Book Of Love
© 2011 by Eric Carl Dahl

You better tell yourself
if you want to fall in love
Tell yourself, “I want the right kind of love.”
Don’t have to say why.
Just say, “I wanna fall in love,
don’t know how or when,
maybe a few years from now,
maybe tonight.

Faith, hope and falling for someone, chapter 23,
No map on the road to happiness—it’s a mystery.

How can I believe when I feel this way?
How can anything change what I face day by day?
That’s a fair question,
let’s look it up in the book of love.
Believin’ is a deep-down obligation.
Without it there’s no opening up, no revelation.
You gotta believe. I believe.
I believe you’re headed for a transformation.

Faith, hope and fallin for someone, chapter 33,
no map on the road to happiness, it’s a mystery

When things been going wrong,
got you down on your knees
There’s a one-word song, sing it: Mercy.
Remember how they sing it now,
Mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy.

Faith hope and fallin for someone, chapter 43,
no map on the road to happiness, it’s a mystery.

What are the odds that love’s gonna come?
Maybe you heard five million to one.
If you ask the sibylline oracle or the trinity,
Look em right back in the face and say,
It’s gonna happen to me, it’s gonna happen to me,
It’s gonna happen, yeah, yeah.

Faith, hope and falling for someone, chapter 53,
No map on the road to happiness—it’s a mystery.

Faith, hope and falling for someone, chapter 93,
No map on the road to happiness—it’s a mystery.

Live By Your Word

Book Of Love

Bandcamp

Briar West, a visionary fluid artist raised in Southern California, infuses her work with the essence of the ocean. She embraces the elegance of imperfection and the beauty in chaos. Through her art, she captures the notion that we are all imperfectly perfect, and believes that’s a beautiful thing. Briar’s journey into art is as unconventional as her medium. With a background in medical research, her artistic path began as a blend of self-care and curiosity. Lacking traditional supplies, she started experimenting with inks, using materials she had on hand - alcohol, bleach, vodka, even antifreeze. This inventive spirit defines her work to this day, often sourcing supplies from Home Depot, liquor stores, and auto part stores. Briar is known for her dynamic process, sometimes using a leaf blower to swiftly guide alcohol and ink across large canvases, capturing a moment before it fades. Briar has been called an alchemist, taking common, everyday products and creating magic. Today she continues to use those same materials in her work, as that is what she knows and loves. Her unrelenting curiosity has led to the creation of increasingly larger and larger pieces. Her work can now be seen in lobbies, homes, and offices across the country.

www.BriarWestStudio.com
IG: @BriarWestStudio

Artifice

Ep. 215: Briar West

💫 An experimental hip-hop ballad blending rap with melodic R&B. A heartfelt exploration of how love shapes us, even after it's gone. Perfect for Tuesday evening reflection.

LYRICS:

Yeah…
Night breeze snatched the promise we made
Streetlights stretch me out in the shade
Couldn’t see nothin’, still I prayed
Fingers crossed in my pocket, stayed
Every word I dropped was for you
Don’t know if it hit, but I pushed through
Actin’ tough, but my heart stayed bruised
Fake smile on my face, still I played cool

The me you saw in your eyes, no lie
Did I look real enough to try?
Tears and laughs, you drew that frame
Now I’m standin’ here, still shaped by your name

Talk broke down, steps off beat
Looked away like I didn’t feel heat
Silent nights, like stars that fall
Chasin’ truths that ain’t there at all
If I could run it back to that scene
What would I say? What’d I mean?
I hurt you with the way I cared
Clumsy hands, but my soul was bare

The me you saw in your eyes, no lie
Did I look real enough to try?
Tears and laughs, you drew that frame
Now I’m standin’ here, still shaped by your name

Your voice saved nights I was lost
Mornings hit me with a heavy cost
Still remember every ache inside
Outline of love you let me ride
Colors I can’t paint alone
You showed me that ‘fore you were gone
If you still watch the same blue sky
Let my thanks just drift, let it fly

Even when we’re far, shape don’t fade
Your kindness cut deep, lines you made
Yeah… I’m still shaped by you
Still shaped by you

---

Experimenting with hip-hop storytelling over melodic production. This track explores vulnerability through a different lens - where rap meets emotional introspection.

#TuesdayExperimental #HipHopBallad #ExperimentalRap

Shaped by You

Inside the Girl I Buried is about the version of me I had to leave behind to survive.
She was fragile, always trying to be enough for someone who only loved the parts they could control. She smiled when she wanted to scream, stayed quiet when her heart was breaking, and kept giving until there was nothing left.

I buried her—not out of cruelty, but out of mercy.
Because if she stayed, I wouldn’t.

This song is the sound of that goodbye… and the slow, haunting process of finding the pieces worth keeping.

Inside the Girl I Buried

"Without You In It" is a heartfelt ballad about love’s irreplaceable presence. With vivid imagery of gold skies, fading lights, and empty victories, it tells the story of realizing that no triumph, no dream, no moment is truly complete without the one you love beside you.

Soaring melodies meet intimate verses, carrying you through the highs and lows of longing, devotion, and the simple truth that life’s greatest moments mean nothing… *without you in it.*

🎵 **For fans of:** Lewis Capaldi, Lauren Daigle, Josh Groban
💔 **Themes:** love, longing, devotion, vulnerability
🌌 **Mood:** emotional, romantic, cinematic



Without You In It

"I Fade When It’s Shallow" is a quiet anthem for anyone who feels disconnected in surface-level conversations and social performances. The song explores the internal experience of someone who thrives in depth, meaning, and authenticity, but struggles to stay present in spaces where everything feels scripted or hollow. With intimate verses and a gradually intensifying chorus, the track honors emotional honesty, deep focus, and the quiet brilliance of people who are often misunderstood in loud rooms.

