Their American Dream?

Kim Uy Hernefeldt

Laura Hell's Picks

Songs with a twinge of humor (and some a bit more serious).

Joe Stroffolino - Joe on the Edge

Thoughts & Prayers (updated vocals & drums and added Organ and Wurlitzer)

Above Dreams

Above Dreams (DEMO)

Baseball hotdogs and apple pie
He waves the flag likes to hold it high
He says he’s the voice of the common man
He feels your pain and he understands

He eats fast food from a silver plate 
He lives in a compound with a fence and a gate
And he wants you to know that he 
cares about the little people

And he’s dreaming of a better day when the people he hates have been locked away
He says vote for me I’m your man.
I can’t tell you what it is but I’ve got a plan
He says you and me.  
We’re goanna take this country back

Sharks in the water and he’s tossing red meat
And we’re jumping in with both feet
He’s goanna make our country great again
He’s goanna be the second coming of George Washington

He likes to talk about the good old days
When people had values and everyone behaved.
He says my way’s the only way listen to me
There’s no place for you if you disagree
He admires dictators cause they get things done
Some people believe he’s the chosen one
And he wants you to know that he 
cares about the little people

And he’s dreaming of a better day when the people he hates have been locked away
He says vote for me I’m your man.
I can’t tell you what it is but I’ve got a plan
He says you and me.  
We’re goanna take this country back

Sharks in the water and he’s tossing red meat
And we’re jumping in with both feet
He’s goanna make our country great again
He’s goanna be the second coming of George Washington

Sharks in the water and he’s tossing red meat
And we’re jumping in with both feet
He’s goanna make our country great again
He’s goanna be the second coming of George Washington

Take This Country Back

All of the people throughout history
Who used the earth so thoughtlessly
Now there’s not much left for us at all
Cause our shortsighted ancestors dropped the ball

A hundred years ago the experts predicted
That we would ruin the earth
But the people persisted 
If we could turn back time and do it all again
Maybe this time the earth would be our friend

What a terrible awful mess we’ve made

The old people speak with a gleam in their eyes
Of childhood memories and clear crystal skies
They say that once the sky was blue
And children played upon the land

A hundred years ago the experts predicted
That we would ruin the earth
But the people persisted 
If we could turn back time and do it all again
Maybe this time the earth would be our friend

What a terrible awful mess we’ve made

They made such a mess such a godawful mess
I hope they at least had a good time
They lived so large off the fat of the land 
And now it’s payback time 

Our ancestors were shortsighted and now their children pay
Awakening each morning to greet the tainted day
Gazing out across an endless barren plain
No more amber waves of grain

If we could turn back time and do it all again
Maybe this time the earth would be our friend

What a terrible awful mess we’ve made

They made such a mess such a godawful mess
I hope they at least had a good time
They lived so large off the fat of the land 
And now it’s payback time

If We Could Turn Back Time

He spent his whole life. He tried to do right
He gave them his best years. 
He worked late each night
He ruined his eyesight. 
Trying to get ahead

He was a company man through to the bone.  
He was always at work even when he was at home.
But like a commodity to be bought and liquidated
They had to let him go when the economy deflated

Hot prospects turn cold some say he’s too old
To start all over again
There’s too much free time he just can’t unwind
He’s forgotten how to play

He gave them his heart he gave them his soul  
and then they turned around and let him go
They said they had to watch the bottom line
It was getting pretty close to corporate bonus time
They said here’s wishing you the best of luck it’s nothing personal

He sits on a park bench smelling the stench 
of his broken dreams
And people they walk past no flags at half-mast 
for the demise of the company man

He was a company man through to the bone.  
He was always at work even when he was at home.
But like a commodity to be bought and liquidated
They had to let him go when the economy deflated
They had to let him go and now he needs to be sedated
He gave them his heart he gave them his soul  
and then they turned around and let him go
They said they had to watch the bottom line
It was getting pretty close to corporate bonus time
They said here’s wishing you the best of luck it’s nothing personal
They said here’s wishing you the best of luck it’s nothing personal

