Smile While You Drown   by Edwin H Balder
can you dance through a hurricane, hold the wind in your hands
can you smile while you drown, pretend the water understands
can you smile while you drown....
 pretend.. the.. water.... understands...
the sky never asked how I learned to break
it only opened, swallowed, took what it could take
the roads never cared if I ran or kneeled
they just stretched like veins across every battlefield
I stood in storms with my arms out wide
let the chaos pull, let the flood decide
but I didn’t sink, no, I didn’t fold
I just let the weight carve stories untold
can you dance through a hurricane, hold the wind in your hands
can you smile while you drown, pretend the water understands
can you laugh in a fire, let it burn through your name
can you love when it’s hollow, light a fire in the rain
the mirrors don’t crack if you stare too long
they only warp, they only hum their song
the echoes don’t fade, they just blur and bend
like whispers that never learned how to end
I spoke to ghosts with my head held high
let the silence answer, let it clarify
but I didn’t run, no, I didn’t fall
I just let the echoes write across the walls
can you dance through a hurricane, hold the wind in your hands
can you smile while you drown, pretend the water understands
can you laugh in a fire, let it burn through your name
can you love when it’s hollow, light a fire in the rain
no one tells you how to hold what breaks
no one tells you how to carry mistakes
no one tells you how to fight the tides
or how to stand when the floor divides
but I learned, I learned in waves
I learned in wreckage, I learned in graves
I learned in spaces where the air ran thin
I learned in places I’d never been
can you dance through a hurricane, hold the wind in your hands
can you smile while you drown, pretend the water understands
can you laugh in a fire, let it burn through your name
can you love when it’s hollow, light a fire in the rain
can you dance through a hurricane, hold the wind in your hands
can you smile while you drown, pretend the water understands
can you laugh in a fire, let it burn through your name
can you love when it’s hollow, light a fire in the rain
smile while you drown
light a fire in the rain.........
smile while you drown
light a fire in .....the... rain............

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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 

Smile While You Drown by Hot Cookie

Building a Better Me   by Edwin H. Balder
putting on the tool belt, rolling up my sleeves
fixing up the framework, filling in the seams
breaking down the pieces, pulling what I need
building up the strength to build a better me
got the hammer, got the nails
every doubt gets stripped and scaled
no shortcuts, no quick saves
only sweat will shape the days
plans were broken, walls fell thin
but I don't leave the cracks within
every layer, every line
set in place, built in time
putting on the tool belt, rolling up my sleeves
fixing up the framework, filling in the seams
breaking down the pieces, pulling what I need
building up the strength to build a better me]
sand it smooth, paint it bright
let the light cut through the night
tear the past out board by board
make it whole, make it more
measure twice, carve it strong
where I stand, I now belong
not a mansion, not a throne
just a place that feels like home
putting on the tool belt, rolling up my sleeves
fixing up the framework, filling in the seams
breaking down the pieces, pulling what I need
building up the strength to build a better me
used a hammer to nail the blame
used a screwdriver to carve out my name
used a vise to tighten my game
used a ruler to make sure you were all the same
used the pliers to pull myself out
used the drill to drill the lies out
used the sandpaper to make it smooth
used the chisel to get back my groove
hard hat on, last beam raised
nothing left to rearrange
not unfinished, not undone
I stand beneath the rising sun
putting on the tool belt, rolling up my sleeves
fixing up the framework, filling in the seams
breaking down the pieces, pulling what I need
building up the strength to build a better me
putting on the tool belt, rolling up my sleeves
fixing up the framework, filling in the seams
breaking down the pieces, pulling what I need
building up the strength to build a better me  (better me)
build a better me
(better me)
better me
build ..a.. (better ...me)
 build a.. better .........me!  build a.. better .........me!
me.....(me).....me

Please check out our other albums...!
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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 

