Inspired by the wild 1985 case where John Fogerty was sued for sounding like himself. I’d just had one of my own tracks flagged as a “cover” when it wasn’t — so this satirical swamp-rock tune was born. Brotherhood, betrayal, and a courtroom blues where the only crime is being yourself.

👉 Listen, laugh, and wonder: can you copyright a heartbeat?

Verse 1
We were saints in the spotlight, brothers in sound,
Rolling on a river till the tide turned around.
Bad moon rising on the edge of our fame,
One voice, one fire, one shared name.

Verse 2
But contracts cut deeper than blood ever could,
Paper and profit tore through brotherhood.
Said my echo was theft of the man I’d been,
Like an old man down the road come walking again.

Chorus
I plagiarized the man I used to be,
Sold myself the rights to my own melody.
You can jail my shadow, but you can’t own me,
If it’s a crime to be myself, throw away the key.

Verse 3
The jury leaned forward, pens scratching my fate,
Lawyers argued rhythm at a furious rate.
The judge tapped the gavel, said, “Sing us a line —
Have you ever seen the rain, and swear it is mine?”

Bridge
Can you copyright a heartbeat?
Can you trademark the sky?
If a song runs through the jungle,
Does the spirit still fly?

Verse 4
Now the spotlight is smaller, but it still burns true,
No label, no jury can tell me what to do.
The past keeps on echoing, but I walk my own run,
Still a fortunate son with the same old song.

Chorus
I plagiarized the man I used to be,
Sold myself the rights to my own melody.
You can jail my shadow, but you can’t own me,
If it’s a crime to be myself, throw away the key.




Crime to be Myself

Crime to be myself

An Invitation

I don’t write to lead a chorus. I write to leave a light.
These songs are only footnotes — echoes reminding us that struggle and hope never vanish, they only wait for new voices to rise.

Everyone has a voice. Yours is no lesser, no greater than another. Each carries its own truth, and each truth belongs in the song.

Whatever your path — through faith or doubt, joy or grief, belonging or difference — your story matters. Your words can name the weight you carry, or sketch the world you still believe is possible.

So write. Whisper or roar, it makes no difference. A single verse, honest and clear, can carry further than you expect.

Together, these voices weave the chorus. Not owned by one, not silenced by power, but held in common. If my words spark even one more verse, then the song is larger than me — and the story continues.

1. The Core Philosophy: "Serve First, Lead Second"
The central tenet of servant leadership, as coined by Robert K. Greenleaf, is that a leader's primary motivation is a genuine desire to serve others. This is a direct contrast to traditional leadership models where the leader's goal is to amass power, control, or personal gain.


Humility in Action: A humble person naturally puts the needs of others before their own. For a servant leader, this isn't just a tactic; it's an internal compass. They don't see themselves as being "above" the people they lead. Instead, they see their role as a steward of the organization, responsible for helping others thrive.


2. The Inverted Hierarchy
Traditional leadership operates on a pyramid structure, with the leader at the top and everyone else below. Servant leadership inverts this pyramid. The leader is at the bottom, supporting the team and lifting them up.


Humility in Action: This visual metaphor perfectly represents humility. A humble leader doesn't need to be on top to feel powerful. Their influence comes from empowering others. They are secure enough in their own abilities that they don't feel threatened by the success or growth of their team members. In fact, they celebrate it.

3. The Shift from Positional Authority to Moral Authority
A traditional leader commands through their title or position. A servant leader, on the other hand, leads through persuasion, trust, and the respect they earn from their team.

Humility in Action: Instead of saying, "Do this because I'm the boss," a servant leader says, "This is what we need to accomplish. How can I help you do your best work?" They listen more than they speak, and they value the team's ideas and input more than their own. This requires a profound level of humility—the recognition that the best ideas can come from anywhere, not just from the person at the top.

4. Key Traits of a Servant Leader that are Rooted in Humility


Many of the most commonly cited characteristics of servant leaders are direct expressions of humility:

Listening: A humble leader knows they don't have all the answers and is genuinely interested in hearing the perspectives of others.

Empathy: The ability to understand and share the feelings of another person is an act of putting yourself aside to connect with someone else's experience.

Stewardship: This is the mindset that you are entrusted with the well-being of the organization and its people, rather than owning them.

Commitment to the Growth of People: Humble leaders see the intrinsic value in every individual and are invested in their personal and professional development, even if it means they eventually surpass the leader.

In essence, humility is the internal attitude that makes servant leadership possible. Without humility, a leader who tries to "serve" might just be using it as a manipulative tactic to gain control or popularity. True servant leadership comes from an authentic, humble desire to put the needs of others first. It is, as the saying goes, "thinking of yourself less, not thinking less of yourself."

New tracks tagged ##john fogerty #ccr #swamp rock #blues rock #satire #protest song #courtroom #blues #music law #original song