It’s an informed tradeoff, not a fall
I left the comfort for the flame
I knew the cost before the call
I didn’t flinch, I took the blame
I took it all, I took it all
I gave up ease to chase the sound
I traded quiet for the brawl
I lost some friends but gained the ground
I walked alone but felt what’s right
I let the silence be my guide
I sang to stars that blinked at night
I kept my fire, I kept my pride
I gave up answers for the line
The rhyme was crooked, but it rang
I let go time to make it mine
I played for ghosts that never sang
I lost some nights to louder bars
I gained a voice that cuts and gleams
I found my home beneath the stars
I built my truth from broken dreams
I didn’t beg, I didn’t bend
I didn’t wait for fate to call
I learned to lose without the end
I learned to rise without the fall
It’s an informed tradeoff, not a fall
I knew the cost before the call
I gave what I could, I kept what I must
I built my life on sound and trust
It’s not regret, it’s not defeat
It’s choosing fire over concrete
It’s knowing pain, but still you play
It’s walking out and not away
I didn’t fall—I made the trade
I didn’t break—I bent, I stayed
I didn’t run—I changed my pace
I didn’t beg—I gave it grace
I didn’t lose—I let things go
I didn’t fade—I learned to glow
I didn’t quit—I made a stand
I held the note with my own hand
It’s an informed tradeoff… not a fall
I knew the cost before the call
It’s an informed tradeoff… not a fall
And I’d do it all again… fuck it all.... 

Link to more of our Singer/songwriter style hits you can cover into fame because of your take!
https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/best-new-folk-americana?si=04e0155163644977b37cf8c0a04f3c53&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing



All Rights Reserved Edwin H. Balder
Thanks so much to the band: Hot Cookie
See Our Music Videos Here> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-509h42heKT05D8egf2U9w

F_ck It All by Edwin H. Balder

Sorry if I’m sentimental tonight
Things passed down hit me just right
The medals my grandpa won
Still shine like a morning sun
Mom’s painting of that amber sky
Still makes me stop and wonder why
Uncle John’s old Martin guitar
Still hums like a ghost from afar
{Lead Vocal + Light Harmony Low octave]
Dad’s overcoat, stiff with years
Still smells like work and quiet tears
The church pew he carved by hand
Still holds the weight of where we stand
I’m not the crying kind, you know
But these things—they make it show
They pull me back to who I was
To who they were, to what love does
Things passed down
Not just wood and cloth and sound
They’re fingerprints on time
They’re the chorus behind the rhyme
They’re the proof that someone stayed
When the rest began to fade
They’re the reason I still try
Even when I don’t know why
The dog tags in that rusted tin
Still echo where he’s always been
The boots with worn-out soles
Still walk me through their roles
The letters tucked beneath the bed
Still speak from voices long since dead
And every time I hold them near
I feel the ones I still hold dear
I saw Dad watching me tonight
Didn’t say much
Just nodded
Like he knew
That I finally understood
What he’s been carrying
All these years
Without a word
Without a break
Without asking for anything
I’m not soft—I’m just aware
That love lives in the things we wear
In the tools, the tunes, the tears
In the quiet passing of the years
I’m still the man they raised to fight
But I’m the man who knows what’s right
And if I cry, it’s not for show
It’s for the ones who made me so
Things passed down
Not just wood and cloth and sound
They’re fingerprints on time
They’re the chorus behind the rhyme
They’re the proof that someone stayed
When the rest began to fade
They’re the reason I still try
Even when I don’t know why
Things passed down
Not just wood and cloth and sound
They’re fingerprints on time
They’re the chorus behind the rhyme
They’re the proof that someone stayed
When the rest began to fade
They’re the reason I still try
Even when I don’t know why

Link to best of our country hits that you can cover to get to the top... https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/country-hits-you-might-need?si=307edea8be674dc3bedee9345a814080&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

All Rights Reserved Edwin H. Balder
Thanks so much to Del and the Team
See Our Music Videos Here> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-509h42heKT05D8egf2U9w

