I was twenty-three with a half-tank dream
Runnin’ from ghosts and gasoline
Had a map with coffee stains
And a heart that couldn’t outrun pain
Pulled into a diner off I-10
Met a waitress with a crooked grin
She said, “Every man hits a crossroad in their life
most for love, and she said for that I got no advice
I’d been offered deals and nashville lights
Fast-track fame and sleepless nights
But I kept hearin’ my daddy’s drawl
Sayin’, “Son, not every rise is worth the fall.”
So I turned down the record man
Took a gig with a local band
Played for tips and second chances
In bars where truth still dances
There’s a fork in the dust
(There’s a fork in the dust)
Where the wind don’t trust
And the signs all fade with time
You can chase the gold
(You can chase the gold)
Or hold what’s old
But you can’t ride both lines
Every choice leaves a scar
Every mile tells who you are( who you are)who you are
There’s a fork in the dust
And it don’t wait long
so do your best with every dam song (every dam song)
every dam song
do your best with... every.... dam .......SONG!
Met a girl with a voice like summer rain
She sang of loss that keeps comm'en back again
We wrote a song ‘bout broken roads
And how some hearts just don’t ever know
She asked me once, “Would you trade this life
For a mansion, fame, and a trophy wife?”
I said, “I’d rather sleep in a truck bed cold
Than drown in music not from my soal
we get older, boots get  worn thin
yet Still chasin’ chords in desert wind
 made mistakes, let folks down
But I never sold-out.. my hometown sound
And when the young ones ask me why
I didn’t climb that corporate sky
I say, “The stars ain’t worth the climb
If you lose your soul ....and I still got mine   still got mine...still got mine
There’s a fork in the dust
(There’s a fork in the dust)
Where the wind don’t trust
And the signs all fade with time
You can chase the gold
(You can chase the gold)
Or hold what’s old
But you can’t ride both lines
Every choice leaves a scar
Every mile tells who you are( who you are)who you are
There’s a fork in the dust
And it don’t wait long
so do your best with every dam song (every dam song)
every dam song
do your best with... every.... dam .......SONG!
 if you’re standin’ where I stood
Choose the road that feels like it should
Not polished stone or silver lies
But the one where truth still rides
There’s a fork in the dust
(There’s a fork in the dust)
Where the wind don’t trust
And the signs all fade with time
You can chase the gold
(You can chase the gold)
Or hold what’s old
But you can’t ride both lines
Every choice leaves a scar
Every mile tells who you are( who you are)who you are
There’s a fork in the dust
And it don’t wait long
so do your best with every dam song (every dam song)
every dam song
do your best with... every.... dam .......SONG!

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 Del and the Team
See Our Music Videos Here> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-509h42heKT05D8egf2U9w

Fork in the Dust written 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

Fork in the Dust written by Edwin H. Balder

Edwin Balder