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

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

He was standin’ on a milk crate, coat too thin for the wind.
Didn’t ask for coins, didn’t shout—just let the words begin.
I was halfway through my coffee, halfway out the day.
Didn’t mean to stop and listen, but hey…
What did that guy just say?
He said, “You think you’re free ‘cause you’re movin’ fast.”
I said, “Brother, I got bills and a tank of gas.”
He said, “You think you’re whole ‘cause you don’t feel pain.”
I said, “Man, I got work and a windowpane.”
He said, “You think you’re good ‘cause you don’t get caught.”
I said, “I ain’t got time for the guilt you brought.”
He said, “You think you’re livin’—but you’re just on play.”
I said, “Whatever, man… anyway…”
But what did that guy just say?
I keep movin’, keep talkin’, keep dodgin’ the light.
Keep my head down, keep my wrongs outta sight.
But the way he stood there, like he knew my name—
Like the wind was listenin’, like the sky felt shame.
I didn’t ask for truth today.
But what did that guy just say?
He said, “You carry weight that ain’t even yours.”
I said, “I know, but I still hold the doors.”
He said, “You pray in silence, then curse the sound.”
I said, “I walk alone, but I cover ground.”
He said, “You want a sign, but ignore the sky.”
I said, “I’m just tired, man—I don’t know why.”
He said, “You think you’re lost, but you’re on your way.”
I didn’t answer. I just stayed.
What did that guy just say?
I keep movin’, keep talkin’, keep dodgin’ the light.
Keep my head down, keep my wrongs outta sight.
But the way he paused, like the world took a breath—
Like the truth was quiet, like love outlived death.
I didn’t ask for grace today.
But what did that guy just say?
I’ve heard sermons dressed in velvet, dressed in shame.
I’ve heard rabbis, preachers, prophets call my name.
But this one didn’t ask for change or praise.
He just spoke like the wind, and walked away.
I went back to my coffee, but it tasted thin.
I looked up at the sky, and it pulled me in.
I walked past the crate, but I felt the weight.
I didn’t stop him. It was too late.
But I carry his words like a song I replay.
What did that guy just say?

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 One Who Stayed 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

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

The One Who Stayed written by Edwin H. Balder

Edwin Balder