Written for songwriting contest, w/theme the Santa Fe River in n. Florida. Translations..."Timucuan": native people in n FL at time of Spanish Conquest.  "Cracker Cowboys": colloquial name for cattlemen who herded wild cattle north during the Civil War.  "O'leno town": ghost town on the Santa Fe, a swinging bridge built in the 1930's is still there.  

Roll On, River   c. 2023 by Mike Manetz

V. 1
The river was Timucuan,
Before the comin' of the white-man's gun.
'Neath the giant cypress trees,
They fished the river wild and free.
Spanish priests came one day,
Taught the natives how to pray,
Named the river Santa Fe,
River watched them fade away.

Chorus
Roll on, river,
On and on forever,
She'll be rollin' on when we're all passed and gone.
Through centuries of hopes and dreams,
Conquistadors, fools and thieves,
Roll on, river,
Roll on,
River, roll on...

V2
Cracker cowboys took control,
After driving out the Seminole.
Their cattle on the muddy banks,
Would feed the hungry rebel ranks.
Black man runnin' to be free, 
Down the Santa Fe on to the sea.
Midnight paddle down to where,
A Yankee gunboat's waitin' there.

Chorus

V 3  
Lovers at O'Leno town,
On a swingin' bridge they're lookin' down,
River rushes there below,
Like a thousand years ago.
Their kids will play computer games,
They'll forget the history and the names,
But the river holds the memories,
Of all she touches, all she sees...

Chorus




Their kids will play computer games,
They'll forget the history and the names,
Of all of those who came before,
Guess it doesn't matter anymore...

Centuries of hopes and dreams,
Conquistadors, fools and thieves,
All they left is all but washed away,
Their kids will play computer games,
And forget the history and the names,
of all of those who came before,
They don't care much for that anymore...

Roll On, River

Just me and my ukulele: Another new song demoed with an acoustic ukulele. I don't usually include lyrics in the description but I seem to have sung this without making many of the words really clear, so just this once I have included the lyrics here.

IF I ONLY HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE AGAIN 
(Oct 2023)


Shattered Dreams
Broken promises
Map the highways 
Of my life
A broken heart
Long lost dreams 
The price I pay
For blinkered eyes

In my youth
I saw the world
A gilded path
And all that implies
But with age,
Experience
Shows the truth
Youth ever denies

If I had my life again would I make the same mistakes
If I had a second chance would I be smart
Would I come to realise
Would I see thru all those lies'
If I only had my life to live again

I believed 
What I was told
Had no doubts
Your love would last
But in time
Your love would die
Then my dreams
And hopes were trashed

If I had my life again would I make the same mistakes
If I had a second chance would I be smart
Would I come to realise
Would I see thru all those lies'
If I only had my life to live again


Main chord sequence: Am  Dm  G   C  F  E7
Chorus F  G  C  Am

If I Only Had My Life To Live Again

Greg Hurley: Composition / Arrangement, Lyrics, Vocals, Slide guitar, Guitar, Keys, Bass and Drum programming, mix and mastering.
If you have the time.... Please repost!

**"Gold Boulevard"**

In the city of razor tongues and neon lights,
Where laughter hides the poison and the fights,
There walks a man with wry smile upon his face,
In a sardonic friendship, no one can trace.

Sardonic friendship, a dance of deceit,
A two-step of laughter, but hearts incomplete,
Fools Gold Boulevard, where the jesters reign,
In a world of illusions, we forever remain.

Beneath the facade of witty banter and charm
Lies a twisted allegiance, doing no harm
But the cynics and jokers, they understand
The allure of Fools Gold Boulevard's hand in hand.

Sardonic friendship, a dance of deceit
A two-step of laughter, but hearts incomplete
Fools Gold Boulevard, where the jesters reign
In a world of illusions, we forever remain

Solo

Beneath the surface, beneath the veils
Lies the truth we dare not to unveil
The bond of humor, the bond of pain
In Fools Gold Boulevard, we remain

So raise a toast to the friends we pretend
In the shadows of laughter, in the echoes of the end
Fools Gold Boulevard, a timeless masquerade
In this sardonic friendship, our secrets are laid

Gold Boulevard

peter manto's Album

Velvet Screen

🚶🏼La vie est une succession de voyages,🗺️ et parfois l'amour manque en chemin💔. Il faut alors puiser au plus profond de soi🤍, pour rester au milieu des autres...🏡 C'est ce que raconte ce titre... Une belle écoute...🎶
🚶🏼Life is a succession of journeys,🗺️ and sometimes love is lacking along the way💔. So you have to dig deep within yourself🤍, to stay in the midst of others...🏡 That's what this title tells us... Enjoy🎶

Le 2e Voyage (Show Me The Love Feat Nick)

Altair IV

The thoughts of you cascade through my mind
A defined time lined by the much-maligned
A mis aligned bind of defiant minds
Energy flows within and slows the sin

Too many notions cringe my body at the mention
My eyes see through my eyes see you
Too many notions cringe my body at the mention
My I see through my eyes see you

I tried to live a life of normality
To be a sheep within the herd
But I’m cursed with a mind that will not crumble
A mind that will not bow to you

Craving the making of my own path
Craving the making of my own path
Craving the making of my own path
Craving the making of my own path

There are no good no bads
There are no must dos and need to haves
Existing stops within the breath of time
Still is your heart but your mind contemplates
Bewildered, you stand facing the window
Outside the sun shines 
Inside your black and full of hate
Be free with a single thought of happiness
Be chained in the depths of hell for your sins
For your sins
For your sins
For all, for all your sins

Caged

'perhaps, the best...'

Baby, unfortunately you have gave me
no choice but to leave you,
'cause you're crazy.
Indeed, at once it was 'maybe.'
But, now it is definitely 'no.'
Although I am sad to see you go.
And wish you all the best.
I still love you.
And always will for what you've been to me.
Eternally. 

I pushed you through your spare room window
and never left.
You made me poutine, burned your arm and had sex. Perhaps the best...

perhaps, the best

Misk - Howl (Dark Experimental)

method: it‘s complicated. it is, really. in as many ways as this one came about.
narration: my poem Proxima*  served as illustration for the sensory overload some people experience during a normal reading. there is no point in replicating the poem here since it has become part of an overwhelming sensory phenomenon. 
image and everything else: copyright jo richter

* published in the cycle Das Buch der Anmutung in Die Odradek Variationen

proxima interior

"Robot Dance" composed by LINIR OR

I write simple songs, mostly in a country/folk vein. All recordings posted here were done at home with minimal production on my little Tascam Pocket Studio. No great commercial intent here, just a love for the writing process and the hope that one day I will pen one really good one.  Thanks for taking the time to listen!

Roll On, River

Lefty Mike