Mama kept the lights on with a prayer and a fuse
Daddy played the numbers, always bound to lose
We learned to dance on hardwood, scuffed and stained
Where the gospel met the bottle, and the truth got strained
Now the porch light flickers like a warning sign
And the mailbox holds more weight than time
When the bills come due, and the grace runs thin
You count your blessings like loose change in a tin
You sing hallelujah... with a hole in your shoe
‘Cause mercy don’t knock—it just walks on through
When the bills come due
Uncle Joe’s guitar still hums in the shed
Strings rusted over, but the songs ain’t dead
He said “Love is credit, pain is cash”
And all bad faith comes back at last
Now the bills sound like a choir off-key
try to save your roof ...try to save.. what used.. to be...
When the bills come due, and the lights go cold
You trade your silver for stories you told
You hum redemption every note is blue
And hope the good Lord’s got a plan for you
When the bills come due
There’s a ledger in heaven, or so they say
Where the debts we carry get washed away
But down here, we settle with sweat and song
And pray the echo don’t take too long
When the bills come due, and the choir’s gone home
You find your rhythm in the ache and the tone
You write your name and pray it's true
sing like the truth finally made it through
When the bills come due
When the bills come due
When the bills come due
When the bills come due, and the choir’s gone home
You find your rhythm in the ache and the tone
You write your name and hope it's true
sing like the truth finally made it through
When the bills come due

All rights held by the songwriter Edwin H. Balder
When the bills come due

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

When the Bills Come Due

What was it like? You can tell me.
You ripped my heart out—for what?
What could make you lose me…
When I was everything you said you wanted?
I gave you mornings, I gave you grace
Held your secrets, kissed your face
You said I was your only truth
But now she’s wearing all my youth
I saw the way you looked at her
Like I was never even there
You built a future on my name
Then lit it up and walked away
Why did you leave me and love that girl instead?
Was it her laugh, her lips, the lies she fed?
I was your home, your fire, your thread
So why did you leave me…
And love that girl instead?
I gave you songs you never heard
Wrote you poems without a word
You said I was your deepest ache
But now she’s dancing in my place
I saw the texts, I felt the shift
You gave her all I thought was gift
You called me magic, called me muse
But now I’m just the one you lose
Why did you leave me and love that girl instead?
Was it her ease, her shine, the games she led?
I was your storm, your calm, your bed
So why did you leave me…
And love that girl instead?
Was I too much when you needed less?
Too honest when you craved finesse?
Did I bleed too bright, love too loud—
While she just smiled and made you proud?
I held the storm so you could sleep
Built you altars, buried deep
But you chose silence over truth
And her perfume over proof
So tell me now, was it ever real?
Or just a game you played to feel?
I was the fire you couldn’t hold
So you ran to something cold Why did you leave me and love that girl instead?
Was it her mask, her charm, the words she said?
I was your truth, your fight, your thread
So why did you leave me…
And love that girl instead?
What was it like? You can tell me.
You ripped my heart out—for what?
What could make you lose me…
When I was everything you said you wanted?
Why did you leave me…
And love that girl instead?

Please check out our other albums...!
https://soundcloud.com/cookiehot/sets/dream-and-pretend?si=ec8b6a32f93441429b79cf315810a28b&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Songwriter Edwin H. Balder
All rights reserved and protected by ZproMur LLC, doing business as Pinky's Picks. Copyright 2024 by ZproMur. For cover inquiries and use in films, commercials, or other marketing, promotional, or musical applications of this material in any part, please direct message 


