Don’t blame me for the poor quality, especially vocals because I make music using my phone.

Hey! Mercy

A new composition with a theme of meeting up with old friends after years gone by....

Lyrics

After all these years
We meet and talk again
Catching up on a distant past
That seemed like only yesterday


We chose our different paths
The future unknown
Life's twists and turns
Leaving us on our own


Seems like only yesterday
Regrets of what could have been
Paths diverged, memories stay
But maybe we'll meet again


Time may have changed us
But the memories remain
In the corners of our minds
A connection that will never wane



As we part ways once more
Let's hold on to these memories
For in those moments, we shared
Our friendship will forever last.

Music and Lyrics by Len Bennati FM Folk Copyright 2024

After All These Years

Mark says,
"Making music with Rodolfo is always exciting and often a challenge, although I know we both find it stimulating, as we always aim to reach high and this post is no exception. This new song, started its gestation almost a year ago, instantly showed a lot of promise and since has been through many stages of exploration and rounds of problem-solving. The painfully blunt lyrics were initially inspired by a friend's brutal relationship break-up, but the final result is much heavier. I hope you find it moving rather than disturbing, I was trying to match the mood of Rod's deeply dramatic music."

Rodolfo says,
"I think it's a fantastic song and you've done an amazing job on both the story and the vocals, especially those tough lines. When I was writing it, I just felt like a modern blues with a techno vibe was taking shape. The final sound was defined by the story and those really dramatic, emotional lyrics. You might want to make it clear that it's a fictional story to avoid giving our friends heart attacks."

We appreciate all of the kind support that the Soundcloud community has given our collaborations. Thanks for listening and sharing your thoughts, Mark and Rodolfo

Rodolfo Planes - Music composition, instrumentation, arrangement, production and mix https://soundcloud.com/rplanes
Me - Vocals and lyrics

Moments of stress,
How did you deal with the rest?
All that is left of you and me,
Is wrecked.
How can we expect,
To go on when there’s nothing at all left?
 
…Left in the lurch,
You should have done more research.
I was truly never a safe bet for you…
For you could have made,
A much better match than you did with me.
 
Open your eyes,
I promise you won’t be surprised,
It’s been there before you,
All along, all of the way…
…Way before you had sensed,
That we had got it all so wrong by then.
 
Moments of stress,
All such a mess,
It’s anyone’s guess,
How it all went so wrong?
Moments of stress,
No more nor less,
Need I express,
How it all went so wrong?

Moments Of Stress - Continental Collision (by Rodolfo Planes/Mark J Bennett)

this was going to be a disco type song, like love is in the air, but it did not sound right with a dance beat, so stripped out all of that, added a 12 str and toned down the keyboard. the vocals will prolly get a do over next week

You don’t have to smile at me when you pass me on the street
You don’t have to cross against the light so we might ‘accidentally’ meet
You don’t have to ask my friends if i still live alone
Or tell my folks you said to say hello
You don’t have to be so kind

You don’t have to come up to my table in a restaurant
And put your hand on top of mine and act so familiar while we talk
You don’t have to find any reason to spend time with me
Or send me little notes I’ll always keep
it’s gonna make me lose my mind

I’ll only fall in love
I’ll only think of you
I’ll only lie awake and wonder, if you’re thinking of me too
I’ll only act a fool
And I’ll want to marry you
It’s all cause of you
You’re too good to be true
I’ll just fall in love

Please don’t ever let me hold you close beneath the starry skies
Pde give me any reason to look deep into your eyes
And if i should ever start to wonder what my life would be
If you were always next to me  I’ll blame you, 
For making me feel this way

I'll Only Fall In Love

The song has a remarkable age (is near 45), and I changed it several times. This is the today version, recorded (guitar and vocals) with a RØDE NT-USB+; you can hear dogs barking in the distance (but I don't think they were protesting at me). The outro is from an earlier version.

LYRICS (ENG / ITA)

Break the biscuit of a only word
Dip it in the milk, see if it drips
A verse or something to put in my mouth
See what it touches me: the thorn or the rose

Cradle the minutes of some clock
To see them go slower
A precious alarm clock to put in the bank
But still I miss a thorn or a rose

It's the house made of sugar
when darkness falls
has cork steps
and walls of ashes
the inhabitants are sordid
they have a soft soul
they are foolish and perverse
it is the house of verses

Stealing the colours of a famous painting
sell them by the pound to a greedy painter
a murderous night to put on canvas
Will be worth the candle a rose or a thorn

To bet a needle from your haystack
But be a magician and find a thousand
a glorious hunt to put in your pocket
And more is not enough a thorn or a rose

It's the house made of sugar
when darkness falls
has cork steps
and walls of ashes
the inhabitants are sordid
they have a soft soul
they are foolish and perverse
it is the house of verses

-----

Spezzare il biscotto di qualche parola
tuffarlo nel latte, vedere se cola
Un verso o qualcosa da mettere in bocca
veder se mi tocca la spina o la rosa

