A song for the prince and my king, my dad. The words remind me of me and my father’s story.

Changes



    Hope and Freedom

D, Gx3, D, A 
One cannot live without hope 
One cannot live without freedom 
I hope I can take your pain away 
Can’t wait for the freedom to get back what’s mine 
I feel good because I have hope for the future 

G, A, Bm, A
Looking up at the stars reminding each other that we are a gas of light
Take a small step 
Towards my goals 
I believe that the future is great 
As long as I see your light shine bright 
Creativity to express your hope 
And your dreams of the future 


I know that freedom is here
As long as I look up at the stars 
And feel the rays of the sun 
I’ll be alright

I can feel that I’m still here and present 
I will persist through the struggles 
Because I have hope 
Show me what’s underneath 
To find your harmony 
Sing sing sing a song
La La La La La 




Hope and Freedom E 08-01-25

Verse 1

So much I couldn’t explain
in just one day
will you stay?

It’s hard for me to say
am I too late
or did you fade?

⸻

Bridge

Lost without you, what went wrong?
Chased your shadow, now you’re gone
I can’t find where I belong

⸻

Chorus

I’m losing my mind
can you hear me? It doesn’t feel right
I’m exploding inside
left with all the love you denied

⸻

Verse 2

I’m here with myself again
fighting the pain
driving me insane

A storm inside my brain
I need escape
is that too late?


Lost

A Stone Temple Pilots song I recorded on the day Scott Weiland died. For several years I was his personal assistant and we spent a lot of time together touring and at his home and studio in Los Angeles. Scott and his music have had a profound impact on my life.

And So I Know

This intimate six-track EP explores identity, values, and simple truths through a country lens. At its heart is a heartfelt tribute to Dolly Parton, celebrating her authenticity and generous spirit that defines the best of country tradition.
The collection weaves together personal reflections on finding yourself, choosing substance over superficiality, and the relationships that sustain us. Each song asks fundamental questions: Who are we when everything falls away? What legacy do we leave? How do we stay true while growing?
Musically, the EP embraces classic country storytelling with warm, acoustic-driven arrangements - like front-porch conversations set to melody. The production stays intimate and organic, allowing space for the vulnerable truth-telling that country music does best.
Themes: Authenticity vs. pretense, wisdom in simplicity, honoring trailblazers, small-town values in a big world, and the courage to be genuinely yourself.
Country music for anyone needing to remember what really matters - whether you're a lifelong fan or just need "a little country" wisdom in your life.

[DAUGHTER]
"Dad... you never really talk about the old days...
What were you like... before?"

[FATHER ]
"Before what, sweetheart?"

[SON]
"Before you settled down... before me and Jess... when you were... you know... out there."

[FATHER]
Started out with no name worth keeping
Just a poncho and a bad attitude
Drifted into towns like smoke
Left the same way
Nobody asked questions
I didn't offer answers
Back then I thought mystery
Was the same thing as strength
Turns out it was just loneliness
Dressed up fancy

[DAUGHTER]
"Were you scared?"

[FATHER]
"Every day

[DAUGHTER]
But fear keeps you alive
Out there"


[FATHER]
I collected dollars
And enemies
Sometimes it was hard
To tell the difference
The good, the bad, the ugly...
I've been all three
Depending on who was asking
And what day it was
Your hands remember
Every trigger pulled
Even when your mind
Tries to forget

[DAUGHTER]
"Do you regret it?"

[FATHER]
Regret's a luxury
I couldn't afford then
Now...
Now I got time for it"
Somewhere along the way
I stopped being the man
With no name
Started being the man
With too many names
Legend, killer
Hero, villain
Depends on who's telling the story
But out here
With you
With this fire
With this coffee that tastes
Like morning instead of whiskey...

I'm just your dad
And that's the only name
That matters anymore

[DAUGHTER]
"Are you happy now?"

[FATHER]
"Happy's another luxury
I'm learning to afford
One cup of coffee at a time"

The frontier's gone now
Towns got names
Roads got signs
Law's got rules

But sitting here
With you asking questions
I never learned to answer...

Maybe this is what
I was riding toward
All along

[DAUGHTER ]
"Will you tell me more stories sometime?"

[FATHER]
"Yeah, sweetheart
I reckon I will"

A Little Country (One)

The Only Name That Matters

This piece began as a reflection on age, wonder, and the universe. It carries the bittersweet truth that some of us may not live to see the answers we’ve always longed for the moment the sky finally “answers back.”

But it’s also a message of hope. Our place isn’t measured only by lifetimes. It’s carried forward in the songs we write, in the questions we refuse to let go of, and in the wonder we pass down.

The closing nod to Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star reminds us that curiosity is timeless from the child’s lullaby to the elder’s last reflection, we are joined by a shared yearning to understand.

This isn’t just about stars. It’s about legacy, belonging, and the truth that even if we don’t grow into tomorrow ourselves, a part of us will.

Some of us are too late in the day
To see the gates swing open
To watch the sky answer back

But we’ve left our fingerprints
On the glass of the telescope
Our breath fogging the lens
For the next set of eyes

The truth is our place
Isn’t just measured in lifetimes
It’s carried forward in songs
In questions that refuse to die
In the wonder we hand down

So even if I don’t grow into that tomorrow
A part of me will
In the echoes, in the chords
In the starlight that remembers
We once asked

Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are

Oh, how we wonder

Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star
How I wonder what you are

Oh how we wonder
What you are

Yes we wonder

Footnote to the Stars

The sun sessions - Love you

Flower is a song by Amos Lee that always moved me because of how honest and simple it is. In this version, I wanted to keep that feeling but also make it my own.

I recorded it with acoustic guitar, harmonica, and organ — keeping it intimate and real. It’s not about copying, it’s about singing it from who I am.
Every word I sang believing what the song says: that love, even through fear or loneliness, is still a real force.

Basadas y Covers I

Flower

This song is for Jessica—my angel, my world, my forever.
We’ve been through it all. Years of love, struggle, healing, and growth. She stood by me through addiction, pain, and the darkest nights. She raised our children, built our life, and taught me what love really means.

“Jessica” is my vow in melody. A love letter to the woman who saved me, shaped me, and showed me the light.
If you’ve ever found someone who loved you back to life—this is for you too.

#Jessica #LoveSong #ProposalSong #WillYouMarryMe #MyAngel #ForeverLove #RealLove #RedemptionSong #FromDarknessToLight


Jessica

Brighter Day (b side)

Recorded live-one take in my NYC apartment.

14th Street

S F H music Auckland, New Zealand

Poet • Performer • Lyricist • Composer

Stephen Hollins is a New Zealand-born Renaissance artist whose four-decade career spans genres of theatre, opera, improvisation, performance, poetry, writing and music. He transforms his poetry into songs blending psychology, performance, innovation and technology to create emotionally resonant and meaningful music.

His latest project, "Breakfast with Jung," is a groundbreaking multimedia collection exploring Carl Jung's psychological concepts through poetry and music—transforming a 400-page manuscript of 135 poems into a nine-album/chapter series that makes depth psychology accessible through an intimate musical and poetical journey toward the authentic Self that mirrors Jung's work.
"Support my music: https://sfhmusic.bandcamp.com"