You've Left Memories

My son told me to do a cover of one of the songs I posted a few years back. So I A.I. enhanced my original song and vocals.  It's like hiring a garage band across the street to perform your music.  "How much?" they ask. "One dollar." I say. "It's a deal!"

She’s an Alien
Song and Lyrics by Mike Krath
artwork from hotpot.ai/art-generator
artificially enhanced using SUNO

Verse 1

It’s been over a day,
She doesn’t laugh, she doesn’t play,
She sits still, she looks away,
She transmits to my thoughts, she enslaves my brain. 

Chorus

She’s an alien,
She’s possessed by an alien,
She doesn’t cook, she doesn’t clean,
She’s an alien...from Mars. 

Verse 2
It’s been over a week,
She doesn’t move, she doesn’t blink,
The whole place is starting to stink,
She’s got me on the edge, she’s making me think. 

Chorus

She’s an alien,
She’s possessed by an alien,
She doesn’t cook, she doesn’t clean,
She’s an alien...from Mars. 

Verse 3

It’s been over a year,
She doesn’t stir, she doesn’t hear,
Her skin turned blue and now it’s clear,
She’s never going to do my laundry, she’s never gonna cook my meals. 

Chorus

She’s an alien,
She’s possessed by an alien,
She doesn’t cook, she doesn’t clean,
She’s an alien...from Mars. 

Bridge

But Andromeda
It’s not a strain
To think it’s this
But then again 
It could simply be
Kepler-452b!

She's an Alien From Mars

Years ago, I started writing a science ficition story where once a year the government would allow crazy people to stop taking the pill that kept them normal and then go out on a date. It was an social experiment to see if the pill was absolutely necessary to lead a normal life.  In my mind, the experiment was doomed to failure. I never finished the story, opting to write this song instead.  This is a revised version.

Rain on My Window
Song and Lyrics by Mike Krath
artwork from hotpot.ai/art-generator
artificially enhanced using SUNO

Lyrics:

I see the rain on my window,
dropping down into the drain,
The pill I take helps me to like it,
and I watch it again and again.

But once a year the pill is forgotten,
and they let me see the world anew,
and have a date with a woman that will be like me,
that is, she'll be pill-less, too.

And they'll take us to a wooden table,
where she'll sit across with a rose between,
But before we talk, she'll want to go to the bathroom,
and I'll laugh and cry and make a scene.

And I'll see the rain on the window,
dropping down into the drain,
And when the waiter comes to take our order,
I'll ask for something to be normal again.

I see the rain on my window,
dropping down into the drain,
The pill I take helps me to like it,
and I watch it again and again.

Rain on My Window

Song based on 1 Corinthians 13 (the Love Chapter)

Love Never Fails
Music and Lyrics by Mike Krath
artwork from hotpot.ai/art-generator
artificially enhanced using SUNO

Lyrics

Love never fails,
It never gives,
It keeps on going,
It keeps on giving,
Love neve fails.

Love is patient ,
Love is kind,
Love does not brag,
Is not arrogant,
Love is not rude,
Love is not jealous,
Love never fails.

Love is not happy with evil,
Love is happy with the truth.
Love does not remember wrong,
Love will not fail.

God is love,
God is love,
God is love,
God is love,
Love never fails.

Love Never Fails

Revised my song to an Irish Rock sound.

Gray Hair of Wisdom
Music and Lyrics: Mike Krath
artwork: hotpot.ai/art-generator
artificially enhanced using SUNO

Lyrics

I wrote this song for you,
When I was very young,
When the world was a large place,
And its heroes were unsung,
When make-believe was real,
And nothing we did was wrong.
And passion was our guide,
that moved our love along.
Passion was our guide,
that moved our love along.

I wrote this song for you,
When your face was still so young,
When the world had become a smaller place,
And its heroes now undone,
When beliefs were challenged,
To question right from wrong,
Until all that was left was strength
To carry our love along,
All that was left was strength
To carry our love along.

I wrote this song for you,
When I had nothing young to say,
When the world had become old,
And it’s heroes kept at bay,
When darkness now reigned,
To block the midday sun,
But the gray hair of wisdom
Guided our love along,
The gray hair of wisdom,
Guided our love along.

Gray Hair of Wisdom

I knew this man who I was miffed at for forsaking his family.  When he came back to make amends, I basically shunned him.  A few days later he committed suicide.  In my stubborness, I lost the opportunity to reach out, to make a difference.  It took me some time to write these lyrics, but I felt I had to do it, to remember and never forget. This is an introspective version.

In a Song That Won't Fade
Music and Lyrics by Mike Krath
artwork from hotpot.ai/art-generator
artificially enhanced using SUNO

Lyrics

Only a few came to his funeral,
But I stood outside in the rain,
I had received word too late,
In a hospital far away,
I didn’t care to see the sight,
So I took my time that day,
You see I didn’t have much love,
And didn’t wish to stay,
But I still went through the motions,
To show how much I cared.
And I got there to see his son carry his ashes to his grave,
While his mother was crying dishonor
Had come to the family name. 
And even sadder when the preacher got up to speak,
Christ was never proclaimed,
Not then, not there,
Not in that time of shame.

