#poetry | MidiMike

Posts Tagged ‘#poetry’

“Something To Say”

Posted: February 19, 2018 in Poetry
Tags: #driving, #life, #opinion, #photography, #poetry, #question, #travel, #writing

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Sorry about your luck

But I’ve got mine.

That’s why I keep my guitars

Tuned up all the time.

You never know when it’s time to play!

People that show up late

Always drive too fast.

Going here or out to Mars

I’m never the last.

Sometimes you just gotta get away!

Those without answers

Are the first to complain.

Their whining and crying

Just drives me insane.

Open your mouth when you have Something To Say!

Life can be unfair

Not like you planned.

The best singer you ever heard

Joined another band.

Nothing you can do will make them stay!

I for one can’t help but see

Why anyone would bend the knee.

The difference between you and me

You want it all but won’t pay the fee.

Sometimes you just gotta get away!

Open your mouth when you have something to say!

“From Start To Stop” – New Video

Posted: February 12, 2018 in Video
Tags: #audio, #computer, #conversation, #creativity, #friends, #inspiration, #life, #music, #people, #personal, #photo, #photography, #poetry, #question, #questions, #stories, #travel, #truth, #video, #writing

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I added a new original video for my song “From Start To Stop”. My wife Ellen does the vocals and Greg Stern wrote most of the music and plays guitar. Ellen and I wrote the lyrics.

I have mentioned Spring Grove Cemetery in past articles and posts and that is where I shot the video. There was very heavy fog that day and Ellen suggested we take some pictures there. I will post some of those in the near future, and I also shot a video using my phone that became the background for the video. There is a small mound with tombstones all around the center. You can drive all around it so I shot the video as Ellen drove around the mound. Most of the pictures in the video are mine, but I had a bit of help from my friends over the years!

The YouTube link is below. I hope you enjoy.

https://youtu.be/Xzp8QWqgeSY

Music for “This Moment”

Posted: February 5, 2018 in family
Tags: #audio, #brother, #conversation, #family, #inspiration, #life, #music, #opinion, #people, #personal, #poetry, #thanks, #truth, #writing

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When I wrote the lyrics to This Moment, I had been thinking about my younger brother. He died from throat cancer a while back. He was the funniest and kindest person I have ever known. Even in the last few weeks of his battle you would never know he was losing. I spoke with his doctor and stated my brother was exhausted; no money or resources, no physical or emotional strength reserves, no medical options left. I was told others that were in a better state might be able to hold out longer. Soon my wife and I got a call and rushed to the hospital as we had a number of times before. He was in ICU this time and there was nothing to be done. The next expectation was the cancer would eat through the main artery in his neck. I will spare you the rest.

As he woke up and looked around, he was puzzled and almost excited at the same time. He could not talk, so he wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to me. “Is this real?” was written at the top of the page. Between the medications and his state of mind, he was not sure if he was dreaming or not. He had been in hospital rooms many times, but he knew this was different. I told him that we are in the hospital. I confirmed he was dying and there was little time left. His artery would rupture soon. A moment difficult to prepare for.

The lyrics worked their way from my thoughts to the paper as I recalled that time in the hospital. How I felt: how he must have felt. My thoughts wandered to the many times I have talked and laughed with him over the years.

Your thoughts and comments were truly appreciated. I put the lyrics to music recently. This is not a perfect recording. This is as far as it goes for me. Please accept it as it is. For all of us that have lost loved ones and friends, sometimes we just need to share the loss. Maybe it makes it easier to turn the pain into great memories.

“B4 We Fell In Love”

Posted: January 28, 2018 in Poetry
Tags: #conversation, #family, #friends, #inspiration, #life, #lyrics, #opinion, #people, #personal, #photography, #poetry, #question, #questions, #songwriter, #story, #truth, #writer, #writing

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“Before We Fell In Love” ^{(c)1-19-94 MSK}

The painting used to be stunning,

Now it is shallow and pale.

What was once strong and firm,

Stands undecided and frail.

Anxiously awaiting the feast

Doesn’t seem worth the hassle.

These rooms so dark and lonely,

Were once a mighty castle.

The pool is deep,

It goes on forever.

Things don’t really change,

Only how we wish to see.

She used to be so beautiful,

He was so gentle and kind.

They wish not to see each other now,

To leave all their past behind.

Summer seemed to last forever,

Years pass in the blink of an eye.