Things Passed Down written by Edwin H. Balder

Rolling one for Willie
While the sun dips low
Thinking ‘bout the voices
That taught me how to go
John Prine with a crooked grin
Taught me how to write from within
Jerry Jeff with a worn-out hat
Showed me where the wild ones sat
Hank sang pain like it was gold
Patsy made the heartbreak bold
Charlie Pride with velvet fire
Lit the truth and raised it higher
Chet picked notes like falling rain
Made me feel the joy and strain
And Willie—he just stayed the course
With a song, a soul, and a beat-up voice
Rolling one for Willie
And all the ones who came before
They gave me rhythm, gave me reason
Gave me something to adore
Rolling one for Willie
And the stories that they told
They made me sing, they made me swing
They made this boy's  country rock and roll
I walked through Memphis in my boots
Heard the echoes in the roots
I rode that midnight Georgia train
Felt the gospel in the rain
I thanked the Lord for country boys
For banjos, barns, and backroad noise
I played the chords they left behind
And found my voice in every line
They weren’t perfect, they weren’t saints
But they gave me songs, gave me paints
To color life in shades of truth
To write the blues into my youth
Now I sit beneath the stars
With a pen, a pick, and a few old scars
And every time I light one up
I raise their names can' get enough
Rolling one for Willie
And all the ones who came before
They gave me rhythm, gave me reason
Gave me something to adore
Rolling one for Willie
And the stories that they told
They made me sing, they made me swing
they showed me wonders music can hold
Here’s to the ones who taught me how
To sing the truth and take a bow
To write it raw, to play it clean
To chase the light behind the screen
Rolling one for Willie
And the legends in my soul
They made me whole
They made me whole
Rolling one for Willie
And the legends in my soul
They made me whole  ooooh
They made me whole  ooooh
They made me whole 

Link to best of our country hits that you can cover to get to the top... https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/country-hits-you-might-need?si=307edea8be674dc3bedee9345a814080&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

All Rights Reserved Edwin H. Balder
Thanks so much to Del and the Team
See Our Music Videos Here> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-509h42heKT05D8egf2U9w

Rolling One for Willie written by Edwin H. Balder

Her name was Margaret Lee
Taught the kids near Abilene
Twenty hearts in a one-room box
Books and chalk, no need for locks
She believed in better days
In spelling words and honest praise
But the prairie burned one night
And the stars went out of sight
Raiders came with torches high
Laughter sharp as steel and sky
By morning, ash and silence reigned
The school was gone, no children remained
The sheriff shrugged, and some moved on
But Margaret’s light was dead and gone
She cut her hair, she packed her gun
And rode into the setting sun
Lady Ghost, pale as dawn
Riding where the law was gone
She didn’t preach, she didn’t plead
She took revenge her only need
Lady Ghost, no badge, no name
But every outlaw knew  'bout her aim
She taught the West  its final lessions
she carved her justice  in revenge blessings
One by one, the names fell cold
Five men found on trails of old
Each one tied to that dark night
Each one met her silent fight
No trial, no jury, no parade
Just whispers where their bodies laid
A pistol drawn with preacher’s grace
as Margaret’s eyes went every place
She never taught again, they say
But mothers still recall that day
When justice wore a woman’s face
And rode the plains with-out a trace
She didn’t ask for songs or fame
She didn’t need a hero’s name
She just became what truth required
A ghost with grit, a soul on fire
Lady Ghost, pale as dawn
Riding where the law was gone
She didn’t preach, she didn’t plead
She took revenge her only need
Lady Ghost, no badge, no name
But every outlaw knew  'bout her aim
She taught the West  its final lessions
she carved her justice  in revenge blessings
She carried books, not bullets
Till the world burned down her light
Then she carried what was needed
And she never missed at night
She didn’t ride for glory
She didn’t ride for gold
She rode for twenty voices
That never would grow old
Lady Ghost, still rides the wind
Where silence speaks and stories bend
She made her law, she made it last
She taught the West, then rode on past
Lady Ghost…
Lady Ghost…
Lady Ghost…
She taught the West, then rode on past


Link to best of our country hits that you can cover to get to the top... https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/country-hits-you-might-need?si=307edea8be674dc3bedee9345a814080&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

All Rights Reserved Edwin H. Balder
Thanks so much to Del and the Team
See Our Music Videos Here> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-509h42heKT05D8egf2U9w

Lady Ghost written by Edwin H. Balder

He was born where the fences end
Where the sky don’t bend, and the trails descend
Had a horse with a crooked gait
And a past he never could quite shake
He didn’t talk about the war
Or the girl who slammed that screen door
But he kept that rope by his side
Like a promise he never had to hide
He rode through storms that split the plains
Through cattle runs and busted reins
Saved a boy from a flood one spring
Pulled him out with a quiet swing
He never bragged, never asked for cheers
Just tipped his hat and disappeared
But every time he made a save
You’d see that rope stretch, taut and brave
It’s what holds a man when the world won’t stay
What pulls him back when he’s lost his way
It’s the thing he throws when words fall short
The silent bond, the final resort
It’s not a weapon, it’s not a chain
It’s the thread that runs through joy and pain
It’s what holds a man
When nothing else can
It’s what holds a man
that rope .. what holds a man
When nothing else can
He tied down dreams and broken wheels
Fixed the things that time reveals
He looped it round a runaway steer
save the stock from from thunder and  fear
He said, “You don’t need much to stand
Just a good horse and a steady hand”
And when the wind began to howl
He’d cinch life down tight and ride it out
when it was time he left his saddle by the stream
rope well worn, like a fading dream
And folks still talk in the canyon towns
Of the man who never let folks down
Who held the line when others fled
And left a trail of lives he led
It’s what holds a man when the world won’t stay
What pulls him back when he’s lost his way
It’s the thing he throws when words fall short
The silent bond, the final resort
It’s not a weapon, it’s not a chain
It’s the rope that runs through joy and pain
It’s what holds a man
When nothing else can
It’s what holds a man
that rope .. what holds a man
When nothing else can
He didn’t need a crowd or fame
Just something strong that knew his name
And every time the wind gets loud
I swear... I see him.... rope the clouds....(rope) ....rope the clouds....every time the wind gets loud
I swear... I see him.... (rope) ....rope the clouds....rope the clouds....