Cullare i minuti di qualche orologio
vederli cresciuti andare più adagio
una sveglia preziosa da mettere in banca
ma ancora mi manca una spina o una rosa

E' la casa di zucchero 
al calar delle tenebre
ha scalini di sughero
e pareti di cenere
gli abitanti son sordidi
hanno un'anima soffice
sono stolti e perversi
è la casa dei versi

Rubare gli effetti di un quadro famoso
rivenderli a etti a un pittore goloso
una notte assassina da metter su tela
varrà la candela una rosa o una spina

Scommettere un ago del vostro pagliaio
ma essere un mago e trovarne un migliaio
una caccia gloriosa da mettere in tasca
e più non mi basta una spina o una rosa

E' la casa di zucchero 
al calar delle tenebre
ha scalini di sugherio
e pareti di cenere
gli abitanti son sordidi
hanno un'anima soffice
sono stolti e perversi
è la casa dei versi


------------

Lyrics: Pier Massimo Forni e Michele Ansani
Music: Michele Ansani (1979)
Recorded in 2024, October 14-15.
Posted on SoundCloud: 2024, October 16
Cover photo is from Pietro Corrao.

La casa dei versi (House of Verses) **

Ancient people used to believe that the planets were gods that ruled from above.
And if we misbehaved, they’d send thunder and lightning to give us a shove.
They didn’t understand that germs were what caused people to get sick.
They didn’t understand what made the natural world tick.

We have all this scientific knowledge, but we ignore it, we resist.
We live our lives in the moment like gorillas in the mist.
We ignore the dire warnings, we go with our guts instead of our heads.
We search for conspiracy theories and believe them instead.

People who believe that we faked the moon landing in 1969.
People who believe if you get the Flu shot you’ll turn into Frankenstein.
People who believe that the world is ruled by lizards that eat human flesh.
And the reason we exist is to provide meat that’s very fresh.

All this progress that we’ve made.
We’ve travelled so far.
But sometimes it feels like the world’s a circus.
And we’re riding in a clown car.

In the 1600's Galileo said that the earth revolved around the sun.
They put him under house arrest and it wasn’t very much fun.
When science start to challenge the way that everybody else is  thinking.
People with blind faith, they feel like they're on a ship that's sinking.

You strike up a conversation.
You say crazy things with a nod and a wink.
Then you realize the guy you’re talking to.
That’s the way he really thinks.

Alternative facts are like an infection.
If enough people believe them.
We can reach and inflection.

We have all this scientific knowledge, but we ignore it, we resist.
We live our lives in the moment like gorillas in the mist.
We ignore the dire warnings, we go with our guts instead of our heads.
We search for conspiracy theories and believe them instead.

All this progress that we’ve made.
We’ve travelled so far.
But sometimes it feels like the world’s a circus.
And we’re riding in a clown car.

Alternative Facts

All the huddled masses
From faraway shores
Yearning to breathe free
May there be peace and love
For all humankind
But tonight, what about me

Save the spotted owl
The dolphins and whales
And every redwood tree
May there be peace and love
For all humankind
But tonight, what about me

What about me here alone
What about me one lonesome soul

I see the crippled children
Makes me want to cry
May every illness be healed
May there be peace and love
For all humankind
But tonight, what about me

I wish and pray
That there could be a home
For every soul on the street
May there be peace and love 
For all humankind
But tonight, what about me

What about me here alone
What about me, just one lonesome soul

The bombs that fall
The guns that fire
The millions of casualties
May there be peace and love
For all humankind
But tonight, what about me

All them huddled masses
From faraway lands
Yearning to breathe free
May there be peace and love
For all humankind
But tonight, tonight, what about me

What About Me

An astronomer named Ted.
Was eating pizza alone in bed. 
He was obsessed with trying to find intelligent aliens
And he was tired of waiting for the interstellar phone to ring
And he was looking for a shortcut to the next big thing

As the pizza sauce ran down his chin
He flashed a great big messy grin
As it occurred to him that even aliens might enjoy human comfort food
And he was tired of waiting for the interstellar phone to ring
And he was looking for a shortcut to the next big thing

Like a sneaky dog who knows he’s being bad
He crept into the astronomy lab
And he placed a recording into the transmitter
Cause he was tired of waiting for the interstellar phone to ring
And he was looking for a shortcut to the next big thing

He set the signal to repeat again and again
Abd then he pushed the button that was labeled send
And message blasted out into the heavens
And then he went home and he climbed into to his bed
And this is what his message said

Come to our planet you really need to try. 
We’re begging you please you need to stop by.
We’ve got the best cheeseburgers in the milky way
So come on down and have one today
And if you’re still hungry we’ve got hot apple pie
You need to put this on your bucket list as something to eat before you die
So why don’t you beam yourself down and give it a try

In the morning he woke up to a shaking bed
And when he looked out his window the sky was red
From the fiery thrusters on the bottom of a flying saucer ship
And Ted realized that he was looking at the next big thing
There’d be no more waiting for the interstellar phone to ring

The flying saucer landed and strange aliens came out 
And a purple one with tentacles started to shout
He was pointing at what appeared to be his stomach
He said bring us some cheeseburgers and slices of apple pie
And it better taste good or your entire planet will die

But they enjoyed their food and asked for more
And then they left to fight a war
Against another planet that didn’t have any cheeseburgers.
And this is how first contact with aliens was made
And Ted was honored with a very big parade

And every single day more and more ships came 
And the reaction to the food was always the same.
Satisfied aliens of all shapes and sizes
And the earth became known as the cheeseburger planet.
And Ted married a sexy green alien named Janet.

