silence, it played me a song.
The trees bent like prophets, the leaves fell like rain,
Every shadow reminded me of joy and of pain.
I carried my burdens in a ragged old pack,
Memories ahead of me, regrets on my back.
The night lit a lantern, the stars drew a line,
But I still couldn’t tell what was yours, what was mine.
And I’m lost, but I’m learning,
Every fire keeps on burning.
And I’m lost, but I’m free,
Every road is teaching me.
Miles of nowhere, miles of doubt,
Every whisper’s gonna call me out.
Miles of nowhere, miles to roam,
Every stranger’s just a way back home.
I met an old singer with a voice made of stone,
He said “songs are companions when you’re walking alone.”
He strummed out a story, it cut through the night,
Every chord was a candle, every word was a fight.
I asked him the meaning, he laughed at my plea,
Said “the meaning’s the journey, not the destiny.”
So I carried his laughter like a tune in my chest,
Every sorrow a teacher, every trial a test.
 the song is the middle.
Ooh, the truth is a disguise,
, the lie wears honest eyes.
, the compass spins around,
Ooh, the silence makes a sound.
the lost are never gone,
the journey just goes on.
And I’m broken, but I’m whole,
Every crack reveals the soul.
And I’m empty, but I’m filled,
Every dream is gently spilled.
And I’m weary, but I’m strong,
Every wrong becomes a song.
Miles of nowhere, miles of doubt,
Every whisper’s gonna call me out.
Miles of nowhere, miles to roam,
Every stranger’s just a way back home.
Miles of nowhere, miles of pain,
Every loss is just another gain.
Miles of nowhere, miles to roam,
Every stranger’s just a way back home.

I walked down a road with no signs to be found…
Every mile was a question, every step was a sound.

hear more here>

🎶 Miles of Nowhere🎶

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[8‑bar intro — acoustic groove, warm and steady]
[G6 acoustic strum, soft and rhythmic]
[Electric guitar with light delay answering]
[Low kick + shaker groove]
[Soft organ pad underneath]

[verse 1 — honest, confessional]
[G – Em – C – D]
I’ve been running from the stories folks keep whispering in town,
Every headline like a hammer trying hard to pin me down.
But the only thing that scares me isn’t what they think of me,
It’s the way my kids might carry all the things they didn’t see.

[verse 2 — deeper, more vulnerable]
[G – Em – C – D]
I’ve been reckless with my choices, I’ve been loud when I should pray,
I’ve been someone I don’t recognize in pictures from those days.
And the world don’t let you outgrow all the trouble you’ve been in,
But my kids deserve a father who can teach ’em how to win.

[pre‑chorus — rising, emotional]
[C – D – Em – D/F#]
And I know the past is heavy,
But I won’t let it be their load.

[chorus — big, soulful, modern‑pop crossover]
[G – Em – C – D – G]
’Cause my name’s on the line,
And the world keeps score on every little fault of mine.
But I won’t let it write
The story that my children have to drag into their lives.
I’ll stand up every time,
Even if the world remembers every stumble, every crime—
Yeah, my name’s on the line.

[solo #1 — long, reflective, electric guitar]
[Progression: Em – C – G – D]
[Slow bends, melodic phrasing, emotional lift]

[verse 3 — fatherhood clarity]
[G – Em – C – D]
I’ve been learning how forgiveness starts with looking in the mirror,
How the man I want to be is getting closer, getting clearer.
And the fame don’t mean a thing if all it buys is empty praise,
Not if I can’t give my children something better than my ways.

[pre‑chorus — stronger, more certain]
[C – D – Em – D/F#]
And I know the past is heavy,
But I won’t let it be their load.