If I had reached out,
Would it have made a difference,
Would it have stopped the shame,
If I had not kept my love a noun,
But a verb to slice my hate away,
Would I still have been his judge,
And not shown mercy to make his day,
To renew his hope to be a father and husband,
And not let his life slip away,
Can I ever forgive myself for not being there with him,
Even in his last days, 
When he was reaching out,
But I was hiding in my blame.
And now I am stuck
In a song that won't fade.

And I don't want to stay.

In a Song That Won't Fade

I revised this song to make it a little more contemporary.  Last year, I discovered my poetry from High School in a box in the garage, and I decided to write a song to one of them.  The others will take some time since they really go off in all directions.

The Silent Fog
Music and Lyrics by Mike Krath
artwork from hotpot.ai/art-generator
artificially enhanced using SUNO

Lyrics

The silent fog,
Lifted its head,
And in its place,
Stood a girl,
With a smile,
A girlish smile,
And she vanished.

Oh oh oh,
Girl of grace,
With pretty face,
Oh oh oh,
And I love her.

The silent fog,
Lifted its face,
And in its place,
Stood a woman,
Not the girl,
But the woman I love.

Oh oh oh,
woman I loved,
From long ago,
Oh oh oh,
And I still love her.

And we laughed and we cried,
And we laughed and cried,
And laughed and cried,
And laughed and cried,
And laughed and cried,
And laughed and cried,
'Til one of us
Finally died.

Oh oh oh,
Woman I loved,
First to go,
Oh oh oh,
And I still love her.

The Silent Fog

Revised original to a more (hopefully) danceable tune.

It's Downsizing Day
Music and Lyrics: Mike Krath
artificially enhanced using SUNO

Lyrics

It’s downsizing day
Time to throw it all away
With the first to go is you.
The first to go is you.
On downsizing day.
All the trouble and strife,
That you brought into our life,
It’s through,
Like you,
On downsizing day.

We knew this day would come,
When we’d no longer be one,
And one would have to take their leave,
While the other had to stay.
On downsizing day.

It’s downsizing day
Time to put you on display
Sitting pretty on a shelf,
In an urn you picked yourself,
On downsizing day.
All the things that made you proud,
That made me laugh out loud,
Are through
Like you.
On downsizing day.

It's Downsizing Day

When Russia invaded Ukraine, the first photo I saw was that of a pregnant woman who was killed by shelling.  The photo haunted me. Here was a woman ready to give birth, probably excited to have another baby or maybe even her first, and free to deliver the day before, but now, that freedom mercilessly taken away.  I wrote these lyrics to work through how I would have felt if my wife had died, and how the fight to obtain the lost freedom would feel without her no longer by my side.

Why in Our Generation?
Music and Lyrics by Mike Krath
artwork from hotpot.ai/art-generator
artificially enhanced using SUNO

Lyrics

You know, I didn’t say goodbye,
I didn’t think you’d be gone,
I didn’t think you’d die,
Before bringing our baby home.
Your building was in shambles,
And I couldn’t make it through,
But I knew I was already too late,
When I saw you on the news.

Since then it’s been hard
to keep freedom in my view.

Freedom comes, Freedom goes,
In my grief, it’s tough you know,
I feel I’m losing the battle to make it so,
Freedom comes, freedom goes
In every generation, it seems so,
But why was it in ours I had to let you go?

I’ve seen a march to victory
by a courageous few,
Courageous to die,
for what is true,
Holding their banner above their heads,
High in vivid hues,
To bring back our freedom,
To bring it back anew.

But I don’t care,
Not with you in my view.

Freedom comes, Freedom goes,
In my grief, it’s tough you know,
I feel I’m losing the battle to make it so,
Freedom comes, freedom goes
In every generation, it seems so,
But why was it in ours I had to let you go?

Why Was It in Ours?

I wrote this some time back, like... way back. I would have fit in with the people in the picture.

I Don't Worry, I Don't Fret
Music and Lyrics by Mike Krath
artwork from hotpot.ai/art-generator
artificially enhanced using SUNO

Lyrics

I don't worry,
I don't fret,
I don't worry,
I've got a God,
I know He's faithful,
I don't worry.

I don't worry,
I don't fret,
I don't worry,
I have a God,
He hasn't failed me, yet.

I don't worry,
I don't fret,
I don't worry,
I have a God,
He hasn't failed me, yet.

I know He sees me,
in my darkest hour,
I know He is always with me,
I know He's never failed me.

I don't worry,
I don't fret,
I have a God
who never fails me, yet.

I Don't Worry, I Don't Fret

I wrote and revised this song based on a short story I wrote about a date gone horribly wrong.

“No! She can’t be here already!” He ran into his bedroom, slammed the door and fell on his plush, king-size bed. He started to breath heavy and then…then…he started to flap his arms in excitement—a very rare type of involuntary movement. “Quack! Quack!” 

Frank Loves Chara
Music and Lyrics by Mike Krath
artwork from hotpot.ai/art-generator
artificially enhanced using SUNO

Lyrics

Frank loved Chara
And Chara loved Frank
But when the doorbell rang,
Frank’s heart sank
His poor heart sank.
And he ran upstairs
And started to quack.

