It’s an informed tradeoff, not a fall
I left the comfort for the flame
I knew the cost before the call
I didn’t flinch, I took the blame
I took it all, I took it all
I gave up ease to chase the sound
I traded quiet for the brawl
I lost some friends but gained the ground
I walked alone but felt what’s right
I let the silence be my guide
I sang to stars that blinked at night
I kept my fire, I kept my pride
I gave up answers for the line
The rhyme was crooked, but it rang
I let go time to make it mine
I played for ghosts that never sang
I lost some nights to louder bars
I gained a voice that cuts and gleams
I found my home beneath the stars
I built my truth from broken dreams
I didn’t beg, I didn’t bend
I didn’t wait for fate to call
I learned to lose without the end
I learned to rise without the fall
It’s an informed tradeoff, not a fall
I knew the cost before the call
I gave what I could, I kept what I must
I built my life on sound and trust
It’s not regret, it’s not defeat
It’s choosing fire over concrete
It’s knowing pain, but still you play
It’s walking out and not away
I didn’t fall—I made the trade
I didn’t break—I bent, I stayed
I didn’t run—I changed my pace
I didn’t beg—I gave it grace
I didn’t lose—I let things go
I didn’t fade—I learned to glow
I didn’t quit—I made a stand
I held the note with my own hand
It’s an informed tradeoff… not a fall
I knew the cost before the call
It’s an informed tradeoff… not a fall
And I’d do it all again… fuck it all.... 

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



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

F_ck It All by Edwin H. Balder

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

F_ck It All by Edwin H. Balder

Edwin Balder