One Painting

Quote Tante Meli: https://soundcloud.com/tante-meli
....something very different - i know :D

DIE GLUT means "the glow" (of fire)
my thoughts behind it were the great good mood when we jumped over almost burned down fires when we were kids. jumping was always a sign of being "brave". although it was never really dangerous ;D

whole translation:
I'M JUMPING OVER THE GLOW
JUST BECAUSE I'M ABLE TO -
I HAVE COURAGE

german:

ICH SPRINGE ÜBER DIE GLUT
WEIL ICH ES KANN
ICH HABE MUT

Die Glut (Dance Remix)

Hesitation

A Huge Thank You to my dear collaborator Frans Beelaard. I had send him this song in my version and it came back like this… :)
He played a bass line, 2 guitars, one lead and one rhythm. Also included is an acoustic drum track with 22" Zildjian ride & crash cymbals & tambourine and an acoustic piano track.
On top of that he also mixed and mastered the whole thing.
A great honor and pleasure for me.

The lines (edited, translated, modified, revised, retranslated, reedited…) originally derived from verse shards by two German poets: 
Stefan George (1868-1933), „Albagal“, 1892 and 
Durs Grünbein (born 1962), “Porzellan: Poem vom Untergang meiner Stadt“, 2006 and „Bericht von der Ermordung des Heliogabal durch seine Leibgarde“, 1999
I glued these verse shards together with a refrain.

During my research on porcelain I came along Kin Tsugi, a Japanese form of art, putting broken porcelain back together again. The picture shows such a piece.

Smashed Porcelain

1
Descend once more into the air-raid shelter. 
Observe:
Your ancestors, crowded together, in their final attire,

Comrades, hostages to mass hysteria,
How they curse, sob, 
Just moments ago uninhibited,
When the Führer arrived in the Mercedes of the Messiah.

How long ago was that, you ask ?
Man…
How long ago was that, you ask ?

2
Oh, I’m descending a marble staircase.
A headless body lies in the middle. Once again.
There, the blood of my dear brother seeps out.
I gently gather up my purple train.

How long ago was that, you ask ?
Gee…
How long ago was that, you ask ?

3
Oh, oh, ohh…
Only 
Caesar didn't care ´bout anything. 
As he watched with glee 
When Rome sank to ruins 
Like a tourist from overseas…

How long ago was that, you ask ?
Well…
How long ago was that, you ask ?


4
Why complain, latecomer ? 
The city long gone before you were there 
Ahh, those teary eyes - 
They’re different from grey hair-air-air…

How long ago was that, you ask ? 
Gee…
How long ago was that, you ask ?
Oh folks, I can't say.						

The only Word
For „Gone Forever“
Is „Today“.

Smashed Porcelain (wt Frans Beelaard)

Second Chance

Some thoughts that have been percolating in my mind lately (cover photo:  photo of my halloween skeleton edited with a not to scale termite and silver spoon: adobe stock images)

