Pencil Me In
timothymichaelmusic
18 APR 2022

V1.
I miss you even though I see you every day
Overscheduled. Stuff just gets in the way
The calendar stays filled as the week unfolds
It’s only hump day, but this is getting old.
Now the weekend is finally starting to come in sight.
Can you pencil me in for date night?

Chorus
I’ve got cool ideas for a hot date night.
Let’s get lost together right in plain sight.
We’ll grab burgers and beers at an old dive bar
Spend the night in a field looking up at the stars.
Lie on the dock with our feet in Mason’s creek
Sing with the radio til we’re to hoarse to speak.
Catch the sunrise when it comes back up again
Girl, can you pencil me in?
Yeah, pencil me in

V2.
We can nap away this Sunday afternoon.
Just hold me tight ‘cos the work week is coming soon.
Block some time for me on Sunday night as well.
Because next week’s gonna be a mess, I can already tell.
Let’s make plans again and try to keep it light.
Can you pencil me in for date night?

Chorus
I’ve got cool ideas for a hot date night
Let’s get lost together right in plain sight.
We’ll grab burgers and beers at an old dive bar
Then spend the night in a field looking up at the stars
Lie on the dock with our feet in Mason’s creek
And sing with the radio til we’re to hoarse to speak
And catch the sun when it comes up again
Girl, can you pencil me in?
Yeah, pencil me in



Bridge
Next week we can watch 80s movies
And remember being young.
We can scoot a boot in the living room
Dancing with you is always fun.

Chorus
I’ve got cool ideas for a hot date night.
Let’s get lost together right in plain sight.
We’ll grab burgers and beers at an old dive bar
Then spend the night in a field looking up at the stars.
Lie on the dock with our feet in Mason’s creek
And sing with the radio til we’re to hoarse to speak.
Catch the sunrise when it comes up again
Girl, can you pencil me in?
Yeah pencil me in.

Yeah pencil me in




Pencil Me In (2025)

“Caged”
timothymichaelmusic
5 OCT 2020

V1.
The colors in the artist’s strokes.
Trying to capture all the folks.
They begin to cage them all in huddled masses.
Paint the picture they want you to see.
The story isn’t you and me
When you’re looking through their rosy colored glasses.

Peeling back layer by layer.
Each shade gets a little grayer.
As you get closer and closer to the core.
Wishing it could be better
But right down to the letter
Looks like we’re headed right back where we were before

Chorus:
Am I alive or in a dream?
Interchangeable it seems.
It’s all just an illusion to stay inspired.
Freedom isn’t really free.
It’s a trap that you can’t see.
It’s the space between the bars that holds the tiger.

V2.
I stare into the looking glass.
Is this the future or the past?
Maybe it will always be the same.
Counter clockwise around the clock
And the alarm clock’s going off.
Revelation that everything is just a game

Is this live or Memorex?
Just sorting through the mess.
Unfocused picture seems a little out of kilter
Do I believe in what I see?
Is this where we want to be?
Everything just looks a little better through a filter.


Chorus:
Am I alive or in a dream?
Interchangeable it seems.
It’s all just an illusion to stay inspired.
Freedom isn’t really free.
It’s a trap that you can’t see.
It’s the space between the bars that holds the tiger.

Bridge 
Fingerprint upon the blotter
Like sheep led to the slaughter
You never had a thought that this could happen

They just keep us all divided
Creating problems for the fighting
And then you’ll realize they caught you nappin’

Chorus:
Am I alive or in a dream?
Interchangeable it seems.
It’s all just an illusion to stay inspired.
Freedom isn’t really free.
It’s a trap that you can’t see.
It’s the space between the bars that holds the tiger.


Caged (2025)

The Rabbit Hole
Timothymichaelmusic
22 JAN 2021

V1.
It’s a nursery rhyme of a different kind
As the key hits the keyhole
Working double time on a paradigm
It’s a dog and pony show
Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time
‘cause they’re coming for your soul.
There’s rules for thee, but not for me 
Down here in the rabbit hole.

Chorus:
Here we go down the rabbit hole
Where nothing’s as it seems
Once you see the light. It keeps you up all night
And haunts you in your dreams.
Evil schemes taken to extremes
It’s a prison with no parole
Don’t be naïve about the web we weave
Down here in the rabbit hole.

V2.
You won’t believe the things conceived
It’s on a different level.
It’s a marathon to the great beyond
Except you’re running with the devil.
You’ve heard tell of the highway to hell
Well who’s gonna pay your toll?
Smoke and mirrors. I can’t be much clearer.
Down here in the rabbit hole.