Link to best of our country hits that you can cover to get to the top... https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/country-hits-you-might-need?si=307edea8be674dc3bedee9345a814080&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

All Rights Reserved Edwin H. Balder
Thanks so much to Del and the Team
See Our Music Videos Here> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-509h42heKT05D8egf2U9w

Rope written by Edwin H. Balder

You stir your coffee like you’re buying time
I ask a question, you dodge my sign
We used to talk like songs were air
Now you just hum around here and there
I’m not accusing, I’m not cold
But I’m not young, and I’m not sold
On waiting for a maybe smile
While the years stack up in a crooked pile
We used to dance in kitchen light
Now we scroll through silent night
You say you’re tired, I say I’m fine
But we both know we’re toeing the line
I’m not asking for a perfect plan
Just a little truth, just where you stand
Do we build, do we burn
Do we stay, do we turn?
What we want from here on
Isn’t written in a song
It’s not a whisper or a breeze
It’s not a tease
It’s the way you look at me
When I ask if you still believe
It’s the way you hold  open the door
Like you’re  wanting more....wanting more
I’ve been writing verses in my head
While you’ve been quiet in our bed
I’m not mad, I’m not gone
But I’m not sure how long I’ll hold on
If you don’t speak, if you don’t try
Then maybe this was our goodbye
You used to laugh before you answered
Now you pause like truth’s a cancer
I used to sing, you used to sway
Now so silent most days
I’m not the man who needs applause
But I need more than what this was
I need a sign, not just a sigh
I need a reason not to lie
So here we are, two cups gone cold
Two hearts unsure, two hands not bold
I’ll play this tune one final time
If you don’t join, I’ll drop the rhyme
I’ll walk away, I’ll let it be
But I’ll still sing... what you meant to me....
I didn’t write this to win you back.
I wrote it because I had to.
Because silence was louder than the chords.
Because love deserves a melody,
even.. if it’s the last one... we share.....love deserves a melody,
even.. if it’s the last one... we share..


Link to best of our country hits that you can cover to get to the top... https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/country-hits-you-might-need?si=307edea8be674dc3bedee9345a814080&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

All Rights Reserved Edwin H. Balder
Thanks so much to Del and the Team
See Our Music Videos Here> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-509h42heKT05D8egf2U9w

From Here On written by Edwin H. Balder

Coffee gone cold, bills on the floor
Same damn knock at the same old door
Lipstick cracked, mirror won’t lie
She’s still here, but she don’t know why
In the quiet dawn, echoes rise
A gentle hum beneath the skies
Waves of sound that call and swell
Whisper stories they long to tell
Kids in the yard, dog needs fed
She hums a tune she half regrets
Dreams in the drawer with the unpaid debt
Nothing left but the sun to set
She don’t scream, she don’t shout
She just waits for the light to run out
Nothing left but the sun to set
No more tears, no more threat
She gave her best, she gave it all
Now she’s just watching shadows fall
Nothing left but the sun to set 
Oooh yeah   Oh Yeah ...did her best.....
No more tears, no more threat
She gave her best, she gave it all
Now she’s just watching shadows fall
Nothing left but the sun to set 
She’s not broken, just bent
She’s not gone, just spent
She’s not lost, just waiting
For something worth saving
She wore that dress for no one to see
Hung it back up like a memory
The radio plays a song she wrote
But no one knows, and no one spoke]
Nothing left but the sun to set
Holding on to what she can get
Her heart still beats beneath the weight
Hoping for dawn’s new slate
Nothing left but the sun to set
Oooh yeah   Oh Yeah ....did her best
No more tears, no more threat
She gave her best, she gave it all
Now she’s just watching shadows fall
Nothing left but the sun to set 
She gave her best…
She gave it all…Nothing left Nothing left
Nothing left but the sun to set
Oooh yeah   Oh Yeah ...did her best.....
Nothing left but the sun to set
She gave her best…
She gave it all…Nothing left Nothing left
Nothing left but the sun to set
She gave her best…
She gave it all…Nothing left Nothing left
Nothing left but the sun to set
Oooh yeah   Oh Yeah ...did her best.....
Nothing left but the sun to set

