Told myself I'd write a third song before the day way over, and then a friend asked if she could come over and hang out. Figured I'd challenge myself to write something before she got here, and also thought it'd be a good excuse to bust out the harp that another friend gave me a few months ago. Nothing serious, just a pretty little ditty to help me get acquainted with a new instrument.

Harp Jam #1

Nadia once again inspired me with this haunting piano track that brought some vocal melodies and lyrics to mind immediately - this track seems to live in the same world as the others we've created but has an aching, lonely quality that sets it apart. It was great to explore that dynamic.

© 2021 Nadia Cripps (music) and Christopher Matthew Smith (lyrics / vocals)

More from Nadia:

nadiacripps.bandcamp.com/@nadia-cripps
www.youtube.com/user/NadiaComposer

For the original instrumental track, please check out:

https://nadiacripps.bandcamp.com/track/i-will-always-look-for-you

Released July 15, 2021
"I Will Always" © 2021 Nadia Cripps and Christopher Matthew Smith.
Music by Nadia Cripps, vocal melody by Christopher Matthew Smith. Lyrics and vocals by Christopher Matthew Smith. Piano by Nadia Cripps. Demo by Nadia Cripps and Christopher Matthew Smith.

Nadia Cripps feat. Christopher Matthew Smith - I Will Always

'Old Paint' 
Lyrics Donna J Evans 
Music & Performance Georgie Cooper

Like old friends we travel
Where copper canyons glow
Valleys of towering monuments
In the land of the Navajo

On these trails less traveled
Here rocky ledges are steep
My Indian pinto careful and sure
Amongst cactus and mesquite

So, we saddle up and ride
Rocks me in this worn rawhide
Carries me gently, she’s a saint
No better pal than my Old Paint

Winter winds fan the sagebrush
Rattle in the scraggly scrubs
She slows for high snow melts
Crossing gulches that flood

Watching as overlooks showcase
Nature’s galleries
Drinkin' up an orange sunset
And blue-purple majesties

So, we saddle up and ride
Rocks me in this worn rawhide
Carries me gently, she’s a saint
No better pal than my Old Paint

I give her a pat and a nod
No words needed, she knows
Inhaling patchouli scents
We bask in the alpenglow

So, we saddle up and ride
Rocks me in this worn rawhide
Carries me gently she’s a saint
No better pal than my Old Paint

No better pal than my Old Paint

My Old Paint

It's a breakup tune, with angst, what more can I say?  Making music that is unique, yet audible influences can be heard, is everything. 

YOU'RE GONNA MISS ME
(c) JunkHeap Oct 01 2021 / Remix/Remaster May 2025

It's such a nightmare being dumped, 
breakups are never easy. 
Insecurity feeds.
I know who I am,
I didn't deserve it,  
what you did to me.

The pain it turns, 
it's like a dagger twisted.
Til my heart bleeds.
I see your toxic,
convoluted optics.
So glad I'm free.

You're Gonna Miss Me.

Stone cold, not sure if you're alive.
Well, you made up your mind,
and it's goodbye.
I need to leave you in the past,
I must have been blind.
My soul gives me a high-five.

You're Gonna Miss Me.

You're Gonna Miss Me

This guitar instrumental intertwines two recordings of a 2013 model U.S.A. Fender Telecaster. Back then this was my first recording with the instrument. If you listen close you hear a plectrum falling of my knee near the ending of the recording. 

The piece has been published on my page for eight years. I guess you don't mind me uploading it again.

Enjoy the listen :)
Cheers
Mike

And that wicked thing called love

And That Wicked Thing Called Love  (2013)

MIDNIGHT PROMISE
2021 C. Hurowitz/G. Cooper
All Rights Reserved

Relationships are tricky territory
You don’t know what you’re doing while it’s forming
We’re taken in, our better selves are gone
Your judgment’s off they can do nothing wrong

But the best advice I ever got
Yes the best words I ever heard

Never trust a promise that’s made after midnight
Especially between lovers when they say they’ll never leave you

You’re getting into ever hotter water
Giving our hearts away is so much bother

But the best advice I ever got
Yes the best words I ever heard

Never trust a promise that’s made after midnight
Especially between lovers when they say they’ll never leave you

Never trust a promise that’s made after midnight
Especially between lovers when they say they’ll never leave you

Never Trust A Promise Made After Midnight

Where There’s an Ex, There’s Always A Why
2021 Cooper/Jones/Gordon
All Rights Reserved

Now the dust has settled, the storm has passed
And some clear blue light is finally cast     
I can see the wreckage as it smoulders nearby
Where there’s an ex, there’s always a why
 
Now I look in hindsight at the clues that I missed
And the gut instincts that I’d quickly dismissed
I can see the remnants of believing that lie
Where there’s an ex, there’s always a why

You broke my trust and shattered my dreams
You let me down pushed me to extremes
And that’s how it is between you and I
Where there’s an ex, there’s always a why
   
When I found the courage to confront what you’d done
You’d the nerve to tell me it was only just fun
I feel the pain you caused and so it’s goodbye
Where there’s an ex, there’s always a why
 
You broke my trust and shattered my dreams
You let me down pushed me to extremes
And that’s how it is between you and I
Where there’s an ex, there’s always a why

Where There's An Ex There's Always A Why

Verse 1
Time for a shutdown baby
I got the hammer and nails
Board up the windows baby
Cuz when it rains it hails
The generator is a humming
Hope it never fails
But all you gotta know is
I will be there

Verse 2
We had a breakthrough baby
We had our moment of truth
We used to fight about it
Eye for an eye for a tooth
Now we can laugh about the battles
That we fought in our youth
But all we need to know is
We will be there

Chorus
I’m stepping up now cuz I’m trying to reach you
Gravity tripping up both my feet
You’re stepping up now just in time to meet me
Together bad weather can't intervene
Cuz in the morning
We’ll be alright

Steppin Up

JamKar