What Was It Like by Hot Cookie♨️ 🍪

Illusions in the mirror, I trace what isn’t mine
A thousand faces flicker, lost between the lines
I wore a hundred costumes, I danced in borrowed shoes
But every time you near me, I forget what I can’t lose
I disappear, I disappear
No more shadows, no more fear
I disappear, I disappear
And something new begins to clear
To unlock what love does
To unlock what love does
I become more than I was
To unlock what love does
My history’s a puzzle, scattered on the floor
You never asked for answers, just opened up the door
I stepped into the silence, where truth begins to sing
And found my voice inside it, not just echoes in the wings
I disappear, I disappear
No more hiding, no more fear
I disappear, I disappear
And suddenly it’s crystal clear
To unlock what love does
To unlock what love does
I become more than I was
To unlock what love does
I was a mime in motion, a magician with no spell
A mask upon a mirror, a secret I couldn’t tell
But you saw through the silence, through the smoke and through the show
And gave me back the pieces I forgot I used to know
To unlock what love does
To unlock what love does
I become more than I was
To unlock what love does
I disappear, I disappear
No more hiding, no more fear
I disappear, I disappear
And suddenly it’s crystal clear
To unlock what love does
To unlock what love does
I become more than I was
To unlock what love does
I was a mime in motion, a magician with no spell
A mask upon a mirror, a secret I couldn’t tell
But you saw through the silence, through the smoke and through the show
And gave me back the pieces I forgot I used to know
To unlock what love does
To unlock what love does
I become more than I was
To unlock what love does
o unlock what love does
To unlock what love does
I become more than I was
To unlock what love does
what love does
what ..love .....does...

What Love Does by Hot Cookie♨️ 🍪

Twerk was the word, now it’s passé
Tiny
Tiny
Teeny display
Flash that fabric like it’s gold
Show me
Baby
What you sold
You got the moves
I got the beat
Let’s make the night
Incomplete
Tiny
Tiny
Teeny g-string flash
Bring the heat
Let the sparks clash
Sexy
Sexy
On repeat
This sale’s hot
Can’t take a seat
Neon lights
Your body speaks
Shadows dancing
Curves that peek
Every step’s a masterpiece
Put on a show
Never cease
You got the vibe
I got the stage
Let’s write a story
Turn the page
Tiny
Tiny
Teeny g-string flash
Bring the heat
Let the sparks clash
Sexy
Sexy
On repeat
This sale’s hot
Can’t take a seat
Velvet ropes
And candy lips
You sell the dream
With every twist
Mirror ball
And latex shine
You’re the headline
Every time
You got the look
I got the lens
Let’s break the rules
Forget the trends
Tiny
Tiny
Teeny g-string flash
Bring the heat
Let the sparks clash
Sexy
Sexy
On repeat
This sale’s hot
Can’t take a seat
Tiny
Tiny
Teeny g-string flash
Swipe it fast
Make the moment last
Freaky
Freaky
On the beat
This sale’s wild
Can’t feel defeat
You’re the ad
You’re the tease
You’re the clickbait
On your knees
You’re the product
You’re the pitch
You’re the fantasy
In the glitch
I’m the buyer
You’re the brand
We’re the fire
On demand
This ain’t love
This ain’t fate
It’s a sale
And it’s too late
Tiny
Tiny
Teeny g-string flash
Bring the heat
Let the sparks clash
Sexy
Sexy
On repeat
This sale’s hot
Can’t take a seat
Tiny
Tiny
Teeny g-string flash
Bring the heat
Let the sparks clash
Sexy
Sexy
On repeat
This sale’s hot
Can’t take a seat
Tiny
Tiny
Teeny g-string flash
Bring the heat
Let the sparks clash
Sexy
Sexy
On repeat
This sale’s hot
Can’t take a seat
Tiny
Tiny
Teeny g-string flash
Bring the heat
Let the sparks clash
Sexy
Sexy
On repeat
This sale’s hot
Can’t take a seat

Please check out our other albums...!
https://soundcloud.com/cookiehot/sets/dream-and-pretend?si=ec8b6a32f93441429b79cf315810a28b&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Songwriter Edwin H. Balder
All rights reserved and protected by ZproMur LLC, doing business as Pinky's Picks. Copyright 2024 by ZproMur. For cover inquiries and use in films, commercials, or other marketing, promotional, or musical applications of this material in any part, please direct message