Company Man

Copyright 2024 Joe Stroffolino

Lots of people moving to the state of AZ
The desert seems like a nice a nice place to be
The only problem is there’s not enough H20
One day you’ll turn the tap and it’s not gonna flow
The climate keeps getting drier every single year
I guess we’ll have to take fewer showers and drink more beer

If you can’t stand the heat maybe you should get out of the kitchen
Maybe this isn’t the right place for you.
The sun up in the sky is 93 million miles away
But it feels a lot closer on a hot Arizona day

There’s not enough snowpack on the mountains up high
They say the Colorado river’s running dry
They’re ripping up lawns, replacing them with rocks
Instead of going barefoot, you walk around in crocs
The polar glaciers are melting in to the sea
I wish that they could scoop up an iceberg and drop it down on me

If you can’t stand the heat maybe you should get out of the kitchen
Maybe this isn’t the right place for you

Most of the rain falls in the summer
Monsoon season can be a real bummer
You get a big dust storm, they call it a haboob
You can watch scary videos on You Tube
You’ll be driving and suddenly you can’t see
You gotta make sure you don’t crash into a cactus or a tree

If you can’t stand the heat maybe you should get out of the kitchen
Maybe this isn’t the right place for you

A long time a ago, it must have been tough without air conditioning
People just had to sit around all day moaning and bitching 
Now the biggest thing we complain about is our high electric bill
As we lie on the couch watching Netflix enjoying the comfortable chill

If you can’t stand the heat maybe you should get out of the kitchen
Maybe this isn’t the right place for you
The sun up in the sky is 93 million miles away
But it feels a lot closer on a hot Arizona day

Can't Stand the Heat

(Til you hit that dust)


Til you hit that dust

Until you peel the rust

'Til you turn to dust

'Til the needle finds your trust

'Til you return to dust

'Til you peel the rust

'Til you finally breathe with us

 
Walkin' tru di valley, 
of di shadow of pain
Searchin' fi di answer, 
to di struggles an' di strain
But di truth is in di journey, not di destination gate
An' di freedom is in di spirit, not di chains we create

'Til yuh hit dat dust, Until yuh peel di rust
'Til yuh turn to dust, 'Til di needle find yuh trust
'Til yuh return to dust, 'Til yuh peel di rust
'Til yuh finally breathe wit' us


In di stillness of di night, we'll find di light
In di silence, we'll hear di voice, dat guide us tru di fight
An' when di dawn break tru, we'll rise up, anew
Wid di wisdom of di ages, an' di love dat shine right tru

So let's walk dis journey, 
                                    (together, hand in hand)
An' when di dust settle, 
                                   (we'll find our promised land)

Till You Hit That Dust

Cast of Characters:
Joe Stroffolino-- @joseph-stroffolino -- Taylor 114ce acoustic guitar, main vocals, harmony vocals, lyrics, composition
Llanpsych -- @llanpsych -- Tez – Fender HSS Telecaster electric guitar
TexMex Shaman–@texmex-shaman –Stephen– Tom Anderson Custom T electric guitar, mix, mastering, and production
Mistermark-- @user-432503709 -- Mark – piano
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara -–Ken–drums
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)–@josh-clary-1 –- four string Fender Precision Bass with a plectrum

This song began as one of Joe's catchy, lyrically centered songs, which he wrote on his acoustic guitar, and filled in with VST instruments. He came up with the lyrics by sharing ideas with fellow SoundCloud musician Michele Ansani, who began the thought process of a song about becoming a musician.
Knowing that Josh is a fan of his work, Joe offered this song to him in hopes that he'd share it with the rest of the band. Of course, Josh jumped at the opportunity to work on his song, and immediately shared it with the rest of the group.
Ken went to work first, adding his driving, excting drums. Josh was having a hard time coming up with a good bass line for it, until Ken suggested that he use the power of the 1/8 note to propel it. Tez was up next with his clever fills you hear throughout the first half of the song. Stephen came along right after and matched Tez's energy for the guitar fills in the second half of the song.
It was still missing a solo in the designated spot, though, so Mark stepped up with his innovative piano solo you hear in the middle. If it sounds a little mechanical, that's because he's using an arpeggiator to achieve the effect. We thought it sounded good in a song about AI, though.
Once all the parts were dialed in, and Joe had gotten all his vocals tuned up, we asked one of our resident pros, Stephen, to mix it for us. He did that and mastered it, too, expertly, as always.
This is the first song we've ever done with Joe, and don't expect it to be the last. We all really enjoyed putting together, in no small part because Joe is such a competent, receptive, and gracious collaborator. We all hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Lyrics by Michele Ansani and Joe Stroffolino
Music by Joe Stroffolino (@joseph-stroffolino)

