The Covid Years

poop

The Covid Years

 poop

The Covid Years Mix 2

 I had to do just one more song this year. Just one more. It's about how I got covid this year and it did me some good. True story! Mix 2 is better. The poops above are cryptic. They're there for a reason, but it's a cryptic reason.

2023, Thanks for Being Kind to Me

2023 was nice

2023 was nice mix 2

 Here's a little ditty about it being the end of the year. It's based on a little ditty I did in the beginning of the year. "2023 was nice" is the new one and "2023" is the one from a year ago, minus 2 days. I'm always a little sad when a year ends, cuz I get all sentimental and weird. Mix 2 might be better.

2023

He's Not Dead

 

He's Not Dead and That's a Really Nice Thing

This is the next song in the Fucked Up Relationship Album, Part 3. The girl is relieved that her boyfriend is not dead. I guess.

A Million Years - More Fleshed Out Version

A Million Mix 3

I went ahead and added an instrumental part and a 3rd verse to yesterday's song for completion's sake. I think, though, I'm eventually gonna do another version, cuz my voice ain't in the best shape at the moment, and my violin needs a new bow. It's really hard to play fiddle music with a bow that's falling apart. Here's another picture of a sad man. He's a different sad man than the first sad man, but I think they, the 2 of them, might be related. Poopy poopy ones.

Million Demo

A Million Mix 2

Million Demo

 Here's a little ditty I wrote back in 2015. Oddly, I was watching Grey's Anatomy last night, and there was a song on it that sounded a lot like this one. Rather than being horrified that a song already exists, much like this one, I got all in the mood to do another recording of it. It's a sad song, just a general sad song. A sad song about a sad man. The picture is of the sad man.

Christmas Song: That Night Before Christmas Show/Fucked Up Clock

 

That Night Before Christmas Show

 This is my Christmas song for this year. Remember that show that used to air in the 1980s called "the Night Before Christmas?" The only thing I remember about it is a fucked up clock. My brother recently said something about a dog ghost in it, and I'm all, "huh?" I'm, like, realizing my memory ain't as good as I thought it was. This is the Fun-With-Tritones-Christmas song.

Okay, it is January 20, 2024; upon listening to this song, I realized it needed an instrumental bridge. Here's it with one inserted, the latter half of which is rap stuff on top of it. But I think the rap part might make the bridge too long, as if it's wandering away from the song:

Night before xmas beefier beefed up

Here's one with a better transition between the regular song and the instrumental:

Night before xmas beefier beefed up2

 Here's a version with an instrumental bridge, closer to what I'd initially been imagining:

Night before xmas beefed up

Thump

 

Thump

This is the next song in the Fucked Up Relationship Album, Part 3. It's about the girlfriend hearing a thump coming from upstairs and wondering if her boyfriend fell over. Suddenly, a sense o' relief comes over her, as she thinks, "maybe he fell down dead." Then she realizes, that's maybe not a good sign to be relieved that your boyfriend is dead.

 

Thieves Into the Night - Mix 1

 

Thieves Into the Night Mix 1

 I'm gonna re-do the instrumental part of this song. As soon as you hear it, you'll probably have a good idea why. Anyway, it's a song about how America has and insomnia epidemic, and it's because aliens come in the night and steal our sleep. Apparently, said sleep, is a vast energy source for these aliens. They use it as rocket fuel and stuff. In any event, stay tuned for a version (hopefully tomorrow) that'll have an instrumental section that is a little less...um, piercing? Something like that.

Hmmm, the instrumental part's kinda growing on me. I'll see how I feel in the morning, yessiree, man.

Edit: It's yesterday's tomorrow (or, in other words, today), and I re-did the instrumental part. Here it is with the re-did instrumental part, and a little add-on thingy at the end:

Thieves In The Night Mix 4

 

Here's the newer version:

A Little Bit of Grey in It

A Little Bit of Grey in It

  This is the next song in the Fucked Up Relationship Album, Part 3. Yes, I have memories of my life bein' grey when I was with that dude. I was all, yay, I'm happy cuz I'm with a dude. But the color of my life was simultaneously grey.

Good Night, Sweetie

Good Night Sweetie

This song came to me in a dream this morning. See, I've been thinking about the moment the clock switches over to midnight and, suddenly, it's the next day. My brain has recently been askin', what if (for example) December 8th was my last good day, and something horrible is going to happen on December 9th?