Building a Better Me by Hot Cookie

So I Told You So by Edwin H. Balder
you held his words like water in your hands
thought you’d shape them into something that would stand
but no matter how tight you tried to hold
water runs cold, and stories unfold
I saw the way his charm stretched thin
like painted gold too quick to dim
you swore he was solid, you swore it was fate
but sugar melts when it’s too late
you didn’t hear, so I told you so
the cracks ran clear, so I told you so
you called it grace, so I told you so
some men love the chase, but not the race, so I told you so
you just had to know (had to know), so I told you so, so I told you so
it wasn’t love when he let you fall
just silence built behind a wall
you thought you lost him, thought he changed
but he was always rearranged
you didn’t hear, so I told you so
the cracks ran clear, so I told you so
you called it grace, so I told you so
some men love the chase, but not the race, so I told you so
you just had to know (had to know), so I told you so, so I told you so
I know because I walked before
where affection fades behind a door
where softness bends, where patience aches
where love dissolves like old mistakes
I know because I wore the weight
let my heart be second-rate
let the silence stretch too long
before I learned that love stands strong
I know because I lost myself
in someone’s words, in someone else
I know because I found my name
when love was built, not played for fame
you didn’t hear, so I told you so
the cracks ran clear, so I told you so
now if you're out there searching too
watch the hands that pull on you
love ain’t stolen, love ain’t tamed
it’s held in truth, it holds your name
you didn’t hear, so I told you so
the cracks ran clear, so I told you so
you called it grace, so I told you so
some men love the chase, but not the race, so I told you so
you just had to know (had to know), so I told you so, so I told you so
no love should make you shrink or fade
no love should feel like masquerade
so if you stand and face the night
choose the love that holds you right
because I told you so—but now you see
some love is real, some love runs free

Please check out our other albums...!
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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 

So I Told You So by Hot Cookie

Unbowed, Unbroken   by songwriter Edwin H. Balder

you can’t hand me liberty
because baby, I was born free
you can’t carve my steps in stone
I don’t walk in lines you’ve thrown
they draft their rules, draw their plans
stack their names like shifting sands
but freedom don’t pause, don’t wait for call
it runs too wild, it stands too tall
they paint their crowns, their empty grace
try to mold my time, shape my space
but I don’t bend, don’t chase their track
no chains hold what won’t turn back
I stand tall, I shape my way
I yield for none, I don’t obey
but when the game is fair, the fight is sound
I only yield on level ground
they frame their power in old disguise
rewrite history in sharpened lies
but fire knows when words ignite
and liberty won’t sleep at night
the road don’t check who claims the throne
the sky don’t ask who walks alone
the wind don’t stop for titles made
it bends for none, it does not trade
I stand tall, I shape my way
I yield for none, I don’t obey
but when the game is fair, the fight is sound
I only yield on level ground
no one hands out wings to fly
no one writes the stars too high
no one asks the storm for grace
but it moves, it carves, it shapes the space
now here I stand where kings once spoke
where lines were drawn, where walls were broke
I take the step, I hold the frame
not their plaything, not their claim
I stand tall, I shape my way
I yield for none, I don’t obey
but when the game is fair, the fight is sound
I only yield on level ground
not to crowns, not to gold
not to names in books retold
I bow for none, I break for few
only when the fight is true
but when the game is fair, the fight is sound
I only yield on level ground
level ground......evil ground......level ...ground......

Please check out our other albums...!
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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 

Unbowed, Unbroken by Hot Cookie

Matter of Fact, She's Back   by Edwin H. Balde
they thought she’d fold, thought she’d fade
thought she’d break beneath the weight
but time bends, storms fall
and somehow, she still stands tall
they took her stage, took her name
wrote their stories, cast their blame
made her silence part of show
thought she’d never let it go
but time don’t wait, scars don’t lie
grit runs deeper than goodbye
she stitched her bones, she held her ground
now every step shakes the town
matter of fact, she’s back, too strong to turn
too fierce to fold, too wise to burn
no second guess, no borrowed track
look close now, she ain’t cracked
they whispered doubts, placed their bets
built their walls, stacked their threats
but truth don’t drown, light don’t fold
every fire runs ice cold
she took her wreck, took her fall
never lost it, held it all
not their puppet, not their pawn
now watch her move, watch her dawn
matter of fact, she’s back, too strong to turn
too fierce to fold, too wise to burn
no second guess, no borrowed track
look close now, she ain’t cracked
not everyone walks back this way
not everyone outruns the fray
some fall quiet, some fade thin
but she wasn’t built to bend for them
now she stands where they once spoke
where they laughed, where they choked
she takes the mic, sets the stage
no more chains, no more cage
matter of fact, she’s back, too strong to turn
too fierce to fold, too wise to burn
no second guess, no borrowed track
look close now, she ain’t cracked
not a comeback, not a chance
she was never gone—just took her stance
matter of fact, she’s back, too strong to turn
too fierce to fold, too wise to burn
no second guess, no borrowed track
look close now, she ain’t cracked
matter of fact, she’s back,
she’s back, she’s back,
(matter of fact), she’s back .(she’s back)..
she’s... back

Please check out our other albums...!
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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 

