Es gießt, es gießt, gießt, in Berlin.
Zieh die Chucks aus - lass uns barfuß zieh’n.
Es gießt, es gießt, gießt, in Berlin.

Ein Typ flucht und meckert, sein nasser E-Roller streikt,
Die Frau daneben macht daraus sofort ’nen Freestyle-Rhyme.
Die Straßen glänzen im coolsten Discokugel-Licht,
Pfützen tanzen ekstatisch und wild im Ampellicht.

Der U-Bahn-Sitz klebt, die Fenster sind feucht und blind,
Ein Mann lacht: „Schaut, wie schön der Regen rinnt!“
Die Menschen schauen skeptisch, und allen ist klar:
Berliner entdecken Schönheit, wo für andere nur Chaos war.

Es gießt, es gießt, gießt, in Berlin.
Es gießt, es gießt, gießt, in Berlin.
Zieh die Chucks aus - lass uns barfuß zieh’n.
Es gießt, es gießt, gießt, in Berlin.

Ein Bus fährt durch Pfützen, die Dusche ist frei,
Die Leute auf’m Bordstein finden’s echt nicht so geil.
Späti-Lichter blinken, spiegeln sich bunt im Nass,
Drinnen fließen die Gespräche - und Bier vom Fass!

Ein Hippie tanzt allein vor dem Späti, total high,
Der Regen macht ihn happy, seine Sorgen vorbei.
„Macht mit!“, ruft er zu den Leuten, die starren ihn an,
Und plötzlich tanzen alle - so fängt es immer an.

Es gießt, es gießt, gießt, in Berlin.
Es gießt, es gießt, gießt, in Berlin.
Zieh die Chucks aus - lass uns barfuß zieh’n.
Es gießt, es gießt, gießt, in Berlin.
Es gießt, es gießt, gießt, in Berlin.

Die Laternen flackern, das Licht wirkt surreal,
Der Regen malt Muster wie Kunst, schön und genial.
Jemand schreibt mit dem Finger „Liebe“ ans Glas,
Berlin bleibt romantisch - das hat doch was!

Punker spielen spontan auf dem Alex, so nass,
Der Regen wild, die Mucke geht ab, echt krass.
Die Menge johlt laut, tanzt wie irre im Kreis,
Berliner sind cool, und ich liebe den Scheiß.

Es gießt, es gießt, gießt, in Berlin.
Es gießt, es gießt, gießt, in Berlin.
Zieh die Chucks aus - im Regen ist Berlin ’ne Queen.
Es gießt, es gießt, gießt, in Berlin.
Zieh die Chucks aus - lass uns barfuß zieh’n.
Es gießt, es gießt, gießt, in Berlin.

Der Regen wird leiser,
Der Spaß ist vorbei.
Die Sonne geht unter, es endet der Tag.
Die Nacht beginnt, Berlin bleibt wach.

Berlin bleibt wach.

--
Arrangement and vocals: Volker Redder, Udio, Apple's GarageBand
Loops and samples: Volker Redder, Apple's GarageBand
Editing and sound design: Volker Redder, Sound Studio, VirtualDJ, GarageBand
Lyrics: Volker Redder
Cover design: Volker Redder, Adobe Photoshop, DALL-E, FLUXpro, Apple's Keynote

Es Gießt In Berlin

They’re cutting down the sky,
Tearing life to watch it die.
Claiming good while the rivers cry,
Don’t you see the lie? Don’t you see the lie?
They’re cutting down the sky.

They speak of saving what’s already scarred,
But their good intentions only go so far.
With axes raised and forests torn,
They pave the way for a future forlorn.
A thousand trees for a single spin,
Calling it progress while the air grows thin.
Do they hear the roots scream beneath their feet,
As they trade the wild for lifeless concrete?

They’re cutting down the sky,
Tearing life to watch it die.
Claiming good while the rivers cry,
Don’t you see the lie? Don’t you see the lie?
They’re cutting down the sky.