When I was thirteen I picked up my first guitar
it was my mother's, it only had one nylon string
I tried to play it like a rock star
I learned to play the Coca-Cola jingle
So I could teach the world to sing
When I was fourteen, I put on six new strings
I learned to play Beatles, I learned a Bob Dylan song
I sounded out of tune but I tried to carry on
At fifteen I wrote my first original tune
So bad it sounded like it might have been written by a baboon
When I was sixteen, I got a new guitar for my birthday
The metal strings sawed through my fingers
But I continued to play
And the calluses formed and every day I learned a brand new chord
I was obsessed with that guitar and I never grew bored.
I wrote songs every day and most of them were a mess
But I believed that through hard work, I could achieve success
Malcom Gladwell wrote a book that said it takes ten thousand hours
To become and expert at your craft
But now all it takes is two commands and an enter
And in two minutes you have ten versions of the same damn new song,
You just have to choose the type
folk, rock, rap, pop, metal, jazz, trap or blues.
You don't even need to write the lyrics,
your push a few buttons let the AI choose.

And people will think your songs are great even though you didn’t write or play a single note.
When I was 20, I did my first concert, it was time
it occurred in a village square
there were four cats all friends of mine
I was still using the plectrum and sometimes I got the chords wrong
at thirty I finally wrote what I thought was a decent song
It had a very well thought out structure

AI Sucks - Eclectic Collective

Music and Lyrics Copyright 2025 Joe Stroffolino
Vocals Joe Stroffolino
Guitar's: Fender Squire picking track  and Taylor 114ce strumming track Joe Stroffolino
Violin and Bass PG Music real tracks
Drums EZ drummer 3
Piano Logic Pro Session Player track 

All these people who claim they were abducted by alien UFO’s
They say they took them up onto the spaceship and examined them from head to toe.
Most people think those stories are made up, but what if they’re actually true
It kind of makes you wonder what motivates those aliens to do the things they do
If I ever get abducted by aliens from outer space, I think I might ask if I could hitch a ride off this crazy place. 
People who believe we couldn’t have built the pyramids without alien assistance
There’s days when I can’t find my car keys without lots of searching and persistence. 
Maybe we’re just 2 legged creatures and the earth’s an exotic alien zoo. 
And they come here on safari to see what we’re up to
If I ever get abducted by aliens from outer space, I think I might ask if I could hitch a ride off this crazy place. 
Even if they don’t consider me to be much better than a trained monkey
I could play my guitar to cheer them up whenever they feel grumpy.
They say the speed of light is as fast as you can possibly go
Maybe those aliens have access to information we don’t know
Maybe they just look at us in the same way scientists study bugs
They read the work of our most brilliant minds and they just shrug
Maybe someday if we start World War three, they’ll stop the missiles from firing
Or maybe they’ll just let us blow ourselves up because they find our behavior so tiring
Maybe someday if they think we’re ready, they’ll land a spaceship in times square
And although they’re usually naked, they’ll put on some underwear
If I ever get abducted by aliens from outer space, I think I might ask if I could hitch a ride off this crazy place. 
Even if they don’t consider me to be much better than a trained monkey
I could play my guitar to cheer them up whenever they feel grumpy.
There's days on earth when it feels like it might be kind of nice to get away
And getting abducted by aliens just might be okay.

