Woke up with my back on fire
Dreams gone cold, and hope expired
Coffee tastes like yesterday
And the bills don’t care what I can’t pay
The truck won’t start, the dog won’t eat
My knees gave out on Main Street
I smile at folks who look away
Like trouble’s with me every dam day
I’m having trouble, but I’m still here
Running on rust ... running on fear
Ain’t no map for where I’ve been
Just a heart that won’t give in
I’m having trouble, but I ain’t gone
Still singing even when the notes feel wrong
She left last spring with suitcase in hand
Said she’s not coming back please understand
hurt too much to cry out loud
now hoping for thunder and dark rain clouds
even if my roof leaks more than I admit
And the whiskey i drink tastes like shit
but let's me talk to ghosts in the kitchen light
And sleep alone most every night
I’m having trouble, but I’m still here
Running on rust ... running on fear
Ain’t no map for where I’ve been
Just a heart that won’t give in
I’m having trouble, but I ain’t gone
Still singing even when the notes feel wrong
They say trouble don’t last forever
But some days feel like never
Still, I lace my boots and face the dawn
‘Cause quitting now still feels wrong
The preacher says I should trust
But faith don’t fix everything I bust
I pray sometimes, just out of spite
And hope the stars still shine at night
I ain’t asking for a break
Just a little less heartache
But if this is the road I ride
I’ll keep my boots and my wounded pride
I’m having trouble, but I’m still here
Running on rust ... running on fear
Ain’t no map for where I’ve been
Just a heart that won’t give in
I’m having trouble, but I ain’t gone
Still singing even when the notes feel wrong
Still singing… even when the notes feel wrong…


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

Having Trouble

I’ve been gone, but I ain’t blind. And tonight, we’re gonna talk
I’ve been putting things together
Like a puzzle made of weather
Every time I leave, you change your face
That funny smile, that lipstick trace
I ask you straight, you dodge the line
Like truth’s a thing you hide in wine
You pass it on like I never asked
But baby, I see through the mask
Seems like the die is cast
And the fuse is lit
So pull up a chair
We’re done with it
It’s a come to Jesus meeting
Front row, no retreating
I ain’t mad, I’m just awake
And I’ve had all I can take
It’s a come to Jesus meeting
Truth or lies, no more cheating
You can talk, or you can run
But the reckoning’s begun
I found the notes, I smelled the change
The perfume’s off, the bed feels strange
You say you’re tired, you say you’re cold
But your stories don’t hold
I gave you love, I gave you time
But you gave him what was mine
Now I’m not here to beg or plead
Just to cut where you still bleed
It’s a come to Jesus meeting
Front row, no retreating
I ain’t mad, I’m just awake
And I’ve had all I can take
It’s a come to Jesus meeting
Truth or lies, no more cheating
You can talk, or you can run
But the reckoning’s begun
I remember when your eyes were mine
When love was loud and not a sign
But now I see what I ignored
And I won’t be your backdoor
So say the words, or say goodbye
But don’t you dare pretend to cry
I’m not the fool I used to be
And tonight, I set me free
[12 string acoustic solo]
[Final Chorus — Bigger, louder]
It’s a come to Jesus meeting
Front row, no retreating
I ain’t mad, I’m just awake
And I’ve had all I can take
It’s a come to Jesus meeting
Truth or lies, no more cheating
You can talk, or you can run
But the reckoning’s begun
I ain’t mad, I’m just awake
And I’ve had all I can take
It’s a come to Jesus meeting
Truth or lies, no more cheating

