Wish someone would go through my life with a red pen
Circle all the places I should’ve been
Underline the words I never said
And cross out the ones I wish I could forget
I wore pride like perfume, strong and sweet
But it faded fast on broken streets
I chased dreams in worn-out boots
Left good love tangled in my roots
I said “I’m fine” when I was torn
Skipped the chapters where I should’ve mourned
I built a house on shifting sand
And called it home with shaky hands
Red pen revival, rewrite my lines
Fix the pages where I crossed the signs
Give me margins wide enough to bend
Let me start again, let me start again
Red pen revival, mark what’s true
Draw a heart around the parts I knew
Life ain’t perfect, but it’s still my pen
Let me start again, let me start again
I loved too fast, I left too slow
Held on tight when I should’ve let go
I made peace with paper scars
But some still shine like broken stars
Mama said “grace is in the try”
But I kept chasing reasons why
Now I’m older, ink runs thin
But I still dream of where I’ve been
Red pen revival, rewrite my lines
Fix the pages where I crossed the signs
Give me margins wide enough to bend
Let me start again, let me start again
Red pen revival, mark what’s true
Draw a heart around the parts I knew
Life ain’t perfect, but it’s still my pen
Let me start again, let me start again
If I could edit every tear
Would I still be standing here?
If I erased the pain and shame
Would I still know my own name?
Mistakes are inked, but love is bold
And every story needs the folds
So maybe I don’t need to mend
Just turn the page and write again
Red pen revival, rewrite my lines
Fix the pages where I crossed the signs
Give me margins wide enough to bend
Let me start again, let me start again
Red pen revival, mark what’s true
Draw a heart around the parts I knew
Life ain’t perfect, but it’s still my pen
Let me start again, let me start again
mmm…
Wish someone would go through my life with a red pen
But maybe I’m the one who holds it in the end

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 2025 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 

Red Pen by Hot Cookie♨️ 🍪

Sunlight cuts through the blinds
Like a blade I didn’t see coming
My head’s a church of broken bells
And every echo feels like running
I drank from the cup of “almost”
Slept in the arms of “might’ve been”
Woke up with ghosts in my pockets
And a voice I buried deep within
They said life was a ladder
But I found more rungs made of glass
Every step a question
Every fall a photograph
Hungover from the years
From the fights, from the cheers
From the love that didn’t stay
From the words I didn’t say
Hungover from the truth
From the youth, from the proof
That I lived, that I bled
That I danced with what I fled
I kissed dreams that tasted bitter
Held hands with borrowed time
Told myself I’d be better
But better’s just a state of mind
I’ve seen beauty in the breakdown
Heard lullabies in screams
And every scar I carry
Still sings in my dreams
You don’t get clean without the mess
You don’t find peace without unrest
You don’t grow wings without the fall
You don’t hear truth without the wall
Hungover from the years
From the fights, from the cheers
From the love that didn’t stay
From the words I didn’t say
Hungover from the truth
From the youth, from the proof
That I lived, that I bled
That I danced with what I fled
No words—just breath, ....strings, and memory.


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

Hungover by Hot Cookie♨️ 🍪

I know I’m not the easiest road
I bend, I break, I carry a load
But I loved you with all I had
Even on days I felt too sad
I tried to hold the light inside
Even when it flickered, tried to hide
And though you left, I understand
I still reach out with open hands
I hope you don’t mind that I am who I am
Doing the best I can, doing the best I can
I know I’m not always calm or clear
But my heart was always near
I hope you don’t mind that I am who I am
Still learning how to stand
Some days I’m fire, some days I freeze
Some days I fall down to my knees
But I never meant to push away
I just get lost in my own way
You saw the good, you saw the storm
You held me close, tried to keep me warm
And though the love was torn in two
I still believe in me and you
I hope you don’t mind that I am who I am
Doing the best I can, doing the best I can
I know I’m not always calm or clear
But my heart was always near
I hope you don’t mind that I am who I am
Still learning how to stand
I didn’t choose this winding mind
But I still try to be kind
I still try to love out loud
Even when I’m not allowed
And if you ever think of me
I hope you see the fight, the plea
To be enough, to be okay
To make it through another day
So here I am, no mask, no spin
Just me, the girl I’ve always been
And if this song can help me heal
Then maybe love was always real
I hope you don’t mind that I am who I am
Doing the best I can, doing the best I can
I know I’m not always calm or clear
But my heart was always near
I hope you don’t mind that I am who I am
Still learning how to stand
Still learning how to stand… and love again
Still learning how to stand… and love again 