If I Ever Get Abducted

Electronic Dance Track . Synths Serum and Arturia. Vocal loops Ghosthack

Nirvana

Cover picture: Albert Bierstadt, "Emigrants Crossing the Plains" (1869): an oil on canvas painting of emigrants on their way to Oregon, inspired by a fifty-wagon train of German emigrants who crossed Bierstadt's path during his 1863 expedition.

Although it is very difficult to estimate the total number of European emigrants, it is thought that from the beginning of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century, around 30 million people left Europe for the United States.

I reworked in the last days on this not particularly original piece, whose first draft is from 2018.
Femal vocals courtesy by La Boutique Studios Dakar; harmonica by Dust Bowl - Vintage Country.
Composed by Michele Ansani (2018-2025).
Posted on SoundCloud: 2025, March 26

Their American dream *

THERAPY by NOVA J

Tell me how you hurt…
Tell me of your pain…

Tell me how you hurt
Tell me of your pain
Tell me for an hour, and
Next time tell me again

(and again. and again. and again. and again.
and again. and again. and again. and again.)

and again. and again. and again. and again.
and again. and again. and again. and again.

Just talk. Just talk. Just talk to me.
Cry again. Lie again. Try again—please.

Do you wanna go to therapy?
Or just spiral endlessly?
Do you wanna go to therapy?
Or just keep on telling me?

Tell me how you hurt
Tell me why you cry
Tell me every detail,
Then replay and rewind.

(and rewind. and rewind. and rewind. and rewind. and rewind. and rewind. and rewind. and rewind.)

(and rewind. and rewind. and rewind. and rewind. and rewind. and rewind. and rewind. and rewind.)

Do you wanna do the therapy?
Or keep unraveling with me?
Do you wanna heal through therapy?
Sometimes I wonder—who is saving me?

Just talk. Just talk. Just talk to me
Cry again. Lie again. Try again. 

(and again. and again. and again. and again.
and again. and again. and again. and again.)

(and again. and again. and again. and again.
and again. and again. and again. and again.)

THERAPY

Link to video where I tell the story behind the song : https://youtu.be/cilXaNM0IoI?si=IbBwc2wlxYTwoADH 


In Catholic school, whenever I misbehaved, the nuns used to pull my hair.
If I could go back in time and do it all again, I’d gab some clippers and shave my head bare.
I did eight years of hard time in Catholic school
I was never the kid who was considered cool
Eight straight years of Catholic School and somehow, I survived
Eight straight years of Catholic School.  Thank God I’m still alive  
My first-grade teacher was a nun, who if you’re penmanship was sloppy
She’d make you take all your books and stand there holding them in the back of the room.
She was like a witch except instead of a pointy hat she wore a habit
She carried a crucifix instead of broom.
I did eight years of hard time in Catholic School
I was never the kid who was considered cool
The cafeteria food tasted horrible, but I had to eat it
I had to wash it down with milk that was warm and sour
I’d try to fold my plate in half and throw it away, but the nuns would catch me and make me eat it
It’s like they had this secret food wasting detection superpower
Every year your birthday, it was customary for the kids in the recess yard,
To grab you and kick you and punch you for every year of your age.
I still have flashbacks of a girl with pointy hard black shoes kicking me really hard in my rib cage.
My fifth-grade teacher Sister Margaret she’d been teaching for way too long
It was time for her to retire but they let her teach another year and that was wrong
She had long grey whiskers growing out of her chin
She’d sit at her desk and trim them with of scissors and you sure as hell better not grin
She’d tell cautionary tales about innocent kids who got into cars strangers
She seemed to enjoy describing all the bloody graphic details of the danger.
I did eight years of hard time in Catholic school
I was never the kid who was considered cool
Eight straight years of Catholic School and somehow, I survived
Eight straight years of Catholic School.  Thank God I’m still alive

Catholic School

Inspired by “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus, 1883.
Copyright 2025