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

Come to Jesus Meeting by songwriter Edwin H. Balder

We parked the truck by the old boat ramp
She kicked her shoes off in the sand
Six years old, chasing seagulls wild
Still thinks the world is kind and mild
I held her hand, she held my trust
The sky was burning gold and rust
She said, “Daddy, why you look so sad?”
I said, “Let’s walk, I’ll tell ya, sweetheart”
There’s something I gotta tell ya
It’s gonna change the way things are
But it don’t mean we love you less
It don’t mean we’ve gone too far
Mom and me, we tried our best
But some things break, no matter how you bless
There’s something I gotta tell ya
And I’m telling you with all my heart
She stopped and stared at the setting sun
Said, “Will you still tuck me in when the day is done?”
I said, “Always, baby, just not every night
But I’ll be there when the stars feel right”
She asked, “Did I do something wrong?”
I said, “No, honey, you’ve been strong
Sometimes grown-ups lose their way
But love like yours will always stay”
There’s something I gotta tell ya
It’s gonna change the way things are
But it don’t mean we love you less
It don’t mean we’ve gone too far
Mom and me, we tried our best
But some things break, no matter how you bless
There’s something I gotta tell ya
And I’m telling you with all my heart
She leaned her head against my side
Said, “I’ll still draw pictures of us inside”
I said, “That’s good, baby, keep that light
It’ll help us both sleep better at night”
We watched the sun dip down below
The water caught its final glow
She whispered, “Daddy, I still love you so”
And I said, “Me too, more than you’ll ever know”

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

Something I Gotta Tell Ya

This Song Is OPEN SOURCE and Free To Cover*
Some folks like to reminisce
Like it’s all just faded bliss
But I remember clear as sin
The night I let the wrong one in
I had a wife, I had a name
I made a vow, I wore the flame
Built a life on Sunday grace
Then tore it down with one embrace
You treated love like it was bait
A game to play, a twist of fate
And I bit down, I took the dare
Now I’m the man who wasn’t there
Reminiscent, that’s what they say
But I don’t smile when I look that way
I’m a cheat, and folks know that
But still they nod, still tip their hat
‘Cause the values country folks once had
Are dead on the mortician’s slab
I sang about truth, I sang about pride
Then lied with rhythm, smiled with stride
The stage don’t ask what’s underneath
Just how you sell the pain and grief
I wore the boots, I played the part
But never gave her back her heart
And now I stand in neon light
A man who lost the will to do what's right
Reminiscent, that’s what they say
But I don’t smile when I look that way
I’m a cheat, and folks know that
But still they nod, still tip their hat
‘Cause the values country folks once had
Are dead on the mortician’s slab
You can dress it up in rhinestone lines
But truth don’t shine, it just declines
And every song I used to sing
Feels like a lie.. a broken wedding ring
Reminiscent, that’s what they say
But I don’t smile when I look that way
I’m a cheat, and folks know that
But still they nod, still tip their hat
‘Cause the values country folks once had
Are dead on the mortician’s slab
I had a vow
I let it slip
Now I just sing
With a whiskey grip
yet I pretend on stage each night
that I am a man who knows wrong from right
so.. pretend on stage each night
that I am a man ...who knows... wrong from right
Reminisce and pretend Reminisce and pretend...
pretend on stage each night
that I am a man ...who knows... wrong.... from.... right....

Songwiter Edwin H. Balder with rights owed by him release this song to the world as: OPEN SOURCE!...Do well with what you will and know I love ya!


Reminiscent


Once upon a time
They sold us dreams
Wrapped in castles
And cartoon queens
She wore a crown of plastic gold
Smiled like secrets never told
But behind the sparkle, behind the screen
Was a script too sharp, too mean
They painted joy in perfect hues
While hiding darker, twisted truths
And every wish they used to grant
Now comes with chains and fine-print chants
The day Disney went to the dark side
The stars fell out of the sky
The mouse lost his smile
And the princess learned to lie
The day Disney went to the dark side
They sold the soul for the brand
And every child who dared to dream
Got magic they don’t understand
acoustic guitar, fingerpicked solo
They built a world on fairy dust
But fed us fear and called it trust
They dressed control in pastel tones
And turned our hearts into their loans
She sang of love, she danced through pain
But never once escaped the chain
And every castle made of light
Cast shadows deeper than the night
They said “believe,” but meant “obey”
They said “imagine,” but took it away
They said “forever,” but sold the end
And called it progress, called it trend
The day Disney went to the dark side
The stars fell out of the sky
The mouse lost his smile
And the princess learned to lie
The day Disney went to the dark side
They sold the soul for the brand
And every child who dared to dream
Got magic they don’t understand
Once upon a time
We believed in light
But now we see
The cost of flight
The day the magic turned to dust
The day the stories lost our trust
The day Disney
Went to the dark side
dark side Disney
lost our trust
dark side Disney
turned to dust
dark side Disney
(dark side Disney)
dark... side ...Disney...