[chorus — fuller, brighter, more powerful]
[G – Em – C – D – G]
’Cause my name’s on the line,
And the world keeps score on every little fault of mine.
But I won’t let it write
The story that my children have to drag into their lives.
I’ll stand up every time,
Even if the world remembers every stumble, every crime—
Yeah, my name’s on the line.

bridge — long, emotional, cinematic
[C – G/B – Em – D – C – G – D – G]
I’ve been fighting for a future
Where my kids can walk in light,
Where the shadows of my history
Aren’t the things they have to fight.
If the world keeps throwing stones at me,
Let it hit me, not their hearts—
’Cause the man I am becoming
Is the man I should’ve been from start.

[solo #2 — long, soaring, reflective]
[Progression: Em – C – G – D]
[Higher register, emotional bends, melodic hook repeated]

[final chorus — huge, soulful, redemption‑heavy]
[G – Em – C – D – G]
’Cause my name’s on the line,
And the world keeps score on every little fault of mine.
But I won’t let it write
The story that my children have to drag into their lives.
I’ll stand up every time,
Even if the world remembers every stumble, every crime—
Yeah, my name’s on the line.

[outro — soft, steady, hopeful]
[G6 acoustic riff returning]
[Electric guitar echoing the solo motif]
[Soft vocal hum fading]
[Final G chord held long]

All rights by songwriter Edwin H. Balder

Name on the Line  By EHB

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All Rights Reserved by songwriter Edwin H. Balder
The city hums me to sleep with sirens and guitars,
Already dreaming of tomorrow’s bagels and battle scars.
This messy, magnificent concrete constellation —
Where else could all these lights burn into revelation?

Wonderful Day in New York (Times Square Version)

Merry Christmas..
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Tres Caminantes (Flamenco Christmas)

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Verse 1
I was down on the sand Christmas Eve
The last pull from a half-burnt joint
Thinking about my mother's sugar cookies
How I'd eaten every one by Tuesday night
No plate to set out, no milk in the fridge
Just this small offering and the tide coming in
Chorus
So I left it there on the wooden rail
A crooked little gift for a man I don't believe in
But something about the ocean at night
Makes you want to honor the old traditions
Even if you change them a little
Verse 2
Woke up to that smell drifting through the screen door
Sweet and unmistakable, like cedar burning low
Walked out barefoot and there he was
Red suit crumpled, boots off in the sand
He looked at me and nodded toward the rail
Said, "That's the best thing anyone's left me in years"
Chorus
So we sat there on the wooden rail
Two strangers keeping a holiday neither one planned for
The water was calm, the morning was clear
And I thought about all the ways we honor our loneliness
By turning it into something else
Bridge
He told me about the rooftops in Munich
The letters from children asking for impossible things
I told him about my father's last December
How I drove all night just to miss the funeral
We didn't say much after that
Just passed it back and forth until it burned down
Chorus
Yeah, we left it there on the wooden rail
A crooked little gift between two men with nothing else to do
The tide was turning, the gulls were loud
And I thought about the way some Christmas mornings
Feel more true than others
Outro
He stood, brushed the sand from his coat
Shook my hand like we'd signed some contract
Then he was gone, back to the work of it
And I stayed there until the sun got high
Wondering if I'd remember this right
Or if it mattered whether I did