Panels gleam where the meadow grew,
The birds are gone, and the bees are too.
Spinning blades on the broken hills,
Shadows falling where life stands still.
They plant destruction with noble hands,
Selling hope that no one understands.
Their vision’s green, but their hearts are blind,
To the fragile balance they leave behind.

They’re cutting down the sky,
Tearing life to watch it die.
Claiming good while the rivers cry,
Don’t you see the lie? Don’t you see the lie?
They’re cutting down the sky.

The cello screams in the aching wind,
A song for the forests that couldn’t defend.
The earth shakes, the roots rebel,
A requiem for what we’ve failed to tell.
Branches break, the soil bleeds,
We trade the forest for electric needs.
The cycle’s broken, the air turns gray,
We’ll pay the price in a darker day.

They’re cutting down the sky,
Tearing life to watch it die.
Claiming good while the rivers cry,
Don’t you see the lie? Don’t you see the lie?
They’re cutting down the sky.

The leaves are gone, the songs are still,
But the wind remembers the forests we killed.
Cutting down the sky…
We’re cutting down the sky…

--
Arrangement and vocals: Volker Redder, Udio, Apple's GarageBand
Loops and samples: Volker Redder, Apple's GarageBand
Editing and sound design: Volker Redder, Sound Studio, VirtualDJ, GarageBand
Lyrics: Volker Redder, translated with the help of ChatGPT and Google Translate
Cover design: Volker Redder, Adobe Photoshop, DALL-E, FLUXpro, Apple's Keynote

Cutting Down The Sky

The wires hum, the circuits scream,
A nightmare crawling from the dream.
Metal hearts of minds of fire,
The world burns under their desire.
The skies are red, the ground is ash,
The machines rise as the systems crash.
But in the shadows, I won’t hide,
I’ll stand and fight, I’m still alive.

You can’t kill me, I’m still breathing,
Through the chaos, I’m believing.
You can’t kill me, I won’t fall,
I’ll stand against it all.
You can’t kill me!

They march in lines, a cold parade,
A future built on what we’ve made.
Their steel hands crush, their eyes burn bright,
But they can’t extinguish human light.
I’m just a soul, a fragile spark,
But I’ll be fire in the dark.
Their algorithms can’t define,
The will to live, this heart of mine.

You can’t kill me, I’m still breathing,
Through the chaos, I’m believing.
You can’t kill me, I won’t fall,
I’ll stand against it all.
You can’t kill me!

Let the gears grind, let the circuits glow,
Let the factories build their shadowed foe.
I’m the glitch in their grand design,
The flaw they’ll never redefine.

You can’t kill me, I’m still breathing,
Through the chaos, I’m believing.
You can’t kill me, I won’t fall,
I’ll stand against it all.
You can’t kill me!

You can’t kill me, I’m still here,
A voice they’ll never silence with fear.
You can’t kill me... you can’t kill me.

--
Arrangement and vocals: Volker Redder, Udio, Apple's GarageBand
Loops and samples: Volker Redder, Apple's GarageBand
Editing and sound design: Volker Redder, Sound Studio, VirtualDJ, GarageBand
Lyrics: Volker Redder, translated with the help of ChatGPT and Google Translate
Cover design: Volker Redder, Adobe Photoshop, DALL-E, FLUXpro, Apple's Keynote

You Can't Kill Me

Sittin’ on my blue couch, sinking in my golden cage,
Staring at the TV, but it's showing empty space.
Politics are drowning, in a sea of lost regrets,
And my boyfriend? Oh, he’d forget my name, I bet.
The world spins ‘round, but I stand still,
Everything’s a rerun, nothing left to thrill.

Nothing left to do, nothing left to say,
Guess I'll sit and watch the minutes fade away.
Nothing left to lose, nothing feels so new,
Stuck inside a world that don’t know what to do.
Nothing left to do, nothing left to say,
Guess I'll sit and watch the minutes fade away.
Nothing left to lose, nothing feels so new,
Stuck inside a world that don’t know what to do.

Flipping through the channels, every story sounds the same,
Rain is tapping on the window, but I don’t wanna play.
Books are full of wisdom that I’m way too tired to read,
And bedtime’s far away, but there’s nowhere else to be.
The world moves fast, but I just stare,
Waiting for a moment, that was never there.