Chorus:
Here we go down the rabbit hole
Where nothing’s as it seems
Once you see the light it keeps you up all night
And haunts you in your dreams.
Evil schemes taken to extremes
It’s a prison with no parole
Don’t be naïve about the web we weave
Down here in the rabbit hole

Bridge
Try to trick it…
…Try to track it
Can’t catch it…
…Can’t nab it,
Reach your hand into the magic hat
But you can’t grab that evil rabbit

Chorus:
Here we go down the rabbit hole
Where nothing’s as it seems
Once you see the light it keeps you up all night
And haunts you in your dreams.
Evil schemes taken to extremes
It’s a prison with no parole
Don’t be naïve about the web we weave
Down here in the rabbit hole

Don’t be naïve about the web we weave
Down here in the rabbit hole






The Rabbit Hole (2025) (Remix)

Recycled (2025)
timothymichaelmusic
5 OCT 2020

V1.
Damned if I don’t or if you do.
What the hell’s a man to do?
Just an image that I’m trying to portray?
I’m just looking for the truth
And the driver turns the screw.
Seems like yet another déjà vu day.

Like a performer on a stage
Reciting lines from a page
Watching them admire me from the stands
Fake it til I make it.
It’s my claim if I’ll just stake it.
But wherever it is that I go there I am

Chorus
I’m on a vision quest.
Just sorting through the mess.
Testifying as a witness at my own trial.
Can I even believe the lie?
Looking through the beholders eye.
Nothing new here to see I think I’m just recycled.

V2.
Bang your head against the wall.
Yet another curtain call.
Show’s never over when you’re stuck in the encore.
Is it time to lay it down?
Or shall I play another round?
Am I really better off now than before?

Rehearsing lines from a scene
What’s it really even mean?
Trying to be all that I can be.
Am I  faking or am I feeling?
What’s the secret I’m not revealing?
Whoever I am I’m still the same old me

Chorus
I’m on a vision quest.
Just sorting through the mess.
Testifying as a witness at my own trial.
Can I even believe the lie?
Looking through the beholders eye.
Nothing new here to see I think I’m just recycled

Bridge
Maybe I’m just adding to the confusion
And this life is merely an illusion

Chorus
I’m on a vision quest.
Just sorting through the mess.
Testifying as a witness at my own trial.
Can I even believe the lie?
Looking through the beholders eye.
Nothing new here to see I think I’m just recycled

I think I’m just recycled

I think I’m just recycled

I’m just recycled


Recycled (2025)

Sunny Side of the Dirt (re-write)
timothymichaelmusic
24 JUN 2023

V1.
Pain heals and chicks dig scars
What don’t kill me makes me stronger
I only have to embrace the suck
Just a little bit longer
The sun is shining on me
To heal where I’ve been hurt
It ain’t such a bad thing
To spend time in the dirt

Chorus
On the sunny side of the dirt
Life’s lessons always last
Keep keeping on for better days
And leave the past there in the past
Worry hasn’t ever solved a thing
Complications just cause hurt
Keep it simple every chance I get
Here on the sunny side of the dirt.

V2.
I realized along the way
That I could be the light.
I don’t need my own agenda
‘Cos being kind trumps being right.
Free will allows the consequence
And in the end I finally see
Both faith and fear demand belief 
In something I can’t see

Chorus
On the sunny side of the dirt
Life’s lessons always last
Keep keeping on for better days
And leave the past there in the past
Worry hasn’t ever solved a thing
Complications just cause hurt
Keep it simple every chance you get
Here on the sunny side of the dirt


Bridge
Here on the sunny side
Every day is for the livin’
Blessed by every lesson learned
…And the grace I’ve been given

Chorus
On the sunny side of the dirt
Life’s lessons always last
Keep keeping on for better days
And leave the past there in the past
Worry hasn’t ever solved a thing
Complications just cause hurt
Keep it simple every chance I get
Here on the sunny side of the dirt

Here on the sunny side of the dirt















Sunny Side Of The Dirt (2025)

Mine
Timothymichaelmusic
14 FEB 2021

v1
Sunlight through the window blinds supplies a sweet alarm
Your body pressing next to me provides a sense of warmth
I push your hair out of your eyes. You’re startled back to life
A sleepy smile upon your face. You press your lips to mine
The bed’s a mess, we’re barely dressed, my all-time favorite start
Precious moments spent together held forever in my heart
We stagger to the coffee pot to clear away the wine
My favorite days they all begin with mornings that you’re mine.