Matter of Fact, She's Back by Hot Cookie

Batter Up   by Edwin H. Balder
batter up, stakes run high
count is full, no space to slide
one last swing, one last chance
is it love or circumstance
she started young, a bat in hand
learned to run before she’d stand
dust on cleats, wind through lace
playing hard, never out of place
she swung through storms, played through rain
chased the pitch, lived through pain
never let them call her weak
never let them steal her streak
three strikes down, lights burn low
but she won’t fold, won’t let go
she calls the shot, she makes the play
heart won beyond the game
stolen bases, stolen time
chasing dreams through warning signs
late-night bus rides, bruised-up hands
holding tight to where she stands
pop-ups lost to sky too wide
fastballs cutting deep inside
through every shadow, every trial
she kept swinging through the miles
three strikes down, lights burn low
but she won’t fold, won’t let go
she calls the shot, she makes the play
heart won beyond the game
love ain’t measured by the score
ain’t just lights or cheers that roar
it’s the grind, the grit, the space
between the losses and embrace
then she won—the world was hers
trophies high, headlines stirred
home run through the final fight
but it wasn’t just the scoreboard light
it was love—it stood through dust
held her name, gave her trust
not just numbers, not just fame
but a love that won beyond the game
three strikes down, lights burn low
but she won’t fold, won’t let go
she calls the shot, she makes the play
heart won beyond the game
plaques are carved, records stay
history holds the way she played
but beyond the cheers, beyond the name
love remains beyond the game
three strikes down, lights burn low
but she won’t fold, won’t let go
she calls the shot, she makes the play
heart won beyond the game
beyond the game beyond the game beyond the game
beyond the game beyond the game beyond the game


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 

Batter Up   by Hot Cookie

Not Yours to Mold   by Edwin H. Balder
trained to smile, trained to charm
trained to make them lean in warm
papers signed, contracts tight
taught to sparkle, taught to light
high school stage, perfect scene
soft-lit glow, teenage dream
not too loud, not too fast
a girl with sunshine built to last
built to shine, told to break
sold the dream, sold the fate
gave them lines, gave them grace
never questioned, played my place
scripted laughs, TV calls
played the part, hit the walls
stepped from set, stepped to stage
nothing real, just light and haze
built to shine, told to break
sold the dream, sold the fate
gave them lines, gave them grace
never questioned, played my place
cover shot, Rolling Stone
bare and fearless, stripped to bone
they pull my hair, they drag my name
I smile wide, I take the flame
they dress me in skin and call it power
they write my words, they frame my hours
I say I’m fine, they print it bold
but none of this was mine to hold
interviews, flashing lights
“Do you care?”—I say, “Not quite”
“I’m just me, I play the game”
but who I am still holds their chain
built to shine, told to break
sold the dream, sold the fate
gave them lines, gave them grace
never questioned, played my place
money’s good, I’d do it twice
I’d paint the frame, I’d roll the dice
but don’t ask me if I won
when the hand was never mine to run
They want the sparkle, they want the shine
They want control, they call it fine
But every empire built on chains
Will burn beneath the ones who reign
The days of silence, bending low
Of shrinking small to please the show
Well, mother—it's time to end
showing my ass  smile and pretend
I’m a woman not a mannequin
don’t tell me where to go—I know where I’ve been
I stand tall I shape my way
not some puppet in your play
I don’t chase I don’t please
I don’t break I don’t freeze
I don’t beg I don’t fall
I rise higher than them all
maybe I can be that strong 
and say 
and be this woman in this song I play

Please check out our other albums...!
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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 

Not Yours to Mold   By Hot Cookie

The Light Ain’t Right    by Edwin H. Balder
the light ain’t right since you’ve been gone
nothing lands where it belongs
shadows stretch where daylight stood
nothing feels the way it should
I pass the café on Grand and Vine
the chairs are empty, but I take my time
your laugh once lingered near the door
but now it’s silence, nothing more
the light ain’t right, the air too thin
the stars don’t glow, they just cave in
the echoes steal, the corners bend
everything falls, but it won’t transcend
I step where the streetlights shimmer through
gold in puddles, turning blue
I watch the skyline shift and break
like it’s waiting for your shape
the light ain’t right, the air too thin
the stars don’t glow, they just cave in
the echoes steal, the corners bend
everything falls, but it won’t transcend
maybe it isn’t the world that’s changed
maybe it’s the way my chest rearranges
maybe it’s time curling into itself
folding the past beneath my step
I trace the pavement like it holds a plan
but no direction understands
I move through cities that feel unlit
like every road was built to split
the light ain’t right, the air too thin
the stars don’t glow, they just cave in
the echoes steal, the corners bend
everything falls, but it won’t transcend
the light ain’t right since you’ve been gone
nothing lands where it belongs
shadows stretch where daylight stood
nothing feels the way it should
the light ain’t right since you’ve been gone
nothing lands where it belongs
shadows stretch where daylight stood
nothing feels the way it should
and maybe it never will
the light ain’t right (the light ain’t right) the light ain’t right
the... light... ain’t ...right.....(ain’t ...right).....ain’t ...right.....

