I watched myself play an old man’s tune
In a bar that smelled like dust and June
The walls were cracked, the lights hung low
The jukebox dead, the clock too slow
My fingers knew what time forgot
Each string a scar, each fret a thought
The stool was crooked, the mic was shy
But I sang like truth was passing by
He sat alone, that man I knew
Long white hair and a soul gone blue
His guitar spoke in broken tones
Of lovers lost and unpaid loans
He didn’t smile, he didn’t cry
Just let the chords drift up and die
And in that hush, I saw myself
Not chasing fame, just chasing help
The last chord played still echoes loud
In every heart that’s faced a crowd
Of empty chairs and silent walls
Of dreams that rise and then they fall
The last chord played, it stays, it stays
In smoky bars and yesterday’s
It’s not the fame, it’s not the stage
It’s what you sing when you’ve turned the page
I saw my youth in him that night
A boy with fire, a man with fight
We shared a song, we shared a breath
We played like love could cheat on death
No one clapped, no one knew
But something old became brand new
And when I left, I took his sound
A melody that won’t back down
It’s not the notes, it’s not the rhyme
It’s how you bleed across the time
It’s how you hold what can’t be held
How you sing what can’t be spelled
It’s how you play when no one stays
How you live through your own phrase
It’s how you hum when hope feels gone
It’s how you keep the music on
The last chord played still echoes loud
In every heart that’s faced a crowd
Of empty chairs and silent walls
Of dreams that rise and then they fall
The last chord played, it stays, it stays
In smoky bars and yesterday’s
It’s not the fame, it’s not the stage
It’s what you sing when you’ve turned the page
The last chord played… the last chord played…
Still echoes loud… still echoes loud…
The last chord played… the last chord played…
Is how I stayed… is how I stayed…

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

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Last Cord Played by songwriter 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

Last Cord Played by songwriter Edwin H. Balder

Edwin Balder