"The song "Morning Glory", about a hobo who approaches the home of an individual and spurns the patronizing attitude of the homeowner, was inspired by Buckley's early childhood. He lived in a small southern California community that was adjacent to a hobo camp.
Buckley is the father of the popular '90s performer, Jeff Buckley. Both father and son died tragically: Tim from a drug overdose and Jeff from drowning.
Tim left Jeff's mother before he was born, and he died when Jeff was eight. Father and son never got to know one another and Jeff held some resentment towards his father over the abandonment'. 
                Songfacts

Morning Glory-Tim Buckley (Cover)

"Fogelberg's 1985 song "Sutter's Mill" tells the story of John Sutter, who was involved in the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill led to the California Gold Rush of 1849, which changed the course of California's and the nation's history."

Sutter's Mill - Dan Fogelberg  (Cover)

"Song to the Siren" is a song written by Tim Buckley and Larry Beckett, first released by Buckley on his 1970 album Starsailor.
"Song to the Siren" by Tim Buckley is a haunting ballad about the dangers of giving oneself to a love that offers nothing in return. The song's lyrics are a metaphor for the Greek myth of sirens who lured sailors to their deaths with their singing. The song's images include: The sea, loneliness, yearning, doomed romance, and death by drowning".                Wikipedia

Song to the Siren - Tim Buckley  (Cover)

A new composition......

Lyrics 

In the shadow of the night the silence screams,
Our sorrows are weaved into our dreams
Anger like wildfire burns from within
But in this storm, we stand and resist

The world can feel so heavy, like a weight on our chest,
But together, like a chorus we sing through the mess.
A river of emotions, flowing wild and deep,
Yet in the tide of sorrow, it’s our promise we keep.

We are never alone when we are together,
Through grief and the pain, we are tethered
What once pulled us under, now fuels our fight,
With every tear that falls, we rise to new heights.

So let the rage be our canvas, painted bold and bright,
Transforming all the anguish into sparks that ignite.
Turn this pain into action, with hearts open wide,
In the hands of resilience, we’ll never have to hide.  

As we walk through the fire, our spirits intertwine,
Hand in hand, we’ll navigate in one direction.
For every storm that passes, there’s a promise to affirm,
Our strength grows ever stronger, as our hearts begin to burn.

Music and Lyrics by Len Bennati FM Folk 2024
Mastering and Production by Tom Hanson

We Are Never Alone When We Are Together (Remaster)

"Across the Universe" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney.
One night in 1967, the phrase "words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup" came to Lennon after listening to the voice of his then-wife Cynthia
I was lying next to my first wife in bed, you know, and I was irritated, and I was thinking. She must have been going on and on about something and she'd gone to sleep and I kept hearing these words over and over, flowing like an endless stream. I went downstairs and it turned into a sort of cosmic song rather than an irritated song, rather than a "Why are you always mouthing off at me? [The words] were purely inspirational and were given to me as boom! I don't own it you know; it came through like that." 
In his 1970 interview with Rolling Stone, Lennon referred to the song as perhaps the best, most poetic lyric he ever wrote: "It's one of the best lyrics I've written. In fact, it could be the best. It's good poetry, or whatever you call it, without chewin' it. See, the ones I like are the ones that stand as words, without melody. They don't have to have any melody, like a poem, you can read them."           Wikipedia

Across the Universe - The Beatles (Cover)

"Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" is a song written by the English folk-rock singer and songwriter Sandy Denny.
The song is a reflection in three verses on observed events ("Across the evening sky all the birds are leaving"). Denny writes that she does not count time ("Before the winter's fire, I will still be dreamin'; I have no thought of time" and in the last line of the short chorus asks rhetorically, "Who knows where the time goes?". The last verse includes the lines "I am not alone while my love is near me, I know it will be so until it's time to go.”         Wikipedia

Who Knows Where the Time Goes - Fairport Convention

Neil's beloved Pontiac hearse, "Mort" (a.k.a. "Mortimer Hearseburg"), was the inspiration for this song. Neil drove "Mort" from Toronto to Los Angeles, where he met Stephen Stills and formed Buffalo Springfield.