Please check out our other albums...!
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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 

The Light Ain’t Right   by Hot Cookie

Wanna Be Me   by Edwin H. Balder
you wanna be me me how could you be
you don’t see what I see
you copy the frame but never the key
they analyze they hesitate
they imitate but never translate
they stand in the smoke but never create
wanna be me first let me be me
wanna be me first let me be me
you chase the shadow but never break free
wanna be me first let me be me
sensitize ability proximity
responsibility opportunity
you call it hustle I call it history
wanna be me first let me be me
wanna be me first let me be me
you chase the shadow but never break free
wanna be me first let me be me
mirror bends colors fade
still they chase still they trade
they blur the truth but the light won’t shade
wanna be me first let me be me
wanna be me first let me be me
you chase the shadow but never break free
wanna be me first let me be me
What they see is fractured light
What they chase is only shadow
We walk through mirrored halls
Each locked inside our own rotation
A universe spinning within another
A glimpse, then forgotten
Isolation isn’t exile, it’s nature
Every thought, every movement
A room inside a room
A voice inside a silence
wanna be me first let me be me
wanna be me first let me be me
you chase the shadow but never break free
wanna be me first let me be me
they categorize memorize
realize then compromise
never wise, I finalize
watch them try to crystallize
you wanna be me me how could you be
you don’t see what I see
you copy the frame but never the key
they modify optimize
dramatize, monopolize
never mine, I synchronize
watch them blur the battle lines
you wanna be me me how could you be
you don’t see what I see
you copy the frame but never the key
wanna be me first let me be me
 (let me be me)   let me be me    ( let me be me )
    let.. me ..be.... me......

Please check out our other albums...!
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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 

Wanna Be Me   by Hot Cookie

I Just Like to Dance   by Edwin H. Balder
not that it matters not that I gave him a glance
not that it matters not thinking I missed a chance
not that I'm interested not waiting for romance
I just like to dance I just like to dance
Friday night, lights hum low
bassline calling, stage set to go
music rising, pulse runs deep
I step inside, let the rhythm speak
he leans in, words too soft
another one trying to call the shots
but I don't pause, I don’t weigh
I just move, I let it play
not that it matters not that I gave him a glance
not that it matters not thinking I missed a chance
not that I'm interested not waiting for romance
I just like to dance I just like to dance
second round, different scene
heels steady, moving clean
watch them circle, watch them sway
but I don’t need a game to play
I step strong, take the space
nothing borrowed, nothing chased
I don’t ask, don’t reply
I just dance, let the rhythm fly
not that it matters not that I gave him a glance
not that it matters not thinking I missed a chance
not that I'm interested not waiting for romance
I just like to dance I just like to dance
third song spins, bodies tilt
heat from movement, not from guilt
another step, another try
but I’m still lost in my own time
I see the way the room folds in
pairs align, space runs thin
I watch their hands, I watch them sway
but mine just push the night away
not that it matters not that I gave him a glance
not that it matters not thinking I missed a chance
not that I'm interested not waiting for romance
I just like to dance I just like to dance
I don’t mind dancing alone
but maybe I miss the way
a beat can pull a memory
into something meant to stay
I don’t mind spinning free
but maybe I want to know
if movement is just movement
or something I outgrow
not that it matters not that I gave him a glance
not that it matters not thinking I missed a chance
not that I'm interested not waiting for romance
I just like to dance I just like to dance
he’s walking over to me now
his step is easy, his head is down
he’s walking over to me now
he knows how to dance wow (woo)o wow
he’s walking over to me now
he doesn’t ask, just moves somehow
he’s walking over to me now
he knows how to dance wow (woo)o wow
 wow (woo)o wow
o wow .......(o wow)
dance (dance) dance...dance...(...dance...)...dance.....

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 

I Just Like to Dance   by Hot Cookie

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

New tracks tagged #PopPlaylist