G-String by Hot Cookie♨️ 🍪

Wish someone would go through my life with a red pen
Circle all the places I should’ve been
Underline the words I never said
And cross out the ones I wish I could forget
I wore pride like perfume, strong and sweet
But it faded fast on broken streets
I chased dreams in worn-out boots
Left good love tangled in my roots
I said “I’m fine” when I was torn
Skipped the chapters where I should’ve mourned
I built a house on shifting sand
And called it home with shaky hands
Red pen revival, rewrite my lines
Fix the pages where I crossed the signs
Give me margins wide enough to bend
Let me start again, let me start again
Red pen revival, mark what’s true
Draw a heart around the parts I knew
Life ain’t perfect, but it’s still my pen
Let me start again, let me start again
I loved too fast, I left too slow
Held on tight when I should’ve let go
I made peace with paper scars
But some still shine like broken stars
Mama said “grace is in the try”
But I kept chasing reasons why
Now I’m older, ink runs thin
But I still dream of where I’ve been
Red pen revival, rewrite my lines
Fix the pages where I crossed the signs
Give me margins wide enough to bend
Let me start again, let me start again
Red pen revival, mark what’s true
Draw a heart around the parts I knew
Life ain’t perfect, but it’s still my pen
Let me start again, let me start again
If I could edit every tear
Would I still be standing here?
If I erased the pain and shame
Would I still know my own name?
Mistakes are inked, but love is bold
And every story needs the folds
So maybe I don’t need to mend
Just turn the page and write again
Red pen revival, rewrite my lines
Fix the pages where I crossed the signs
Give me margins wide enough to bend
Let me start again, let me start again
Red pen revival, mark what’s true
Draw a heart around the parts I knew
Life ain’t perfect, but it’s still my pen
Let me start again, let me start again
mmm…
Wish someone would go through my life with a red pen
But maybe I’m the one who holds it in the end

Please check out our other albums...!
https://soundcloud.com/cookiehot/sets/dream-and-pretend?si=ec8b6a32f93441429b79cf315810a28b&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Songwriter Edwin H. Balder
All rights reserved and protected by ZproMur LLC, doing business as Pinky's Picks. Copyright 2025 by ZproMur. For cover inquiries and use in films, commercials, or other marketing, promotional, or musical applications of this material in any part, please direct message 

Red Pen by Hot Cookie♨️ 🍪

da da da   dada  dada dada......da
She used to bleed into a notebook
Hungover truths in lipstick red
Now she’s got a team of stylists
And a ghostwriter in her head
He once sang from a motel shower
With a broken mic and borrowed chords
Now he’s tracking vocals in a mansion
Where silence echoes more than words
Desperately chasing relevance
Trading soul for elegance
They used to cry in minor keys
Now they harmonize with guarantees
They lost the ache, they lost the mess
Now they just perform success
Desperately chasing relevance
They used to write from hunger
From heartbreak, rage, and cigarettes
Now they pitch to playlists
And chase the trends they once upset
The mix is clean the the band is tight
but everyone knows
that old truth now doesn’t bite
Desperately chasing relevance
Trading soul for elegance
They used to cry in minor keys
Now they harmonize with guarantees
They lost the ache, they lost the mess
Now they just perform success
Desperately chasing relevance
They forgot the sound of silence
The kind that hurts before it heals
They forgot the thrill of failure
how one's truth refused to kneel
They used to write for no one
Now they write for everyone
But the part that made them magic
Is the part that’s come undone
Desperately chasing relevance
Trading soul for elegance
They used to cry in minor keys
Now they harmonize with guarantees
They lost the ache, they lost the mess
Now they just perform success
Desperately chasing relevance
Now they chase what once was real...
And wonder why they can’t still feel...
Desperately .....chasing relevance
Desperately .........chasing relevance
da da da   dada  dada dada..

Please check out our other albums...!
https://soundcloud.com/cookiehot/sets/dream-and-pretend?si=ec8b6a32f93441429b79cf315810a28b&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Songwriter Edwin H. Balder
All rights reserved and protected by ZproMur LLC, doing business as Pinky's Picks. Copyright 2024 by ZproMur. For cover inquiries and use in films, commercials, or other marketing, promotional, or musical applications of this material in any part, please direct message