I Fade When It’s Shallow

A hopeful indie pop anthem about taking small emotional risks to reach out, despite fear. It captures the tension of wanting connection and the courage it takes to break internal barriers.

Break the Wall

A moody, intimate alt-pop ballad with soft rock and cinematic touches, celebrating resilience through vulnerability. Featuring delicate piano and gentle guitar textures, it tells a story of carrying scars but still standing strong, finding strength in imperfection.

Threadbare Soul

An atmospheric alt-pop and soft rock track delving into themes of identity and hidden truths. The shimmering synths and clean guitars reflect a mask worn for the world, with vocals revealing the deeper self beneath the surface sheen.

False Light, Real Me

A slow-building alt-pop ballad blending soft rock and ambient textures, exploring themes of uncertainty and personal growth. The song’s warm synth layers and delicate guitars evoke the beauty of living in between certainty and doubt, embracing imperfection and continual creation.

Made of Maybe

Raised in Concrete Washington, I learned to play the guitar when I was 12 years old.  We had a music teacher by the name of Daryl Cooper who was like my older brother.  He started a guitar class and I couldn't wait to be in it.  By the 2nd or 3rd week I had probably outgrown the class but I enjoyed every minute of it.  I was in his band by the time I was 14 playing dances all over Western Washington.  I was awarded the National Choral Award Scholarship my senior year of high school.  This goes to one student in the United States.  I wasn't smart enough to use it.  I joined the United States Navy in 1979 and stayed for almost 22 years.  During that time I was a submariner and eventually the pilot of a small submersible (DSV3 Turtle) that would dive to 10,000 feet deep.  I was in bands playing guitar and singing throughout my military career.  We actually had a couple songs play on DC101 in the 80's.  Now in my 60's, I'm able to relax and write songs without any pressure or dreams of grandeur.  I like the songs I write and hope you like them too.

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.

I never meant to write an album.
I meant to survive.

“The Songs I Never Said” is a collection of everything I kept buried—truths I swallowed, pain I made quiet, love I gave too freely, and the things I should’ve screamed but didn’t. Every track is a piece of the aftermath: the ghosts, the damage, the healing.

These aren’t just songs. They’re confessions.
They’re the words I wrote when no one was listening,
and the feelings I couldn’t say out loud until now.

If you’ve ever loved the wrong person too hard, lost yourself trying to be enough, or sat in the dark wondering what the hell just happened—this is for you.
Because sometimes, silence is just the start of the story.

—Melissa Schultz
Writer of the songs I never said.

Hey! Thanks for stopping by. If you want to chat about music, collabs, or just say hi, drop me a line at:
schultzmelissa2025@gmail.com
Can’t wait to connect! 🎶✨

Solive Raye is the sound of solitude given form, quiet thoughts turned into raw, melodic truths. An engineer and lifelong observer, Solive Raye writes for those who feel alone in crowded rooms, where silence speaks louder than words.


Blending dark, atmospheric tones with flickers of hope, his music lives in the in-between: not quite despair, not quite light, but something honest.


Raised in movement, from football fields to refereeing lines, he now wanders more internal landscapes, shaping every lyric with the precision of an outsider looking in.


Solive Raye doesn’t shout. He resonates.

Japanese songwriter/producer crafting emotional music that connects hearts worldwide. Specializing in cinematic pop, trap, rock, and acoustic ballads with modern digital production techniques.

🎵 New tracks daily (Monday-Saturday) - Follow for fresh sounds!
🔥 Premium Western releases (Wednesday & Thursday)
🌸 Premium Japanese releases (Friday & Saturday)
💫 Each piece tells a quiet story of memory, mood, and longing

Creating unique soundscapes that transcend borders and cultures. Your likes, reposts, and comments fuel the creative journey – let's build something beautiful together.

Genre focus: Emotional pop • Cinematic soundscapes • Cross-cultural storytelling

Great art almost feels like magic—it opens our minds to brand new ideas, and teaches us to see ourselves and our world more clearly. Of course, behind all great art, there are artists. And that’s where the real magic happens…

As we go beneath the art itself to explore how different artists do what they do, we see glimpses of the sorts of creativity, resilience, and bravery that lead to the art that moves our world. And maybe we can learn to borrow some of that magic for our very own thinking.

Join professional musician Emily Merrell for conversations with artists of all kinds. Together, we examine the mysteries of our own experiences, our muses and fears, our gifts and foibles, our beliefs about the origins of creativity, and the secret magic we’ve discovered in our unique creative processes. 

Mediums include: studio art, graphic design, dance, cooking, illustration, creative writing, storytelling, comedy, music composition, music performance, film making, acting, production, fashion design, photography, and more.

Visit https://emilymerrellmusic.com/artifice-podcast/  for more information.

- Theme Song "As You Are" by Emily Merrell @emilymerrellmusic
- Illustration and Graphic Design by Sarah Keele @sarahkeeleart
- Photography by Jen Palmer @jenpalmerphoto
- HMU by Shawna Turner @shawnaturnerdesigns

New tracks tagged #Vulnerability