When old friends come to visit,

You can’t wait to say good-bye.

The pool is deep,

The grass is always greener.

I was who I am

Before we fell in love.

This Moment

Posted: January 15, 2018 in Poetry
Tags: #brother, #family, #inspiration, #life, #opinion, #personal, #photography, #poetry, #questions, #writing

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While you sleep

You will lay safely.

I will caress you

I will keep you warm.

When the world

Is beyond your touch

I will hold your hand

I will call your name.

There is pain

Lost behind the door.

‘Til then embrace it

And the good things in life.

This Moment

With all the others

I’ll remember you

And still hear your laugh.

Overwhelming

What if it’s not a dream?

I’ll tell you what’s real

As moments remain.

This Moment

With all the others

I’ll remember you

And still hear you laugh.

In memory of my brother Christopher.

Lyrics to “Single Desire”

Posted: January 9, 2018 in My Tunes
Tags: #audio, #blog, #inspiration, #life, #lyrics, #music, #musician, #personal, #poetry, #recording, #singer, #song, #songwriter, #studio, #truth, #writing

“Single Desire” is one of my favorite original lyrics. I think a number of my songs get too “preachy” and sound like I know all the answers. I usually don’t know all the answers, but I sure have made a lot of mistakes to learn from. Single Desire takes another path. With fewer words than many of my songs it tries to paint images using sights from our normal day to day lives. I like using the sunset comparison as sunsets are one of the most beautiful things we get to enjoy on this planet. Yet in this analogy, they can be burned permanently into our hearts and minds. Sometimes the loss of beauty is the worst experience of all.

“Single Desire”

“Single Desire” (C) MSK 1988

You left your mark upon me

Like sunsets on fire.

Plunged deep into the sea

With a Single Desire.

Always got what you wanted

Nothing worked more than your charm.

As the hunter you hunted

Without thinking of the harm.

I never let you down

“But did you really care?”

I never put you down

“You just tried to keep me there”.

Once I had to follow:

Now I walk away.

You left your mark upon me

Like sunsets on fire.

Plunged deep into the sea

With a Single Desire.

I never let you down

“But did you really care”.

I never put you down

“You just tried to keep me there”.

Truth is hard to swallow

My Single Desire

Once I had to follow.

Now I walk away.

“Brighter and Brighter” A Little Boy’s Lullaby

Posted: November 20, 2017 in My Tunes, Poetry
Tags: #audio, #conversation, #creativity, #family, #friends, #inspiration, #life, #love, #lyrics, #music, #opinion, #people, #personal, #photography, #poetry, #science, #song, #songwriter, #truth, #writing

I wrote this song many years ago. It reflects ideas I had for a long time before they became lyrics to a song. I can’t tell you how many times I have been interrupted by people coming into a dark room I was in and immediately tuning on all the lights. Even early in my life I was concerned about so many city lights that I could not see the stars on an otherwise clear night. There seemed to be no end to this trend. Now I have to travel miles and miles to find a dark place outside the city lights.

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MSK Ohio River 1

I only have this one recording of the song. This happened when I introduced the song for the first time to my band mates. We ran through this tune a couple times in the living room. As far as I know this is the only time the song was performed, so I was lucky to get it recorded……

Though that is not strictly true as I recorded everything back then! My friends used to give me a hard time for being so weird about that. I always had the mics out and ready to record. Even if we just sat around and talked, I had the reels rolling.

So while this is not a great recording and you can hear me give arrangement directions as we ran through the song, I am glad to have this copy of Brighter and Brighter. I will have to look in my archives to find out when the lyrics were written. At the time, my young son would want to keep his bedroom lights on at night. Not for fear of something under the bed. Just because he preferred it that way. So these lyrics and the song they inspired are for him.

“Brighter and Brighter” (C) MSK

Some people get off on those neon lights

Keep the sun burning to hold back the night.

Won’t give it a chance and set the darkness free

So much going on that they have to see

That they have to see.

Not me!

I Dig the Dark

Sign posts, traffic lights and red laser beams

Brighter and Brighter that’s the way it seems

I don’t turn yours out so don’t turn mine on

Just leave it where it is until I am gone

Until I am gone.

I Dig the Dark

Hide in the closet and close my eyes

It won’t help to look when the spirt flies

It’s people like you who learn to believe

Through large mushroom clouds and your big bight ideas

Yeah, all your big bright ideas.