Desperately Chasing Relevance by Hot Cookie♨️ 🍪

You had the mic, you had the crowd
But baby, look who’s talking now
You used to spin your stories slick
Whiskey charm and poker tricks
You played the saint, I played the fool
You made the lies sound like a rule
But I found truth in your disguise
And now I’m done with compromise
I kept quiet, bit my tongue
Let your version get sung
But silence ain’t my style no more
I’m kicking down slamming your door
Who’s doing the talking now?
Who’s got the fire, who’s got the crowd?
You had your run, you had your spin
But I’ve got the mic and I’m dialing in
Who’s doing the talking now?
Who’s got the truth you can’t drown out?
You built your throne on shaky ground
But I’m the storm that’s.... tearing.... it..... down
You left your boots in someone’s bed
While I was home with tears unsaid
You called it love, I called it bluff
Now I’m the one who’s had enough
I wrote this song in gasoline
Lit it up where you’d been seen
Now every chord’s a match I strike
And every line’s a truth you fight
I kept quiet, bit my tongue
Let your version get sung
But silence ain’t my style no more
I’m kicking down slamming your door
Who’s doing the talking now?
Who’s got the fire, who’s got the crowd?
You had your run, you had your spin
But I’ve got the mic and I’m dialing in
Who’s doing the talking now?
Who’s got the truth you can’t drown out?
You built your throne on shaky ground
But I’m the storm that’s tearing it down
You said I’d never make a sound
But I’m the echo in this town
You said I’d break, you said I’d bend
But I’m the story they defend
You had the stage, you had the light
But I’ve got justice in my bite
So turn it up, let the rumors burn
It’s my damn turn
Who’s doing the talking now?
Who’s got the fire, who’s got the crowd?
You had your run, you had your spin
But I’ve got the mic and I’m dialing in
Who’s doing the talking now?
Who’s got the truth you can’t drown out?
You built your throne on shaky ground
But I’m the storm that’s tearing it down
You had the mic, you had the crowd…
But baby—
I’m doing the talking now.

Please check out our other albums...!
https://soundcloud.com/cookiehot/sets/dream-and-pretend?si=ec8b6a32f93441429b79cf315810a28b&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Songwriter Edwin H. Balder
All rights reserved and protected by ZproMur LLC, doing business as Pinky's Picks. Copyright 2024 by ZproMur. For cover inquiries and use in films, commercials, or other marketing, promotional, or musical applications of this material in any part, please direct message 

Who’s Talking Now by Hot Cookie♨️ 🍪

One room, one amp
No crowd, no camp
Just me and the wall
And the sound that wouldn’t fall
Sat alone for a year straight
No stage, no praise, no clean slate
Played along with every great
Put myself through every gate
No teacher, no cheat
Just blistered hands and backbeat
No shortcut, no rest
Just bending through the test
Now you can shred it
Open it up and let it bleed
Go past what you think you need
Firewood and strings of steel
Go beyond what others feel
You shred it
Neighbors thought I lost my mind
But I was chasing tone divine
No sleep, no light
Just chasing ghosts through every night
I broke picks, I broke skin
But never let the noise win
I tuned pain into a chord
And made the silence beg for more
Now you can shred it
Open it up and let it burn
Play the truth you had to earn
Firewood and strings of steel
Go beyond what others deal
You shred it
This ain’t flash, this ain’t fame
This is blood inside the frame
This is sweat on every fret
This is soul you won’t forget
You don’t fake it, you don’t pose
You don’t play what someone knows
You go deeper, you go blind
You leave the rest of them behind
Now you can shred it
Open it up and let it scream
Cut through every broken dream
Firewood and strings of steel
Go beyond what others feel
You shred it
One room, one amp
Now the world’s your camp
You shred it
Firewood and strings of steel
Go beyond what others feel
You shred it........

Want to rock some more? Click this link to our Rock Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/cookiehot/sets/shred?si=64a6ae72df554d8c9002fb056cac6d54&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

All Right held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder..DM us to cover ay tune ♨️🍪

Shred It  by ♨️ 🍪

You know the look
You know the line
Leather boots
Stage design
But behind the lights
And the crowd control
There’s a price you pay
When you rock when you roll
You started out in a rented room
Strings too loose, dreams too soon
Played to five, maybe six at best
But you gave each chord a full-out test
You learned to tune through broken amps
Wrote your truth on diner stamps
No manager, no label call
Just a beat-up Strat and a concrete wall
You weren’t chasing fame or gold
You were chasing something bold
Something buried deep inside
That only music could describe
Rock and roll
It takes its toll
On your soul
Makes you dig deeper
Looking for your ceiling
Turn guitar string into feeling
Once you start
It’s hard to stop
When you rock
When you roll
You hit the road with a borrowed van
Played the dive bars, made your stand
Sold your coat to fix the tire
Slept in booths, chased the fire
You lost your voice in smoky haze
Found it back in stranger praise
You broke apart, you stitched it tight
You played through pain most every night
They said “you’re loud,” you said “I’m real”
They said “tone down,” you said “feel”
You didn’t bend, you didn’t fold
You let the solos take control
Rock and roll
It takes its toll
On your soul
Makes you dig deeper
Looking for your ceiling
Turn guitar string into feeling
Once you start
It’s hard to stop
When you rock
When you roll
It’s not the fame
It’s not the flash
It’s not the merch
Or the backstage pass
It’s the sound that shakes your chest
It’s the truth that won’t suppress
It’s the moment when the crowd goes still
And you feel the climb, you feel the thrill
It’s the echo in your bones
It’s the part that feels like home
Rock and roll
It saves your soul
Makes you whole
Makes you dig deeper
Looking for your ceiling
Turn guitar string into feeling
Once you start
It’s hard to stop
When you rock
When you roll
So plug it in
Let it scream
This ain’t a trend
It’s a dream
You don’t play it
You become it
You don’t fake it
You outrun it
Rock and roll
When you rock
When you roll