Neil was in Canada driving to Sudbury when 'Mort' broke down in Blind River, June 1965. (Which is contradictory to the lyrics; "well it was back in Blind River, in 1962, when I last saw you alive").    Songfacts

Long May You Run - Neil Young (Cover)

"You Can't Always Get What You Want" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones from their 1969 album Let It Bleed. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it was named as the 100th greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in its 2004 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" before dropping a place the following year.
The three verses (and the varied theme of the fourth verse) address major topics of the 1960s: love, politics, and drugs. Each verse captures the essence of the initial optimism and eventual disillusion, followed by the resigned pragmatism of the chorus.

Unterberger elaborated:

Much has been made of the lyrics reflecting the end of the overlong party that was the 1960s, as a snapshot of Swinging London burning out. That's a valid interpretation, but it should also be pointed out that there's also an uplifting and reassuring quality to the melody and performance. This is particularly true of the key lyrical hook, when we are reminded that we can't always get what we want, but we'll get what we need.

Jimmy Hutmaker of Excelsior, Minnesota, claimed to be the "Mr. Jimmy" cited in the song and that he said the phrase "you can't always get what you want" to Jagger during a chance encounter at an Excelsior drug store in 1964. However, David Dalton, a writer for Rolling Stone who witnessed the filming of The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, claims in his commentary for the DVD of the concert that "Mr. Jimmy" refers to Miller, the Stones producer from 1968 to 1973.

Marianne Faithfull has also claimed a role: "Obviously I also contributed to 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' and 'Dear Doctor' – junk songs ... I know they used me as a muse for those tough drug songs. I knew I was being used but it was for a worthy cause."

Release and aftermath
The song was originally released on the B-side of "Honky Tonk Women" in July 1969. Although it did not chart at the time, London Records re-serviced the single in 1973 and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" reached number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 34 on the Cashbox Top 100 Singles chart. One of the Stones' most popular recordings, it has since appeared on the compilations Hot Rocks, Singles Collection (single version), Forty Licks, Rolled Gold+: The Very Best of the Rolling Stones (2007 edition), Singles 1968-1971 (single version), Slow Rollers (single version) and GRRR! (single version).

Live recordings appear on the albums Love You Live, Flashpoint, Live Licks, Brussels Affair, Hyde Park Live, and Havana Moon, as well as on The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, filmed in 1968. Stones concert films that contain the song include: Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones, From the Vault – L.A Forum - Live in 1975, Let's Spend the Night Together, Stones at the Max, Bridges to Babylon Tour '97–98, Four Flicks, The Biggest Bang, Sweet Summer Sun: Hyde Park Live, and Havana Moon.

The song was performed live with members of Voce Chamber Choir and London Youth Choir for the Stones' 2012 shows in London, November 25 and November 29. The same choir also performed on the track at Glastonbury and two performances at Hyde Park in 2013."        Wikipedia

You Can't Always Get What You Want - The Rolling Stones (Cover)

"Patterns" is a song written by Paul Simon and included on his 1965 album The Paul Simon Songbook, and later recorded by Simon and Garfunkel on their third album, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. The lyrics are about how life is a labyrinthine maze, following patterns which are, because we are trapped in them, difficult to unravel or control."                 Wikipedia

Patterns - Simon & Garfunkel (Cover)

I became familiar with this tune form Joni on her live LP called "Miles for Isles" which I used to play many times over many years ago. Wonderful sing along tune. This version is a bit slowed down and sung in a lower key to adjust to my aging tenor voice.....
"The Circle Game" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell composed in 1966. One of her most-covered songs, it was originally recorded by Ian & Sylvia and Buffy Sainte-Marie in 1967, and by Tom Rush for his 1968 album of the same name. Mitchell recorded it for her 1970 album Ladies of the Canyon; it also appears on her 1974 live album Miles of Aisles.
The song shares a title with an award-winning collection of poetry from 1964 by fellow Canadian Margaret Atwood.[1] But Mitchell has said that "The Circle Game" was written as a response to the song "Sugar Mountain" by Neil Young, whom she had befriended on the Canadian folk-music circuit in the mid-1960s. Young wrote "Sugar Mountain" in 1964 on his 19th birthday, lamenting the end of his teenage years: "You can't be 20 on Sugar Mountain". "The Circle Game" offers a more hopeful conclusion: "So the years spin by and now the boy is twenty / Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true / There'll be new dreams, maybe better dreams and plenty / Before the last revolving year is through."                Wikipedia

Circle Game - Joni Mitchell (Cover)