They got on boats, and they sailed across the ocean hoping for a better life
They left behind poverty, famine, hardship and strife
She lifted her lamp behind the golden door
She welcomed them with open arms 
But we don’t need those people any more 
We’ll use robots to tend our farms
There’s an angry mob wearing red caps
And they’re pulling on a rope
They’re trying to knock down that statue that gave so many people hope.
They say a rising tide lifts all boats but now it’s every nation for itself
As the billionaires and oligarchs accumulate more wealth
We’re all just living on this rock floating in the vastness of space
You’d think we’d find a way to co-exist as one human race
There’s an angry mob wearing red caps
And they’re pulling on a rope
They’re trying to knock down that statue that gave so many people hope.
Someday if you’re standing there waiting at the pearly gates
With a bunch of other people waiting in line to get into heaven
And you’re filling out God’s paperwork so you can immigrate 
How will answer that question did you love or did you hate 
There are people who call themselves Christians who don’t practice what they preach
They see a man whose down on his luck, and they consider him a human leech
There’s an angry mob wearing red caps
And they’re pulling on a rope
They’re trying to knock down that statue that gave so many people hope.
There’s an angry mob wearing red caps
And they’re pulling on a rope
They’re trying to knock down that statue that gave so many people hope.

Angry Mob Wearing Red Caps

Falling Into You 2.mp3

Love is in the air
[Verse]
The stars are winking in the sky tonight
The moon is laughing bathing us in light
Your smile’s a spark that sets my heart aflame
Every moment with you never feels the same

[Chorus]
Love is in the air I breathe you in so deep
You're the melody that plays while I sleep
Every heartbeat sings your name so true
Love is in the air and I love you

Love is in the air

Hey everyone!
This track, Asteroids (The Original Was Better), started when I heard Beating Edge’s chiptune tune RND and got inspired to write some lyrics about the classic arcade game Asteroids. I added my acoustic guitar and vocals on top and sent it over to the band.
They liked it so much they decided to jump in and make a second part with a more rock vibe using the same musical base. We put both parts together into one track, starting with a fun spoken intro, a little vocal line to bridge the two sections, and finishing off with a hilarious outro.
It was a really cool collab and I’m stoked for you all to hear it!

Music by: Beating Edge
Lyrics by: Tom (Beating Edge) and Joe Stroffolino
Performed by: Beating Edge and Joe Stroffolino
Acoustic guitar (Taylor 114ce) by: Joe Stroffolino
Vocals performed by: Joe Stroffolino and Tom (Beating Edge)
At the moment, this track is exclusively available on SoundCloud.
Released on June 6, 2025.
©2025 Beating Edge and Joe Stroffolino

Lyrics:

[Spoken Intro]
Joe: Wow! This is a really cool Arcade!
Tom: Yeah!
Joe: Hey, check it out! Is that an Asteroids game over there?
Tom: Oh, wow!
Joe: I haven't seen that in like that forever!
Tom: That's definitely Asteroids! Let's play a game!
Mary (with a sore throat 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣): Oh yeah! Let's play Asteroids!

-->Joe

I used to play asteroids in the 1980’s
I liked to blow up rocks in outer space
The flying saucers would attack me
At an ever-increasing pace

I stumbled across an old vintage arcade the other day
I hadn’t played Asteroids in a long time
I popped a quarter into that old machine
And I watched my score start to climb

I watched my score start to climb
I watched my score start to climb
I watched my score start to climb

Time goes by so quickly
and playing that game really took me back
To those days when my future was unwritten
And I hadn’t gone so far down my current track

Pushing those buttons so fast and furiously
Standing in front of that arcade machine
Blowing up all those asteroids
On that black and white video screen

Blowing up all those asteroids
On that video screen
Blowing up all those asteroids
On that video screen

For a couple of minutes, I forgot about the present
I was back floating in outer space
Breaking big rocks into small rocks
I had a a big smile on my face

And then it was time for me to go
Cause I had errands that I needed to run
But that old video game
I sure had a lot of fun

It's not over yet

-->Tom

Just a single screen, all black and white
The whole room's dark except the TV's light
Rotate and thrust, it wasn't much
No one had seen a thing like this before

Now there's a 3D holographic thing
That no one plays, 'cause nobody can afford
With a visor on, your body's gone
It's kinda fun, but the original was better

We used to play all day, late at night
For the high score, it was do or die
No one knew what a quarter was worth
No one knew what the future had in store

Now there's a 3D holographic thing
That no one plays, 'cause nobody can afford
With a visor on, your body's gone
It's kinda fun, but the original was better

The original was better
The original was better
The original was better
The original was better

Now there's a 3D holographic thing
That no one plays, 'cause nobody can afford
With a visor on, your body's gone
It's kinda fun, but the original was better

[Spoken Outro]
Someone who wants to stay anonymous 😂: That was a lot of fun!

