Stairway To Heaven
timothymichaelmusic
16 JUL 2023

V1.
I’ve heard tell that the road to hell 
Is paved with good intentions
From time to time I hear about the climb
But it’s rarely ever mentioned
There’s painted lines and exit signs
To help you find your way
But you’d better find the stairway
When it’s time for judgement day

Chorus
When life’s in doubt try the roundabout
Maybe get another try
You’ve got to earn those angel wings
Or you’re on a southbound ride.
There’s a blueprint in the book of life
Just follow the directions
They built a highway down to hell
But only a stairway to Heaven.

V2.
There’ll be some traffic headed south
So you better plan ahead
Gonna need to learn your route
Or your just as good as dead
Eternal life is on the up and up
But you gotta do your share
Stop staring up the steps
And start stepping up the stairs

Chorus
When life’s in doubt try the roundabout
Maybe get another try
You’ve got to earn those angel wings
Or you’re on a southbound ride.
There’s a blueprint in the book of life
Just follow the directions
They built a highway down to hell
But only a stairway to Heaven

Bridge
Tomorrow is never promised
Today could be the last
The highway headed down to hell
Will get you nowhere fast

Chorus
When life’s in doubt try the roundabout
Maybe get another try
You’ve got to earn those angel wings
Or you’re on a southbound ride.
There’s a blueprint in the book of life
Just follow the directions
They built a highway down to hell
But only a stairway to Heaven

They built a highway down to hell
But only a stairway to heaven








Stairway To Heaven (2025)

In the Rain With You
timothymichaelmusic
23 AUG 2023

V1
It’s like your body and your mind
Seem a million miles apart
You’re going through the motions
But it’s storming in your heart
It’s hard to make connection
When I see you’re numb and broken
For you love’s just an after thought
Instead of a real emotion

Chorus
The tears fall like a downpour
The dam has broken now.
The cyclone that’s been raging
Has blown all your walls down.
I’m your shelter in the hurricane
I’m going to get you through
I could be dry, but I don’t want to
I’ll stand in the rain with you

V2.
The storms of life keep brewing
Until they run out of energy
But I’m right here with you baby
‘Til we send them back to sea.
On the other side’s a rainbow
Where joy and laughter live.
Let me be your sunshine
By giving all I’ve got to give.

Chorus
The tears fall like a down pour.
The dam is broken now.
The cyclone that’s been raging
Has blown all your walls down.
I’m your shelter in the hurricane
I’m going to get you through
I could be dry, but I don’t want to
I’ll stand in the rain with you.

Bridge
We’re gonna get to brighter days
I’m with you every step of the way

Chorus
The tears fall like a down pour.
The dam is broken now.
The cyclone that’s been raging
Has blown all your walls down.
I’m your shelter in the hurricane
I’m going to get you through
I could be dry, but I don’t want to
I’ll stand in the rain with you

I could be dry, but I don’t want to
I’ll stand in the rain with you.

In the rain with you


In The Rain With You (2025-new) (Remix)

Game Over, Game On
TimothyMichaelMusic
24 AUG 2025

V1
Are we still on the same team?
Sleeping in different dugouts.
The home locker room feels empty
Since you moved out.

Are we teammates or just roommates?
Feels like something’s changed
Til you grabbed my hand and said
Take me out to the ballgame

Chorus
You’ve got a heavy load
You’ve been on the road
I’m the home team

It’s hard to be lovers
We barely see each other
Unless you count my dreams

I hope I see your smile tonight
I pray the spark ain’t gone
I ain’t ready for game over
Please let it be game on

V2.
I made my best pitch
You swung and made connection
Then you stole my heart
And doubled my affection

I quickly read the signals 
You were giving me the green light
Babe I’m swinging for the fences 
Grand slam home run tonight

Chorus
You’ve got a heavy load
You’ve been on the road
I’m the home team

It’s hard to be lovers
We barely see each other
Unless you count my dreams

Glad I saw your smile tonight
Hell no the spark ain’t gone
The game damn sure ain’t over
Game over is game on!