"Mad World" is a 1982 song by British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was the band's third single release and first chart hit, reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart in November 1982. Both "Mad World" and its B-side, "Ideas as Opiates", appeared on the band's debut LP The Hurting (1983). This single was also the band's first international success, reaching the Top 40 in several countries in 1982–83. In the UK it was the 12th best-selling single of 1982.
"Mad World" was originally written on acoustic guitar when Orzabal was 19 after being inspired to write a new wave song in the vein of Duran Duran's "Girls on Film". After a few false starts with Orzabal on vocals, he suggested Smith sing it and "suddenly it sounded fabulous".              Wikipedia

Mad World - Tears for Fears  (Cover)

This song was inspired by a singer/songwriter I follow on Instagram Threads . Her name is Sara Syms. She posted this today "I am holding space for everyone not ok" which led to the creation of this new composition . She is very good. Check out her music  https://open.spotify.com/artist/59zNVUIdLrT7Wl0Zyc8CZj?si=GsHlBa8yTuKyi9b5uF012A
https://youtu.be/SDxzfqF7PSo?si=V5SiFcqaNQIA5DaQ

Lyrics:

I’m carving out a corner
Where whispers find the sunlight
I’m learning how to breathe in
It’s a little less hard each day


A fragile kind of strength
These days are like a canvas
The world outside is restless
With every breath, I become a bit calmer 


I’m holding space as long as I can
Like the steady, gentle tide
In the silence and the noise
I will hold this space


The storms may come and go
In the quiet of the evening
My compass lighting paths 
I’ll be the voice of reason in my heart.

Through the trials 
I’m finding peace
With every breath 
I am holding space.

Music and Lyrics by Len Bennati FM Folk 2024
Mastering and Production by Tom Hanson

Holding Space (Remaster)

"This is a 7-minute anti nuclear war anthem. It was one of three social protest songs Dylan recorded on The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan; the others are "Blowin' In The Wind" and "Masters Of War." Dylan said that the rain was not literal fallout rain, but "some sort of end that's just gotta happen."
"A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" is based on an old folk ballad variously titled "Lord Randall" or "Lord Ronald," in which a mother repeatedly questions her son (beginning with "Where have you been?"), leading him to reveal he has been poisoned. The song ends when he falls dead to the ground.

American folk musicians adopted "Lord Randall" at some point in history. The song evolved into "Jimmy Randall." In In the Pine (Pikeville College Press, 1978), authors Leonard Roberts and Calvin Buell Agey report there being "about 100" known references to the song all over the United States.

Though no definitive line can be drawn, it seems likely that Dylan encountered an American variation of the song that he used as the basis for "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall." By this time, Dylan was deeply immersed in the study of American folk music.
Dylan once introduced this song by saying hard rain meant something big was about to happen."                 Songfacts

A Hard Rain's A- Gonna Fall - Bob Dylan (Cover)

"Down by the Water is a song on the American indie rock band The Decemberists' sixth album, The King is Dead. It was released as a single in 2010.
"Down By the Water" includes Peter Buck and singer-songwriter Gillian Welch, who contribute 12-string guitar and vocal harmonies, respectively.It also features accordion riffs and heavy harmonica reminiscent of Neil Young; particularly the song "Heart of Gold". "Down By the Water" has been compared to the music of Bruce Springsteen. It was featured for free download on November 2, 2010, on their official website. Meloy has said that The King Is Dead is more straightforward and heavily influenced by R.E.M., and "Down By the Water" is a prime example. Meloy himself has said that the song "started out as more of a paean to R.E.M. than I think any of us really wanted it to be".

Lyrically, "Down By the Water" is vaguely mournful. It has been described as "folksy", "uptempo", and "country-esque", and the chorus as "booming".      Wikipedia

Down by the Water - The Decembrists (Cover)

A new composition.....

Lyrics:

Tears of sadness are falling down
We are spinning round and round
Lost in forgotten dreams
Chasing shadows, chasing fears


The world is confused
Searching for answers 
Some wear fake smiles with a cynical view
 But the ghosts of despair linger everywhere

The laughter fades 
Where do we begin?
The weight of the silence we fear
Tears of sadness have become so clear


The sorrow is weaved into this song
The tapestry of sadness tries to belong 
The notes are breaking in shackles of pain
The chaos and confusion are dancing in the rain


In this whirlwind of madness
Sadness and heartache
 Are the eyes of this storm
The struggle together is where we belong

Music and Lyrics by Len Bennati FM Folk 2024
Tom Hanson Mastering and Production

Tears Of Sadness (Remaster)

Luka Bloom (born Kevin Barry Moore; 23 May 1955) is an Irish folk singer-songwriter. He is the younger brother of folk singer Christy Moore.