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

Learning How to Stand

Yeah, I’m a woman who can change a tire
Climb a mountain, build a fire
Outrun, outwalk, outtalk the best
Handle myself with zero rest
I’ve stitched my wounds with barbed wire thread
Slept on truth and fought what’s said
I’ve danced alone in desert rain
And smiled through heartbreak dressed in pain
But don’t mistake this strength for stone
I’ve got a heart that’s carved in bone
And if you lean in close, beware
There’s heat beneath this steady stare
I’m the kind you chase but never tame
Wild as whiskey, soft as rain
I’ll hold you close, then let you go
Just to watch your fire grow
So trust me gentle, trust me wise
I’m still the one you fantasize
But if you get too close, too dire—
You just might burn in this fire
I’ve been the girl who fixed the truck
Who held the line when life ran amok
I’ve kissed the stars from canyon ledge
And buried dreams at nature’s edge
I’ve loved a man who couldn’t stay
I’ve watched good hearts get thrown away
But I don’t beg, and I don’t plead
I plant my roots, I let them bleed
So if you’re lookin’ for a rose
Know I’ve got thorns beneath these clothes
And if you’re searchin’ for a spark
I’ve got a flame that lights the dark
I’m the kind you chase but never tame
Wild as whiskey, soft as rain
I’ll hold you close, then let you go
Just to watch your fire grow
So trust me gentle, trust me wise
I’m still the one you fantasize
But if you get too close, too dire—
You just might burn in this fire
I’ve walked through storms with heels and grace
Faced down fear in makeup’s face
I’ve been the hero, been the ghost
Been the one who gave the most
I’ve held my breath through courtroom lies
Sang lullabies to empty skies
I’ve built my name from ash and dust
And learned that love don’t mean you trust
So if you see me standing tall
Know I’ve climbed through every fall
And if you want to hold me near
You better learn to love the fear
I’m not your girl next door cliché
I’m thunder wrapped in satin grey
I’m lipstick on a rifle stock
I’m midnight’s voice in ticking clock
I’m every woman who’s been told
She’s too damn loud, too fierce, too bold
I’m every flame they tried to snuff
Still burning bright, still strong enough
I’m the kind you chase but never tame
Wild as whiskey, soft as rain
I’ll hold you close, then let you go
Just to watch your fire grow
So trust me gentle, trust me wise
I’m still the one you fantasize
But if you get too close, too dire—
You just might burn in this fire
Burn in this fire…
Burn in this fire…
You just might burn in this fire…
If you touch the flame…
You wear the name…
Burn in this fire…Burn in this fire…Burn..in ..this ..fire…

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 

Burn in This Fire by ♨️ 🍪

Black lace moon, candy wine
I’m dressed to haunt, you’re dressed to shine
October’s calling, hearts in disguise
Tonight we dance where memory lies
[Verse 1 – The Costume Box]
Found my old mask in a cedar chest
Lipstick smudged, a velvet vest
I wore it once to kiss a ghost
He vanished when I loved him most
[spooky solo]
[Chorus]
Thrill me, treat me, trick me right
Give me chills and candlelight
I’m not afraid of what I feel
This Halloween it’s all too real
Thrill me, treat me, take your bite
Maybe I’m yours for just one night
[Verse 2 – The Haunted Party]
We crashed a party in hunted dive
Dressed as sins that came alive
You said I looked like heartbreak’s bride
I laughed and danced, but died inside
[spooky solo]
[Hook]
Maybe it’s magic, maybe it’s fright
Maybe it’s just my Maybelle night
I’m not a spell, I’m not a scream
I’m just the echo of your dream
[spooky solo]

