Produced Originals

Words and music by Jeff Walker and Justin Osowiecki

Dear future me
Nice to meet you or I hope it will be
There's some things I want to say

Found an envelope
In a dusty box of souvenirs
Relics, and this odd communique

I'm just a kid
And I'm sure that I'll forget
Some important stuff along the way

When did I write this
Let's see what I had in mind

I'm here, you are there
Face to face with the change
Everything so different
Still it's all the same
Dear future me

Says here I wonder
If we ever wrote a perfect song
And did we finally get the girl

Am I good man
A kind and loving dad
Did we make our mark upon this world

Hopeful questions from long ago
I ask myself the same ones even now

I'm here, you are there
Face to face with the change
Everything so different
Still it's all the same
Dear future me

Dear future me
Nice to meet you or I hope it will be
There's some things I want to say

Dear Future Me - collab with Jeff Walker

Mike from SC channel Doctorcastille was generous enough to contribute all bass, percussion and keys to this piece.  Please check out his channel.

https://soundcloud.com/doctorcastille

How long
You've been taking the blame
Replaying the sequence
Reliving the shame

One slip of the wheel
Left you shattered and stunned
Your distant voice wailing
"What have I done?"

(Dig free, dig free)... You buried yourself
(Dig free, dig free)... When they buried me
(Dig free, dig free)... Unbury yourself
(Dig free, dig free)... It's time to dig free

We were just kids
Reckless and dumb
Nobody's angry any more
There's nothing to hide from

So how long
Must this debt be paid
One life is gone
One can be saved

(Dig free, dig free)... You buried yourself
(Dig free, dig free)... When they buried me
(Dig free, dig free)... Unbury yourself
(Dig free, dig free)... It's time to dig free

Unbury Yourself - with Doctorcastille

FAWM song #2 of 2022

Words by Chandra83, music by Justin Osowieci

People see me
But they don't look
I'm the cover
Of a boring book

People take
But they don't give
I survive
But I don't live

I wish I could
Just disappear
Like a perfect pane of glass
Solid, but clear

I'm a vessel
For others needs
I gain weight
Through good deeds

My life, it seems
Should be for others
Or I will remain
Undiscovered

I wish I could
Just disappear
Like a perfect pane of glass
Solid, but clear

Clear - original collab with Chandra83

FAWM song #3 of 2022

Words by Andrea Brennan, music by Justin Osowiecki

I grew up lonely and poor
Dad left when I was just three
My mom worked day and night
I spent my time with the TV

My friends were superheroes
Always there to answer the call
Watching over the city
Fighting for justice for all

And I...
I dreamed to fly
Like a caped crusader
And in my mind
I turned wrong to right
Like a caped crusader

But dreams are just like cartoons
They're fun but they're not really true
When you can't buy your way out
The world can be so cruel

So I...
I dreamed to fly
Like a caped crusader
And in my mind
I turned wrong to right
Like a caped crusader

So I try to do little things
Drop a five in the homeless guy's can
It won't make me a hero
But maybe it'll make me a better man

Caped Crusader - original collab with Andrea Brennan

FAWM song #4 of 2022

Words by Donna Devine, music by Justin Osowiecki

V1
You've barely crept out of your seeds
And tend to your invisible needs
Drinking the rain and the sun
Now you slumber and wait
For when you awake
There’ll be much to be done

Chorus
Tiny grass
Dream on, dream on
Tiny grass
Dream on. dream on

V2
Strange to think that you sleep
While roots burrow deep
Anchoring steady and true
Now slumber and wait
For when you awake
We’ll all be counting on you

Chorus
Tiny grass
Dream on, dream on
Tiny grass
Dream on, dream on

Bridge
In the cosmic scheme of things
Even humans continue to grow
We still have a long way to go
And like you, tiny grass
...Though it might seem absurd
We are dreaming
And we must not be disturbed

Chorus
Tiny grass
Dream on, dream on
Tiny grass
Dream on, dream on
Your role is grand
In Nature’s plan