More here: https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/buy-the-indivisibles?si=dba6b0d2da3c494883657ec27b223c6b&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

this is open sourse with all rights by songwiter Edwin H. Balder waved if you cover lyrics as is

Dark Side Disney

I’m the spark in the dark that you can’t unsee
A flame in the corner burnin’ just for me
The cards are on the table
No tricks to play
You’re dealin’ with the real
Babe
No runaway
Real deal
Can’t fake this thrill
Long low nights
Time stands still
Real deal
Just take the wheel
I’m the dream you chase
The void you fill
Whiskey whispers in a glass half full
Echoes linger
Your heartbeat pulls
Every step closer
The shadows sway
You’re caught in my orbit
No escape today
Eyes like magnets
Drawin’ you in
A slow burn game
But I play to win
Real deal
Can’t fake this thrill
Long low nights
Time stands still
Real deal
Just take the wheel
I’m the dream you chase
The void you fill
I walk the line but it bends and sways
Every step a dance in a smoky haze
You look at me
Your eyes a dare
A velvet trap
I’m caught
I swear
You’re the real deal
The fire I feel
Slow burn
No rush
Let’s seal the deal
You’re the real deal
I’m losing control
Take me under
Heart and soul

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

Real Deal By Songwriter Edwin H. Balder

Did an interview , asked if my music was my quest found 🎼To which I said I was a Mountain Man till I could not, and that view from the sky I have almost touched is my life wonder🗻
Started out where the Hudson runs
Mt. Marcy kissed the morning sun
Adirondack winds in my chest
Whispered, “Son, you’re heading west”
Through Vermont’s green and granite grace
To New Hampshire’s rugged face
Mt. Washington stood proud and tall
Like a lighthouse for us all
Over her majesty, I ride
Peaks and prayers on every side
From the Smokies to the Tetons’ rise
I see the truth in mountain eyes
She don’t speak, but she still sings
In rivers, rocks, and eagle wings
Every summit, every sky
Is a hymn to days gone by
Down in Carolina’s Blue Ridge line
I found a peace that felt like mine
Clingmans Dome in smoky mist
A place where heaven might exist
Ozarks rolled like gentle waves
Old songs echo through the caves
Mt. Magazine, Arkansas pride
Held my silence deep inside
Over her majesty, I ride
Peaks and prayers on every side
From the Rockies to the desert dry
I see the truth in mountain eyes
She don’t speak, but she still sings
In rivers, rocks, and eagle wings
Every summit, every sky
Is a hymn to days gone by
Pikes Peak called me through the haze
Colorado gold in twilight blaze
Saw the Tetons cut the blue
Like a promise breaking through
Then Rainier rose in northern light
A crown of snow, a soul in flight
I bowed my head, I tipped my brim
And thanked the land for raising him
It ain’t easy, no, it ain’t kind
The path’ll break your peace of mind
Loose rock, cold sweat, aching knees
Every step a silent plea
You’ll curse the wind, you’ll doubt the trail
You’ll feel too small, too weak to scale
But grit don’t bloom in easy soil
It grows in pain, it grows in toil
You climb with ghosts, you climb with grace
You climb to find your rightful place
And when you reach that final crest
You’ll know you gave your very best
The view ain’t just the sky and stone
It’s every fight you faced alone
It’s every tear you didn’t show
It’s proof you rose when life said “no”
Over her majesty, I stand
Dust and dreams in calloused hands
From Marcy’s dawn to Rainier’s gleam
I’ve walked the edges of a dream
She don’t speak, but she still sings
In rivers, rocks, and eagle wings
Every summit, every sky