Smoking a Joint with St. Nick

All rights Reserved. by Song Writer Edwin H. Balder
Danny's Anthem🥊
VERSE 1
He's the kind of man who breaks the silence,
Turns a question into something true.
He digs through every mystery with patience,
Finds the answers no one else could ever do.
He's built a world from gears and inspiration,
A mind that never sleeps or slows its stride —
And even when the weight feels overwhelming,
He keeps the will of wonder burning bright inside.
PRE‑CHORUS
And every time the shadows start to gather,
Something in his spirit softly speaks…
CHORUS
Still you find a way... you......you ....always find a way,
Even when the weight is pulling down your skies.
Still you find a way... you......you ....always find a way,
Like a quiet miracle the world can't compromise.
When the night is long and the road unkind,
You find a way to shine.
Still you find a way... you......you ....always find a way…
Still you find a way... you......you ....always find a way.
VERSE 2
He's the one who shows up when you need him,
The steady voice that keeps the fear at bay.
He's carried every title with devotion,
And somehow finds the time to give away.
A husband with a heart that holds the sunrise,
A brother who will stand through any storm —
A son who brings his family strength and laughter,
An uncle with a kindness deep and warm.
PRE‑CHORUS
And every time the darkness tries to claim him,
Something in his spirit softly speaks…
CHORUS
Still you find a way... you......you ....always find a way,
Even when the weight is pulling down your skies.
Still you find a way... you......you ....always find a way,
Like a quiet miracle the world can't compromise.
When the night is long and the road unkind,
You find a way to shine.
Still you find a way... you......you ....always find a way…
Still you find a way... you......you ....always find a way.
VERSE 3
He's the kind who sees the patterns in the chaos,
Finds the truth inside the tangled lines.
A gamer with a strategist's precision,
A detective with a thousand brilliant minds.
He solves the things that others walk away from,
He sees the clues that no one else can see —
And even when the world feels like a battle,
He stands his ground with quiet mastery.
PRE‑CHORUS
And every time the world feels like it's falling,
Something in his spirit softly speaks…
CHORUS
Still you find a way... you......you ....always find a way,
Even when the weight is pulling down your skies.
Still you find a way... you......you ....always find a way,
Like a quiet miracle the world can't compromise.
When the night is long and the road unkind,
You find a way to shine.

VERSE 4
He's the one who feeds a room with comfort,
Turns a simple meal into a healing place.
He's the friend who listens without judgment,
The voice of reason wrapped in steady grace.
He's given more than most could ever manage,
Found the time when time was running thin —
And even when the world feels unforgiving,
He keeps the best of us alive within.
Still you find a way... you......you ....always find a way…
Still you find a way... you......you ....always find a way. 🥊

Danny's Anthem 🥊

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Every night’s a new arena,
Every breath a chance to rise.
Burt Peanut walks the hallway like a hero in disguise,
Got a backpack full of choices and a fire in his eyes.
He’s been knocked down by the shadows, he’s been cornered by the doubt,
But he’s learned to keep on moving when the lights are flickering out.
He’s the quiet kind of fighter with a storm beneath his skin,
And the world keeps throwing levels
But he’s built to break them in.
He’s been running through the mazes
With the odds against his name —
But he knows the sweetest victory
Only comes from playing brave.
Oh, Burt Peanut,
You’re the one they can’t undo.
Every twist they throw at you
Just turns into something new.
Oh, Burt Peanut,
You’re the spark they never knew —
And the world feels lighter
When you push on through.
He’s been walking through the alleys where the choices feel like traps,
Where the wrong turn steals your courage and the right one pulls you back.
He’s been learning how to listen to the rhythm of the night,
How to trust the inner compass when the map don’t look quite right.
And the voices in the distance try to tell him he won’t last —
But he’s got a heart that’s built for comebacks,
Not for living in the past.
He’s been running through the mazes
With the odds against his name —
But he knows the sweetest victory
Only comes from playing brave.
Win or lose,
He’s the one who breaks the rules.
Every fall becomes a lesson,
Every setback turns to fuel.
Win or lose,
He’s the one who sees it through —
But the win hits sweeter
When it’s earned by you.
Tonight the stakes are higher, and the air is running thin,
But Burt Peanut squares his shoulders like he’s born to take the win.
He’s been climbing through the chaos, he’s been learning from the pain,
And he knows the sweetest sunrise only comes after the rain.
So he steps into the moment with a fire in his chest —
’Cause the ones who rise from nothing
Are the ones who rise the best.]
He says, “I don’t need a shortcut,
I don’t need a cheat or guide —
Give me one last chance to prove it,
I’ll take fate for a ride.
Let the world keep throwing challenges,
Let the night keep raising stakes —
I’m Burt Peanut, baby,
And I’ve got what it takes.”
Win or lose,
He’s the one who breaks the rules.
Every fall becomes a lesson,
Every setback turns to fuel.
Win or lose,
He’s the one who sees it through —
But the win hits sweeter
When it’s earned by you.
Oh, Burt Peanut…
Yeah, the win hits sweeter
When it’s earned by you.
Outro Lyric:
Every night’s a new arena,
Every dawn a chance to rise.
And the ones who keep on fighting
Write their names across the sky.

