The following lyrics were created for the Musical Stories which were published as our fifteenth collection in 2025 under the title of “Masterpiece.” Simply click on the images below to go directly to the original story, music and complete lyrics along with other related links.
Back to Quiet Comes Along Forward to Hungry Again
Masterpiece
Within, covered over with age
There may be hidden under the dust
Beneath the crackled layers of paint
Sometimes there sleeps a masterpiece
Found out by chance
A glimpse of color never expected
Obscured, barely there
Something anyone could miss
Years of candle light
Leaving traces of smoke and wax
A closer look reveals
Not a copy, but real
Take a closer look inside
Where the masterpiece hides
What if, just by looking within
You find that you are one of a kind
Beneath the façade
A glimpse of subtle color detected
Narrowly hidden from view
Hardly anyone could miss
This Masterpiece
“Masterpiece” uses the restoration of a hidden artwork as an extended metaphor for uncovering intrinsic human worth and authenticity. By describing how years of accumulated dust, smoke, and cracked paint can obscure a genuine original beneath, the song illustrates how personal depth and beauty are often concealed beneath outer facades or life’s wear and tear. Ultimately, it delivers an empowering message of self-acceptance, urging listeners to look beyond surface appearances to recognize the irreplaceable, one-of-a-kind “masterpiece” within themselves and others.
Lighten Up
Life has its ups and downs
The real trick is how to face it
Just try to balance it all and stay
Light-hearted
Life has its twists and some turns
You have to hold your ground
The only way to rise up, high above it is to be
Light-hearted
What’s the use in crying
Where’s the worry payoff
If you spend time fretting
What good does it do
How does it help to
Focus only on the problem
Everyone feels so much better
When they lighten up
Take life with a grain of salt
Life has its good and bad days
Just take each as it comes
By looking at them through rose-colored glasses
They glow
Try to drift up high above the fray
And see the world through rose-colored glasses
Taken with a grain of salt life lightens up
Taken with a grain of salt days lighten up
“Lighten Up” is a gentle call to emotional resilience, offering levity and perspective as the ultimate antidotes to life’s inevitable turbulence. By questioning the practical utility of worry and hyper-focusing on problems, the lyrics advocate for intentional reframing—using light-heartedness, patience, and a optimistic outlook to rise above daily friction. Ultimately, the song suggests that while we cannot eliminate hardship, we can lighten our load by choosing how we meet each moment, allowing us to drift above the fray with ease and grace.
War of Dreams
Made up of hopes for the taking
Butterfly visions for chasing
Captured and held
Then taking flight
Yet somehow I figure in all of hers
She thinks that I want to chase them
Instead of my own
Neither giving in
Each day bringing surprise to me
Enthralled with the unexpected
Offering a new course at every turn
Picking up just where she leaves off
Stepping into her daily life there
Disregarding the one that I’ve made
My dreams set aside
So we have dreams at odds
And you can see my dilemma
Tell me whose heart do I follow
Hers or my ownHow can our dreams become one
Return to simple times
Life Lines
Lifelines run between us
Include and link everything
Each move, weaving and spinning
Yet another thread, whether we know it or not
Lifelines form the patterns
We know, so they comfort us
Daily habits and customs
Mesh into a net, each a perfect design
Hidden, concealed from view
Pressed inside
Carved by repetition
Softly, steady, an engraving
Unobserved—these lines of connection
Breathing, radiating
Animated, strongly binding
Vibrant and dynamic
We sense something words cannot describe
Held within that certain closeness
Somehow we feel more alive
Ever-changing, never-ending web
Laugh lines frame our faces
Reflect who we have become
Echo more than time passing
Not another crease
Clearly it’s a lifeline
“Life Lines” reflects on the subtle, invisible bonds of habit, connection, and shared history that unite people and enrich existence. By likening daily rituals and interpersonal relationships to an ever-weaving web, the song illustrates how repetition and emotional closeness create a comforting framework that makes us feel truly alive. “Life lines also refer to the physical signs of aging, such as laugh lines, not as mere marks of passing time, but as vibrant, visible evidence of a well-loved life woven deeply with others.
Nothing Much to Say
I could tell you every little thing that I’ve been thinking
Maybe even change the way that you see me
That is, if I could only find the words
I might weave a story that would draw you even deeper in
Then convince you that it was all your idea
Somehow, if I could only find the words
Every time I open up my mouth to utter something
Embarrassed, left with nothing much to say
Again, I just can’t seem to find the words
Sure to make you feel that I’m the only one
And you see me as I want to be
Until then, I’m left searching for words
“Nothing Much to Say” captures the frustration and vulnerability of social anxiety, self-consciousness, and the struggle to communicate deep feelings. Through the narrator’s search for “clever words” to project an ideal image and charm someone they care about, the song highlights the painful gap between internal desires and articulate expression. Ultimately, it illustrates how overthinking and the fear of judgment can paralyze a person in crucial moments, leaving them tongue-tied and searching for the right words to build a genuine connection.