This is track from Luka's LP called "Before Sleep Comes".
'Be Still Now' is almost Zen-like in the message and word-pictures created by Bloom.

        "...I watched the heron watching me
        and thought I heard him say
        just be still now, wait a while
        and let life come to you
        just be still now, all your dreams
        are on the breezes passing through..."

Cindy Reich
Celtic Connection, Denver, Colorado
April 2004

Be Still Now - Luka Bloom (Cover)

A new composition............

Lyrics:  

In the quiet echoes of a fading dawn
Once we danced beneath the stars
The civilization that once was
Had its chance and soon will fall


The rivers run heavy with lies
A never-ending stream of deceit
Ugliness and greed with a sinister grin
Words of kindness are buried alive


Isn’t it a pity the smallness they hold
Their hearts and minds are so cold 
Lost in the darkness of their souls
The darkness of shadows is upon them


The streets are weeping with tears
Compassion forgotten in this modern-day hell
They search for redemption in the ashes of time
But the clock just keeps on ticking


They lament for the love that once was
In the reign of chaos, they feel lost
Isn’t it a pity that humans can be so cold
The kindness of souls turned bitter and old

Music and Lyrics by Len Bennati FM Folk 2024
Mastering and Production by Tom Hanson

Darkness of Shadows (Remaster)

A new composition.....

Lyrics:

Hello, it’s me, I’ve been waiting 
Caught in the unknown shadows of my mind
Help me to shake these hopeless thoughts
And find some solace in the fate of time


The days feel heavy, dark clouds overhead,
Tangled in silence, the dark forces beneath us 
We yell but no one seems to listen
Just lonely cries from the jail cells of our mind


Take my hand and break these chains
The heartache cries softly in the rain,
Together we will rise and resist
Our fate will never go unchallenged


With every sunrise we rise with faith
In the distance we are learning to cope, 
Under the surface our dreams lie dormant
Waiting for the dark days to become bright


And if the world falters, we hold the line,
Joining together until the stars align,
Taking steps closer to our fate
In the darkness we hope to see some light


Hello, it’s me, just a soul on the mend,
With you all by my side, we’ll find purpose
Help us unravel, help us to see
That love is the only thing that can truly set us free.

Music and Lyrics by Len Bennati FM Folk 2024
Mastering and Production by Tom Hanson

Take My Hand and Break These Chains (Remaster)

“You Want It Darker” is solemn and chilling from the moment the song starts, the sound of a choir and organ contrast against a grooving electric bass line, carrying the same gravitas as David Bowie’s posthumous release, Blackstar. Cohen delivers haunting lyrics in his raspy baritone, talking yet almost singing, singing yet almost talking, in his trademark performance style.
Though “You Want It Darker” is a somber tune, it effectively tackles an enormous moral and philosophic dilemma without being presumptuous, a feat that only a master such as Leonard Cohen could manage. "             Medium

You Want it Darker - Leonard Cohen (Cover)

A new composition......

Lyrics:

Once upon a time, in a land of dreams,
Where the rivers ran wild and the sunlight gleamed,
The voices rose high, like the stars in the night,
Crafting tales of freedom, chasing shadows with light.


From the mountains to the canyons and the valleys   
With dreams in our pockets and fire in our souls,
We tried to convince those who just wouldn’t listen
But the whispers of silence began to take hold.


The pages are turning, and the stories grow thin,
In the heart of the land, where the battles began,
We sang with glory, but forgot how to fight,
In the twilight of hope it just slipped out of sight.


The lullabies are fading, like ghosts on the breeze,
While the winds carry echoes of faded beliefs,
We look closely, in the ashes and the dust,
What just happened to love, hope, and trust.

                                                         
Once upon a time, the last verse was written
Let us remember what we all once had
The chapters are now closing, and truth has become fiction
Reality is now settled, and the end has come

Music and Lyrics by Len Bennati FM Folk 2024
Mastering and Production by Tom Hanson

The Last Verse (Remaster)

I became familiar with this deep track from Dave's "Certified Live" LP which I used to own on vinyl.  The studio version appears on his LP "Alone Together" track  #6.