Tiny Grass - collab with Donna Devine

There was no tea in the microwave this morning
No surprise waiting behind the door
We used to laugh that we could always tell
When you had been here the day before

Oh, Mom
I will be the man you raised me to be
I just wish you were still here with me

There were no calls to ask how my week went
No plans for the next one ahead
No songs to be sung, no guitar to be strummed
Only silence echoed instead

Oh, Mom
I will be the man you raised me to be
I just wish you were still here with me

I just wish I could find
One more half drank cup of tea
And I would know you are still here with me

Tea in the Microwave  - Live 1+1 Demo

Words and melody - Jeff Walker
Musical arrangement - Justin Osowiecki

I love to watch you take in every little thing
Your woman's intuition is like ESP
You read the room with just a casual glance
It's magic, the way that you see

You notice all of the invisible things
Somebody may not be doing so well
One little look and figure it out
Your superpower is how you can tell

Eyes as blue as the sea at Mykonos
But that's not what I admire most
Or what I mean when I hold you close and say
I love your eyes

You see the writing between every single line
A built in camera with a macro lens
It's not the way you look but the way that you see
And that beautiful heart to take it all in

Eyes as blue as the sea at Mykonos
But that's not what I admire most
Or what I mean when I hold you close and say
I love your eyes

I love those eyes I'll tell you once again
But that's not quite the touch that I intend
Or all I mean when I gently pull you in and say
I love your eyes

I Love Your Eyes - collab with Jeff Walker


Sometimes it's wishful thinking
Other times, not even that
Yet I know I am on track

Some days it takes a whisper
Other times, even less
Now I know I don't have to guess

It's not the world we're changing
Just two lives
So can you blame me for this
Wishful thinking?

Somewhere there's a picture
In sepia tones
Two lovers, together alone

So maybe it's just a daydream
And maybe it's not even that
Still I know, I'm not holding back

It's not the world we're changing
Just two lives
So can you blame me for this
Wishful thinking?

Wishful Thinking

Electric guitar composed and performed by Rich Joseph
Song composition, acoustic, bass and vocals by Justin Osowiecki

View Rich's page here:
https://soundcloud.com/user-831068061

Carolina, where are you now?

Carolina - with Rich Joseph

Lyrics by Doug Haberman
Music by Justin Osowiecki

You breezed into my life
I never knew what I had missed
Then you flew off
Like a bird into the mist

I remember every time
You drew close and then we kissed
But then you flew off
Like a bird into the mist

You came to me one day with tears
That looked like morning dew
The words you said left me half-dead:
I will remember you

You held my arm so tight
It left a ring around my wrist
Then you flew off
Like a bird into the mist

You breezed into my life
Now I know all I missed
'Cause you flew off
Like a bird into the mist

Into The Mist - demo with Doug Haberman

My take on a Mont-Solliu original for the Muse Songwriters Cover Challenge 2023, which ended up being more of a rewrite than a true cover. Here is his version. 
https://soundcloud.com/user-1479252/epitaph

I...
Have found a new meaning
Thought I wanted something sure
But I wanted something felt

I...
Cleared the ashes of my being
And all I found remained
Was to be with you again

Though it might be passing through
Though it might come back renewed
Though it might be stealing the words I believed in
(Repeat)
 
I went for the love
My family went in black
This death filled my lungs
Carve another epitaph

I....
Have found it reeling
That I just can’t explain
How I dry but blood remains

I... I... I...
Can’t seem to look at you
But I can’t seem to tear myself away

Though it might be passing through
Though it might come back renewed
Though it might be stealing the words I believed in
(Repeat)
 
And if you look for me
Ignore the reprove
And if you don’t turn out a
Record of rectitude
They call us fallen demons
Then kick away the ladder
Point again
And mock us like we’re suckers

Epitaph - collab with Mont-Solliu

V1
Nameless, faceless sitting at the wheel
Whose guiding hands and shrouded plans
I can't reveal
Draped in shadow, mirror fails to show
What's behind the mask, afraid to ask
Who's in control