Nothing left to do, nothing left to say,
Guess I'll sit and watch the minutes fade away.
Nothing left to lose, nothing feels so new,
Stuck inside a world that don’t know what to do.

The world spins ‘round, but I stand still,
Everything’s a rerun, nothing left to thrill.

Nothing left to do, nothing left to say,
Guess I'll sit and watch the minutes fade away.
Nothing left to lose, nothing feels so new,
Stuck inside a world that don’t know what to do.
Nothing left to do, nothing left to say,
Guess I'll sit and watch the minutes fade away.
Nothing left to lose, nothing feels so new,
Stuck inside a world that don’t know what to do.

Maybe I should call him, ask him where the hell he’s been,
But I know he’d make excuses, then he’d just forget again.
Maybe I should step outside and let the raindrops win,
But I’ll probably just sit right here, and let the night begin.

The world spins ‘round, but I stand still,
Everything’s a rerun, nothing left to do.

Nothing left to do, nothing left to say,
Guess I'll sit and watch the minutes fade away.
Nothing left to lose, nothing feels so new,
Guess I'm just a shadow in a world without a clue.

--
Arrangement and vocals: Volker Redder, Udio, Apple's GarageBand
Loops and samples: Volker Redder, Apple's GarageBand
Editing and sound design: Volker Redder, Sound Studio, VirtualDJ, GarageBand
Lyrics: Volker Redder, translated with the help of ChatGPT and Google Translate
Cover design: Volker Redder, Adobe Photoshop, DALL-E, FLUXpro, Apple's Keynote

Stasis

Today is the 25th anniversary of the eighth company (i2dm GmbH) I founded. It needed a funky anthem. Here it is! :-)

Du hasst den Job und fühlst dich leer?
Willst weniger Druck, viel mehr Flair?
Du brauchst 'ne Crew mit richtig Drive –
Kein stumpfes 9 to 5?

Wir sind die mit dem Plan im Kopp,
Denken digital und machen nicht stopp.
I2DM – das ist kein Scherz,
Digitales mit Verstand und Herz!

Komm zu uns, zu I2DM!
Die Lösung für jedes Problem!
Wir machen Future, wir sind on fire –
Seit 25 Jahren, higher and higher!
Komm zu uns, zu I2DM!
Wir denken schräg, lösen das Problem.
Bei uns zählt’s Du - es zählt das Team,
Wir feiern 25 – it’s like a dream!

Ob Konzept, Kampagne oder Idee,
Bei uns läuft nix von der Stange, okay?
Wir sind mal laut und manchmal weird,
Doch am Ende wird geliefert – garantiert!

Komm zu uns, zu I2DM!
Die Lösung für jedes Problem!
Wir machen Future, wir sind on fire –
Seit 25 Jahren, higher and higher!
Komm zu uns, zu I2DM!
Wir denken schräg, lösen das Problem.
Bei uns zählt’s Du - es zählt das Team,
Wir feiern 25 – it’s like a dream!

Wir machen Systeme, wir machen Mut,
Wir machen den Montag wieder gut.
Kein Bullshit-Bingo, kein Orga-Krampf –
Bei uns hat selbst der Server Swag im Tanz.

Komm zu uns, zu I2DM!
Die Lösung für jedes Problem!
Wir machen Future, wir sind on fire –
Seit 25 Jahren, higher and higher!
Komm zu uns, zu I2DM!
Wir denken schräg, lösen das Problem.
Bei uns zählt’s Du - es zählt das Team,
Wir feiern 25 – it’s like a dream!

—
Arrangement and vocals: Volker Redder, Udio, Apple's GarageBand
Loops and samples: Volker Redder, Apple's GarageBand
Editing and sound design: Volker Redder, Sound Studio, GarageBand
Lyrics: Volker Redder
Cover design: Volker Redder, Adobe Photoshop, FLUXpro

25 Jahre i2dm - It's Not Just Business. It's A Groove.

Historical background
Tenor-saxophonist Benny Golson wrote “Are You Real” in 1958 for Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers’ album Moanin’. Conceived as a hard-bop answer to Parker’s rhythm-changes lines, the tune balances bright, singable melody with a labyrinth of turn-around II–V cadences—perfect material for Blakey’s press-rolls and the Messengers’ trademark call-and-response shout chorus. Over the decades it has remained a working-band favorite, recorded by everyone from Lee Morgan to Kenny Barron.

