More Signals

Why do today what I won’t do tomorrow
Cause I don’t know where I’ll be
Anyone can see what’s hanging on my clothesline
I don’t care as long as you’re hanging with me

You say I’m silly, a willy, a low-land hillbilly
You say I’m adorable
I’m a sinner, a winner, an intellect beginner
But I’ll never be a deplorable

When I see a man just sitting on the sidewalk
I say, Brother, let’s talk man to man
Everyone near or far is my neighbor
Brother, I’m gonna help you the best that I can

You say I’m silly, a willy, a low-land hillbilly
You say I’m adorable
I’m a monkey, sugar junkie, a small-town flunky 
But I’ll never be a deplorable

You say I’m silly, a willy, a low-land hillbilly
You say I’m adorable
I’m electric, eclectic, calmly apoplectic 
But I’ll never be a deplorable

Electric Eclectic

2025-06-14 solo electric guitar

A song about a bongo-loving cook in the town's best greasy spoon who'd rather jam to the beat than make the patrons happy.  I played bass, bongos and pot 'n' pans.

The vid:  https://youtu.be/KLb27yRE6dc

Leon, Rustle Up Some Grub

You can look at the water endlessly... Thanks to nature, something musical often comes to mind and pops out from under your fingers...

Looking at the water

Had some fun writing a "break up" song. I asked my brother Vincent to work up the music and to produce it...he aced it!

Gone, Gone, Gone

Just me spouting off about some of my pet peeves. 

I'm a Grumpy Old Man

C- I'm a grumpy old man
That's what I am
A grumpy old man

Have you ever picked up a can of something and looked at the serving size and instead of 2 or 3 servings it says about 2.5 servings.  What the hell don't they know how much they put in there?

Have you ever purchased a box of cereal or potato chips and the package says the contents may have settled? You open the bag or box and it is only half full!  It didn't settle you didn't fill it!

Chorus

Don't you love those jar covers with little tabs that you have to bend up and pull to open the jar. Do you know how they attach that covering? You're in luck because I'm gonna tell you. They use the strongest adhesive they can find! If you are not a professional wrestler then good luck at opening that jar.

Hold it for a second guys I'll be right back. Hey you kids get off of my lawn. Where were we?  Oh ya

chorus

Speaking of jars have you noticed how tight those metal caps over the covers are now? They are obviously using the strongest robots on their production lines to tighten them.

Don't you love those ads that say something like now using real peanut butter. What the hell were they using before?  Plastic peanut butter?

chorus

Have you ever used plastic wrap, aluminum foil, wax paper and tried to use the built in cutter?  Instead of perfectly ripping it off the damn box either bends, breaks or those push in tabs on the end of the box don't hold the roll and it ends up on the floor! Why can't they make the box strong enough to use as directed? 

chorus










 



A Grumpy Old Man

Just some rain and noise
Outside my morning window
Strangers passing through
On the way to some rendezvous

I’m thinking of you today
Like I do when I’m breathing
You were flying through the night
Before I knew you were leaving

I should have jumped up on my horse
Run the roads from coast to coast
The California dream was just a dream
And those motorcycle cowboys
Know exactly what I mean

Ran into your brother
He was packing up a U-Haul
Said you called from Sedona
After rolling out of St. Paul

I know the winter cuts deep
And the sun suits your skin
But miles don’t mean forgiveness
When it all comes back again

I should have jumped up on my horse
Run the roads from coast to coast
The California dream was just a dream
And those motorcycle cowboys
Know exactly what I mean

I should have jumped up on my horse
Run the roads from coast to coast
The California dream was just a dream
And those motorcycle cowboys
Know exactly what I mean
And those motorcycle cowboys
Know exactly what I mean

Motorcycle Cowboys (with Joliz)

Composition derivated from a short piano improvisation.

2025.

Midsummer Swing

A song about people in war zones, while we watch...
Helplessly, or...(?)

A dirty white dress
(C) HWBerkhout, aug. 3, 2025, Key: C

Solo
Verse 1
I walk through a destructed land,
and a city torn apart.
The dead and wounded are everywhere,
no tree still stands in heart.

Chorus
I could only stare, as tears filled my eyes
I see a child in a devastated street
She wears a torn, dirty white dress 
And no shoes at her feet

Solo
Verse 2
No color left to witness,
just ashes, black and grey.
I hear the moans of fallen souls,
their sounds won’t drift away.

Chorus
I could only stare in disbelief
I see a child in a devastated street
She wears a torn, dirty white dress 
And no shoes at her feet

Verse 3
What kind of world I live in?
Where assholes pretend to be what we need
Why do we follow these sick minds?
Is fear-or apathy-in the lead?

Solo +
Look what they've done,
look what they've done
This world is completely mad!

Chorus
I could only stare, as tears filled my eyes
I see a child in a devastated street
She wears a torn, dirty white dress 
And no shoes at her feet

I could only stare in disbelief
I see a child in a devastated street
She wears a torn, dirty white dress 
And no shoes at her feet
And she's weeping, in her torn, dirty white dress...

Dirty white dress

© 2025 All Rights Reserved Trad Arr B. Merritt, J. Merritt & P. Fulham
Black Dust Blues (Public Domain worldwide) was written and performed by Ma Rainey in 1927. She was a remarkable woman and artist and worth your time to read about.
Janice Merritt: vocal and arrangement
Peter Fulham: guitar and arrangement 
Bud Merritt: lyric tweaks, arrangement, mix, mastering and photo

It was last year, when my troubles began
Lawd it’s been a hard year since this hex on me began
It was all cause a woman said I took her man

She sent me a letter, said she′s gonna turn me round
She said I was evil and she's gonna run me into the ground
She′s gonna fix me so I won't chase her man around

The next day I found black dust round my door
I was out that morning, black dust was all round my door
Soon I was feeling so bad, worse than I ever had before

I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, had trouble with my feet
In the middle of the night I could hear my own heart beat
It was cold outside but all I was feeling was heat 

Black dust in my window, black dust on my porch mat
I tried to get dressed up but black dust was even in my hat
I didn’t care nothing bout her man, no, I ain’t like that 

I got my own, don’t want her man
I ain’t      like     that

Black Dust Blues

Just another nobody who's not here to be somebody.  I write songs because I can't help it, and it helps me.  If I add them here, I'm less likely to keep mixing them.  Creativity is a stream with many tributaries, and sometimes one runs through us.  The stream is more creative when tributaries meet, and I'm grateful for the collaborative efforts of others.

Leon, Rustle Up Some Grub

Marty Straub

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Scott C

Ezekiel's Storm

Janice & Bud Merritt

Pee Gee , Lyricist

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