Want to rock some more? Click this link to our Rock Playlist: soundcloud.com/cookiehot/sets/shred?si=64a6ae72df554d8c9002fb056cac6d54&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

All Right held by songwriter Edwin H. Balder..DM us to cover ay tune ♨️🍪

When You Rock When You Roll by ♨️ 🍪

I used to think silence meant peace
That distance was just release
But time doesn’t heal what you ignore
It just waits behind the door
I believed in what you said
Even when it bent my head
I took your words like gospel lines
And paid the price in borrowed time
You smiled like nothing was wrong
But your truth was never strong
I gave you grace, I gave you space
But you filled it with another face
Took a long time to understand
That love can slip right through your hand
Took a long time to see the cost
Of holding on to what was lost
Took a long time, but now I know
You can’t build truth on what won’t grow
I wore the blame like a second skin
Thought if I changed, you’d let me in
But you were gone before the fight
Just a shadow dressed in light
I begged the stars to make it right
But they don’t shine for borrowed night
I learned too late, I learned too slow
That love won’t stay where lies still grow
I gave you years, I gave you grace
You gave me silence, gave me space
But space don’t heal, it just divides
And truth don’t live where ego hides
I built a home on shifting sand
And called it love, and called it grand
But now I see the cracks, the cost
The vows we made, the ones you lost
Took a long time to understand
That love can slip right through your hand
Took a long time to see the cost
Of holding on to what was lost
Took a long time, but now I know
You can’t build truth on what won’t grow
Took a long time
Took a long time
Took a long time
To understand
Took a long time
Took a long time
To understand

🌹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

Took a Long Time by 🌹Tina Talone🌹

Your name on my lips
Still tastes like home
I found your old shirt
Can't let it go
These walls remember
The way you'd laugh
Now silence echoes
Where love used to last
I thought we were unbreakable
I thought we were real
But it still felt like magic
(Still felt like magic)
Even when you were leaving
(Even when you were leaving)
It still felt like magic
(Still felt like magic)
My heart won't stop believing
That we had something sacred
Something true
It still felt like magic
With you
(With you, with you)
Your empty coffee cup
Sits by my bed
I trace the rim where
Your lips once pressed
Friends say move on
But they don't see
How perfect we were
How we used to be
I thought we were unbreakable
I thought we were real
But it still felt like magic
(Still felt like magic)
Even when you were leaving
(Even when you were leaving)
It still felt like magic
(Still felt like magic)
My heart won't stop believing
That we had something sacred
Something true
It still felt like magic
With you
(With you, with you)
Maybe I'm a fool
For holding on so tight
Maybe love's not supposed
To hurt this much at night
But when I close my eyes
I see us dancing slow
And I can't let that feeling go
'Cause it still felt like magic
(Still felt like magic)
Even when you were leaving
(Even when you were leaving)
It still felt like magic
(Still felt like magic)
My heart won't stop believing
That we had something sacred
Something true
It still felt like magic
It still felt like magic
(Still felt like magic, magic)
Even when you were leaving
(Even when you were leaving me)
It still felt like magic
(Still felt like magic, magic)
My heart won't stop believing
(Won't stop believing in you)
That we had something sacred
(Something sacred, something true)
Something true
It still felt like magic
With you
(Magic with you, magic with you)
It still felt like magic
(Still felt like magic)
With you
(With you, with you, with you)
(Still felt like magic)
(Magic with you)
(Still felt like magic)
(With you, with you)

Still Magic by Hot Cookie♨️ 🍪

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

Took a Long Time by 🌹Tina Talone🌹

Edwin Balder

Related tracks