Good Girl
She is tired but has things she must finish
Wearily she thinks that she might rest tomorrow
After all, she is just who she is
After all, she does what every good girl must do
For everyone
Taking care of life, every detail
Going through all of the motions without question
After all, she is such a good girl
After all, can’t imagine her life any other way
Than to be, true-blue, unwavering
Steady and dedicated
Sure as the northern star shines
Someone that you can count on
Sure as tomorrow’s sunrise
Someone that you can count on
One of the “can-do” sisters
Ever-ready, poised
So her days are made of mindful, selfless giving
Second nature to her, this way of living
Even and abiding
Someone you can always count on
“Good Girl” examines the mental toll and quiet exhaustion that come with social conditioning, caregiving, and endless people-pleasing. By portraying a woman who perpetually postpones her own rest to manage every detail for those around her, the song illustrates how being steadfastly reliable, like the “northern star” can become an identity trap. Ultimately, it highlights the heavy burden of “selfless giving,” showing how the internal pressure to remain a poised, dependable “good girl,” no matter how admirable, often leads to burn-out and the complete neglect of one’s own needs.
Helping Hand
She reaches for his hand
Their fingers weave into a perfect fit
Blurring which one has offered the helping hand
They make their way up, walking together
To reach the high ridge where a picnic awaits
And when they find their place
She turns around to marvel at the view
Then quietly offers a helping hand
Building a fire, laughing together
As they spread a blanket and unpack their things
Always looking out for each other
They’re partners in life
So here they are today, like every other one
Just sharing their way
Found again and again
Going along together
Just sharing their way
As the sun is setting
She reaches for his hand
He lifts a glass to offer up a toast
To “laughter, love, good friends and happiness!”
They end their picnic, talking together
Of how lucky they are to share all their days
Then. . .he reaches for her hand
“Helping Hand” celebrates the quiet power, reciprocity, and enduring harmony of a life partnership. Through the central image of interwoven hands, where it becomes impossible to tell who is giving or receiving support, the song illustrates how true partners navigate life’s climbs and daily routines as equals. Set against the serene backdrop of a shared evening picnic, it captures a deep sense of gratitude for a lifetime of mutual care, showing that true love is built on simple, repeated acts of togetherness, kindness, shared laughter and steady affection.
Show Up
They say that the best laid plans
Are often bound to change
If all goes along just as expected
Then it seems strange
But even with a draw-back or two
Somehow we manage to make it through
Do a work-around or take a detour
Find a new way
Even better, let the way find you
Something will show up
To make things all work out right
Just the way we thought it might
Maybe better than we imagined it would be
But even with a setback it seems
Underneath the glitch is a different scheme
Have to figure out just which way to go
Take a new path
Even better, let the path take you
And something will show up
To make things all work out great
Sometimes we just have to wait
Get ready for something
To show up and turn out right
That’s just the way it is
Something always shows up
“Show Up” delivers an uplifting message on adaptability, patience, and trusting life’s natural resolution when plans go awry. By reframing unexpected glitches and detours as opportunities rather than failures, the song encourages a balance between active problem-solving and open-minded surrender, letting “the new path find you” rather than forcing a set outcome. Ultimately, it offers a grounded, reassuring perspective that staying prepared and maintaining faith will reveal that things often turn out even better than originally imagined.
Innocent
I know better
Or at least I should have
Every time things go awry
I’m taken by surprise again
Just as if I were an innocent
I’m no-nonsense
Follow rhyme with reason
Yet I try to keep a sense
Of wonder in the everyday
Hoping not to stray too far from innocence
There were times when
My heart has been broken
Still I choose to remain open to what may be
There are times when
In the face of hardship
Pure and simple is the bravest way to be
Pure and simple is the daring way to be
Through the windows
Of my eyes wide open
You can see into my soul
By looking closely you will find
Someone who reminds you of an innocent
Forever to remain an innocent
“Innocent” reflects on the courageous decision to maintain vulnerability, wonder, and emotional openness despite experiencing life’s inevitable heartbreaks. By contrasting practical wisdom and reason with a conscious commitment to remain openhearted, the song reframes purity and simplicity not as naïve ignorance, but as a deliberate act of bravery. Ultimately, it celebrates transparency and strength of character, showing that staying tender and receptive in the face of hardship allows one’s authentic soul to shine through as a lifelong “innocent.”
Wake-up Call
Covered up and over with the things of everyday
Somehow I resisted
Just before I drifted off
So here’s my wake up callFeeling vaguely bothered, one day like another
Tendency toward boredom: run of the mill runaway
Nothing new or risky
So I find I’m drifting off
Give me a wake up callWe set out to build a life together
Filled the days with our imaginings
Never thought that if we followed passion
We’d tumble into routineAlways thought that if we followed passion
Our days would be exceptional
We’d avoid monotony
Then we fell asleep
Something dull and numbing, feel I’m feeling nothing
Watching as dust settles when our days are commonplace
Not much of a mystery
There can be no drifting off
I hear the wake up call
No more nodding off for me
I must answer the wake up call
Never sleep
“Wake-up Call” examines the subtle danger of emotional complacency and the quiet way routine can dull even the most passionate life path. By confronting how daily habits and predictable routines can gradually replace inspiration with a numb, uninspired state of “asleep” existence, the song captures a moment of crucial self-awareness. Ultimately, it serves as an urgent commitment to shake off monotony, stay actively engaged, and reclaim a sense of vitality and presence before life slips away unnoticed.
Quality time is undeniably great for relationships. We've discovered that quantity of time can provide that quality. Perhaps it takes Time to Partner.