The image this song brings up is of someone whose partner is not long for this world. Maybe terminally ill or something like that. And every night, when it becomes midnight, the protagonist wonders if yesterday was the last day her partner will have spent 24 hours with her. Will the new day be the day he dies? And when that does eventually happen, her life will be divided in 2. The before-time (the time before her partner died) and the after-time (the time after her partner died). Yeah, I guess this song is a little depresso-genic.

I mean, the partner could also be female. I just said, "the day he dies," and stuff for the sake of brevity.

If He Finds Out I'm Talking To Them

If He Finds Out I'm Talking To Them

Here's the next song in the Fucked Up Relationship Album, Part 3. Yup, yes, yessiree, more boyfriend-controllingness, as mister controlling butthole man continues to persist in isolating his girlfriend from her friend.

Give Up All My Friends

Give Up All My Friends

This is the next song in the Fucked Up Relationship, Part 3. The crappy boyfriend tells the girl she has to give up all her friends. Cuz they smoke weed. Or cannabis, as he calls it. If you know anything about abusive relationships, you probably know that isolating one's partner from their friends (and family) is an abusive-boyfriend strategy. Poopity poop.

God Loves Us Demo (Another Drunk-Church Attempt)

 

God Loves Us

 This is probably the 5,000th song where I'm attempting to sound like a drunk church. There are actually some drunk church-y moments, which I'll call a success, cuz usually, I don't sound like a drunk-church when I'm trying to; and, occasionally, I end up sounding like a drunk-church, when I'm not tryin' to do it. In any event, I listened to my first abortive attempt at writing the song, "Half Blind and Out of Balance," the other day; and there was one moment in the song that I'd forgotten about, one part that I really liked. I figured, hey, let's put that part into a new song, woohoo. This is just a demo, by the way. I'm hopin' to flesh this out at some point.

Cannabis, Part 2

Cannabis Part 2

Cannabis Part 2 Mix 2

 This is the next song in the Fucked Up Relationship Album, Part 3. It's about how the mean boyfriend gives the girlfriend an ultimatum: He'll break up with her if she smokes cannabis. Well, I call it pot. But he calls it cannabis.

Get the Fuck Out of My House: Rappy Version

 

Get the Fuck Out of My House Rappy Version

 I decided after a while that, while the medley version of this song is serviceable, I wanted something with a bunch of rap in it. Yes, a lot of rap. Rapping and banjo-ing to get rid of the poopy evil spirits and bad curses.

 

Get the Fuck Out of My House Medley (A Song of Protection)

 

Get the Fuck Out of My House Medley

 What sounds like a string of non-sequiturs is a song of protection; or I mean, at least I'm tryin' to make a li'l song o' protection. I'm reasonably certain there's a curse following me around, and I know whodunit, but there's no way to prove it. There might even be evil spirits involved. So, here's my li'l song of protection that I intend to play in every room of this house in order to drive away the bad, shitty energies. Feel free to say a li'l prayer for me. But you don't have to.

You Never, Never Know

You Never Never Know

This is the next song in the Fucked Up Relationship Album, Part 3. It's the usual piggy-backing on the previous song type of song. The gal is certain that the relationship, now rebooted, is going to go great. But there's always that teeny tiny dime sized nugget of a shadow of a doubt.

I Avoid the Void

Avoid the Void Mix 2

Avoid the Void Mix 4

 This is another one of those songs about existence and the unfathomability of it. It's probably a next door neighbor to Half Blind and Out of Balance, although it's not all funny cuz it don't have poop and stuff in it. Oh yeah, the picture, while not directly related to the song, has the line, "I avoid the void" in it.

Note - I tried souping it up a little in the Mix 4 one. I dunno if it gives it the pizzaz I wanted or not. Yeah.

 

Relationship Reboot Version 2

 

Relationship Reboot Version 2 Mix 2

This is maybe, possibly, the first song in the Fucked Up Relationship Album, Part 3. I don't mind the other version of the relationship reboot song I wrote, but I realized, after the fact, that part of it sounds kind of like another song. I'm not gonna say which song it was, but it's like, "doh!" Anyway, another idea of how it could sound came to me, and here's what came out of that.

Half Blind and Out of Balance, Crap Mix

Half Blind 11.4.23 Crap Mix

 I think I'm zero-ing in on what I think I want this song to sound like. Yeah, okay, yeah. This ain't the final version, though cuz I have a sore throat today and my voice sounds like crap. And this is a crappy mix,. And I'm gonna get some feedback and stuff from people and see what they think might work and not work. Poopity poop. But I'm zero-ing in on something that might be, to my ears, good. There's a chance it might not be good to anybody else's ears, though.

