Words & Music by M. Williams - All Rights Reserved

Performed, arranged and produced by M. Williams.

Looking For Paradise was originally written and recorded as a demo in 1982. This version, released in August 2024, is a remake of the original song.

Official website: www.LaborOfLoveMusic.com
Email Mike: leavingdystopia@aol.com

Looking For Paradise

Thank You

**[Spoken Intro]**
“My dad served on the USS Manila Bay—a small aircraft carrier in the Pacific during World War II.
He never talked much about it…
But every Fourth of July, I used to wonder what he was remembering.”

[Verse 1]
They say it all began July the Fourth
But the vote was cast two days before
Still, we mark the date with cheers and pride
And light the sky to feel alive

[Verse 2]
Dad laid out the blanket on the high school lawn
Eisenhower Field where the sky came alive at dawn
Mom stayed home—I think the booms were too loud
But Dad sat still, quiet in the crowd

[Verse 3]
I didn’t know it then, but I wonder now—
Did those fireworks shake him somehow?
Took him back to the carrier he served that day
When a Kamikaze struck the Manila Bay

[Chorus]
It’s more than fireworks and marching bands
It’s the silence held in a working man’s hands
Not just a page or a painted sky—
It’s the stories behind every sigh
The fight for freedom never ends
It only passes to new hands

[Verse 4]
We ran barefoot while the sparklers burned
Laughing loud, too young to learn
That freedom’s price was paid in full
By names in stone, and dreams stood still

[Bridge]
They wrote “all men”—but not quite all
Some were left outside the call
Still, we gather, year by year
Trying to make that promise clear

[Chorus]
It’s more than fireworks and marching bands
It’s the silence held in a working man’s hands
Not just a page or a painted sky—
It’s the stories behind every sigh
The fight for freedom never ends
It only passes to new hands

So raise your flag, and stand up proud
But sing the truth, and sing it loud
It’s more than fireworks, beer, and cheer—
It’s the promise we still build each year
And if we dare to tell it right—
Then freedom still can shine its light

[Chorus]
It’s more than fireworks and marching bands
It’s the silence held in a working man’s hands
Not just a page or a painted sky—
It’s the stories behind every sigh
The fight for freedom never ends
It only passes to new hands

More Than Fireworks

This song is about my father—a humble, hardworking man who believed in honesty, family, and doing things with your own two hands. He could fix anything and never backed down from a tough job.

When I was young, he planted a sapling in our backyard. Years later, that tree grew too wide, its roots stretching into the neighbors’ yards, so he cut it down himself—just like he handled everything else in life. But what he did next says everything about who he was… he saved the wood from that tree and used it to build nativity stables for our family, carving them by hand with patience and care. We still set those stables out every Christmas.

That’s the kind of man he was—turning every challenge into something meaningful, always leaving behind more than he took.
I’m proud of this song, and even prouder of the man it’s about.

Dad was an electrician by trade
But could fix just about anything
Never took his car to no mechanic
Washer, dryer, roof he could handle it
He planted a sapling when I was small
Years later, it grew too wide and tall
The roots stretched out to the neighbors' side
So he cut it down said That's just life

Built little wooden stables with patient hands
Nativity scenes that still proudly stand
Every December, we set them out
Little wooden stables he was proud about

He was strict, but always fair
Forgiving, with a steady stare
That quiet humor, dry and true
Long, lean hands always knew what to do

Those hands built more than fences and walls
They carried this family through it all
Every scar, every line, every worn-down place
They were the reason I always felt safe
I see him now in the things I've done
I was shaped by the hands of my father's love

Dad always said, Be the ant, son don't live like the grasshopper
Tomorrow never comes, so don't count on later
He wasn't after more, just worked with pride
Always honest and humble, with nothing to hide

I see those same roads under my shoes
Still trying to live by the way he'd choose

Those hands built more than fences and walls
They carried this family through it all
Every scar, every line, every worn-down place
They were the reason I always felt safe
I see him now in the things I've done
I was shaped by the hands of my father's love

I sat by his side through those quiet nights
He still cracked his jokes, still held on tight
He'd say, Go home, son, be with your own
Didn't want me there when he left alone

That call came from Sis just hours after I left
He wanted to be alone when he took his last breath

Those hands built more than fences and walls
They carried this family through it all
Every scar, every line, every worn-down place
They were the reason I always felt safe
I see him now in the things I've done
In honest work and the man I've become
I was shaped by the hands of my father's love

Yeah
I was shaped by his honest hands

The Hands of My Fathers Love

We only have one world and we must take care of it.

No Way Out

Some dreams are more than dreams.
Not long after my mother passed, I found myself in a deep sleep—restless, afraid. I called out for her, not once, but over and over. Then suddenly, I felt her arms around me. It was real. The comfort, the warmth, the scent of lilacs in the air—everything told me she had come.