***
Copyright 2025
Vocals , Chords and Lyrics by Joe Stroffolino
Organ (playing my midi keyboard with sound from Logic Pro BeBop Organ)
Single Strum track  (playing my Taylor 114ce)
Second fast strumming track: PG music real track
Bass: PG Music real track
Piano:  EZ Keys2 (with sound from Native instruments Piano uno)
Drums: EZ Drummer 3
***
They say that life is a test but not everyone’s dealt the same hand
Some are born into privilege, while others struggle through quicksand
We play the cards we’re dealt as we try to find our way,
Doing our best to keep our heads above water as we go about each day.
People born with a silver spoon in their mouths, they’re rich and the die is cast
Other’s get a wooden spoon, which the termites eat, and it’s struggle not to finish last
They say money can’t buy you happiness, but it’s hard to put a smile on your face
When the game is rigged and you can’t even get to first base.
How many billions do you have to accumulate before you’re just running up the score
At what point do you decide that you don’t need anymore
Telling rags-to-riches stories, so the common man believes it’s true,
“Keep those taxes off the billionaires cause someday that might be you.”
 People born with a silver spoon in their mouths, they’re rich and the die is cast
Other’s get a wooden spoon, which the termites eat, and it’s struggle not to finish last
They say money can’t buy you happiness, but it’s hard to put a smile on your face
When the game is rigged and you can’t even get to first base.
 Politicians smiling and acting like they share your blues,
But they’d collapse in a minute trying to walk a mile in your shoes.
Lottery tickets selling hope, though the odds are that you’ll never win
You’ve got a better chance of being struck by lightning than ever cashing in.
You’ll be paying off those loans for the rest of your life from that useless college degree
As the corporations implement AI trying their best to replace you and me
 The universe is billions of years old; we come and go in a flash.
We spend our short lives obsessing over cash.
 People born with a silver spoon in their mouths, they’re rich and the die is cast
Other’s get a wooden spoon, which the termites eat, and it’s struggle not to finish last
They say money can’t buy you happiness, but it’s hard to put a smile on your face
When the game is rigged and you can’t even get to first base.

Life Is a Test

This is an english version of my swedish original song "Jag lever i dej" https://soundcloud.com/patrikneriksson/jag-lever-idej-19vers2-wav?si=3636ee8099cd4743bd842a0e7d11c0bb&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

It's in the early morning
Just before the dawn
You're still in your sleep
And you're breathing slow and deep
Outside your window
I can here the bluebirds sing
Soon comes the daybreak
And it's time for you to wake

I wanna stay with you
In your beatiful dreams
I'm a Genie released from the bottle
And when you're sleeping
I'm living in your dreams
I'm living in your dreams

Your clock starts to ring
But you don't hear a thing
You might be late for the train
I guess that I'm the one to blame
So just get on with the dreaming
Wish anything you like
I promise the best
If you just stay with me in rest

I wanna stay with you
In your beautiful dreams
I'm a Genie released from the bottle
And when your sleeping
I'm living in your dreams
I'm living in your dreams

Wish, wish, wish what you like
I'm living in your dreams

Livin In Your Dreams

Living In Your Dreams - original

Remixes

Baby Girl (Remix 2025)

Rework 2025

Devilish People (Rework 2025)

Super impressed by my buddy @dough-factory 's rhyming skills on here! This one started out as a beat from Ryan, I added trippy synth, organ and guitar noodling then sent back to him. He mixed, arranged and added the killer vocals as well as some record skips that add a nice touch.

Faded (What a Day)

Youtube Video live now - https://youtu.be/Ox3ORYZEeF0
Lyrics
He got bottles of dreams to keep hiding himself away from life
he said he’s gotta be the best or there’s no point in trying tonight
it takes too much time to get up and not enough time to fall down
he was always getting somewhere didn’t think he’d ever get tied to this town (no not to this town)

Can you hold on
Tell me Can you hold on

She got two more lives to go now then she’ll finally stick around and she’s been around
the bag she’s trying to drown in sponsored by online love she never found no she never found
she got excuses ready and waiting every one’s got its own special place it’s her special place
with too many hang-ups and over’s you can’t rewrite the lines in your face no not on your face

Can you hold on
Tell me Can you hold on
Hold on for another day
Hold on don’t be afraid
Hold on we’ll find another way
Hold on just hold on
Hold on please hold on

And if you had your chance again 
would you fall down the same paths
cos The world inside is empty 
if you can’t see past the past
and if you had your time again 
would you walk in another’s shoes
cos the choices are so empty 
if you’re too much a fool to lose
yeah your world inside is empty 
if you’re too afraid to choose
you’re too afraid to lose 
can you see past your past

And hold on for another day hold on now
Hold on don’t be afraid hold on now
Hold on we’ll find another way so hold on now
Hold on just hold on
Hold on please hold on


Bottled Dreams (Hold on)

Songs with a twinge of humor (and some a bit more serious).  
I do not use AI to create my songs. 
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.