Please check out our other albums...!
https://soundcloud.com/cookiehot/sets/dream-and-pretend?si=ec8b6a32f93441429b79cf315810a28b&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Songwriter Edwin H. Balder
All rights reserved and protected by ZproMur LLC, doing business as Pinky's Picks. Copyright 2024 by ZproMur. For cover inquiries and use in films, commercials, or other marketing, promotional, or musical applications of this material in any part, please direct message 

Nothing Left but the Sun to Set by ♨️ 🍪

*CHRISTMAS SPECIAL*
DustGIRLS bring holiday cheer with a country twist in “Mistletoe & Moonshine.” An upbeat, feel-good anthem blending stomping rhythms, fiddle, banjo, and three powerful female harmonies. It’s a rowdy small-town Christmas night — boots on the floor, laughter in the air, and a reminder that joy shines brightest when we’re together.

Misteltoe and Moonshin

Title: "The Seagrape Nights Song"

Tuesday nights, we kick it off right
Two Dollar Tuesdays, the party's in sight
DJ Peter G's spinning tracks, got the beat on tight
Got the Seagrape jumpin', Fairfield's feeling it tonight
Chorus:
We're livin' for the night, we're feeling alive
Seagrape's got the vibe, we're gonna light it up tonight
Grapesters let's thrive, we're feeling alive
Making memories that stay with us for life
Verse:
Eddie, Tim, Ainsley, Diego, Julia, and Jaquan
Bartenders with the flow, they're servin' up the drinks and makin' the night go
Victor and Isaac, they're keepin' us safe
We're partyin' hard, but everyone's having a great time
Chorus:
We're livin' for the night, we're feeling alive
Seagrape's got the vibe, we're gonna light it up tonight
Grapesters let's thrive, we're feeling alive
Making memories that stay with us for life
Bridge:
From Thursday to Saturday, we're keepin' it wild
The party doesn't stop, it's worth the while
Peter Collins, the owner makes it pop
Seagrape's where we come to rock
Chorus:
We're livin' for the night, we're feeling alive
Seagrape's got the vibe, we're gonna light it up tonight
Grapesters let's thrive, we're feeling alive
Making memories that stay with us for life
Outro:
So if you're in Fairfield and you're lookin' for a place to let loose and have a blast with a smile on your face, come on down to the Seagrape – we'll make you feel at home. DJ Peter G and the Seagrape crew, we'll keep the party goin' all night long!

The Seagrape Nights Song

🎶 “Me, Myself and I” — Suzi Kory

“Me, Myself and I” is a country pop anthem about finding strength in solitude and learning to stand tall when the world gets quiet. With heartfelt lyrics, a catchy hook, and that easy-going mix of twang and pop shine, this song celebrates independence, self-love, and the beauty of chasing your own path.

It’s for the days you drive with the windows down, singing your heart out — and the nights you remember you’re stronger than you thought.

💛 Give it a listen, share it with your friends, and let me know what it means to you!

Me Myself and I

Meet Hot Cookie, the wonder that’s redefining cool with a fresh blend of reflective lyrics and acoustic-driven power. Our sound is the heartbeat of today's music scene, capturing the essence of raw emotion and musical artistry. With every track, we aim to elevate your listening experience, offering melodies that resonate and lyrics that linger. Get ready to be swept away by Hot Cookie, where every note is a testament to our passion and every song a journey!....Social Contact: https://x.com/HotCookieMusic

*ON FRIDAY THE 24th OF OCTOBER*
- The Christmas is here...tune in! -

In the shadows of Apache Junction, at the foot of the majestic Superstition Mountains, sits a weathered hacienda. This desert oasis is home to an enigmatic figure, a songwriter whose journey reads like a long, dusty road of honky-tonk bars and college cafeterias. He wasn't chasing fame or glitter; instead, he chose the soul-crushing beauty of music for music's sake.

Years spent hunched over sticky barroom tables and scribbling lyrics on napkins earned him a reputation—not in the spotlight but in the back rooms where deals are made. He wrote melodies that found their way into the hearts of stars who had lost their own muse. He sold his creations for cash, with no recognition, but the whisper of his songs carried the weight of his soul.

Finally, he bought this piece of desert paradise—a stable income from his timeless songs allowed him to live comfortably, if anonymously. Here in this hacienda, with his family beside him and the mountains as his backdrop, he found the peace to write hits under his own name. He chuckled at the irony that now, without chasing fame, he could create music that brought him joy.

In the end, it was never about the spotlight. It was about the journey, the stories, and the songs that wrote themselves through his life. As the sun set behind the Superstitions, casting long shadows over the hacienda, he strummed his guitar and sang—content, unknown, and unburdened by the world's gaze.


Copyright 2019 Edwin H. Balder

I may be dead when fame comes but my real glory was always JULIE & The Kids. Thank you for such love

New tracks tagged #CountryVibes