Play a Dance Song
© 1998 by Eric Carl Dahl and John Hawk

Worn-out guitar in a worn-out bar,
the crowd was getting thin,
a few people talkin,
a few people drinkin,
almost nobody comin in,
then a guy in a T-shirt
with a woman in a tight skirt
came in floatin on air,
they both knew what they wanted to do
as they called out a dive bar dare:

“Play a dance song, play a dance song,
play it the rest of the night,
words don’t matter, you can cut the chatter,
just keep the rhythm tight."

He could glide real sweet,
slide his feet,
and show off his lady.
She had short blue hair,
and everybody there
could see she was lithe and leggy.
A few people stood up, some more came in,
there was a crowd in no time at all,
weaving and shakin with the others forsaken
at the dive bar midnight ball.

“Play a dance song, play a dance song . . . ."

A few nights later we were playin in a diner
for a crowd fallin into their beer.
It was a hopeless venue with a dangerous menu
and music no one could hear.
That couple came in looking real trim,
now she had jet black hair.
There was nowhere to dance,
too many hanging plants,
but they clearly didn’t care.

“Play a dance song, play a dance song . . . .”

Two years later we were playing in a theatre
wound up and ready to rage.
Up walked that lady with a nine-month-old baby
and set her down on the stage.
The kid could bob her shoulders, clap her hands in time,
before she ever learned to walk,
funny how the song flows, funny how the time goes,
funny how we’re born to rock.

“Play a dance song, play a dance song,
play it the rest of the night,
words don’t matter you can cut the chatter,
just keep the rhythm tight."

Bandcamp

Play A Dance Song

Throw Me In
© 1998 by Eric Carl Dahl
Duet with Terry Martin

She said, “I don’t need a statue or a pyramid,
no fancy tomb when I die.
Just open the box and throw me in
so I can love him for the rest of the night,
love him for the rest of the night.”

Middle of the night middle of nowhere
drinking with some buskers by a fire at the inn.
One wore a skull ring the other drew legends.
We talked about funeral stones in the wind.
Talked about stones in the wind.

“I don’t need a statue or a pyramid . . . .”

Told them bout a tomb in a Wessex cathedral,
the stones and the bones and one glass jar.
You could tell by the bones and where the jar rested
that it once held the heart of a star,
once held the heart of a star.

“I don’t need a statue or a pyramid . . . .”

Find me a block of Connemara marble,
carve two lovers together in bed,
with a line from a poet about the heart’s affection
and how it keeps wakin the dead,
how it keeps wakin the dead.

“I don’t need a statue or a pyramid,
no fancy tomb when I die,
just open the box and throw me in
so I can love him for the rest of the night,
love him for the rest of the night.”

Throw Me In

Billy Rowe
© 1998 by Eric Carl Dahl

I saw Billy Rowe at the Stones last show,
he looked like he’d just been gassed.
He said Sheila’s gone, they couldn’t get along,
nothing in common but the past,
and it went through my mind
to tell him we’re fine,
but I was feeling something different inside,
the truth keeps changing and the sky gets
deeper, then our eyes are open wide.

I wanna start over, I wanna all start over,
right here in the present time,
not living in the past like a pantomime,
why pretend? It’s not like it was back then.

I saw Sue Hale, she said Gary’s back in jail,
for dealin just a little bit strong.
It was always just fun till he had to get a gun,
she doesn’t know if she can wait that long,

And it went through my mind
to tell her we’re fine
but I was feelin something different inside,
the truth keeps changing and the sky gets
deeper, then our eyes are open wide.

I wanna start over, I wanna start over,
right here in the present time,
not living in the past like a pantomime,
why pretend? It’s not like it was back then.

She said I’m easy in this light, I said I don’t
feel right, then I left your friend Karen at the bar.
When I took off my coat, I found your note
saying you’d be driving all night with the car,
And it went through my mind
to just say “that’s fine”
but I was feeling something different inside,
the truth keeps changing and the sky gets
deeper, then our eyes are open wide.

I wanna start over, I wanna start all over,
right here in the present time,
not living in the past like a pantomime,
why pretend? It’s not like it was back then.

Billy Rowe

Dr. Margarita
© 1998 by Eric Carl Dahl

Took my broken heart down to Del Rio, Texas,
Not much to live for, too much time,
good friend told me, “You need a doctor.” I said,
“Don’t wanna see one.” He said, “I’ll call mine.”