Bridge
I want extra innings
Give me overtime
I’m ready to get back to 
Game on all the time

Chorus
Glad I saw your smile tonight
Hell no the spark ain’t gone
The game damn sure ain’t over
Game over is game on!

Glad I saw your smile tonight
Hell no the spark ain’t gone
The game damn sure ain’t over
Game over is game on!







Game Over, Game On (Remix)

Music Feels (2025)
timothymichaelmusic
26 JUN 2023

V1.
When the guitar strums the first four notes
Of Friends in Low Places
And we’re all sipping and singing
With smiles on our faces
When it’s 9 o’clock on a Saturday
And the Piano Man plays his song
And everyone in the bar room
Is bop, bop, bopping along.

Chorus
It can take you back to childhood
For a night on your hometown lake
Spark a memory of an old flame
And the feelings you can’t fake
It’s cruising town with the windows down
Thinking you’re some kinda big deal
Smile on your face 
with chill bumps every place
That’s the way that music feels

V2.
It might take you down some red dirt road
And help you to remember when
Or help you find a way to write
Your own backroads anthem
It can turn a candle in the wind
Into a raging ring of fire
And be the wind beneath a Freebird’s wings
Music makes you feel like flying

Chorus
It can take you back to childhood
For a night on your hometown lake
Spark a memory of an old flame
And the feelings you can’t fake
It’s cruising town with the windows down
Thinking you’re some kinda big deal
Smile on your face 
with chill bumps every place
That’s the way that music feels

Bridge
It can save the day
Mark the time
Or share the memory
It can motivate
And captivate
Or even set dreams free

Chorus
It can take you back to childhood
And a night on your hometown lake
Spark a memory of an old flame
And the feelings you can’t fake
It’s cruising town with the windows down
Thinking you’re some kinda big deal
Smile on your face 
with chill bumps every place
That’s the way that music feels


That’s the way that music feels



















Music Feels (2025-LSS)

Buy More Time
Tim Schlesener
04 MAY 2022

V1.
A penny for your thoughts about
Your million dollar dreams
Next year you’ll be out on your own
Tell me all your crazy schemes
Childhood vanished into a scrapbook
Where I keep those memories
I’ll be doing my best in the empty nest
Just your mom and me

Chorus
I’d like to buy a minute 
Just to sit and brush your hair
Or watch you play another game
I wore out those bleacher chairs.
I’d buy your jokes at breakfast
Heck, I’d even pay for a fight
Right now, I can’t even afford to cry
Wondering how I can buy more time.

V2.
Tossing quarters into a wishing well
Before I head back home
Like those coins in the fountain
I’m drowning in alone.
My two cents would be money well spent
If I could buy a day with you
We could live a day from the scrapbook
Of all the time I spent with you

Chorus
I’d like to buy a minute 
Just to sit and brush your hair
Or watch you play another game
I wore out those bleacher chairs.
I’d buy your jokes at breakfast
Heck, I’d even pay for a fight
Right now, I can’t even afford to cry
Wondering how I can buy more time

Bridge
Don’t wish away the hard days
Because they all had silver linings
I’d give everything I’ve ever earned
To buy just a little more time

Chorus
I’d like to buy a minute 
Just to sit and brush your hair
Or watch you play another game
I wore out those bleacher chairs
I’d like to buy your jokes at breakfast
Heck, I’d even pay for a fight
Right now, I can’t even afford to cry
Wondering how I can buy more time.


Wondering how I can buy more time

Buy More Time (2025)

As Good As Good Can Get
Timothymichaelmusic
26 AUG 2021

V1.
I’ve been wrong on first impressions
I’ve been right on second chances
I’ve loved and lost 
And had some failed romances.
With lessons learned and tables turned
I’ve got a brand new plan
I just take them one day at a time
And live the best I can.