BurntPeanut

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Kight We Played That Song  by songwriter Edwin H. Balder

[Chords: G – D – Em – C]
I heard the news this morning on a crackling radio,
Your name came through the static like a shadow in the glow.
Funny how a single voice can pull you back in time,
To a smoky little bar where your fire lit up mine.
We weren’t friends, not really, just two souls passing through,
But for one sweet night the whole world felt brand‑new.
And now the memory hits me like a soft, familiar song,
The kind you hum for years without knowing you’ve held it all along.

[VERSE 1]
[Chords: G – Bm – C – D]
You walked in late with a guitar case worn thin,
Said, “Mind if I sit down?” with that half‑crooked grin.
I was nobody special, just a kid with a tune,
But you nodded at my chords like they meant something to you.
We traded lines and laughter till the neon lights went low,
Two strangers in a moment only music ever knows.
[PRE‑CHORUS]
[Chords: Em – C – G – D]
And I swear the room got quiet when you closed your eyes,
Like the whole damn night was holding its breath inside.
[CHORUS — big, warm, emotional]
[Chords: G – D – Em – C]
Oh, the night we played that song,
Didn’t know it’d stay with me this long.
You were fire, you were grace, you were gone too soon —
But your voice still echoes in the room.
[VERSE 2]
[Chords: G – Bm – C – D]
You told a story ’bout a heartbreak you never quite outran,
Said the road can make a legend but it never makes a man.
I listened like a student while you tuned your old guitar,
Thinking someday I’d tell someone I once played with a star.
But you didn’t act like royalty, didn’t wear the crown,
You were just a weary traveler laying burdens down.
[PRE‑CHORUS]
[Chords: Em – C – G – D]
And I swear the room got quiet when you closed your eyes,
Like the whole damn night was holding its breath inside.
[CHORUS]
[Chords: G – D – Em – C]
Oh, the night we played that song,
Didn’t know it’d stay with me this long.
You were fire, you were grace, you were gone too soon —
But your voice still echoes in the room.
[BRIDGE — key change up to A, full band lift, emotional swell]
[Chords: A – E – F#m – D / A – E – D – E]
I’ve been chasing down the years like they owe me something back,
Trying to find the pieces that I lost along the track.
But every time I falter, every time I lose my way,
I hear your voice beside me saying, “Kid, just play.”
And I rise, and I rise, with the memory in my hands,
A reminder that the smallest nights can shape the biggest plans.
[CHORUS — key change, biggest moment]
[Chords: A – E – F#m – D]
Oh, the night we played that song,
Didn’t know it’d stay with me this long.
You were fire, you were grace, you were gone too soon —
But your voice still echoes in the room.

[OUTRO — 
[Chords: A – E – F#m – D – A] 
  All Rights reserved by songwriter Edwin H. Balder


Knight We Played That Song

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Charmed     all rights reserved by songwriter Edwin H.  Balder
I was holding that charm you pressed into my hand,
Right there in the hallway where the nurses stand.
Tried to tell you “save it,” but you shook your head,
Said, “Son, you earned my respect more than the words I’ve said.”
You said, “This little thing’s got a story in its shine,
I’ll tell you all about it when we’ve both got time.”
Charmed… charmed… charmed…
By the love you carried through every scar.
Charmed… charmed… charmed…
Didn’t know that moment would be our last so far.
Next time… next time… next time, you said,
And I held that promise like a thread.
Walked out of that hospital into morning air,
Didn’t know the world was shifting while I stood there.
[Chords: Bb – C – Dm – C]
You said, “This charm’s been waiting for your hands to hold,
It’s carried every secret that I never told.”
Charmed… charmed… charmed…
By the love you carried through every scar.
Charmed… charmed… charmed…
Didn’t know that moment would be our last so far.
Then the phone rang early with the sunrise glow,
On the porch by the house where generations grow.
And the world stood still as the truth came through,
I whispered, “Dad… I wasn’t done with you.”
Charmed… charmed… charmed…
By the love you carried through every scar.
Charmed… charmed… charmed…
Now I hold that story in my beating heart.