Come to our planet you really need to try. 
We’re begging you please you need to stop by.
We’ve got the best cheeseburgers in the milky way
So come on down and have one today
And if you’re still hungry we’ve got hot apple pie
You need to put this on your bucket list as something to eat before you die
So why don’t you beam yourself down and give it a try

Cheeseburger Planet

We all have hopes and dreams and items on our bucket list
And sometimes we go to bat and we swing and we miss
It’s easy to get discouraged and find an excuse to quit
It’s easy to walk away and decide not to commit

If every day you wake up and you rinse and you repeat
And you play the same old song with the same old tired beat
It’s time to shake things up
It’s time to stir the pot
It’s time to dust off your dreams and give it your best shot

Sometimes it feels like the world is spinning out of control
You try to make the world a better place but you keep digging a deeper hole
Sometimes it feels like the game is rigged and the odds are stacked against you
And you’re not sure you want to take a bite cause it’s more than you can chew

You can try to be an ant, or you can try to be a grasshopper 
But maybe it’s better to be somewhere in between

Food clothing and shelter
Once those needs are satisfied
Some people just like to kick back and enjoy the ride

Some people don’t know when to stop
They just want more and more

Sometimes you just gotta keep on slogging through the mud
And think happy thoughts as you try to ignore the crud
Hold your breath and try your best not to notice the bad smell
Pretend that you’re in heaven when it feels like you’re in hell

If every day you wake up and you rinse and you repeat
And you play the same old song with the same old tired beat
It’s time to shake things up
It’s time to stir the pot
It’s time to dust off your dreams and give it your best shot

You gotta stir the pot, you gotta stir the pot, sometimes you gotta stir the pot.

Stir The Pot

℗ © Copyright 2024 Ian Stokes. All Rights Reserved
Recorded, mixed and mastered in Logic.
Guitar played: Taylor 714CE in standard tuning (capo 3rd fret)
Photography:
Thanks go to Nigel and Libby Hume at Hume Photography.
SONG NOTES AND LYRICS:
Let the rain come down 
Take this river to the sea
Let the rain come down
Take this river to the sea
Way out here
Just the rain and the river and me

Let the rain come down 
The things this old river has seen 
Let the rain come down 
The things this old river has seen
Way out here
It’s just the rain and the river me

From the top of this hill 
How this river flows
Doing what a river does 
What a river knows 
Let the rain come down 
Take the river where the river goes 

Let the rain come down 
What will be will be 
Let the rain come down 
What will be will be 
Way out here
Just the rain and the river and me

The Rain and The River and Me

This is one about the election. The first line, I heard a lot on the news and talk shows right after the outcome, reassuring worried people that our country will make it through. I am not convinced we will, either way, it’s going to be a totally different America after these 4 years.

This song seemed a little over the top, so I went ahead and put in a gospel choir and a searing guitar lead just to make sure lol.

Sorry I haven't been on SC very much lately, I'm learning a new software app for my paying job and it is not making life easier, like I thought it would. I will be back soon!

And please pardon the vocals

I believe we’ll be okay
We’ll win this fight another day
Still, I would do it all again, because right is on our side,
And the truth can turn the tide
 
When kindness wins over greed
 It’s true that love is all you need
But If fear rules your life, your humanity will leave you
And then it’s hard to see the light
   
It seems to me // we’re all in this together
Money never will define a person's worth
And I realize, that nothing lasts forever
But we were meant to be good stewards of the Earth

I believe in you
And I hope that you believe in me, too
You  see, love has not died
It is lost somewhere inside
Our  spark will  bring it new life
So don’t give up, neither will I
Be who you        are and never hide 
If we raise our voices to the sky 
Love will not die!

We'll Be Okay

“What makes a song is the singer, while what makes a singer is their dedication to music and their inner feelings.”   Dimash Qudaibergen

I have enjoyed music for as long as I can remember and cannot remember a day of not either singing or listening to music. I am self-taught when it comes to playing guitar but what I most enjoy is singing which I have been doing since around age 18. Now retired singing and playing the guitar is now just a hobby and something I do to help pass the time. Have always  loved the sound of a Martin guitar. Currently been playing a Road Series DR S2 for about 6 years. Thanks for listening. I also enjoy discovering the sounds of other talented musicians and singers here on SoundCloud.