Did You Smoke Cannabis?

Did You Smoke Cannabis'

Did You Smoke Cannabis Mix 2

 This is the next song in the Fucked Up Relationship Album, Part 3. The girl comes from home from hanging out with her friends; she calls her controlling boyfriend, and he asks her if she smoked cannabis. That's what this song's about. It's kinda a rush job cuz it's Friday the 13th and I actually had all kinds of bad luck that required me to work till 7pm. So, this is a late-in-the-day-tired-person-doing-a-rush-job-recording.

Thank You, Friends

Thank You Friends Mix 2

This is the next song in the Fucked Up Relationship Album, Part 3. It's about how the main character, after neglecting her friendships for a year, in the context of the fucked up relationship, goes back to her friends and they welcome her back. those are the friends in the band with the banjo that she used to be in. They smoke pot. 

The Nipomo Oak Trees

The Nipomo Trees

Okay, yeah. So, I'm losin' hope for the oak trees, the over 3K oak trees that are going to die in an egregious slaughter because of a horrible, massive, greed-driven housing development. Those trees are in the town where I grew up, Nipomo. It is a centuries old oak forest. The evil San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission voted to approve it this week. There was just one dissenting member, who stood up for the trees and the people of Nipomo (who will be breathing in air poisoned with particulate matter way above acceptable levels - many of whom will die of respiratory illnesses).

Yes, it's very clear to me now that 4 out of 5 planning commissioners are doing some kinds of back-room deals with the developer. And they don't mind dumping this massive development on a town that doesn't have the infrastructure to support it because Nipomo is ALWAYS getting screwed by this idiotic, unethical planning commission. FUCK THEM!!! Except for the one who dissented. She rocks. Well, the only thing that cheers me up about the whole thing is that those 4 commissioners who voted in support of this thing will go to Hell when they die.

In any event, I'm promising those trees that, when they die, I'll sing a song to let the Spirit World know they are coming. I'm hoping that'll at least ease their journey into the afterlife. Fuckity fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.
 

Jesus does not approve of this BULLSHIT.

Relationship Reboot

Relationship Reboot

Relationship Reboot Mix 2

Relationship Reboot Mix 3

 This is the next song in the Fucked Up Relationship Album, Part 3. Actually, it's the first song, probably, of this album. I realized this album needed a song that sorta introduces it, so here it is. It might not be that good, though. I'm not sure yet. But it's about rebooting the relationship like how you reboot a computer when it's going all wonky.

Yeah, mix 2 hangs together a little better. Yeah.

Yet Another Half-Blind and Out of Balance Demo

Half Blind 10.20.23 demo with bass

 Hi everyone! Here's my next demo of this song. I may end up with a thousand demos before I'm done with all of this and stuff. I was just experimenting around with moving it up to the key of D because in the key of C, it went too low for my vocal range. The final version won't have strummy guitars in it; the arrangement'll be closer to the version I did week-before-last. Just playin' around. I wanted to try changing up the song structure just a tiny bit and tweaking the raps a little bit. There's still a little additional tweaking I need to do to the raps, before I go for it and do the polished version. And I may end up with 10 polished versions cuz I wanna make sure my vocals don't suck, and they tend to suck a lot when I try to do the definitive version of a song. The alien cats in the picture go with this song, yes, indeed.

I Don't Know How to Live in This World, Version 2

I Don't Know How To Live In This World Version 2

I think I recorded the first version of this song 2 weeks ago. My memory fails me these days. In any event, I kept on thinking, "I like this song and all, but something is missing from the lyrics." Like, I kept singing about bein' smart in the other place and dumb in this place. I kinda felt like I could make my lyrics deeper and, how do I say it? Less specific or something? Like, make it more open ended and introducing the possibility that I might be an alien, but stating it just as a possibility and not as a known fact. So I did a sadder version, lyrics-wise, but the tempo makes it more peppy and upbeat.

The peppy, upbeat nature of the tempo and the presence of banjo and cats counter-balances the depresso-nature of the lyrics, and makes for a song that might be good to listen to when one is depressed. The tempo might be cheering-up-worthy, but the lyrics make it not-a-bubblegum-song, cuz bubblegum-songs are obnoxious when you're depressed.

Note, I did this picture for one of the earlier versions of this song, and as you can tell, in the intervening time, between when I initially drew it and now, I wrote a bunch of rap lyrics for another song to the side of the picture. Poopity poop.