Charmed  by Songwriter Edwin H. Balder

Our first song for our new 12 song contract with SkyWire Radio. The radio station that is open to ALL indie music.
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Action Takes You There 
All rights held by Songwriter Edwin H. Balder

Action Takes You There

Our first song for our new 12 song contract with SkyWire Radio. The radio station that is open to ALL indie music.
live365.com/station/SkyWire-Radio-a77254

Tumbleweed
All rights held by Songwriter Edwin H. Balder

I’ve been rolling down these backroads
Like a thought I never finished.
Wind keeps pushing me along
Before my doubts can even diminish.
I don’t stay long in any town,
Don’t plant roots where I can’t breathe —
Guess I’m built a little fragile,
Guess I’m built like a tumbleweed.
People say I should settle down,
Find a place that feels like home.
But every time I try to stop,
My heart starts pacing to roam.
I’m not lost, I’m just in motion,
Not broken, just unanchored free —
Life keeps blowing in directions
I never meant for it to be.
And I tell myself it’s normal,
This drifting through the days —
Some folks walk in straight lines,
Some roll in stranger ways.
I’m a tumbleweed, baby,
Rolling where the wind decides.
Never sure where I’m going,
But I’m learning to enjoy the ride.
I’m a tumbleweed, baby,
And maybe that’s alright —
Some lives grow in one place,
Some grow rolling through the night.
I’ve met people on the roadside
Who swear they’ve got it figured out.
They talk about their five‑year plans
While I’m still working through my doubts.
But there’s a freedom in the drifting,
A strange kind of clarity —
When you’re not tied down to anything,
You learn what you can be.
And I tell myself it’s honest,
This wandering I do —
Some folks chase a purpose,
Some let purpose chase them too.
I’m a tumbleweed, baby,
Rolling where the wind decides.
Never sure where I’m going,
But I’m learning to enjoy the ride.
I’m a tumbleweed, baby,
And maybe that’s alright —
Some lives grow in one place,
Some grow rolling through the night.
Maybe someday I’ll slow down,
Find a porch that feels like mine.
Maybe I’ll stop drifting
When the timing feels like time.
But until that moment finds me,
I’ll keep rolling with the breeze —
Life’s a map that keeps unfolding
In directions no one sees.
I’m a tumbleweed, baby,
Rolling where the wind decides.
Never sure where I’m going,
But I’m learning to enjoy the ride.
I’m a tumbleweed, baby,
And maybe that’s alright —
Some lives grow in one place,
Some grow rolling through the night.

Tumbleweed

Flat Line Minds

The Miles We Never Know
For Danny Julia passed 1AM 1 /3/26

 INTRO — 
[Chords: C – G – Am – F]
Sometimes the road you never take
Is the one that keeps you awake…

VERSE 1 — 
[Chords: C – G – Am – F]
There’s a man at a window with a suitcase packed,
Watching sunlight dance on the railroad tracks.
He’s dreamed of leaving since he learned to dream,
But he’s rooted to the floor like an old oak beam.
Every day he whispers, “Maybe tomorrow,”
But tomorrow keeps slipping past his shadow.

PRE‑CHORUS
[Chords: Em – F – C – G]
And the world keeps turning,
But he keeps yearning —
For a life he never tried to find…

CHORUS —
[Chords: C – G – Am – F – G]
’Cause the miles we never know
Are the ones we don’t get up and go.
If you wait on life, it won’t wait on you —
It’ll pass like a train rolling out of view.
Yeah, the miles we never know
Are the ones we leave untold.