Not me!

I Dig the Dark

____________________________________________________________

“Unchanging Moon”

Posted: November 6, 2017 in My Tunes
Tags: #audio, #guitar, #inspiration, #life, #Midi, #music, #personal, #photography, #poetry, #recording, #recordingstudio, #studio, #tech, #vocals, #writing, multi track recording, sequencing

Written 8-27-1982 by MSK and I recorded it around 4-1983.

The main melodic themes for this song were inspired by my Yamaha DX7 ‘tine’ sound. That sound (or patch) has been used in many professional recordings since the keyboard was introduced. The guitars and vocals are real-time of course, and everything else was sequenced.

Ann Ellis from my band The Personal Touch does the vocals on this one. I would play the main piano part and she would sing the lyrics until we got the timing and the feel the way we wanted it. From that point I sequenced the main piano part. Every time I play this song I play it as you hear it in this recording, but I play a different last chord. No two versions have the same ending, and I never know what the last chord will be. My wife Ellen and I worked on the backing sounds like the strings, brass and pads to make this a full sounding production. Once I had the basic piano parts and drums done, I don’t think we ever added a dedicated bass line as the song ended up sounding very full.

My buddy Shawn David Anderson plays lead guitar on this one and really drives home with the power and tone I was hoping for. The lyrics are one of my favorites. Not necessarily by themselves, but when reflecting on the emotions and events of the time. True multi-track recording capabilities gave me the option to create complex instrumental layers as opposed to the limited recordings I had been able to achieve from a four-track cassette deck!

I even sent this song to be evaluated by professionals. Among some of the comments it was suggested that the song was too long and that the intro went too long before the vocal lines were introduced. I have a version that starts when the vocals kick in, but this is my favorite version. I hope you agree.

Posted: October 23, 2017 in Poetry
Tags: #inspiration, #life, #personal, #poetry, #writing

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I know it’s not what you expect

But I mean no disrespect.

I’m trying not to stare

But it’s hard to believe you are there.

There’s no doubt you are beautiful

But I really had no choice

I fell in love with you

The First Time I heard your voice.

Your words hypnotic poetry

Form a lost world’s melody

Rhythms pulse through my blood

I’m drowning; hoping for the flood.

There’s no doubt you are beautiful

But I really had no choice

I fell in love with you

The First Time I heard your voice.

Knowing what each tomorrow brings

Waking as my angel sings.

Listening with my heart

Every day gets turned into art.

There’s no doubt you are beautiful

But I really had no choice

I fell in love with you

The First Time I heard your voice.

There’s no doubt you are beautiful

But I really had no choice

I fell in love with you

The First Time I heard your voice.

Each time I hear your voice

“Let’s Be Different”

Posted: September 21, 2017 in Poetry
Tags: #inspiration, #life, #opinion, #personal, #poetry, #truth, #writing

There are different ways to walk

And different ways to comb your hair.

A million ways to talk

Many ways to show you care.

There are different ways to make a living

And different ways to die

I’ve seen examples of selfless giving

Countless more if I really try.

There are different ways to learn

So there must be different ways to teach

Too many ways for the soul to burn

No matter what they preach.

There are different ways to love

There are differing types of pride

More ways to look down from above

Then there are ways to run and hide

There are different ways we can help

There are different types of pain

Light and colors that can be felt

And times left standing in the rain

Let’s be Different

Because we already are.

Let’s be Different

Being different

Is what we already are.

There are different ways to color

And many different games to play

A billion ways to hold your lover

An abundance of things to say.

Let’s be Different

Because we already are.

Let’s be Different

Being different

Is what we already are.

There are different ways to be human

Not enough of them kind

Infinite chances plans will get ruined

Or see life as though you are blind.

MidiMike

Available on iTunes and CD Baby

Social Media

MSK original Songs

Posts Tagged ‘#poetry’

“Something To Say”

“From Start To Stop” – New Video

Music for “This Moment”

“B4 We Fell In Love”

This Moment

Lyrics to “Single Desire”

“Brighter and Brighter” A Little Boy’s Lullaby

“Unchanging Moon”

“The First Time” © MSK 10-17-2017

“Let’s Be Different”

Archives

Available on iTunes and CD Baby

Social Media

MSK original Songs

Posts Tagged ‘#poetry’

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