Chorus
Insatiable, the criminal I hide
I'm your carnival, your dirty thrill time ride

V2
Empty promises line this battered path
There's no bargaining, no bartering
With merciless wrath
Manic shame, burning in my blood
This passenger door's the only cure I know

Chorus
Insatiable, the criminal I hide
I'm your carnival, your dirty thrill time ride
Insatiable, the animal inside
Your carnival....ooh that downhill ride

Insatiable

Lyrics by Doug Haberman
Music by Justin Osowiecki

VERSE 1
No, I can't stay anymore
Pack my bags, fly through the door
Gonna make it out alive
Jump in that car and start to drive

CHORUS
Sick of hypocrisy and hollow moralizing
I'm moving forward
I'm driving toward
A dark land rising

VERSE 2
Whispers that could ruin men
Pigs allows to run the pen
Would-be prophets telling lies
The cheating hearts and midnight cries

CHORUS

BRIDGE
I cross the river and burn the bridge
As my old car crests the ridge
Sun elbows up on morning's wall
A bright world spreads before

VERSE 3
Hear I am, I'm freedom bound
Kiss the stars and skim the ground
Another day and I'd be dead
I'll clear that place out of my head

CHORUS

Dark Land Rising - collab with Doug Haberman

V1 
I’m cursed to be a waffle from my head to my toes 
Filled with little pockets of what ifs and who-knows 
It’s a latticework condition
I can’t make a decision  

V2 
The way I handle problems is a problem itself  
Weighin’ all my options isn’t good for my health 
When I try to make choices, it’s just
Contradicting voices 

Chorus
Indecision... you make my life a mess
Indecision... you pile on the stress
What’s the answer? Is it yes or is it no?
What’s the answer?  Eeny, meeny, miny mo
Indecision…

V3 
I’d trade my battered body for a column of stone 
Churning out decisions in a no-waffle zone
My torso retrofitted 
And me fully committed

Chorus
Indecision... you make my life a mess
Indecision... you pile on the stress
What’s the answer? Is it yes or is it no?
What’s the answer?  Eeny, meeny, miny mo

Bridge
I know I’d be better if I'd only waffle less
There might be a cure, but I don’t have it yet

Chorus
Indecision... you make my life a mess
Indecision... you pile on the stress
What’s the answer? Can I opt out instead?
What’s the answer? You’re messin’ with my head
Indecision....
Quit messin’ with my head…

Indecision - a Peko and Oswlek collab

Mike from SC channel Doctorcastille and Chaz were generous enough to contribute bass and piano tracks, respectively. Stickboy drew up the midi drum file that the final percussion relies heavily upon. Please check out their channels.

@doctorcastille
@charles-silhan
@stickboy

There's no mystery
Why we sometimes land on the ground
As long as we're here we'll spin
Like kids playing 'Rosey

All fall down

Can't change history
But we can pull ourselves off the ground
As long as we're here we'll spin
Like kids playing 'Rosey

All fall down

After all, we spin together
(Like kids playing 'Rosey, back off the ground)

All Fall Down - with Stickboy, Chaz and Doctorcastille

Music and lyrics by Justin Osowiecki
Cello, violin, banjo and backing vocals by Ron Hazelton

Can you sing along with my hands
Sing along with my fingers
Sing along with my hands
Sing along with my fingers

Won't you move around with my voice
Move around with my singing
Move around with my voice
Move around with my singing 

All we are, all we are
All we'll ever be
Is here inside, deep within
Our lifetime seed

Will you soar along with my strings
Soar along with their ringing
Soar along with my strings
Soar along with their ringing

Can you spin around with our song
Spin around with our playing
Spin around with our song
Spin around with our playing

All we are, all we are
All we'll ever be
Is here inside, deep within
Our lifetime seed

Can you sing along with my hands
Sing along with my fingers
Sing along with my hands
Sing along with my fingers