Chorus
Did I get old too soon
Or did I get wise too late.
Whichever way, I’m thankful for
What brought me to today
I guess I’ll always wonder 
If I’m where I’m headed yet
But I’ve got the feeling
Life’s as good as good can get

V2.
I’ve never been the kind to live 
Just sitting on the sidelines
But I’ve learned to use some self-control
And live within the guidelines
I took a good look at the good book
And corrected my wayward ways
Now I’m living in the moments
Of my very best days

Chorus
Did I get old too soon
Or did I get wise too late.
Whichever way, I’m thankful for
What brought me to today
I guess I’ll always wonder 
If I’m where I’m headed yet
But I’ve kinda got the feeling
Life’s as good as good can get


Chorus
Did I get old too soon
Or did I get wise too late.
Whichever way, I’m thankful for
What brought me to today
I guess I’ll always wonder 
If I’m where I’m headed yet
But I’ve kinda got the feeling
Life’s as good as good can get





As Good As Good Can Get

Christmas Of The Past
Timothymichaelmusic
02 SEP 2025

V1.
A tinsel covered tree
The angel on the tip
A warming fire burning
Hot chocolate to sip
Mom and dad playing Santa Claus
Passing out the gifts
Kids anxiously unwrapping
Each and every Christmas wish

Chorus
Those old Christmas memories
Swirling around my mind
The kind that make me smile
Long lost days we’ve left behind
A simpler place and time
Impressions that still last
Man, we were really blessed
By Christmas of the past

V2. 
Grandma and Grandpa laughing
My brand-new baseball glove
Big family style dinners
Holiday feasts made with love
All my aunts and uncles
Cousins, neighbors and friends
I was never really sure
Where our family tree ends

Chorus
Those old Christmas memories
Swirling around my mind
The kind that make me smile
Long lost days we’ve left behind
A simpler place and time
Impressions that still last
Man, we were really blessed
By Christmas of the past

Bridge
Ghosts of by gone days
The memories remain
This year My Christmas wish is 
A Christmas day like those again

Chorus
Those old Christmas memories
Swirling around my mind
The kind that make me smile
Long lost days we’ve left behind
A simpler place and time
Impressions that still last
Man, we were really blessed
By Christmas of the past

Man, we were really blessed
By Christmas of the past












Christmas Of The Past

Sucker Punched
TimothyMichaelMusic
08 SEP 2025

V1.
Oh, man of God
Come join the fight
You can’t play it safe
If you want meaning in your life
Do you think that Jesus promised
To make all your dreams come true?
He said He’d be there in your corner
Fighting the good fight with you

Chorus
I can do hard things.
I was born for this.
Open war is cast upon us
A life of purpose requires risk
The line between good and evil
Cuts through the heart of every man
I’ll stand and fight against it
So I’m not sucker punched again

V2.
Good vibes can’t be the focus
Nor approval though good deeds
I can’t life hack my way to Heaven
If I make it all about me.
It’s focused faithful acts of intention
Not random acts of kindness
I’m gonna fight my way to Heaven
When we leave this world behind us

Chorus
I can do hard things.
I was born for this.
Open war is cast upon us
A life of purpose requires risk
The line between good and evil
Cuts through the heart of every man
I’ll stand and fight against it
So I’m not sucker punched again


Bridge
Righteousness, peace and joy
Only come when you bend the knee
Go all in with Jesus
And the fight will set you free

Chorus
I can do hard things.
I was born for this.
Open war is cast upon us
A life of purpose requires risk
The line between good and evil
Cuts through the heart of every man
I’ll stand and fight against it
So I’m not sucker punched again

So I’m not sucker punched again





Sucker Punched

Right Again
TimothyMichaelMusic
04 JUN 2022

V1.
We didn’t have the money, 
But we had to make the trip.
Needed a day for a get away
From reality’s grip. 
We could see the party going 
Way down there on the floor
Lights went dim, we could barely see him, 
But our hearts began to soar

Chorus
The laughter in our voices
The smiles on our faces
Dancing in the aisles
With our new friends in high places
Sweat dripping from our hair
But chill bumps on our skin
Music heals
And it made us right again

V2.
Our worries left our bodies 
And our problems left our minds.
By the end of the night the future looked bright
And the past was left behind.
Because love was in the music 
And hope was in the songs.
Living in that moment 
Just righted every wrong.