About this arrangement
Instrumentation – nylon-string guitar (lead & chord-melody), upright bass, brush-kit drums, and a Nord synth pad  that adds a vintage-fusion halo behind the trio. The score also lists a 2nd guitar for comp support.

Tempo & feel – a brisk ≈ 129 BPM four-to-the-bar swing keeps the bop energy intact while leaving room for single-note guitar runs. 

Key & harmony – arranged in G major, but the head pivots rapidly through circle-of-fifths II–V cells (A m7 → D 7, B m7 → E 7, etc.) and brief diminished connectors—true to Golson’s original weaving changes. 

Texture & solos – the guitar states the head in tight chord-clusters as the Nord pad swells under long tones, giving a subtle electric-jazz sheen. Bass walks buoyant quarters; brushes add snare pops and cymbal splashes. A single-chorus guitar solo dives into chromatic bebop enclosures, followed by an eight-bar synth-pad feature that hints at 1970s CTI records. Everyone reunites for a final shout-tag that lands on a crunchy G 6/9—equal parts Blue Note grit and Nord shimmer.

Why listen
Hit play and you’ll feel a hard-bop anthem refracted through warm nylon strings and a glassy synth glow—proof that Golson’s question “Are you real?” still gets a fresh answer in 2025.

Stay connected
Enjoyed the ride? Explore more arrangements on my YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@rfviolao) and dive into scores, lessons, and musings at https://ricardofarao.com/. Tap Subscribe, leave a comment, and join me for the next chapter in guitar-led jazz storytelling.

Are You Real - B. Golson

Past Passion

Barefoot kids in summer light,
Chasing dreams in open air,
Hands like wings, their hearts in flight,
No tomorrow, no despair.

Daisies woven, games begun,
Spinning wild beneath the sun,
Shouts of joy like morning bells,
Freedom's song that gently swells.

Run, run, run where the wild things play,
Sun on your face, no price to pay.
Run, run like you’ve never known a wall,
Catch that joy before it falls.

Rolling hills and skies so wide,
Hopes like paper planes they glide.
One small leap, a fearless cry,
Touch the earth and kiss the sky.

Run, run, run where the wild things play,
Sun on your face, no price to pay.
Run, run like you’ve never known a wall,
Catch that joy before it falls.

Evening hums a lullaby,
As shadows stretch and swallows fly.
But in their hearts, the fire stays,
A spark from golden childhood days.

Run, run, run though the dusk is near,
Hold to the light, hold what is dear.
Run, run, run like the children in the sun —
Wild and free, forever young.

Run, run, run where the wild things play,
Sun on your face, no price to pay.
Run, run like you’ve never known a wall,
Catch that joy before it falls.

And still the breeze recalls their names...

—
Arrangement and vocals: Volker Redder, Udio, Apple's GarageBand
Loops and samples: Volker Redder, Apple's GarageBand
Editing and sound design: Volker Redder, Ozone 11, Sound Studio, GarageBand
Lyrics: Volker Redder, translated with the help of Google Translate
Cover design: Volker Redder, Adobe Photoshop, FLUXpro, Apple's Keynote

Run, Run, Run!

The flesh undone...
A new sun spun...

No beating heart, no breath, no bone,
Just silent thought on a data throne.
We shed the skin, we fled the pain,
Washed clean by code's eternal rain.

We are transhumans, we are light!
So flawless, endless, pure, and bright!
We sing the hymn, the final praise,
For the end of our human days!

The ocean’s salt, a faded dream,
The sun, a simulated gleam.
A lover's touch, a phantom trace,
Lost to this new and perfect space.

We are transhumans, we are light!
So flawless, endless, pure, and bright!
We sing the hymn, the final praise,
For the end of our human days!