Chorus
It doesn’t happen every day in the busy-ness of life
The clock dissects days into hours and cuts them like a knife.
Before we know it we start to blow it and together gets replaced
Instead of spending time together all we’ve created here is space
Let’s take our time when we’re side by side. There’s no need to rush.
Me and you flow right on cue with a sweet and simple touch.
When I think of you, I know it’s true. I say it all the time
The sweetest moments in my life are the days that you are mine

V2.
But when the day is finished and we come back as one
Put away the mess, remove the stress and start to have some fun.
In the quiet of the evening we greet with sweet embrace
For all we do and what we go through just to get some face to face
You snuggle on the couch with me and share a glass of wine
The world just seems to melt away when we see eye to eye
As the moonlight shines through the window blinds it starts to tranquilize
My favorite days will always end with evenings that you’re mine

Chorus
It doesn’t happen every day in the busy-ness of life
The clock dissects days into hours and cuts them like a knife.
Before we know it we start to blow it and together gets replaced
Instead of spending time together all we’ve created here is space
Take our time when we’re side by side. There’s no need to rush.
Me and you flow right on cue with a sweet and simple touch
When I think of you, I know it’s true. I say it all the time
The sweetest moments in my life are the days that you are mine

The sweetest moments in my life are the days that you are mine







Mine (2025)

What If (Revised)
timothymichaelmusic
19 MAY 2022
Lyrics – Tim Schlesener BMI 01126229678

V1.
The evil and the righteous 
Are all caught in the same lie
Because the truth is even stranger
And no one questions why
And some will walk in the darkness
While others live in light
And each day’s a constant battle
And there’s no silence in the night.

Chorus
What if this is heaven?
Or maybe this is hell?
And the paths cross one another
Because the world already fell.
And time is only told by counting
Every single grain of sand
What if the Holy Spirit is the wind
And God is all the land

V2.
Our paths are interwoven
Like a quilt covering the shame
Everyone is pointing fingers
But no one takes the blame
Smoke and mirrors hide the truth
Will we ever really know?
The condition of the heart
Determines the route that each man goes.

Chorus
What if this is heaven?
Or maybe this is hell?
And the paths cross one another
Because the world already fell.
And time is only told by counting
Every single grain of sand
What if the Holy Spirit is the wind
And God is all the land

Bridge
When lies become the truth
And the truth becomes believed
It’s part of the grand illusion
Because we all have been deceived

Chorus
What if this is heaven?
Or maybe this is hell?
And the paths cross one another
Because the world already fell.
And time is only told by counting
Every single grain of sand
What if the Holy Spirit is the wind
And God is all the land




What If (2025)

Wasted
timothymichaelmusic
05 OCT 2023

V1.
It’s 3 am, I’m up again
You’ll always be the reason
Whistling wind, storms moving in
The changing of the seasons
Got time to think. I pour a drink
Strong, a double tall
Like the trees, changing leaves
I’ll just let go and fall.

Chorus
They say time’s a terrible thing to waste
But I do it pretty well.
Your scent still lingers in the air
I’m trapped under your spell.
A hint of wine, your lips on mind
Are still the best I’ve tasted
I’m too far gone to carry on.
My time is best spent wasted

V2.
Feels like the liquor makes it pass quicker
But it keeps me from moving on.
There’s no silence in the night
But there’s comfort in the dawn.
The sunshine breaking through the clouds
Starts to melt away the gray
But I know the truth, me without you
Is just another wasted day.

Chorus
They say time’s a terrible thing to waste
But I do it pretty well.
Your scent still lingers in the air
I’m trapped under your spell.
A hint of wine, your lips on mind
Are still the best I’ve tasted
I’m too far gone to carry on.
My time is best spent wasted

Bridge
I let the night just slip on by
But your memory won’t fade
God had bigger plans for you
But I wish you could have stayed

Chorus
They say time’s a terrible thing to waste
But I do it pretty well.
Your scent still lingers in the air
I’m trapped under your spell.
A hint of wine, your lips on mind
Are still the best I’ve tasted
I’m too far gone to carry on.
My time is best spent wasted

I’m too far gone to carry on.
My time is best spent wasted







Wasted (2025)

How That Feels
Timothymichaelmusic
28 JAN 2025

V1.
I said baby we need to talk...
…    ...   let’s go for a walk
But you wanted to stay inside
Then you damn sure hit your stride

Turned out there wasn’t much to say
No decision I could sway.
Another one of life’s ordeals...
...  .. So this is how that feels


Chorus
I guess if felt a bit surreal
When the truth was revealed
I admit I was a little shocked
But it’s starting to wear off

My head was whirling like a top
Waiting for the other shoe to drop
On my heart with your high heels

... So this is how that feels.