Chara was coming
Chara was coming for dinner
And she was thirty minutes early
And he hadn’t cooked one dish
Much less two.
And he couldn’t stop flapping his arms
This was not the start of best date for two.

Frank loved Chara,
And Chara loved Frank
And Chara smiled
And Chara clapped
And she knocked on the door
Waiting for Frank to open.

But Frank was upstairs,
Locked in his room
Flapping his arms
Frank had quacked up
This was not Frank’s day.
But Chara she just stayed.

Chara was coming
Chara was coming for dinner
And Frank was flapping his arms upstairs
And there was not much they could do
Except have the worst start of a date for two.

Frank loved Chara

Frank Loved Chara

Another redo of my songs.  When I'm finished with this new exploration, time to go back to grind of composing on my keyboard. 

Just Want to Rest This Head
Music and Lyrics: Mike Krath
artwork: hotpot.ai/art-generator
artificially enhanced using SUNO

Lyrics

I’m tired of waking up to read,
About people who used to be,
Who I grew up with 
you see,
And now have started their eternity.
People who’ve made their history,
As brief as that could be.

Here’s to the woman who gave me a chance
To see the beauty of this life's dance.
But now is only a memory,
Of what life was and still should be. 

I see them walking in the street,
The young making their new ends meet,
I once was there, but am still,
Watching it all through our window sill. 

What life was is no longer a thrill,
No longer a thrill.

I’m tired
And just want to rest this head,
Find a place to rest this head 
There’s not much left that can be said,
The light is dimming,
Time to leave. 
And I just want to sleep. 
Just rest my head.

Just Want to Rest This Head

Another AI experiment. This time I made a cover of one of my songs to sound like early 70's soul.  Songs that made me get up and dance.  The lyrics are about anger among couples, and the singer is telling her companion get rid of it, get it out of town.

Booga Boo
Music and Lyrics: Mike Krath
artwork: hotpot.ai/art-generator
artificially enhanced using SUNO

Lyrics

When I get up in the morning,
and I notice you have a frown on your face,
I say, "Booga Boo, get back in your place."
when I get up and see you got the frown,
that looks like Booga Boo is around,
I say, "Get out of town."

Oh, Booga Boo,
You got to get out of town,
I say, "Booga Boo, you got to get out of town."

Too many times I see a Booga Boo face in you,
Too many times you bring that spear,
Too close to my heart,
So Booga Boo,
You got to learn to control yourself,
You really do, Booga Boo.

Oh, Booga Boo,
You got to get out of town,
I say, "Booga Boo, you got to get out of town."

Booga Boo

You've Left Memories
Music and Lyrics: Mike Krath
artwork: hotpot.ai/art-generator
artificially enhanced using SUNO

Lyrics

You've left memories,
Sad, unforgotten memories,
Pitiless, unforgivable diseases,
Common colds, crazy diseases,
In the world I stand,
It's mine, let me stand.
Apathy, grief, happy places,
All that was mine, faces,
Beauteous, memorable faces,
Shaken from hot coals, winters come,
Snow falls, dust collects, winters come,
The flowers bloom, life is dim, waiting,
Sweat, grime, dirt, pestilence, waiting,
Up from the grave, crowds crying, laughing,
Letters, books, poems, madness, laughing...

This was my absurd life!

Forget it!

Wrote and played this song for my twin daughters when they were just learning to dance. Here is the Cajun version.

Wiggle Dance Étouffée
Music and Lyrics: Mike Krath
artificially enhanced using SUNO

Lyrics

See the shy girl,
Who’s never danced before,
Take her sister’s hand
And wiggle out on the floor,
They do the wiggle dance,
All around the room,
And they keep on wiggling,
In the light of the moon.

See the shy boy,
Who’s never danced before,
Take his brother’s hand
And wiggle out on the floor,
They do the wiggle dance,
all around the room,
Until they trip over these girls,
And not a moment too soon.

See these shy kids,
Who’ve never danced before,
Pick each other up,
And wiggle around the floor,
They do the wiggle dance
Like it’s never been done,
And they keep on wiggling,
Until the light of the sun.

(Unsung) Chorus

Wiggle wiggle wiggle
Wiggle wiggle, wiggle
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle,
Do the wiggle dance,
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle,
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle,
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle,
Do the wiggle dance.

Wiggle Dance Étouffée

I’m a song-writer who enjoys creating music of any genre.

My son recently introduced me to A.I. and taught me how to do covers of my previously released non-A.I. music. Since I've never considered myself a performer (except playing with worship bands at church or solo-piano at a rehab center) using A.I. is right up my alley.

Since I've  exhausted using my previously released music for A.I. covers, I now compose music in a DAW, rip to a wave file, and make an A.I. cover of this wave file. I then write lyrics to the A.I. music. It takes around 100 A.I. iterations to complete the lyrics and get a style I'm happy with.  

Brief Bio: Lived more than a quarter of my life overseas (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan). Each country gave me an appreciation for different types of music plus probably why I get bored easily in sticking with one genre or another.