Knock at the door, it was Dr. Margarita,
with a gallon of Tequila, triple sec and lime.
He’s got the cure if the cure don’t killya.
He said, “Try some of this, give it some time.”

Dr. Margarita, Dr. Margarita, from Val Verde
County where you cross the line.
Dr. Margarita, Dr. Margarita,
if the cure don’t killya, you feel just fine.

Called my insurance, I said,
“It’s preventive treatment.”
They said, “We never heard of it,
who’s gonna sign?”

Dr. Margarita, Dr. Margarita,
from Val Verde County where you cross
the line. Dr. Margarita, Dr. Margarita
if the cure don’t killya, you feel just fine.

Took my broken heart down to Del Rio, Texas,
for preventive friendship with triple sec and lime,
took my broken heart down to Del Rio, Texas,
Dr. Margarita told me, “Give it some time.”

Dr. Margarita, Dr. Margarita, from Val Verde
County where you cross the line.
Dr. Margarita, Dr. Margarita,
if the cure don’t killya, you feel just fine.

Dr. Margarita, Dr. Margarita, from Val Verde
County where you cross the line.
Dr. Margarita, Dr. Margarita,
Dr. Margarita told me, give it some time.

Dr. Margarita

Contradiction
© 1998 by Eric Carl Dahl

Sometimes it seems like
you’re a part of myself, the part
that doesn’t even know it’s there.

If I was a high plateau cowboy,
working cattle at 7,000 feet,
in the high thin air we’d be thinking
bout the Dalai Lama, we’d be the only
ones on the range who didn’t eat meat.

Contradiction, hey that’s no problem,
I got two sides to my brain,
one side knows exactly what it’s doing,
but it’s the other side keeps me sane.

You should be
a samurai messiah,
walking into battle
carrying a bamboo stick.
You could teach everyone
how to cut their own demons to pieces,
wearing a T-shirt that says
oppression is just plain sick.

Contradiction, hey that’s no problem,
I got two sides to my brain,
one side knows exactly what it’s doing,
but it’s the other side keeps me sane.

You’re not much of one for asking,
eye contact and you pull me
onto the floor,
so serious we can’t stop laughing,
inside your armor there’s a waterfall,
outside the walls there’s an open shore.

Contradiction, hey that’s no problem,
I got two sides to my brain,
one side knows exactly what it’s doing,
but it’s the other side keeps me sane.

Contradiction

I Do Mine
© 1998 by Eric Carl Dahl

This vision’s getting stronger
everywhere we go,
ask yourself the question,
you will know.
Buildings burning down
in the cities of our past,
new beginnings, build to last.
We were meant to wonder
way beyond the line

You do your part, I do mine.
You do your part, I do mine.

On a twisting trail,
shoreline at your feet,
sunlight in the branches
to make the night complete,
it’s alright, you know its meant to be.
it’s alright, you know its meant to be.

You do your part, I do mine.
You do your part, I do mine.
I do mine, I do mine.
I do mine, I do mine.

This vision’s getting stronger,
everywhere we go,
ask yourself the question,
you will know.

We were meant to wander
from the cities of our past,
new beginnings, build to last.
It’s alright, you know it’s meant to be.
It’s alright, you know it’s meant to be.

You do your part, I do mine.
You do your part, I do mine.
I do mine, I do mine.
I do mine, I do mine.

I Do Mine

Wrong Side of Town
© 1998 by Eric Carl Dahl

We were just sitting here drinking
on a Saturday night,
this guy came in,
seemed alright,
we got room for a stranger,
even with a manicured beard,
we got some room for acting weird.
but one thing you just never do
is pull a knife in a tavern,
specially when you got no friends with you—
one’s to start thinking clearly,
two’s to put it down,
or three you’re in a lotta trouble
on the wrong side of town.

I just stood there lookin him in the eye,
Davy Behn moved over slowly at his side,
then Mike Mason, he’s always been an ass,
dove for him with an empty glass,
and I can’t say what happened,
things were spinning around,
he caught me here on my shoulder
but we got him down,
maybe things got rougher than they needed to be,
but he’s still breathing, and he can still see.

