Vol. 2

The Cottonwood Flats (music and lyrics © 2023 by Mike Dampf; bass David Leadbitter; harmonica, percussion Becky Sora

Way up north, near my hometown
is a place no one goes when the sun goes down
past the dump, with the garbage and the rats
a brown river crawls through the Cottonwood Flats

Used to ride our bikes to the river some days
my ghetto box blasting Purple Haze
try to catch fish and junk like that
then go listen to the wind moan through the Cottonwood Flats

Camping overnight in Big John's tent
telling all the best lies we could invent
watching bugs being hunted by bats
until the stars shimmered high above the Cottonwood Flats

Now and then, when I'm thinking I'm wise
I see my life through my childhood eyes
something tells me I ought to go back
and do a little rambling in the Cottonwood Flats

The Cottonwood Flats

Verse 1
Mom and Dad were young, barely getting by
Signed the papers with tears in their eyes
My sister was gone before I was born
 Grew up wishing one day she’d walk through that door
Every birthday saved  an empty chair
Hoping someday she’d be sitting right there
Followed the whispers two steps behind her
A trail of letters finally helped me find her

Pre-Chorus 1
We met at a diner off of 35
Nervous smiles and matching eyes
She laughed like me, bit her nails the same
Felt  I’d known her since second grade
Chorus
We both hate crowds but love the rain
We talk like twins and walk the same
She drinks her coffee black like Dad
And rolls her eyes just like I have
But I wore boots to Sunday school
She learned real fast how to bend the rules
We were raised apart but now  here we stand
We just weren’t…
Dealt the same hand

Verse 2 (your original)
 I had a swing set, a dog in the yard
She had a suitcase and a life that was hard
I knew birthdays and Christmas lights
She knew how to sleep with the door locked tight
And I sat there wishin’ I had known
What it meant for her to grow up all alone
We talked about the memories we never made
And all those years that just slipped away

Pre-Chorus 2
She said "There’s so much we’ll never get back”
But you’re here now, and I’ll take that”
Life was hard but I still made it through
And somehow the road led back to you

Chorus
We both hate crowds but love the rain
We talk like twins and walk the same
She drinks her coffee black like Dad
And rolls her eyes just like I have
But I wore boots to Sunday school
She learned real fast how to bend the rules
We were raised apart but now here we stand
We just weren’t…
Dealt the same hand
Bridge
Now we’re catchin’ up the best we can
Trading memories we never had
It’s bittersweet, but still a win
‘Cause love don’t care where it’s been
Final Chorus
We both hate crowds but love the rain
We talk like twins and walk the same
She drinks her coffee black like Dad
And rolls her eyes just like I have
But I wore boots to Sunday school
She learned real fast how to bend the rules
We were raised apart but now here we stand
We just weren’t…
Dealt the same hand

Same Hand

60s icon

A Hard Go     Original song (lyrics and music by Mike Dampf copyright 2025) Flute and percussion - Becky Sora; Bass - David Leadbitter; Guitar - Dave Medcof; Guitar, banjo etc - Mike Dampf 

It's a hard go, shuffling in line
papers in my hand, children on my mind
the day my job gave out, the first snow come flying
it's a hard go and I feel like crying

It's a lifetime of dreams I've already lived
and there's plenty of love I'm willing to give
but the world digs you up, then shovels you in
and you just want to sleep under blankets of gin

It's a pretty hard go and it's a pretty long way
from here to where a peaceful mind
can greet a sunny day
and it's a hard go, hoping my worries will end
but I know I'll find the heart again

A Hard Go

I wrote this in 2011 and Marc Roberge did all tracks EXCEPT the singing which happened today, 23/3/2016. Will probably do harmonies sometime.

The Band

The band came to the market place;
the ceiling was the sky.
They hid their dark, collective face,
as the sun went glowing by.
They had no need to choose their thoughts, they had no need for words.
Their deepest song the tune they brought; their warmest sounds were heard.

And the move that they put in you
—every muscle, every sinew,
in your skin and teeth and bones—
gave counter to the woe
of being alone.

When the band played in the market place
Every gambler threw his dice;
they rolled their souls with luck and grace,
and the dancers were enticed.
They moved in some connected space, and they felt the music grow,
dead certain, at its own sweet pace, and the flood of passion flowed.

And the move that they put in you
—every muscle, every sinew, in your skin and teeth and bones—
gave counter to the woe
of being alone.