Chorus
The laughter in our voices
The smiles on our faces
Dancing in the aisles
With our new friends in high places
Sweat dripping from our hair
But chill bumps on our skin
Music heals
And it made us right again

Bridge
With each song we were lifted 
From our seats in the stadium top.
We were dancing on the ceiling 
And we never want to stop.

Chorus
The laughter in our voices
The smiles on our faces
Dancing in the aisles
With our new friends in high places
Sweat dripping from our hair
But chill bumps on our skin
Music heals
And it made us right again

Music heals and it made us right again.




Right Again (2025-Remix)

In The Grave
timothymichaelmusic
22 JUL 2023

V1.
He took a new job in the city
And gave up small town life
For better opportunities
For his children and his wife
The neighborhood seemed safe enough
Right up until it wasn’t
And when I ask him how it all went down
He don’t want to discuss it

Chorus
Only you control the narrative
On who will cry the tears
Carried by six of your best friends
Or judged by twelve of your peers
Live or die. The choice is yours
Who’s life you gonna save
You’ve either got to end his time
Or he’ll put you in the grave.

V2.
When he heard the glass break
He reached into that drawer
He knew just how to use it
But he never had before.
With eyes locked and hammer cocked
He thought about his family
But all he’ll really ever say
Is “It was him or it was me.”

Chorus
Only you control the narrative
On who will cry the tears
Carried by six of your best friends
Or judged by twelve of your peers
Live or die. The choice is yours
Who’s life you gonna save
You’ve either got to end his time
Or he’ll put you in the grave.


Bridge
In the dead of the night
Under bright moonlight 
A decision had to be made
Shots rang out in the silence
But it ain’t random violence
When a family needs to be saved

Chorus
Only you control the narrative
On who will cry the tears
Carried by six of your best friends
Or judged by twelve of your peers
Live or die. The choice is yours
Who’s life you gonna save
You’ve either got to end his time
Or he’ll put you in the grave

You’ve either got to end his time
Or he’ll put you in the grave

Or he’ll put you in the grave








In the Grave (Remastered) (Remix)

Love My Grand Folks Had
Dusty Moats/ Tim Schlesener
28 JAN 2024

V1.
His bib overalls and a pocket watch
On the tractor for every sunrise
Face and hands like leather
Plowing fields in the summer sunshine
He worked the farm from dawn til dusk
Did the best that he knew how
Every moment he spent loving her
Bringing truth to every vow

Chorus
I wish for a love like my grand folks had
Where a worn out ring don’t mean worn out hands
Through the highs and lows, through the slammin’ doors
The kind of love most don’t believe in anymore
I got to witness true love first hand
I want the kind of love my grand folks had

V2
She had a sundress in every color
But his favorite one was blue
Even though the shade had faded
It still fit her good as new
Her love for him is stronger now
Than the day she became his wife
Even through the imperfections
They’d made a wonderful life

Chorus
I wish for a love like our grand folks had
Where a worn out ring don’t mean worn out hands
Through the highs and lows, through the slamming doors
The kind of love most don’t believe in anymore
I got to witness true love first hand
I want the kind of love my grand folks had

Bridge
In an age where nothing’s thrown away
Where marriage lasts forever
No matter how messed up things got
They got through it together

Chorus
I wish for a love like our grand folks had
Where a worn out ring don’t mean worn out hands
Through the highs and lows, through the slammin’ doors
The kind of love most don’t believe in anymore
I got to witness true love first hand
I want the kind of love my grand folks had

I got to witness true love first hand
I want the kind of love my grand folks had




Love My Grand Folks Had (2025) (Remix)

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!

Stairway To Heaven (2025)

Timothy Michael Music - SONGWRITER

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J.D. Hodge Music-Songwriter

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