Sad and Deep as You - Dave Mason (Cover)

A new composition about how I relate to the winter season and how it affects me. This is not a Holiday tune if that is what you are looking for. In general I am not a big fan of winter and I tend to hibernate like a bear until Spring returns.

Lyrics:

Clouds roll in like heavy thoughts,
Grey skies whisper secrets they never caught.
The winds from the north, they’re cutting like a knife,
Every breath I take feels like burning ice.


Branches shiver, bending to fate
Each step echoes softly, temptation to wait
The cold breeze of the season pulling me down
Wrapped in my blanket to keep me warm


And I know, oh I know
The world outside wears a blanket of white
As the streets become shadows, disconnecting the light
But in this chill, in the silence so still
I’m searching for solace and daring to feel


If I could paint the sky, I’d brush it with gold
Chase away the darkness and shadows so cold
But for now, I guess I’ll embrace the fray
Finding warmth in memories as I go on my way
                                                             
                                                          
So let the clouds roll in, let the world be grey
I’ll carry the light that the heart knows to sway
With each breath I take, I’ll let go of the chill
Embracing the silence, I’ll find strength in the still


Music and Lyrics by Len Bennati FM Folk 2024

Winter's Heart

"Petty’s song “Wildflowers” is a soothing, fan favorite from the late songwriter’s catalog. He first released the song in 1994 as the title and opening track on his second solo album, which was also his first solo album release with Warner Bros. Records. Outside of that, though, what other nuggets of wisdom are left to be plucked from Petty’s “Wildflowers”?       
The creative process for “Wildflowers” actually spooked the songwriter at first. The song had come out so easily that Petty had surprised even himself.

“I just took a deep breath and it came out,” he said in a 2014 interview. “The whole song. Stream of consciousness: words, music, chords. Finished it. I mean, I just played it into a tape recorder and I played the whole song and I never played it again. I actually only spent three and a half minutes on that whole song. So I’d come back for days playing that tape, thinking there must be something wrong here because this just came too easy. And then I realized that there’s probably nothing wrong at all.”

Image: Nishino Minase

Wildflowers - Tom Petty (Cover)

A new composition.......

Lyrics:

In the garden of dissonance
The truth wears a mask
With sirens of chaos
Dancing like puppets on strings


The towers of greed rise 
As the rich sip their wine
With a smile so deceitful
The truth is lost in the air.


What a pitiful world
A charade of confusion
Pawns on a chessboard an unending game
The dark show is ready to begin, and the hypocrite bends.


Fury and anger are raging
Is this all really serious?
The nightmare that haunts us
Feelings stuck in this circus, just trying to feel.


The fools and the kings try to rule the world
In the quiet of the storm, the truth is silent
Amidst all the madness we must resist
Before this land is forever broken

Music and Lyrics by Len Bennati FM Folk 2024
Mastering and Production by Tom Hanson

Dissonance (Remaster)

"Silent Night" (German: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht") is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011. The song was first recorded in 1905 and has remained a popular success, appearing in films and multiple successful recordings, as well as being quoted in other musical compositions. It is the world's most recorded Christmas song, with more than 137,000 known recordings.

"Stille Nacht" was first performed on Christmas Eve, 1818, at the Nikolauskirche, the parish church of Oberndorf, a village in the Austrian Empire on the Salzach river in present-day Austria. A young Catholic priest, Father Joseph Mohr, had come to Oberndorf the year before. In the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, he had written the poem "Stille Nacht" in 1816 at Mariapfarr, the hometown of his father in the Salzburg Lungau region, where Joseph had worked as an assistant priest.

The melody was composed by Franz Xaver Gruber, schoolmaster and organist in the nearby village of Arnsdorf [de], now part of Lamprechtshausen. On Christmas Eve, 1818, Mohr brought the words to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for that night's mass, after river flooding had possibly damaged the church organ.The church was eventually destroyed by repeated flooding and replaced with the Silent-Night-Chapel. It is unknown what inspired Mohr to write the lyrics, or what prompted him to create a new carol".        Wikipedia

Image: Hakan Erenler

Silent Night

A new composition inspired by a friend on Threads who posted a sunrise photo in Arizona. I love the quiet and still of the morning and I always find a sunrise peaceful, calming and a renewal of spirit for the day.

