Voice of the nation

Try to comprehend your life
There’s something in my mind
An overwhelming sense of fear
I wish I could describe

And I’m in a rut
Stuck like a rat in a cage 
But I won’t give up
No I won’t give up at this stage

Broken thoughts and twisted lines
All jumbled up inside
There must be some peace to find
It’s no-one’s path but mine 

And I’m in a rut
Stuck like a rat in a cage 
But I won’t give up
No I won’t give up at this stage

We’re forged in fire
Made a path that takes us higher
We’re forged in fire
Made a path that takes us higher

And I’m in a rut
Stuck like a rat in a cage 
But I won’t give up
No I won’t give up at this stage

We’re forged in fire
Made a path that takes us higher
We’re forged in fire
Made a path that takes us higher

Lyrics - Lynn Booth-Robinson and Thomas Booth-Robinson 
Music - Thomas Booth-Robinson

© all rights reserved 2025

Forged In Fire

The Ulysses butterfly, or Papilio ulysses, is a large swallowtail butterfly native to Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. It is a common sight in the rainforests of Cairns, Queensland. The Ulysses butterfly is known for its striking blue and black wings, which can reach up to 14 cm in length. The males have a bright blue patch on their forewings, while the females have a more subdued blue color. The Ulysses butterfly is a fast and erratic flier, making it difficult to photograph. It is most active on sunny days, when it can be seen feeding on nectar from flowers. The Ulysses butterfly is an important pollinator of rainforest plants. It is also a popular tourist attraction, and many people visit Cairns specifically to see this beautiful butterfly.


Ulysses

I had the very good fortune to connect with Andy H aka “Noobly” a few months ago over music that we mutually admired and we agreed to find a future opportunity to collaborate. This is the result. Noobly’s beautifully rich track, propelled by his soaring guitar work, felt like a kind of call to prayer to my ear. I tried to echo this somewhat in singing the bridge. Lyrically, just for kicks I used the Socratic Method to construct the verses (persuasion through Q&A) so that this song’s meaning becomes self-evident and hopefully more of a personal experience for each listener. Thanks for checking it out!

Prideful Pride

Do you remember the day when pride took you for its own
When a thief stole something precious in you

Do you remember the day when pride took you for its own
When a thief stole something precious in you
Did it happen when all of your friends cut you out
Was your heart set on winning something, but you lost instead
And when you were maimed did the anger in you surge
Can you mark the moment when you became someone else
Is your truth under layers of scar and combat
Are you the new thief, looting joy from everywhere

Prideful pride keeps piling on, on, on
Building your walls, can’t go wrong, wrong, wrong
Finding it hard to get along, along, along
Your pride is killing you, long before you’re gone, gone, gone

And in the end you’ll be left with nothing
A bright light that’s gone too dim
I have been in a prison of my own before, just like you
Until I let the facade fall
And was set free, free

Are things more difficult now that you are going it alone
And do you leave enough room for both your sadness and your anger
Does that wall keep scary things in, and the invaders out
Are you winning this imaginary war you think you’re fighting

Prideful pride keeps piling on, on, on
Building your walls, ’can’t go wrong, wrong, wrong
Finding it hard to get along, along, along
Your pride is killing you, long before you’re gone, gone, gone


Music/production - Noobly @ https://soundcloud.com/noobly-1
Lyrics/vocals - Todd J McLean
Artwork - Fukushima Greed, 2011 (mixed media) by Todd J McLean

Prideful Pride

UNHOLY MARY by Nova J

[Spoken Intro]
I’ll give you until the count of five.
Then I do it.
5… 4… 3… 2… 1…

[Verse 1]
You cry wolf in the courthouse, you cry wolf in the pews
Every man who gets close leaves branded, accused
Unholy Mary, queen of shadows and schemes
You built your religion on your children’s screams

[Pre-Chorus]
Every story you spin gets heavier still
Like snow piling high on that house on the hill
(Unholy Mary… what happened to you?)

[Verse 2]
You lock all the windows, you deadbolt the door
Homeschool their silence, they don’t dream anymore
You search for new labels, new ways to get paid
But the mirror reflects every debt you’ve made

[Pre-Chorus]
Every promise you broke turned colder with time
Your letters to God just excuses in rhyme
(Unholy Mary… what happened to you?)

[Chorus]
Unholy Mary, where do you hide?
(Unholy Mary… where do you hide?)
Your children are shadows, they stand by your side
(Unholy Mary…)
The mirror won’t answer, it just looks right through
 (Unholy Mary… what happened to you?)
Unholy Mary, what happened to you?
(Unholy Mary… what happened to you?!)

[Bridge]
Vanity binds you, your mercy decays
Loneliness lingers, you’re lost in the maze
Your children bear burdens they never should know
You pray for redemption, but the mercy won’t show

[Outro]
Snow falling steady on your backyard gate
The candles burn out, but you’re still awake
It’s your fate. Oh Mary. It’s your fate.
Your fate. Your fate.

[Instrumental Close]

Unholy Mary

Recorded in Modesto, Ca.  Featuring Sarah Golding on Vocals. Fender Bass. Roland Synthesizer Bass. Steinway & Sons Acoustic Piano Rhythm. Gibson L5 Electric Guitar Rhythm. Alto Saxophone solo. Gibson 335 Electric Guitar solo. Trumpet solo. Acoustic full Drum kit set. Percussion Tree chimes, Cow Bell, Congas, Bongos, Ago Go Bells, Timbales, 22" Zildjain Ride & Crash Cymbals.

Carmel

I'm Walkin'

💜🗝

Plank of Reason

Inspired by «I felt a Funeral in my Brain» by Emily Dickinson, this song is written from the voice of a young woman and a very best friend learning in her journey to carve out space for herself, even as the mourners march inside her mind, even as the plank of reason cracks beneath her.

Plank on Reason

[Intro]
Treading treading—beating beating

[Verse]
She walks to class with swollen eyes
her hands tucked deep her breath disguised
every step a drum that won’t let go
beating down the hallway slow

[Pre-Chorus]
And when the silence tolls inside
she won’t let the broken parts define
there’s more than falling through the dark
there’s fire hidden in her spark

[Chorus]
Even when a plank in reason breaks
she drops she shakes she still remakes
every world she crashes through
she stands again she finds the truth
she’s more than sorrow more than pain
a young woman learning to remain

[Verse]
They say her mind is fraying thin
but she’s stronger than the noise within
her soul’s been carried box by box
but she builds her own from shattered loss

[Bridge]
Treading treading—
but she keeps heading
Beating beating—
but she’s still breathing
when the mourners fade
she writes her own parade

[Final Chorus]
Even when a plank in reason breaks
she drops she shakes she still remakes
Every world she crashes through
she stands again she finds the truth
She’s more than sorrow more than pain
a young woman strong unchained

[Outro]
Treading treading—beating beating—still breathing

Plank in Reason

Written by Finn Eces this is a song about believing in yourself and not always looking at what the Jones's have, Be happy with what you have, although i do rather like the sports car that mister Jones has :-) 
Thank you Finn for giving me the opportunity to Sing along with you on this great song. Great Analog feel to it and a great poppy vibe. 

Written, performed and produced : Finn Eces 
Vocals : Johnny Mc Farlane

Someone Else's Dreams

Oh Knower

i’m-a-puzzle-with-a-missing

An English-language, sung, poetic take on the instrumental track "A True Love Story." The story you'll find in the track's description is brought to a vocal dimension, framed by an emotional musical arrangement.

Plank in Reason

November After Dark