He Said If I'm Safe, I'll Never Be Alone

He Said If I'm Safe I'll Never Be Alone

 This is the next song in the Fucked Up Relationship Album, Part 3. It's about how the boyfriend sez to the girlfriend the words of the title of the song.

We'll See Each Other One Fine Day

One Fine Day

This is a song that came from me getting to meet lotsa nice people in the job that I do, but then I never get to see them again. 

Half Blind and Out of Balance, Version 4

Half Blind and Out of Balance 10.7.23 C

Yes, indeed, this is another weekend of trying to write a song called, "Half Blind and Out of Balance" as I imagine it. It's sorta a rough demo. I'll do a more polished version at some point, where it fits my vocal range better. I'm zeroing in on it, I'm zeroing in on this song bein' finally to my liking, after 3 years of trying to imagine what a song called, "Half Blind and Out of Balance" should sound like. It's gettin' there, I tell ya. It's gettin' there. Yessiree.

Band with a Banjo

Band with a Banjo

This is the next song in the Fucked Up Relationship Album, Part 3. The main character, while enjoying TV with her old-guy-boyfriend is also reflecting on the fact that she used to be in a band with a banjo in it. It's like, where did her life go? How did her life go away?

I Don't Know How to Live in This World

I don't know how to live in this world mix 2

I was thinkin', when I initially recorded that wee little demo last week of the hook of this song, I should make it a song about alienation. But I wasn't sure how to do that. Then I realized I could just make it about being, literally, an alien. So, here's my song song about being an alienated alien.

We Like West Wing

We Like West Wing

This is the next song in the effed up relationship album, Part 3. It's about how after the girl and guy get back together, they get into the show, The West Wing. They really dig it. They watch it together and it becomes their thing. It's their thing. The West Wing is their thing.

Quarter Tone

Quarter Tone

I was talking to a very smart man the other day. He's a music person. He said why is it such a hard and fast Western music rule that we have confine ourselves to 12 tones? Twelve tones that are a semi tone apart. Why can't we do music in quarter tones, or even smaller increments? I mean, Indian music has smaller intervals. So, I thought I'd do a little experiment. What would a song with quarter tones in it sound like? It actually sounds more regular than I thought it would sound.

Half Blind and Out of Balance

Half Blind and Out of Balance V3spliced

Half Blind and Out of Balance V2 Mix 2

Half Blind and Out of Balance V3

 Here's a second version of the song, Half Blind and Out of Balance. Or, more, like, it's a different song with the same name. I'm still not sure if I'm all the way satisfied with it, especially cuz my vocals suck today. I think there's smoke coming from a wild fire up north and it's making my voice all janky. 

Okay, I just did another recording in another key of this version of the song, but I still feel like there's something missing. Sigh. I think it needs to be more darker and mysterious and shit than it sound like right now. I suck.

Okay, I still suck, but the version where it sez, "spliced" in the title might be the bestest version of this song. But it still sucks. 

'

I Don't Know How to Live in This World Introduction

 

I Don't Know How to Live in This World Intro

This is a brief li'l introduction to a song that'll some day be an actual song. I cain't think of a B phrase right now; so I figured I'd put this up, so if I die before I think of the rest of the song, the world'll be able to hear what I have so far.

You Shouldn't Be That Mean To Your Sweetie

You Shouldn't Be That Mean

You Shouldn't Be That Mean Mix 2

This is the next song in the fucked up relationship album, part 3. Everything seemed like it was going good with the used-to-be-ex-but-now-present-boyfriend that the girl got back together with. But then he made a mean joke. And he said, "can't you take a joke?" That's one of the number one tools of a gaslighter. Say something mean and then make it so the other person is "too sensitive" cuz it's a "joke."

We're Running Out of Water

 I'm short on time; I'll add a picture later, maybe. Sorry, it's another climate crisis song. I'll writer other types of songs soon. I promise!

I'm Gonna Amputate Your Amputation

 

Amputate Your Amputation

This is the next song in the Fucked Up Relationship Album; the girl and guy got back together, and he's giving her a guilt trip for having broken up with him, sayin' the breakup made it feel like he'd lost a limb. Like bein' amputated!!!!!! The girl says, hey, why don't I amputate your amputation? As in, why don't I put the limb back on?