Asteroids (The Original Was Better) - Beating Edge & Joe Stroffolino

I decided to take another stab at creating a hopefully better sounding version of this song,  as it seems the message is relevant in these troubled times.  

I hope that heaven is a place where everyone can share the same space and  liberals and conservatives can exist in perfect harmony. Cause if you live a good life and you seal the deal and you end up in heaven how are you going to feel, if  when you get there there’s people who want to argue with you about politics
***
Why can’t we all just all get along
Why can’t we live and let be
Why can’t we all just all mind our own business
And agree to disagree
***
Will you let it go or will you keep on fighting even after your first Saint Peter sighting, or will you check the TV to see if there’s CNN or Fox News in Heaven. They had to pry your gun from your cold dead hand but now that you’re a soul in a spiritual land, will you still demand your second amendment rights to protect yourself in heaven.
***
Why can’t we all just all get along
Why can’t we live and let be
Why can’t we all just all mind our own business
And agree to disagree
*****
I hope that in in heaven you can eat real steak with a bunch of vegans eating meat that’s fake, as you pose for a photo with Jesus trying to re-enact that painting of the last supper.
If you bump into that undocumented guy who you sent back to his country will you look him in the eye. Will you tell he’s not welcome in the United States part of heaven?
***
All these people with extreme positions shouting to their hearts content
Like demented performance artists in a circus tent
They can try to push our buttons be we don’t have to let them
They can invite us to their party but we don’t have to show up.
***
Why can’t we all just all get along
Why can’t we live and let be
Why can’t we all just all mind our own business
And agree to disagree

Heaven 2025

Feeling bummed that I had to write this.
****
Music , lyrics and vocals Joe Stroffolino
Copyright 2025
Instruments:
Organ:  Playing Midi Keyboard with Logic Pro Grand Organ
Wurlitzer (keys):  Playing Midi Keyboard with Logic Pro Wurlitzer Classic
Guitars and Bass: PG music real tracks
Drums:  EZ Drummer 3
***
Lyrics: 
Another shooting in the news, it made you sad and angry
You couldn’t get the images out of your head
You thought you’d get involved and maybe protest or send some money
But you’re sending out your thoughts and prayers instead

We’ll clean up the broken glass, allow more time to pass
And the next time it happens; we’ll just send out more thoughts and prayers again
We’ll wipe up the blood from the floor, say we can’t take it anymore
Thoughts and prayers are free; there’s no skin in the game for you and me

The images they really got you very angry
You tell yourself it’s time to stand and fight
Then you drink a few beers, and you binge watch all night on Netflix
And the next day everything feels all right

Sitting in your easy chair, sending out a thought and prayer, thinking maybe you should do more
But you’re just a cog in the machine, besides the world is cruel and mean
And really, it’s just easier to ignore

Thoughts and prayers, blowing a bunch of hot air
Maybe someday you’ll turn your platitudes into action
You go about you’re your busy day, hoping there’s a better way
but you spin your wheels and don't get any traction

Thoughts & Prayers

Hell on Earth

Dead subscriber

Runing blood

Атомная Энергия

Songs with a twinge of humor (and some a bit more serious).  
I do not use AI to create my songs. 
https://linktr.ee/joe.stroffolino
Recently I have had the urge to pick up my guitars (Taylor 114ce and Fender Squire) and I have been trying to use more guitar in my songs.  
My go to .vst plug ins are  EZkeys 2, EZ Bass and  EZ drummer 3) and my DAW is Logic Pro 11. 
I welcome your comments and enjoy listening to all the great music on SoundCloud. 
All songs are originals and copyrighted.