This song is my way of holding onto that moment. It’s not a love song in the usual sense. It’s a song about a mother’s love that crosses time, space, and even death to protect her child.

I may have been asleep… but I know what I felt.
She came to me.

[Verse 1]
As I lay in a sound slumber
Heart starts to race, feeling like thunder
I called out in the night, not only once but thrice
Her name on my breath carried through the skies

[Pre-Chorus]
Lost in the shadows, tangled in the storm
I cried for my mother, for safety and warmth

[Chorus]
Then arms I knew wrapped 'round my soul
Like the love she used to show
She comforted me in ways I know
And in the air, a fragrance sweet
Lilacs blooming in my sleep
I felt her near, no words to say
Just a mother’s love to guide my way

[Verse 2]
I don’t know if it was dream or grace
But peace wrapped around me and eased the fear
Her touch was comfort, her presence clear
Washing away every trace of fear

[Chorus]
Then arms I knew wrapped 'round my soul
Like the love she used to show
She comforted me in ways I know
And in the air, a fragrance sweet
Lilacs blooming in my sleep
I felt her near, no words to say
Just a mother’s love to guide my way

[Outro]
I don’t know why I called for her that night
But I remember the fear
And I remember her arms, so comforting, so warm
There wasn’t a doubt in my mind it was her
Some may think it was just a dream
But I know what I felt
She came to me

[Final Chorus]
Then arms I knew wrapped 'round my soul,
Like the love she used to show
She comforted me in ways I know
And in the air, a fragrance sweet
Lilacs blooming in my sleep
I felt her near, no words to say
Just a mother’s love to guide my way

A Mothers Love From Heaven

Some transformations don’t happen all at once.
They come in stages.
a stillness…
a hunger…
a silence deeper than sleep…
and then, a rising you never quite expected.

This song is a parable.
Of surrender. Of waiting. Of what comes after the unraveling.

It’s not about what you see.
it’s about what was always inside.
becoming

[Verse 1]
I came to rest where no one saw
Upon a thread of nature’s law
Cradled quiet in the hush of green
A secret held in what might be

[Verse 2]
I moved through days on borrowed time
Drawn by a hunger I couldn’t define
Each breath was brief, each step unsure
Yet something deeper called for more

[Verse 3]
I wove a tomb of silk and thought
A place where all I’d been was not
Inside the dark, the self unspun
A letting go of flesh and sun

[Verse 4]
Then came the still… then came the fire
A pulse, a song, a rising choir
I broke the shell, not with my hands
But with the truth I came to stand

[Chorus ]
I was not made to crawl or cling
But born to rise on painted wing
Not every death is what it seems
Some are the start
of sacred dreams

[Outro]
You ask what I was meant to be
I was the whisper in the tree
The hush between the breath and sky
The quiet thing
That learned to fly

[Chorus]
I was not made to crawl or cling
But born to rise on painted wing
Not every death is what it seems
Some are the start
of sacred dreams

The Becoming

[Verse 1]
I came out swinging with a dream and debt
They sold me hope I ain't cashed in yet
Four years gone and the bills still climb
Rent eats my pay, can't get back my time
They said, Work hard, you’ll do just fine
But the ladder’s broke, and no one throws a line

[Verse 2]
She gave her life to raise three kids
Now they say her house don’t let her live
“Sell the car, the ring, the plan
Only then will we lend a hand
She’s just a file in a budgeted ward
Drugged and out of the way ignored

[Chorus]
No way to begin, no dignity to end
We climb all our lives, just to fall in the end
We pay in youth, then we pay again in pain
And they call it freedom but it feels like chains
No way to begin, no dignity to end
Lord, is this really what we defend

[Verse 3]
They said a degree was a key to the gate
But I’m stuck with roommates and interest rates
I scroll through jobs like I scroll through pain
Tryna stay sane in a world built on greed

[Verse 4]
She bought that house in '59
Now it’s gone just to buy her time
They don’t tie wrists, but they dull the soul
A cocktail cure in a cornered role
No staff to talk, no hand to hold
Just the hum of lights and the air turned cold

[Chorus]
No way to begin, no dignity to end
From cradle to cage, we just pretend
We fight for scraps, smile through the ache
Build the dream, then watch it break
No way to begin, no dignity to end
We’re failing the ones who need us the most
Ignoring the young, abandoning the old

[Bridge]
We were raised to save, to build, to plan
To chase that dream with calloused hands
But while we mapped out brighter days
The edge of the world was stripped away
We need to lift the young who climb
And help the old stand one more time
A future built for just a few
Ain’t the kind we should hold true