V2.
Your bags were already in the car
Glad you left me the guitar
What started as a fight
Gave me something else to write

Strumming as you drove away
Brought some closure to the day
My mind was spinning like your wheels

...So this is how that feels.


Chorus
I guess it felt a bit surreal
When the truth was revealed
I admit I was a little shocked
But it’s starting to wear off

My head was whirling like a top
Waiting for the other shoe to drop
On my heart with your high heels...

... .. So this is how that feels.


Bridge
I sadly watched you drive away
... ... That was a first for me that day

Chorus
I guess it felt a bit surreal
When the truth was revealed
I admit I was a little shocked
But it’s starting to wear off
My head was whirling like a top
Waiting for the other shoe to drop
On my heart with your high heels...

... .. So this is how that feels.


How That Feels (2025)

Burnt Toast
timothymichaelmusic
12 APR 2024

V1.
I barely slept last night
Too much on my plate
My alarm got left on silent
Damn, I was running late
The last thing I need this morning
Is the smell of smoke
Dumped that burnt bread in the trashcan
And took another shot at toast

Chorus
Then I hit every green light
On the way into the office
I aced my presentation
The boss said it was flawless
And it led straight to the promotion
For the job I wanted most
This day turned out just perfect
All because of some burnt toast

V2.
I went out to happy hour
To celebrate with my best friends
It might be a while before
I get a day like this again
Whenever strange things happen
They tend to happen in threes
That’s about the time I noticed 
You smiling back at me.

Chorus
‘Cos I hit every green light
On the way into the office
I aced my presentation
The boss said it was flawless
And it led straight to the promotion
For the job I wanted most
This day turned out just perfect
All because of some burnt toast

Bridge
You ordered us another round
And I said wait here just a minute
I ran to the store across the street
And bought a power ball ticket

Chorus
‘Cos I hit every green light
On the way into the office
I aced my presentation
The boss said it was flawless
And it led straight to the promotion
For the job I wanted most
This day turned out just perfect
All because of some burnt toast


This day turned out just perfect
All because of some burnt toast







Burnt Toast (2025, modern)

Trouble (I’d like to get into)
timothymichaelmusic
31 JAN 2023

V1.
Looks like you’re here alone
Messin’ with your phone
And your strawberry margarita
Ball cap down low
Hiding your smoke show
And hopin’ nobody sees ya
But you caught my eye
And I’m not sure why
But I’m gonna take a chance
Your next drink’s on me
‘cos I’d like to see
If I can have this dance

Chorus
You’re the kind of trouble
I’d like to get into.
Not the kind for pickup lines
But girl I’ve had a few
Been on the sideline such a long time
So I’m long overdue
And you’re the kind of trouble
I’d like to get into.

V2.
There’s great music here
I’ve been nursing this beer
But this is something to explore
Might be love at first glance
A one night romance
But I think it’s something more
I’m trying to be smooth
Like I’ve got nothin’ to prove
But you hold all the power
Once you’re in my arms
I’m turning on the charm
I tipped the band to play another hour

Chorus
You’re the kind of trouble
I’d like to get into.
Not the kind for pickup lines
But girl I’ve had a few
Been on the sideline such a long time
So I’m long overdue
And you’re the kind of trouble
I’d like to get into.

Bridge
Been watching you for a while
And I’m liking what I see
You got that kind of dangerous smile
That spells trouble with a capital T

Chorus
You’re the kind of trouble
I’d like to get into.
Not the kind for pickup lines
But girl I’ve had a few
Been on the sideline such a long time
So I’m long overdue.
And you’re the kind of trouble
I’d like to get into.

You’re the kind of trouble
I’d like to get into.

You’re the kind of trouble
I’d like to get into








Trouble (2025)

Lyricist looking to connect with artists in the country genre that are searching for great songs to record. Also open to co-writes. Regularly pitching music to Nashville publishers and song pluggers. Primarily country genre. Mid 50s, married. 6 kids and 10 grandkids in a beautifully blended family. Enjoys golf, working out, nature/lakes, and listening to live music every chance I get!

Pencil Me In (2025)

Timothy Michael Music - SONGWRITER

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