Lifetime Seed - collab with Ron Haselden

Lyrics by Andrew Richardson
Music by Justin Osowiecki

Huddled halfway between
Kansas and Nevada
Our lips were dry and getting by
Was only getting harder
My mother sang at night
Part folk song, part prayer
Buttermilk and sugar cane
Sometimes I'm still there

When rain washes out
Your dusty tears of sorrow
The last day of yesterday
Is the first day of tomorrow
The future is yours
Not to steal, or beg and borrow
The last day of yesterday
Is the first day of tomorrow

Like statues carved in rock
By drought and deprivation
Tooth and nail we did prevail
The dustbowl generation
We're gone but our songs
Still speak to today
America may stumble
But we will find a way

When rain washes out
Your dusty tears of sorrow
The last day of yesterday
Is the first day of tomorrow
The future is yours
Not to steal, or beg and borrow
The last day of yesterday
Is the first day of tomorrow

First Day of Tomorrow - collab with Andrew Richardson

Lyrics by Simon Wright (www.LyricSlinger.co.uk)
Music by Justin Osowiecki

V1
Out in the streets
The battles we fight
Begin in our hearts
Persist in our minds

Signed up for service
A war in Iraq
That boy came home
Not all made it back

V2
Out in the heat
Down in the dirt
Smoke in the air
Friend's blood on his shirt

Signed up to serve
A confident man
Whose bravado got swallowed
In bomb blasted sand

PC
Draped in the flag won't keep you warm
What good are medals when you ain't got a home

C
Did his tour of duty
Prayed for a peace treaty
Now his world's in pieces
Out on the streets

V3
Home in the states
His devoted wife
Was eager to have
Him back in her life

But he'd become
An overcast sky
Blue turned grey
In his unsettled eyes

V4
She cried out
"Please get some help
This isn't a war
You can win by yourself"

C
Did his tour of duty
Prayed for a peace treaty
Now his world's in pieces
Out on the streets

Bridge
He wasn't shot at every night
But it all adds up to scar graffiti
He lies down every night
Under a torn up coat and scar graffiti

Out on the Streets - collab with Simon Wright

Lyrics by Jeff Walker
Music by Justin Osowiecki

I'll always remember the best days
Though maybe here and there the clarity fades
My heart is still full of passion and light
Our history's a tale we can never rewrite
But I will remember the best days

Bonfires at sundown and beach walks
Your magical laugh, the way that you talked
Every new year, the clink of our glasses
Even though it all turned into ashes
I will remember the best days

Last night I had a dream about a waterfall
The water rushing down was like a cry
The rainbows in the mist were a siren's call
I stepped into the air to fly

I take in the sunrise like always
Red and yellow rays cut through the morning haze
My life has become a kind of silent prayer
A song I whisper to feel you there
But I will remember the best days
Yes, I will remember....

Best Days - collab with Jeff Walker

Lyrics by Jeff Walker
Music by Justin Osowiecki and Jeff Walker

Please visit Jeff's channel to see his other work.  https://soundcloud.com/jeff-walker-4

VERSE
Our proud McLaughlin home is where
A union flag is flown
I'll fight for Mr. Lincoln blood and bone

I planted our McLaughlin name
On an Alabama spread
So I'll join a rebel battery instead

Oh, brother Indiana
Is where your heart should be
Don't take up arms against your family

CHORUS
When soldiers get caught up
In someone else's war
They don't always know what they're fighting for
When brothers fight their brothers
It's mostly about pride
But horns blow "Taps" the same on either side

VERSE
We're marching towards Vicksburg
And fixed our bayonets
If we meet on the battleground no regrets

I begged you and I warned you
Not to don that uniform
And follow Johnny Reb into the storm

Oh, brother I'm your prisoner now
At bloody Champion Hill
Forgive me for my treason if you will

CHORUS

VERSE
I'm off to Johnson's Island then
On a Union prison train
Disgrace upon our proud McLaughlin name

Don't seek my aid young brother
For we both are soldiers yet
Despite this reckless choice you now regret

TAG
And horns blow "Taps" the same on either side

Produced Originals

Justin Osowiecki Music