Lyrics:

Woke up to the quiet of the dawn
A brush of gold where the shadows had drawn
Sunlight on the horizon, a brand-new day
Chasing away all the troubles that fade


Smiles spread like wildfire
Life’s sweet energy flowing in rhythm 
As the light dances through the air
A canvas of hope where darkness once fell


Oh, the sunrise, it’s gleaming bright in the sky
Warming my heart, like a sweet lullaby
Feel the glow, it’s a river of gold
Washing over my soul, making me whole



And I breathe it in, this moment we share
A calm in the chaos, and love fills the air
Right now, I’m happy, I’ve found my way
In this morning light, I’m alive today


Watch the morning light rise slowly, let it wrap you tight
In the arms of this sunrise, everything feels right
Oh, I am happy, I am at peace
At least for one day, let my worries cease

Music and Lyrics by Len Bennati FM Folk 2024

Morning Light

A new composition......

Lyrics:
In the midnight glow 
There’s a whisper of fear
The promises that were made
Are withering away


We’re painting in shadows
Caught in a spiral
No time to be passive
We are the spark that ignites


It’s a slow fade to the end
The leaders are in hiding
Fragile stands the heart 
Rise up or be silent forever


What are they so afraid of?
Just a flicker of truth 
Fear can’t be our compass
Let courage be the spark


We must gather our voices
For truth and for justice
In this fragile moment
We must never be afraid

Music and Lyrics by Len Bennati FM Folk 2024

It's a Slow Fade

A new composition....... 

Lyrics:

In the hush of twilight’s glow,
Where tranquility of silence lingers slow
Mystical seas calls out our name,
Waves of wonder dancing like flames.
Blues skies cradle dreams so bright,
Sunshine and warmth wrap me tight.

With every step on the path less taken,                                  
The shadows of doubts that are awakened,
On a journey unknown to us
What is the meaning behind the questions
Did we do enough with these moments we had
Will the seeds that have been planted ever find life

Oh, where are we going,
Along this winding road?
Where does the story end
What must we find
In these paths that we weave along the way
In the stillness of our souls lie many fragile hearts

Breathe in the silence, let the waves flow free,
With each crest and trough, it’s a part of us,
Time spins like a vinyl, circular, divine,
Leading us on this journey, with dreams intertwined.

So where are we going?
Who will ever know the reasons why
Let the soft wind blow gently in the breeze
On this journey wandering timeless and free,
In the tranquility of silence, there’s a piece of me.

Music and Lyrics by Len Bennati FM Folk 2024

The Unseen Journey

On his 1970 album Tea for the Tillerman, Cat Stevens managed to touch a nerve with the wider culture with a set of songs featuring lovely melodies and piercing lyrics. “Father and Son,” one of the standouts from that record, has stood the test of time as one of the best explorations of familial dynamics ever put on tape.
Tea for the Tillerman proved to be a breakthrough for Stevens in the United States. “Father and Son” was one of the highlights. To make the song sound like a dialogue, Stevens embodied the father by singing in a lower register in subdued fashion. He then took the part of the son by raising his voice an octave and singing with much more passion.
“Father and Son” wouldn’t work as well as it does if Stevens hadn’t allowed the father to make his case as sensibly as he does. The dad shows a sly sense of humor in his advice to the boy: You’re still young, that’s your fault / There’s so much you have to go through. He totally understands the tempestuousness of youth, because he’s been there: I was once like you are now and I know that it’s not easy.

The headstrong youth displays his own clarity in explaining himself. Only he has to get a third party to hear him out, suggesting the father has settled into an intractable stubbornness: Oh, how can I try to explain? / ‘Cause when I do he turns away again. He makes the point that there’s an inherent difference between his elders and himself that has nothing to do with age: If they were right I’d agree / But it’s them they know not me.
The son has the last word: Now there’s a way and I know that I have to go away. That Cat Stevens was willing to embody both sides of the story on “Father and Son” showed that he had advanced beyond the clichés about the older generation so prevalent in rock music at the time. That’s part of the reason why this song keeps speaking to listeners discovering its wonder and wisdom for the first time."                 American Songwriter

Father and Son- Yusuf/Cat Stevens (Cover)

"Ripple" is the sixth song on the Grateful Dead album American Beauty. It was released as the B-side to the single "Truckin"
Robert Hunter wrote the lyrics in 1970 in London on the same afternoon he wrote those to "Brokedown Palace" and "To Lay Me Down" (reputedly drinking half a bottle of retsina in the process). Jerry Garcia wrote the music to accompany Hunter's lyrics. and the song debuted August 18, 1970 at Fillmore West in San Francisco.