If your hot, might not wanna hang around,
gonna be a lotta questions about what came down,
one thing you just never do
is pull a knife in a tavern,
specially when you got no friends with you—
one’s to start thinking clearly,
two’s to put it down,
or three you’re in a lotta trouble
on the wrong side of town.

Whatever the Jungle

Wrong Side of Town

Wrong Side Of Town

Season of Drought
© 1998 by Eric Carl Dahl

Just east of here the corn is growin half high.
If we don’t get some rain, it’s all gonna die.
They used to torch the spikes off the prickly pear
To save the last of the heard, we’re almost there,

Season of drought,
Been a long time without,
Each passing cloud leaves a little more doubt,
Each root reaching for a dry vein
Tries a little, dies a little,
waitin for rain in a season of drought.

Everybody in the town of Blanco
Is comin to the square.
Just a few days left in the Blanco River,
Bow your head in prayer.
I’m not one for religion
But sometimes I pray,
Wisdom of the ages or superstition,
There’s gotta be a way.
There’s a water witch walkin in the
valley shadows, been out there all day,
Wisdom of the ages or superstition,
gotta find a way, gotta find a way.

Season of drought . . . .

It all depends where your water comes from
River, aquifer, little stream
Maybe you ignore it, act deaf and dumb
But this dry river is my worst dream
This dry riverbed is worse than a dream
Makes you wonder how your strength’s gonna come
River, aquifer, little stream
It all depends where your water comes from
It all depends where your water comes from

Season of draught . . . .

Season Of Drought

Dance on Water
© 1998 by Eric Carl Dahl

Hello darlin, I’m down in the lobby,
you got time for one last date?
Something exciting, out in the city,
tell your friends you’re gonna be out late.

Don’t complicate it,
I got green wings and I’m gonna fly,
don’t worry bout spending my money,
I’m fifteen people and they’re all in debt,
there’s just one nobody knows,
and he’s headed downriver,
dance on water till your feet get wet,
dance on water.

Thought I told you, I only like diamonds,
we’ll stop in town and buy you a ring.
Do you want fine clothes, would you like a new car?
I’m a bunco Santa buy you anything.

And if they catch me they’re gonna want some years,
come see me at Christmas, be my prison flower.
Don’t you worry bout the things I done.
I’ll be paying for it honey bout a dollar an hour.

Don’t complicate it,
I got green wings and I’m gonna fly,
don’t worry bout spending my money,
I’m fifteen people and they’re all in debt,
there’s just one nobody knows,
and he’s headed downriver,
dance on water till your feet get wet,
dance on water
dance on water.

Dance On Water

Written, Performed, Mixed and Mastered by: Red is for Fire/BD Isaac
Copyright 2025

This style of music that I create, is heavily influenced by the retro-'90s feel of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I am very much trying to recapture the spirit and tone of the original SOTN soundtrack with these types of compositions. Thank you for listening.

8-25-25

Castlevania - Olrox Returns

Eric Dahl is a songwriter with ties to the state of Washington on both sides of the Cascade mountains. He was born in Colville in the northeastern corner of the state. His father was a teacher from Spokane who soon moved with his family to western Washington. Dahl’s mother is a native of Leavenworth with relatives in the Wenatchee Valley. Eric grew up in Kent and south Seattle, but thanks to his maternal grandfather and uncles, he worked in the Leavenworth fruit orchards and hiked from an early age in the Cascade Mountains to the high lakes. Later he studied and published poetry at Whitman College in Walla Walla, the University of Washington in Seattle, and at Oxford University where he was awarded the Isis Poetry Prize.

God first—Castlevania freak, Harryhausen, Star Wars fanatic, Lord of the Rings, Burton, Elfman, Stan Lee, Mozart, Bach, '80s/'90s Synth-Guitar/Video Game Atmospheres. 

Turning pain into music.

Music Only Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqP4d0rEMsjB4hUVibt6LUw

Influences: Bernard Herrmann, Danny Elfman, Basil Poledouris, Elliot Goldenthal, Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Alan Silvestri, Alexandre Desplat, Celldweller, Michiru Yamane, Koji Kondo. Blood Dragon, Harold Faltermeyer, John Carpenter, Daft Punk.

Credits: Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
               My Immortal Enemy: Akuma
               Castlevania: Prelude to War

New tracks tagged #Austin tx