This is the lyrics version of my piano piece (https://soundcloud.com/konrad-spittelberg/the-clap-of-one-hand). (Roughly) same melody, but now with lyrics. 
If the melody left you puzzled about the title, maybe the lyrics will connect the dots. Hope you enjoy it — drop me a comment, I’m curious what you think!

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The Clap of One Hand - Lyrics
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The high priest looked the monk straight into the eyes 
“You search for wisdom, want to see through disguise 
Then hear the clap of only one hand, 
Imagine tasting the kiss of only one lip!”

The monk was puzzled, did not know what to make of this question 
His mind was racing without the slightest suggestion 
The meaning was hiding so deep 
He could as well go to sleep

And as he lay down he thought and he thought some more, 
And soon he’d snore a Monkish snore 
Deep in his dream he saw the cosmic law 
As it is and will be and has been before

To find the truth you need to see the world through different frames,
As place and motion, time and energy play Heisenberg’s games
The one single truth, the clap of one hand deceives the ancient lore

And then his dream shifted to our world
Where flags of dogma are unfurled
Where it’s en vogue to scorn the views of those 
Whose minds are differently curled

They yell their slogans convinced that it's only their kind who knows truth
They silence doubt and debate to keep everything smooth
They vote in blocs convinced others mean harm
They don't want to discuss they don’t want to disarm
They spit poison and phlegm - 
Them is us, us is them

The monk awakened quite surprisingly rested – and something like pride filled his chest 
The dream had opened his eyes and he knew the deep meaning that the koan expressed 
And so as fast as his feet could carry him he ran to the temple ground Requesting to see the high priest and as soon as he met him he told him the solution he found:

“Avoid the clap of one hand 
'Cause you can not understand 
The world in all its true colors if your mind cannot bend 

Every Current or Tide 
Must with others collide, 
A single stream is quite boring, nothing happens inside.

Seek out the voices that are not like your own – 
Don’t guard your comfort like a dog protects its chewed upon bone 
Be cautious if all of your friends do agree – 
You might discover greeater insights without cheap harmony

A field of only one crop may spark in sunlight like gold, 
But slight disease might turn these fragile monoculture to mold 
No coral alone can just survive with it’s kind – 
Reefs only thrive when hundredthousand curious creatures entwine

Don’t flatten the ground so that your pace can be faster –
'Cause if you don’t train your balance each false step means disaster 
All life, all vision needs to ripple and bend – 
Not frozen in uniformity but free to transcend”

The monk fell silent, his speech was complete - 
He wanted praisal, but the priest kept his seat. 
An awkard silence filled slowly the air, 
The priest just sat there with a calm, timeless stare

“I like your thinking—it rings wise, it rings bold, 
It has reason, it's crafted, it's gold. 
But, dear monk, there might be one subtle twist: 
There is one aspect that you seem to have missed.

You see the truth where opinions compete, 
That wholeness only grows where none is complete. 
But if no single view should stand out alone 
Then even your own view must be overthrown

You praise duality, the joining of two - 
But what if your view in itself is not true? 
What if the world isn't built as you claim? 
What if we’ll never know the rules of the game?"

Hear the clap of one hand 
Avoid the clap of one hand 
Hear the clap of one hand 
Avoid the clap of one hand 
Hear the clap of one hand 
… Reflect on the clap of one hand

The Clap of One Hand (Piano Poetry)

Summer is marked by certain experiences, from swimming, to strolls along boardwalks, to...well...waiting in queues of all kinds as summer sees people fill outdoor spaces. Keith has a keen eye for observing these experiences and finding humour and stories in  all of it.

Welcoming our special guest voice - Sheila - the server at the window , whose calming, inquiring presence makes the  lineup tolerable ;)

Note: the term "poutine" on the side of the chip truck makes this a uniquely Canadian flavour  :)

Track 5 from the Wigmore Allen Gibbons album called SHYLING found at https://www.terrywigmore.com/wigmore-allen-gibbons

Busy at the Chippy

    I was standing in the queue 
    And there was more than quite a few
    That to be … perfectly blunt
    Wanted to murder the guy…the guy at the front
    
   5  cod and chips…3 fries with garlic dips
    A lamb shish kabab…and a happy meal for that bugger at the back”
    It was busy at the Chippy…so busy at the Chippy
    It was busy at the Chippy…Ooh baby tonight

    Well I kept on standing there
    Feeling hungry right in there
    When I could be doing something…
    Something much better on a Saturday night. 
    Than waiting for…

    5 cod and chips…3 fries with garlic dips
    A lamb shish kabab…and a happy meal for that bugger at the back”
    Chippy woman: “We don’t do salad…Do’ya want salt ‘n vinegar on them love?
    How’s your Mary’s feet? … Oooooh, I know”

    (INST)

    (CHORUS)
    “…oh and I want 4 scampi and salad…5 haddock lightly battered
    3 sausages in a lovely curry…and a happy meal for that bugger in a hurry”
    Chippy woman: “That’ll be £226 and 10p for a carrier bag, love! ...
    Will ya need that in dollars pet?”