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

Was A Mountain Man by songwriter Edwin H. Balder

This is an Open Source song with open rights to cover!
Fools under a yellow umbrella
Talkin’ big like they’re some kinda fella
Books unread, but they quote like kings
Truth ain’t welcome in their rings
They sit on chairs the color of fear
Plastic thrones that disappear
They smile wide, but never see
The cracks beneath their canopy
Yellow umbrella, coward’s shade
Coverin’ lies that power made
They don’t care, they just pretend
To give a damn, to comprehend
But outside that circle, truth still breathes
In broken hearts and fallen leaves
And every time they fake the light
They kill a little more of right
They pass the mic like sacred wine
But every word’s a crooked line
They preach of peace, they sell the war
They lock the gate, then praise the poor
Their cults wear suits, their crimes wear ties
They drown the truth in alibis
And every time they raise their glass
Democracy slips through the cracks
I’ve seen the yellow glow at dawn
Where cowards sit and kingdoms pawn
They clap for power, not for grace
They fear the mirror, not the face
They build their walls with empty praise
And call it love, and call it faith
But I’ve walked through storms they never knew
And I still bleed red, white, and blue
Yellow umbrella, coward’s shade
Coverin’ lies that power made
They don’t care, they just pretend
To give a damn, to comprehend
But outside that circle, truth still breathes
In broken hearts and fallen leaves
And every time they fake the light
They kill a little more of right
So let it rain, let thunder speak
Let silence rise from voices weak
I’ll stand outside, I’ll take the pain
I’ll never sit beneath that stain
Yellow umbrella, fade away
Your plastic throne won’t rule the day
The fools may laugh, the wise may cry
But truth don’t need a place to lie... Oh lord
The fools may laugh, the wise may cry
But truth don’t need a place to lie... Oh lord
The fools may laugh, the wise may cry
But truth don’t need a place to lie... Oh lord Oh lord Oh lord....

All rights openly ganted by songwriter Edwin H. Balder

More from The Indivisibles members: https://soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/buy-the-indivisibles?si=1bae3eef17d34c4cb68e417d091d1c5e&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Yellow Umbrella by The Indivisibles

Link to more by The Indivisibles soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/buy-the-indivisibles/s-AsXmxzPelsN?si=7795d0cdd89746ae896af1fc1d725e6b&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
songwriter Edwin H. Balder

The Beginning Every Day by The Indivisibles

This Song Is Open Source and Free To Cover...
She saved for months
Just to feel close
To someone who wouldn’t notice
And they called it love
But it came with a price tag
She wore the shirt, she knew the lines
She danced alone a thousand times
She thought the music saw her soul
But it was just another sold-out show
Three thousand dollars for a box of dreams
Lipstick, glitter, backstage schemes
They said it’s art, they said it’s grace
But it’s just greed in a pretty case
Greed and glory, lights and lies
Take their hearts, then raise the price
Sing the song, then sell the name
And do it all again the same
Greed and glory, diva’s crown
Lift them up, then shake them down
They don’t see the tears we hide
Just dollar signs and ticket lines
My granddaughter cried when she saw the cost
Said, “I thought love was never lost”
But love don’t live in velvet ropes
It lives in truth, it lives in hope
They sell the sparkle, sell the pain
Then autograph it in champagne
But real fans bleed, and real fans break
While stars just cash what they don’t take
Greed and glory, lights and lies
Take their hearts, then raise the price
Sing the song, then sell the name
And do it all again the same
Greed and glory, diva’s crown
Lift them up, then shake them down
They don’t see the tears we hide
Just dollar signs and ticket lines
We don’t want your mansion
We don’t need your fame
We just wanted something
That felt like it knew our name
So here’s to the ones who sing for free
Who write for love, not luxury
Who see the crowd and feel the weight
Of every soul they elevate
You don’t need glitter to be gold
You don’t need fans to be bold
Just sing the truth, and let it land
In every heart that understands
Greed and glory, lights and lies
Take their hearts, then raise the price
But we still sing, we still believe
In songs that don’t deceive
Greed and glory, diva’s crown
We see the game, we won’t back down
We’ll build our stage on honest ground
And let the real ones wear the sound

All rights held and given by songwriter Edwin H. Balder

Link to more by The Indivisibles soundcloud.com/edwin-balder/sets/buy-the-indivisibles/s-AsXmxzPelsN?si=7795d0cdd89746ae896af1fc1d725e6b&utm_source=clipboard&utm_mediu

Money For Taylor by the Indivisables

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 #countryrock #folkrock #indiecountry #newcountry #nashville #live