The band came to the market place
where all the goods were sold.
They wove their songs like finest lace,
they glowed like sonic gold.
They formed the flux that bonded lives, the spark that life requires,
They took the magic of the night and they threw it in their fire.

And the move that they put in you
—every muscle, every sinew, in your skin and teeth and bones—
gave counter to the woe
of being alone.

The Band

Piano Story

Off To See Ramblin Rose

My kids and me. A remix. Rienna White drums, Russell White music, guitar and bass, Bill White Lyrics and vocals.

Silver Screen

I want to take you back to China
I want to leave you in the gutter
View you through the silver screen you’ve made for me
View you through the silver screen you’ve made for me
I want to run through railway stations
With the transit police chasing
View me through the silver screen you’ve made of me
View me through the silver screen you’ve made of me

It’s all a dream, a mystery, I don’t know what it means to me
Just a dream, but history, churned out in some factory

I want to go back to the ghetto
Draw on something warm and mellow
I want to feel the old time world that used to be
I want to feel the old time world that used to be
I want to read the morning papers
Without a sign of false news shapers
I want to feel that what I hear can be believed
I want to feel that what I hear can be believed

It’s all a dream, a mystery, I don’t know what it means to me
Just a dream, that’s all it seems to me

I need to take a long vacation
It’s overdue I’m tired of waiting
I want to go behind the screen you’ve made for me
I want to go behind the screen you’ve made for me
I want to be untouched by lightning
I want to see horizons brightening
And glisten on the silver screen you made for me
Glisten on the silver screen you made for me

It’s just a dream, a mystery, I’m lost in what it means to me
Just a dream, but history, churned out in some factory
It’s just a dream, that’s all it seems to be
Hey...! just a dream.

Silver Screen REMIX

Vintage Love 
Available on Bandcamp, iTunes and Spotify

Vintage Love (EP)

Darkside - Melancoholic

The Unquiet Grave

Video: https://youtu.be/5ffk_-7VzYY
---
Enjoy this moody autumnal track from the newly released album "Where Giants Roam The Earth"!

The last couple of weeks have been quite intense. We had an amazing trip to Berlin where I got the chance to perform on the stage of Berlin Philharmonie and meet with many extraordinary pianists from Enlightened Piano Radio. It was a wonderful surprise and a honor to receive "Best Solo Piano" Award for my previous album "Yet Another Love Story". And then, the next morning right after coming back from the trip, Arty and I had an interview with a local newspaper, talking about the new album "Where Giants Roam The Earth".

* iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/album/where-giants-roam-the-earth/1431530487

* Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Where-Giants-Earth-Milana-Zilnik/dp/B07GMWQSRD/

* BandCamp: https://milana.bandcamp.com/album/where-giants-roam-the-earth

* CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/milanazilnik4

* Stream it on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/35tpF1wSnXrNbJOFsYM5eM

The album has received some terrific reviews already!

* Pam Asberry: https://pamasberry.com/2018/09/26/album-review-where-giants-roam-the-earth-by-milana-zilnik/

* Kathy Parsons: https://mainlypiano.com/reviews/milana-zilnik-where-giants-roam-the-earth

I still have a dozen CDs (out of 100) and a couple of sheet music books (both perfect and spiral binding) on my hands that I will personally sign for you if you order via BandCamp. Thank you very much for your support! Any proceeds from album sales go back into music  - we got some plans already for the next musical project that will take about a year to complete.

#piano #autumn #Ottawa #pianoalbum #pianosolo #solopiano #pianocomposer #pianist #composer

Where Giants Roam The Earth

Autumn Tale

"Autumn Tale" by Milana Zilnik

All Guitars By Martin Reed,
Bass By Tophonicus,
Drums By Breaks Watts.
Produced By Martin Reed.

Hiya Folks.
This Track Is A journey Into My Past,
the 1st Half Is A Song I Composed In 1992,
The 2nd Half is a solo I Improvised Tonight.
The Middle Section Features the amazing Talents Of
Chris weber & Tante meli. https://soundcloud.com/christoffersen-weber https://soundcloud.com/tante-meli

A Polish Vacation

Sin Tonight

Lullaby For Brielle

Towards My Youth

Sad And Lonely Too

I keep bees and write music
Big thanks for your support!!! You find my music also on Drooble https://drooble.com/sergey.chuprikov and Hearthis https://hearthis.at/sergey-chuprikov/

I started out as a poet, and that's what I am, essentially.

The Band

KingscoteKid

Recent comments

Guitarbeard

Far Flown Falcon

Guitarbeard

Related tracks