VERSE 2 — 
[Chords: C – G – Am – F]
There’s a woman with a paintbrush and a half‑done sky,
Colors in her heart she never lets fly.
She keeps her canvas turned against the wall,
Afraid the world won’t like her truth at all.
But every night she stares at the empty blue,
Knowing silence steals more dreams than failure ever could do.

PRE‑CHORUS
[Chords: Em – F – C – G]
And the world keeps calling,
But she keeps stalling —
On the art she was born to find…

CHORUS
[Chords: C – G – Am – F – G]
’Cause the miles we never know
Are the ones we don’t get up and go.
If you wait on life, it won’t wait on you —
It’ll pass like a train rolling out of view.
Yeah, the miles we never know
Are the ones we leave untold.

VERSE 3 —
[Chords: C – G – Am – F]
There’s a boy on a hillside with a beat‑up bike,
Watching clouds drift by like the dreams he’d like.
He swears one day he’ll ride beyond the ridge,
But fear keeps him standing on the same old bridge.
He’s got fire in his chest and mud on his shoes,
But he’s scared to chase the life he might lose.

PRE‑CHORUS
[Chords: Em – F – C – G]
And the world keeps spinning,
But he keeps thinning —
His chances one day at a time…

CHORUS
[Chords: C – G – Am – F – G]
’Cause the miles we never know
Are the ones we don’t get up and go.
If you wait on life, it won’t wait on you —
It’ll pass like a train rolling out of view.
Yeah, the miles we never know
Are the ones we leave untold.

VERSE 4 — 
[Chords: C – G – Am – F]
There’s an old road sign where the highway bends,
Pointing toward a place where the map just ends.
People drive by fast, never look its way,
Too busy chasing things that fade by day.
But the sign keeps whispering to the passing few:
“The only wasted road is the one you never choose.”

BRIDGE — 
[Chords: F – C – G – Am – F – C – G – G]
Maybe life’s a river that won’t slow down,
Maybe dreams are cities we never found.
But the heart knows the truth when the night grows long —
You can’t live a life by standing still too long.

FINAL CHORUS — 
[Chords: C – G – Am – F – G]
’Cause the miles we never know
Are the ones we don’t get up and go.
If you wait on life, it won’t wait on you —
It’ll pass like a train rolling out of view.
Yeah, the miles we never know
Are the ones we leave untold…
So get up and go —
Before the story grows cold.

OUTRO — 
[Chords: C – G – Am – F]
And the miles we never know
Are the ones we never go…

The Miles We Never Know

In the shadows of Apache Junction, at the foot of the majestic Superstition Mountains, sits a weathered hacienda. This desert oasis is home to an enigmatic figure, a songwriter whose journey reads like a long, dusty road of honky-tonk bars and college cafeterias. He wasn't chasing fame or glitter; instead, he chose the soul-crushing beauty of music for music's sake.

Years spent hunched over sticky barroom tables and scribbling lyrics on napkins earned him a reputation—not in the spotlight but in the back rooms where deals are made. He wrote melodies that found their way into the hearts of stars who had lost their own muse. He sold his creations for cash, with no recognition, but the whisper of his songs carried the weight of his soul.

Finally, he bought this piece of desert paradise—a stable income from his timeless songs allowed him to live comfortably, if anonymously. Here in this hacienda, with his family beside him and the mountains as his backdrop, he found the peace to write hits under his own name. He chuckled at the irony that now, without chasing fame, he could create music that brought him joy.

In the end, it was never about the spotlight. It was about the journey, the stories, and the songs that wrote themselves through his life. As the sun set behind the Superstitions, casting long shadows over the hacienda, he strummed his guitar and sang—content, unknown, and unburdened by the world's gaze.


Copyright 2019 Edwin H. Balder

I may be dead when fame comes but my real glory was always JULIE & The Kids. Thank you for such love

Edwin Balder

Pinned to spotlight

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