[Verse 3 – The Candy Confession]
I stole your Snickers, you stole my grace
We kissed with chocolate on our face
You said “forever” in fake blood ink
I saved the wrapper, made me think
[Bridge]
Cobwebs in the chandelier
Truth gets louder every year
We dress it up, we play pretend
But ghosts don’t care how stories end

[spooky solo]
[Final Chorus]
Thrill me, treat me, trick me right
Give me chills and candlelight
I’m not afraid of what I feel
This Halloween,  it’s all too real
Thrill me, treat me, take your bite
Maybe I’m yours for just one night
[spooky solo]
[Outro]
So light the lantern, dim the shame
Tonight we play the sweetest game
Thrill me, treat me—don’t be tame
This Halloween,(Halloween) I want your to scream your
This Halloween (Halloween)This Halloween(Halloween) This Halloween

Black Lace Halloween by ♨️ 🍪

Every heart’s got a soundtrack
Every tear’s got a tune
Love ballads don’t ask permission
They just walk into the room
She met him at a record store
He said “You like vinyl?” She said “I like more”
They danced to Etta in the kitchen light
That ballad played every Friday night
It was trust, it was bloom, it was fire
It was music that lifted her higher
She gave her heart to a traveling man
He sang her songs but never had a plan
She heard their ballad on the radio
And knew he’d left her long ago
It was ache, it was hush, it was gone
But she still hums it when she’s alone
She found a letter in a secondhand book
Lyrics scribbled in a lover’s look
She never met him, never knew her name
But that ballad lit her just the same
It was soft, it was strange, it was true
And it opened her heart to something new
Love ballads open closed hearts
To wonder or dark
They’re the afterglow of hear and gone
The echo of right and wrong
They’re music, mood, and trust
They’re the dust we never brush
Love ballads—joy or sad
They’re the best and worst we’ve ever had
Some love ballads make you cry
Some make you dance, some make you lie
But every one leaves a mark
A little light, a little dark
Love ballads open closed hearts
To wonder or dark
They’re the afterglow of hear and gone
The echo of right and wrong
They’re music, mood, and trust
They’re the dust we never brush
Love ballads—joy or sad
They’re the best and worst we’ve ever had
So sing me one I haven’t heard
Make it soft, make it absurd
Love ballads never ask to stay
But they never (never) really (really) go away
go away... (go away) ....go.. away....
[building riff by piano solo then biger sting and harmony build background]
go away... (go away) ....go.. away
Love.. ballads (Love... ballads) 
Love.. ballads 
never ask to stay.. 
(never )ask to stay
 they never (never) really (really) go away
go away... (go away) ....go.. away....(never ) ask ..to... stay
Love ballads—joy or sad
They’re the best and worst we’ve ever had
(go away)... (go away) ...(.go.. away) never ..stay