[Final Verse]
Let’s teach the young to stand and strive
Give them tools, not just survive
And when our elders start to fade
Let care and comfort lead the way
A future’s not just paved with plans
It’s built by hearts and helping hands
If we don’t act before it’s gone
What will we have to build upon

[Chorus]
No way to begin, no dignity to end
We climb all our lives, just to fall in the end
We pay in youth, then we pay again in pain
And they call it freedom but it feels like chains
No way to begin, no dignity to end
Lord, is this really what we defend




No Way to Begin, No Dignity to End

Lyrics 

I used to ride in leather seats
Champagne nights, penthouse suites
Counting cash like it was air
Now I’m gasping down despair


Gold rings turned to rusty chain
My name's a joke, my pride’s in pain
Had the crown, now I eat the dust
Betrayed by greed, betrayed by trust


You rise, you fall, you burn, you learn
The wheel turns fast and now it’s my turn


Back in the dirt, down on my knees
No more favors, no guarantees
Back in the dirt, I lost it all
But I won’t beg, I’ll crawl, I’ll brawl


Flashy cars turned into flame
I lost the house, I lost the game
But I got fists, I got these boots
And I ain’t afraid to face my roots



They laughed when I fell, kicked when I bled
But I ain't dead — I'm digging instead
Bury my past, I’m planting rage
Watch me rise, storm from the cage


Back in the dirt, down on my knees
No more lies, no luxury
Back in the dirt, I lost it all
But I won't beg — I’ll stand, I’ll brawl


“Back in the dirt… back in the fight… back for blood…”

Back in the Dirt - REMASTERED - HD

Not all strength roars.
Some of it drifts, clings, and carries life in silence.

This song is about a creature often overlooked gentle, armored, and misunderstood.
A symbol of reversed roles, quiet power, and the cost of being different in a world that only praises what it recognizes.

The Seahorse doesn’t chase storms.
He survives them.

If you've ever been mislabeled, unseen, or judged for your softness
this one’s for you.


He moves like a whisper
A spine in the tide
He clings to the stem
While the world spins away

No need to chase storms
He rides the sway
Drifting in armor
Built to hide, not slay

[guitar solo]

He’s not what you think
Carries creation
Bears the weight in silence
You called him weak
But he was made for the waves

A ghost in plain view
No threat by design
No roar, no crown
Yet he changed the known

[guitar riff]

He bore the unborn in his armored shell
But no one looked close enough to tell
He carried the burden they refused to claim
And they mocked him for the shame

He’s not what you think
Carries creation
Bears the weight in silence
You called him weak
But he was made for the waves

He’s not what you fear
Not easy to frame
He carried the weight
Your son, your father… your shame
You called him weak
But he was free

[epic guitar solo]

You called him weak
But he was made for the waves

The Seahorse

Two daughters, two days apart, September 11th and September 13th.
One was planned for the 13th, but fate brought her on the 11th instead.

Different in spirit, yet equal in heart:

Erica wears her heart on her sleeve, a kind mother and gentle fighter for justice.

Melissa speaks her truth boldly, a Marine with faith, humor, and strength.

From both of us Mom and Dad this song is our way of celebrating you together.
We call it Eleventhirteenth because it’s more than a pair of birthdays… it’s a family story, a shared love, and a bond that makes us proud every single year.

[Verse 1 – Erica]
Born on the eleventh, though the thirteenth was the plan,
Life had other ideas, and here you began.
You wear your heart wide open, justice in your hand,
A mother, a leader with kindness you stand.

[Verse 2 – Melissa]
Two days later, on the thirteenth, another story rings,
A Marine with a laugh that can cut through anything.
Street-smart and faithful, you always say it true,
Vet tech with a big heart, the world’s lucky in you.

[Chorus – From Mom & Dad]
Eleventhirteenth, our September song,
Two birthdays, two blessings, where love belongs.
Different as daylight, as moonlight at night,
But both of you daughters make our world shine bright.

[Bridge]
Funny how the dates got shuffled around,
Didn’t want to share, so we moved it down.
Now the world remembers the eleventh with pain,
But for us it’s your birthday joy still remains.

[Final Chorus – From Mom & Dad]
Eleventhirteenth, our September cheer,
We celebrate you both, year after year.
One gentle, one fearless, each strong in your way,
You’re our Eleventhirteenth, every year, every day.

[Outro]
 Happy birthday, girls… we love you both.
Always proud, always here.
Eleventhirteenth… two days, one love.



Eleventhirteenth

Mark & Wendy Cunico:  marcodaddio Creations

Songwriters blending Blues, Rock, Soul, Folk, Gospel, Country & Pop.   Telling real stories through AI-powered music.

Eleventhirteenth

marcodaddio (Mark Cunico)

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