 

When the Oak Trees Die

 

When the Oak Trees Die

This song is about a real thing; a developer wants to come in and remove 3-4K old growth oak trees and remove some federally endangered species, so he can build high density housing that'll be a fire hazard and create so much air pollution that nearby residents will die of lung cancer. But, hey! Let's make some money. We're in a climate crisis, and this is exactly what we should NOT be doing. There're plenty of flat, barren pieces of land this motherfucker can build on.

 
Anyway, if this developer succeeds and his rape-of-the-land-just-for-fun-project gets approved, I'm gonna get a bunch of people and we're gonna get together and SCREAM at the TOP of our LUNGS, a song of wailing and mourning for those poor oaks as they get murdered. It'll be a song of (peaceful) revolution. It'll be a scream to let the Spirit World know these trees are coming. It'll be a scream that'll radiate out to the entire earth. 

Here's the website of an organization that's trying to stop this horrible thing:

https://stopdanareserve.com/

Yell At Him

Yell At Him

 This is the next song in the fucked up relationship album, Part 3. The girl, while being disturbed by the dream about her yelling at the boyfriend she just got back together with, is also kinda relishing in the catharsis of it all.

God Is Coming Down

God Is Coming Down Mix 3

This is another little apocalyptic ditty. God is disappointed in us. 

Half Blind and Out of Balance

 

Half Blind and Out of Balance

 The comic strip at the top with Chester Bennington's been around for a while, and I've wanted to write that song he's talking about there for a while. The bottom picture is from another book, and it speaks to the same issue. Anyway, I wonder. Was the universe just a burp or a fart from God Almighty? Are we just a turd from God? Are we? Are we?????????????????????/ I think that might be the case.

Lame Dream/What's It All About?

 

Lame Dream Mix 2

Lame Dream Mix 3

This is the first song (maybe) of the Fucked Up Relationship Album, Part 3. After the newly reunited couple's first night of love, the girl has a dream about a giant fight between her and the boyfriend-dude.

The Land Is Gonna Rise Up/Singing Cowboy Angel Band

The Land Is Gonna Rise Up

The Land Is Gonna Rise Up Mix 2

See, a few weeks ago, I had a vision of a band of cowboy angels that sing the songs of my soul. Here is a song by them. It's another song about our dying planet. Or...or...or...or maybe the planet will make a recovery, after all. Maybe the land will recover after humans are gone.

The Heartbeat of the Earth

Heartbeat of the Earth

 I got this song from a dream this morning. I tried to replicate how the instrumental section sounded, all pulsing and throbbing, sorta like a heartbeat. This song's about how we should listen to the heartbeat of the earth, cuz maybe if we did, we wouldn't keep fucking up the planet, the way we're doing. 

It'll Come Back

It'll Come Back

This is the next song in the Fucked Up Relationship, Part 2; the girl and the guy get together, but the girl discovers she is no longer attracted to him. Oh, no! Maybe her attraction for him will come back. Maybe it will. Maybe, just maybe.

Death

Death Mix 2

Death Mix 3

This is a regular song about death. It's just a regular song about death.

The lyrics are:

I'm running dry, dry as bones
Bones that are drier than death
Bones that sit inside my pocket
Of death, death, death

Death death death death death death death
Death death death death death death death

Someday we'll meet again
When we are buried in the ground
And our bones will commingle
In the soil, in the soil

Death death death death death death death
Death death death death death death death

I know that most of us fear this thing
Oh, no! What if we hear Hell's Bells ring?
I guess it makes sense cuz we don't know
If we'll se Hellfire or Heaven's glow
But death is what we all do
And It's natural, and when you
Think about what it might be
The end of suffering will be free

When my time comes, I don't know
If I'll be ready or not
I hope I'll go out singing
In the sun, in the sun

Death death death death death death death
This might be the end of suffering, this might be the end of suffering
Death death death death death death death
This might be the end of suffering, this might be the end of suffering

Death is what we all do
It's natural, and when you
Think about it, it might be...
The end of suffering. We'll be free.

Here's a slightly better one, not that much different, though

My Dreams Aren't Coming Back to Me

My Dreams Aren't Coming Back To Me

This is a song about no longer dreaming. I imagined it as being performed by a bunch of low-voiced man cowboy dudes. So, I recorded 2 versions of the lead vocals, and I made the 2nd version an octave lower, so that it would sound almost sorta like low-pitched-voice-men singing.

I'm Gonna See Him Really Soon

I'm Gonna See Him Really Soon

 This is the next song in the Fucked Up Relationship Album, Part 2. The girl and dude decided to get back together and he's coming over to see her. She's all anticipate-y.