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 

Love Ballads by ♨️ 🍪

There’s this moment…
When you stop asking why.
And just whisper — thank you.
We were down to one lightbulb and a half-tank of gas,
No answers, no roadmap, just praying we’d last.
Kids asleep in the backseat, dreams in their Christmas list
I held your hand tighter, afraid we’d missed.
But the morning came soft, with a job and a call,
And somehow, we stood — didn’t stumble, didn’t fall.
No fireworks, no grand parade,
Just a quiet shift in the mess we made.
And I knew, right then,
We were gonna be okay.
This moment somehow —
No way to explain it, no need to know how.
Just thankful, just still,
Just breathing it in now.
This moment somehow —
It’s enough, it’s real, it’s ours....Thank ..you..
We hung second hand curtains , made dinners from scraps,
Laughed at the chaos, took joy in the gaps.
You fixed the porch with duct tape and a prayer
I found peace in knowing you were there
We didn’t climb mountains or sail the seas,
we built  back  from each broken breeze
No spotlight, no magazine spread,
Just a roof, a hug, and a warm bed.
And I knew, right then,
We were rich in every way....... thank you
This moment somehow —
No way to explain it, no need to know how.
Just thankful, just still,
Just breathing it in now.
This moment somehow —
It’s enough, it’s real, it’s ours.   Thank you
Now the kids have their own keys, their own roads to run,
We sit on the porch, watching the setting sun.
They ask how we made it, what magic we knew —
We just smile and say, “We trusted what’s true.”
No perfect answers, no flawless plan,
Just love, and luck, and holding hands.
There were nights we cried in silence,
Days we danced in debt.
But we never let go,
Not once, not yet.
We stitched this life with laughter and tears,
And it’s stronger than all those lost years.
So if you’re wondering how we made it through —
We didn’t.
It made us.....thank you....thank you....thank you....
This moment somehow —
No way to explain it, no need to know how.
Just thankful, just still,
Just breathing it in now.
This moment somehow —
It’s enough, it’s real, it’s ours. Thank.. you
We didn’t ask for perfect.
We asked for possible.
And somehow…
we got here ..thank you....thank you....thank you....

Hear Our full Christmas Album here with one click: soundcloud.com/cookiehot/sets/yuletide-revival-christmas?si=4aaa80670e064c4595f0fac03702826e&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

All rights reserved by Songwriter Edwin H. Balder

Thank You Thank You Thank You by♨️ 🍪

Preview track from the upcoming Album "Homecoming Heart"
You ever look down at your life and realize…
You’ve been chewing on the same dry sandwich for years?
Yeah.
Me too.
I made his lunch for twelve straight years.
Cut the crusts, bit my tongue, swallowed tears.
He said “thanks” like I owed him the air.
I said “you’re welcome” like I wasn’t even there.
The bread was stale, the meat was thin.
And I started to taste the life I was in.
It ain’t about food — it’s about being fed.
And I was starving in a house with a king-sized bed.
I’m done with bologna skin sandwiches,
With dry white lies and half-hearted wishes.
I want spice, I want heat, I want something real.
Not a life that’s wrapped in plastic and sealed.
So I’m walking out with my name and my keys —
And leaving the crusts and the crumbs and the please.
He watched the game while I watched the clock.
Dinner got cold, and so did the talk.
He said, “You’re lucky I come home at all.”
I said, “You’re lucky I ain’t burned it all.”
I used to dream in color and sing in the rain.
Now I hum to the sound of a leaky drain.
It ain’t about love — it’s about being seen.
And I was fading in a life that felt routine.
I’m done with bologna skin sandwiches,
With dry white lies and half-hearted wishes.
I want spice, I want heat, I want something real.
Not a life that’s wrapped in plastic and sealed.
So I’m walking out with my name and my keys —
And leaving the crusts and the crumbs and the please.
I packed my bags in a paper sack,
Left a note on the fridge that said, “I ain’t coming back.”
Took the long road, windows down,
Singing to myself like I owned this town.
I found a diner with a jukebox soul,
And a waitress who said, “Girl, I too have been told
We laughed about men and the meals we make,
And how freedom tastes like a char grilled steak.
I’m done with bologna skin sandwiches,
With dry white lies and half-hearted wishes.
I want spice, I want heat, I want something real.
Not a life that’s wrapped in plastic and sealed.
So I’m dancing out with my boots and my pride —
And tossing that sandwich out the passenger side.
He can eat alone now.
(bologna skin sandwiches,)
I’ve got better things to chew on.