"Ripple" has a similar melody to the gospel hymn "Because He Lives," which was published a year later. Both songs are similar to "Any Dream Will Do" from the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which was first performed in 1968, and recorded in 1969."           Wikipedia

Ripple - Grateful Dead (Cover)

A new composition.......a bit of acoustic blues
Lyrics:

Before I was born, I was just a whisper
Floating through the ether, no pulse, no picture
After I die, I will fade like a dream
Caught in silence, or part of a stream

Born with a silver spoon, or a hand-me-down coat
Every thread of our story, a fragile little boat
We sail through the storms, in this ocean of time
Seeking the answers in verses and rhymes

So, in between, oh what must we do
The choice to be good or let darkness break on through
Are we lost in the shuffle, or dancing by chance
Is it fate that decides, or a scripted romance

Years rolled on, from zero to sixty-eight
Moments like sand, slipping through fate
We count every heartbeat, we measure each year
As the clock starts to tick down, who do we hold dear

In this tapestry woven of laughter and pain
Some say they seek purpose, while others just remain
In the fleeting existence, we search for the light
As we walk through the shadows, till the end of the night


So, in between, oh what must we do
The choice to be good or let darkness break on through
Are we lost in the shuffle, or dancing by chance
Is it fate that decides, or a scripted romance
Is it fate that decides, or a scripted romance

Music and Lyrics by Len Bennati FM Folk 2024

So In Between

This is my take on this classic Canned Heat tune......
"Going Up the Country" (also "Goin' Up the Country") is a song adapted and recorded by American blues rock band Canned Heat. Called a "rural hippie anthem", it became one of the band's biggest hits and best-known songs."            Wikipedia

Going Up the Country - Canned Heat (Cover)

My first song learned on the guitar many years ago........
"Dylan claimed he wrote this song in about 10 minutes one afternoon. He put words to the melody of an old slave song called "No More Auction Block," which he might have learned from Carter family records. In the evening, Dylan took the song to the nightclub Gerde's Folk City in Greenwich Village, where he was due to play a set. Before playing it, he announced, "This here ain't no protest song or anything like that, 'cause I don't write no protest songs." During this first performance, Dylan couldn't read some of his own handwriting and made up some of the lyrics as he went along".                    Songfacts

Blowing in the Wind - Bob Dylan (Cover)

"People Get Ready" is a 1965 single by the Impressions, and the title track from the People Get Ready album. The single is the group's best-known hit, reaching number three on the Billboard R&B chart and number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. The gospel-influenced track was a Curtis Mayfield composition that displayed the growing sense of social and political awareness in his writing.
Various artists have covered the song, including Bob Marley and the Wailers in 1965 and 1977, the Chambers Brothers in 1968, Bob Dylan in 1975, and Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck in 1985. Australian group Human Nature had a minor hit in Australia with their version in 1997."              Wikipedia

People Get Ready -The Impressions/ Curtis Mayfield (Cover)

Written and sung by George Harrison, "Something" seemed to be inspired by Harrison's wife, Pattie. When asked in 1969 by BBC presenter David Wigg if she inspired the song, Harrison dithered, saying, "Maybe Pattie, probably."

Later, he claimed he did not have anyone in mind when he wrote it. George was really into his studies of Krishna Consciousness when he wrote the song, and its original intent was as a devotion to Lord Krishna. In fact, the lyric was "something in the way HE moves," but George ended up changing it because he didn't want to be perceived as a "poof."

Harrison wrote this during a break while The Beatles were working on The White Album. It was not recorded in time for the album, so Harrison gave the song to Joe Cocker, but Cocker didn't release it until late in 1969 on his second album, Joe Cocker!, which came out about a month after The Beatles issued it on Abbey Road.
Harrison came up with the title and the first line after listening to a James Taylor song called "Something In The Way She Moves." Taylor was signed to Apple Records (The Beatles' label) at the time.

Harrison may or may not have known he was lifting the lyric, but Taylor certainly didn't mind. He told Guitar World in 2021: "I felt hugely flattered. I had played this song for George and Paul as my audition and I think it had just sort of stuck in his mind. But he didn't realize that. I think all music is reiteration. I think we just pick stuff up and use it again. I mean, there are just 12 notes."     Songfacts

Something-George Harrison (Cover)

“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.

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