To Have Succeeded
© 2025 R3Zondo

to laugh in the sunlight, to dance in the rain
to earn the respect no fortune could claim
to lift up the voices of children who sing
and guard every truth like a sacred thing

that’s to have succeeded, that’s to have won
when the day is over, when the work is done
if one heart is lighter, if one load is gone
that’s to have succeeded, that’s to have won

to welcome the beauty in all that we see
to find in each soul what it’s longing to be
to plant little gardens where kindness will grow
and steady a stranger through trials they know

that’s to have succeeded, that’s to have won
when the day is over, when the work is done
if one heart is lighter, if one load is gone
that’s to have succeeded, that’s to have won

through praise that feels true and the sting of deceit
you still keep your purpose, you don’t face defeat
a life leaves its mark not in riches or fame
but in how it has warmed just one weary flame

that’s to have succeeded, that’s to have won
when the day is over, when the work is done
if one heart is lighter, if one load is gone
that’s to have succeeded, that’s to have won

(Summary)

This song is my reminder that real success is measured in the lives we soften, not the trophies we collect. It’s for the people planting small kindness in hard soil, trusting it still matters. If one person feels a little lighter because I was here, then every verse, late night, and quiet battle has been worth it. It’s my love letter to invisible victories that outlast applause and echo long after the room goes quiet.

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To Have Succeeded

🎶 From Cassette Tapes to Creating My Own Sound 🎶

When I was a kid, music was more than background noise, it was my escape, my teacher, and my first real love. I’d sit with two cassette players, playing the Beatles on one and singing into the other, trying my best to match artists like Paul McCartney or Barbara Streisand’s range (sometimes successfully, sometimes not so much) 🤣. Homework could wait, lyrics in my wide rule notebooks couldn’t.

Life took me through winding roads, retail, hospitality, consulting, caregiving, but music never stopped calling. 45 years later, after many personal losses, and loosing one of my sons last year, I turned back to songwriting as therapy. Inspiration is all around me. Every song I create starts with raw lyrics, usually scribbled in one shot as I choreograph in my mind, then evolves into a fully produced track through hours of refining vocal coding,  instrumentation, and feel. I blend personal stories with AI driven music tools, letting technology and emotion work together to capture what I hear and see in my head and heart.

Now, I’m finally sharing it. Not perfect, not polished to death, just real. This is me, finally putting the music out there for you to hear.
Peace & Love ❤️ 


Verifiable identity links must be included if you’re reaching out. I will not respond otherwise. rick@r3zondo.com