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 



Bologna Skin Sandwiches ♨️ 🍪

I remember the first time I saw the flags fly.
Daddy lifted me high, said, “That’s freedom in the sky.”
Now I’m the one lifting someone of my own —
And the band plays on.
There’s a man in a cap with a faraway stare,
His daughter’s on his shoulders, ribbons in her hair.
He doesn’t cheer, just nods at the drum,
Thinking of brothers who’ll never come.
His wife wipes a tear, but she won’t let it fall —
For them, this parade says it all.
It’s more than floats and marching feet,
It’s memory, meaning, and hearts that beat.
This is what the parade means —
To the ones who gave, to the ones who dream.
It’s a song in the street, a flag in the sky,
A reason to laugh, a reason to cry.
It’s not just a show, it’s a sign we’re still here,
Holding on to hope, year after year.
This is what the parade means.
There’s a mother with a blanket and pride in her eyes,
Her first July under American skies.
She whispers, “We made it,” as the colors roll past,
Her children wave flags, their joy rising fast.
No mansion, no riches, just a patch of green —
But for them, this parade is a dream.
It’s more than floats and marching feet,
It’s memory, meaning, and hearts that beat.
This is what the parade means —
To the ones who gave, to the ones who dream.
It’s a song in the street, a flag in the sky,
A reason to laugh, a reason to cry.
It’s not just a show, it’s a sign we’re still here,
Holding on to hope, year after year.
This is what the parade means.
There’s a boy with a trumpet and tears in his eyes,
Marching alone ‘neath the summer skies.
His brother’s face on a pin by his heart,
Gone too soon, but never apart.
Their mother stands still, hands folded tight —
Three families, three stories, one street, one sound.
Different hearts, but common ground.
We don’t just gather to cheer and wave —
We gather to honor the lives this moment gave.
This is what the parade means —
To the ones who gave, to the ones who dream.
It’s a song in the street, a flag in the sky,
A reason to laugh, a reason to cry.
It’s not just a show, it’s a sign we’re still here,
Holding on to hope, year after year.
This is what the parade means.
Next year, a new baby will hear the drums.
A new family will find their place.
And the band will play on.
Because this…
This is what the parade means.
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

The Parade by ♨️ 🍪

Funny thing to watch the new wave roll,
Short skirts shining, chasing radio gold.
Reformed drunks preaching how they’ve changed,
Rapping with a twang just to rearrange.
But out past the neon, past the city line,
There’s a fiddle crying, and the sound is mine.
It ain’t on the razor, it ain’t on the charts,
It’s in the smoke‑filled bars and the beating hearts.
Real country’s still alive,
It’s in the back of barns on Friday nights.
It’s in the hands that play for free,
It’s in the songs that set you free.
Don’t worry, we’re looking too,
When we find that sound, we’ll stick with you.
They talk about image, they talk about fame,
But the steel guitar don’t play that game.
Lose a little weight, sell a little soul,
But the truth don’t bend, it just takes hold.
In a small‑town bar, with a worn‑out stage,
The real thing sings, it don’t fade with age.
It ain’t on the razor, it ain’t on the charts,
It’s in the smoke‑filled bars and the beating hearts.
Real country’s still alive,
It’s in the back of barns on Friday nights.
It’s in the hands that play for free,
It’s in the songs that set you free.
Don’t worry, we’re looking too,
When we find that sound, we’ll stick with you.
I’ve seen the stars rise fast and fade,
Trading roots for a masquerade.
But the old men still pick, the young ones still learn,
And the fire in the fiddle still burns and burns.
It’s not a costume, it’s not a show,
It’s the dirt road truth that the real ones know.
It’s the echo of voices in the midnight air,
The cry of a song when nobody’s there.
It’s the ghost of a hymn in a lonesome hall,
It’s the sound of forever that outlives us all.
Real country’s still alive,
It’s in the back of barns on Friday nights.
It’s in the hands that play for free,
It’s in the songs that set you free.
Don’t worry, we’re looking too,
When we find that sound, we’ll stick with you.
Real country… still alive.
Real country… still alive.
Not on Spotify, not on the charts,
It’s in the small‑town bars, it’s in our hearts.
Real country… still alive.

All rights held by the songwriter Edwin H. Balder

Here is a link to the rest of the new tunes in our love quest: soundcloud.com/cookiehot/sets/want-this/s-mFHXc37DmUj?si=7e5f74e3e8934c8c997d99ee6af3ca22&utm_source=clipboard

Real Country 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

Popular tracks tagged #folkcountry #countryrock #countrypop #indiecountry #countryplaylist #newcountry