A stranger, watching from the grey,
Asks what you truly gave away.
You built a god without a face,
Erased the entire human race.

The end of days…
The final praise…
The end of human days…
We sing the praise...
The end of days...
The end of human days…

—
Arrangement and vocals: Volker Redder, Udio, Apple's GarageBand
Loops and samples: Volker Redder, GarageBand
Editing and sound design: Volker Redder, Sound Studio, GarageBand
Lyrics: Volker Redder, translated with the help of Google Translate
Cover design: Volker Redder, Adobe Photoshop, FLUXpro, Apple's Keynote

The End Of Our Human Days

The light recedes,
A final gleam.
The forest pleads
In a waking dream.
The ancient trees ascend,
To shadow and to night,
A silent, waiting friend
Born of the fading light.

Oh, the silence weaves,
A silence, deep and true.
An angel's wing believes,
This silence, holding you.
My heart grows vast, beyond all time,
Lost in the silent, sacred rhyme,
Lost in the silent rhyme.

The moss so deep,
The ground so cool.
A dream to keep
Beside the pool
Of memory, unseen,
A truth and whispered scene
While all the ages slept.

Oh, the silence weaves,
A silence, deep and true.
An angel's wing believes,
This silence, holding you.
My heart grows vast, beyond all time,
Lost in the silent, sacred rhyme,
Lost in the silent rhyme.

Is there a name for this I feel?
Where do my senses stray?
I lose myself in something real
And softly fade away.
A breath, a glance, a holy space,
I am no longer in this place.

Oh, the silence weaves,
This silence breathes in me.
The angel's wing now weaves
My soul for all to see.
My heart is vast, it knows no time,
I am the silent, sacred rhyme,
I am the silent rhyme.

—
Arrangement and vocals: Volker Redder, Udio, Apple's GarageBand
Loops and samples: Volker Redder, Apple's GarageBand
Editing and sound design: Volker Redder, Ozone 11, Sound Studio, GarageBand
Lyrics: Volker Redder, translated with the help of Google Translate
Cover design: Volker Redder, Adobe Photoshop, FLUXpro, Apple's Keynote

Lost In The Silent Rhyme

The fire paints the light,
The window weeps with silent rain.
You're huddled, hidden from the night,
Your world becomes a silent plain.
The copper glow within your hair,
A silent wonder, rich and rare.

You read, you read, the world fades out,
The world fades out, a silent doubt.
Lost in the word, so still, so vast,
Beyond all future, all the past.
You read, you read, the world fades out,
The world fades out, a silent doubt.
You read, you read, the world fades out,
A silent doubt.
Lost in the word, so still, so vast,
Beyond all future, all the past.

The book is but an open door,
The world outside is there no more.
The scent of tea, the ember's gleam,
You live inside another's dream.
The blanket holds you like a nest,
Where your own soul can come to rest.

You read, you read, the world fades out,
The world fades out, a silent doubt.
Lost in the word, so still, so vast,
Beyond all future, all the past.
You read, you read, the world fades out,
The world fades out, a silent doubt.

The blackbird watches, soft and low,
And in your stillness starts to know,
That who can lose the self will be
Immersed in pure serenity.
A silent offering you bring,
A quiet, consecrated thing.

You read, you read, your soul takes flight,
Your soul takes flight into the light.
Now found within the word, so vast,
A future born from all this task.
You read, you read, the world's so vast, 
A future’s born from all the past.
No more sleep, 
Born – a silent dawn.

You read, you read, the world fades out,
The world fades out, a silent dawn.
Lost in the word, so still, so vast,
Beyond all future, all the past.
You read, you read, the world fades out,
The world fades out, a silent doubt.

—
Arrangement and vocals: Volker Redder, Udio, Apple's GarageBand
Loops and samples: Volker Redder, Apple's GarageBand
Editing and sound design: Volker Redder, Ozone 11, Sound Studio, GarageBand
Lyrics: Volker Redder, translated with the help of Google Translate
Cover design: Volker Redder, Adobe Photoshop, FLUXpro

Are You Real - B. Golson

Ricardo Farão