FAWM Song #14 - I made it to the goal this month and I wouldn't have done it if I didn't decide to show up. So I wrote this song because I did!

Showing Up

From a nothing to a class act

White Flag

500 moons

human bondage

I’m fine

A folksy, summer heartbreak song.

So many promises
That you made
That I no longer hold you to
Cuz you're not the same

You're not my best friend anymore
You're a stranger that I knew before
And I'm caught between relief and melancholy

And sometimes I replay those nights
When I feel your absence in my life
Cuz all I have that's left of us is memory
Oooooohhhhh
We're just a memory
Oooooohhhhh
We're just a memory

Imagining a time
In the future
Where we speak again as old friends
Who never lost trust
So familiar

Then I remind myself what is true
You were lost to me and I'm lost to you
Oohh, what a shame, the bottle breaks
We fall apart in such silly ways

You're not my best friend anymore
You're a stranger that I knew before
And I'm caught between relief and melancholy

And sometimes I replay those nights
When I feel your absence in my life
Cuz all I have that's left of us is memory

Hugging myself, my God, I miss you now
I wonder when's the last you thought about me
Deep down I know it was for the best to go
That doesn't mean I don't miss you

You're not my best friend anymore
You're a stranger that I knew before
And I'm caught between relief and melancholy

Just A Memory MASTER.wav

You may or may not recognize this cover because the arrangement I chose generally fits my acoustic folk style and sound.........

"Linger" is a song by Irish alternative rock band the Cranberries from their debut studio album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? (1993). Written by band members Dolores O'Riordan and Noel Hogan, and produced by Stephen Street, "Linger" was first released as the second and final single from the album on 15 February 1993 by Island Records. It was later re-released on 31 January 1994.

"Linger", which has an acoustic arrangement featuring a string section, became the band's first major hit, peaking at number three in their native Ireland, number eight in the United States, and number 14 in the United Kingdom."                Wikipedia

Mastered Track: Distrokid Mixea
Image: Duygu

Linger-The Cranberries (Cover)

Here is a real stinker of a song 
I was trying to create a new song and was reading a bunch of very old lyrics from my 20s that were laying around in a drawer.   Some of these manifestos of youth, though earnest and ambitious, have not aged well over the years  ....like that piece of moldy cheddar at the back of the fridge... Leftovers, no longer suitable for public consumption..though one did leap from its hiding place and forced(inspired) me to write a song about it before it sent me down the river never to be seen again.....

simple melody , pretty rough pounding on the electric and keys with a drum track from my phone
Homer Simpson helps to illustrate the food metaphor for this  somewhat out of tune tune 
best i can do with what I got


Leftover Song

This song it smells like moldy cheese                      
With words of youth gone stale and left behind      
A little blue, a little rancid                                              
From the back of the fridge to the bright lights        

Curdled by the curse of indecision                            
Now, I take a sip and promptly spit and spill            Over-seasoned with the sweat of self-reflection   
Makes it kind of  hard to swallow, I’m hungry still                          
Perhaps my best before date                                       
Has been exceeded                                                       
What once was firm has now gone soft and sour    
This tune unchosen                                                        
Slowly decomposing                               
Reanimated by a higher power                                   
Leftover song of mine                                                
Resurrected now for you                                                                      
This song it has the feel of the familiar
Simple shapes and sounds sung in the major G
I tried to lose it, give it the slip, in the parking lot of my mind
But it jumped in my car, took me hostage and assumed my identity

Tied me up, took me down to the river
And sent me on my way
On a boat that sailed in circles 
With a piano that could not play
It’s a coup d’ etat, a Mardis Gras
Said the one that got away
A monster of my own creation

These nouns and verbs gone wild
A verse unseeded
Left in the sun to slowly bloom and flower
Starved of attention
No comprehension
Of what was locked inside my Ivory Tower
Leftover song of mine
Busting loose to sing to you





Leftover Song

Verse 1:
Struggling in the morning
Trying hard to find my keys
Everyday’s exhausting
The joys of ADHD

But who knows what day it even is

Chorus:
If you could read my mind
Would you say hello or would you run and hide
If you could feel my pain
Would you lift me up or watch me go insane

Verse 2:
Almost burnt the house down
Left the stove on once again
I just started texting
But I forgot to press send

But I can’t remember to which friend

Chorus:
If you could read my mind
Would you say hello or would you run and hide
If you could feel my pain
Would you lift me up or watch me go insane

Bridge:
There are days I lose my way
When I try to read the signs

Chorus:
If you could read my mind
Would you say hello or would you run and hide
If you could feel my pain
Would you lift me up or watch me go insane


If You Could Read My Mind (The Joys Of ADHD)

So every Friday my Mom sings and speaks at an assisted living facility and when I don't have a job, I go and hear her. It brings me so much joy. I'm so proud of her! She is such a blessing there. She has been an impact there, sharing the powerful word of God. She's such a gifted singer. Beautiful anointed voice! We have sang some songs together which has been some amazing memories indeed. I've shared some of my Christian songs as well. My Dad was there as well today and started recording from his phone when we were all singing Amazing Grace together. I was sitting next to him, singing lower, I wasn't aware it picked me and my Mom up together so well, she was so happy about it, and I was like I'm posting this on SoundCloud:) My Dad started recording on the 2nd verse, but we do go back and sing the 1st verse again. The tapping sound occasionally is me tapping the song book, the drummer in me.  I hope this blesses you. I had to share such a precious memory:) The pic is a screenshot from the video. This past year, going to hear and support my Mom has been so great, I'm thankful. God bless you all!

Amazing Grace live with my Mom

Just an ordinary knucklehead strumming my six-string and singing songs. All songs are original raw recordings of my songwriting journey of healing and finding peace. Maybe one of these days, I'll actually learn how to record and mix better, but until then, I'm just having fun. Many of the thumbnails are my original art creations check out my insta for more art. I hope you like it!

Showing Up

Mark Ballard