Wigmore: Music, Production
Allen: Lyrics, Guitars, Bass, Vocals
Special Guest:  Sheila (vocals/lyrics)

Busy at the Chippy

Daydreaming through the dark times.

A song of daydreaming trying to forget your stress but it's always there as a slow building constant.

A happy accident but if you loop this track it flows perfectly into itself lol. 

Updated the track 1st August 2025 with a fresh mix and added acoustic guitar work. Also added some subtle ambient percussion and some vox for depth. 

Please feel free to leave a comment as your feedback is really valuable.

Hope you enjoy it

Daydreaming

Thank you for listening.
Already registered on each distribution site
compositions/ sdmk 
arrangement /sdmk
Sample Sound / sdmk
 Instrumental  Mastering / sdmk

Fragments of life

So nice that my longtime collaborator friend @dough-factory has returned to SoundCloud after a break of a couple years! This is our first track working together since then and it came together in a really cool way. I was inspired by Ryan's electronic drums and bass to lay down some rhythm guitar as well as a few synth leads. Then he came up with some awesome lyrics/vocals that I think captures the vibe of this piece quite well.

Keep an eye out for more from us, we are thinking of pulling together a whole album or EP over the coming months.

Dive

The Way You Look Tonight" is a song from the film Swing Time that was performed by Fred Astaire and composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics written by Dorothy Fields. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936.

With a little help from my friends

Stewart Roberts - guitar
Karen "Kiki" Jackson - vocal

We hope you'll enjoy ☀️

The Way You Look Tonight (Swing Time - Jerome Kern / Dorothy Fields - Kiki, Stu and Rob Jam)

this is the cover song for the Movie "the ninth gate"
one of my favorite movies in the "psychological thriller" genre 🎞️

Mix & Mastering by @bahram-dashtii 🙏

The Ninth Gate

Built To Last II

Built To Last II (Aug. 2025)

Giving and Taking (open invitation for a collaboration from IPG1) 
https://soundcloud.com/ipg1/giving-and-taking-vox-90-bpm
Paploviante: E-Bass, Music, Composing, Arrangement, Mix and Mastering
Lyrics IPG1:
Cloud Stepping (Chorus) Life is relative, 
to the one that’s living it Inside outlook, 
to giving and taking it 
Experience god’s works, all senses 
We were given just a little bit 
We couldn’t handle it all  the few we have 
can nearly fit the few 
we have can nearly fit
(Verse1) 
If we knew it all, and all, and all 
Then nothing would matter It’s all a puzzle to be solved 
We have always been the answer 
The plan of god without reward 
Evolves in different ways 
We are all awake in different dreams 
To let the devil play
(Verse2)
 Who amongst us hear the screams 
Of millions of lives lost,  and don’t look on it as savagery
 And wonder what’s the cost 
What’s the worth, and what’s the cost 
Are we listening or not 
Are we listening or not
(Chorus)
 Life is relative, to the one that’s living it Inside outlook, to giving and taking it Experience god’s works, all senses 
We were given just a little bit 
We couldn’t handle it all  the few we have 
can nearly fit the few we have can nearly fit

Giving And Taking IPG1 and Paploviante

Well hello… are we having fun yet as we travel around the sun? First off, I do not know how to play piano. Bear with me on this. I am just learning hand and finger placement on the keyboard. I did not use any of that to do this song. Ha. A friend just gave me an older electronic keyboard that he dug out from all the dusty junk in his shed. So I have been noodling about and learning a bit of music along the way. I am also testing glass, as a percussion instrument. I already broke my favorite glass slide. (Just get a drum set Dude!) Hahaha. I am also exploring my vocal range, as an advanced beginner, when it comes to singing. You’ll hear that on this track, as the song is in a higher register than I am used to singing in. The first vocal stanza is just me finding my voice. Hahahaha. (I guess I need to try some pre-singing.) The recorder works but isn’t in the key of the song, so I had to wing in, insofar as melodies. That is what I like about music, these little creative explorations that develop into ‘music’. I had about an hour or so to lay this down… Outside summer distractions have cut into my music time. Hope you are all well. Thanks for dropping by, Mark

First Keys

Doves - Acoustic Demo

Just messing around learning, experimenting, playing and expressing myself. My little collection of demos, songs, experiments and instrumentals. I hope you enjoy them. I'm a guitarist / Vocalist / Producer and enjoy learning to express my moods, emotions, dreams and thoughts as I go.

Thank you all for the likes comments and reposts.

I have added a support link as I am struggling to keep up my subscriptions here currently and it would help me keep on creating and posting more songs. Thank you if you read this far lol.

Daydreaming

Dreaming on Another Distraction