tindog music & stuff
​
a
project
Each album has its own page with lyrics, track lists, and personal notes. (because we no longer have real albums with inserts or booklets)
...is now available on Spotify (for streaming) AND Bandcamp (for downloads)! This is a collection of some older and some new pieces I've written, mostly ballads. There will be a collection of Country, Country/Western, Southern Pop/Rock, Honky-tonk, whatever label or sub-label applies, in the near future. Being from Baja-Oklahoma, and having a Mother who escaped from Tennessee (Dad's from Brooklyn, so no mention here), I do suffer from a certain degree southern influenc-za...
Fedorable Track List & Lyrics
Act of Love - 4:08
Champion of Change - 5:24
No Love Ever Died
(Somewhere in Time) - 4:44
101 - 4:56
She Sings - 5:22
Then We Can Talk - 5:04
Never Will Be - 4:29
Forever Highway - 4:52
Something Sad - 4:59
Blue Memories - 4:28
Time to Shine – 3:45
Covered With Love - 4:53
Click on the artwork or title for each song to go to its Bandcamp download page!
Act of Love *
By Richard Schweitzer
This is a very personal effort, a letter to someone ending a relationship that should not have ended... at least I thought so at the time... in the end, it was a bullet dodged.
The questions that come up when we appraise our sacred acts
don't cover all the things we know they should
And if you must believe that you're the earth and I'm the moon
then the orbit that I've chosen's just as good
To say I've never felt this way before don't even matter
it's a fact that I believe can make me strong
And though you are so clever and so present I believe
in your heart of hearts you know you can be wrong
It's not a question of who hurt who or who holds how much blame
The only answer is to drop this act now, drop this veil and drop this game
This is an act of love
This is an act of love
I owe you and I know you and I've never fooled myself
I’ve got a sea of tears, both yours and mine, to row
You owe me explanations and can show me that you still
can be the woman I loved and got to know
It's not a question of who hurt who or who holds how much blame
The only answer is to drop this act now drop this veil and drip this game
This is an act of love
This is an act of love
This is an act of love
This is an act of love
Champion of Change
by Richard Schweitzer
(This was written for a stage production of a show for children's theater based on a book by Troy Aikman. I've always liked the message.)
There are many paths you can follow, to the goal that lights your eyes
Through all the hills and detours, don't look away,
keep your heart on the game, you will win life's greatest prize
Life is a game of chances, things won't always go your way
A chance that's never taken, is opportunity lost,
and you won't know the cost till you face it again someday
Be a champion of change
If the road is blocked, climb over, there's always another way
Just remember when things change, you can change them back again
by learning strength from the pain
You can be a champion of change
There are times when you might stumble, times when you might fall
The obstacles that trip you, are the building blocks
for the steps you will take to answer your own inner call
We are in this world together, we all deserve a chance
If you find a dream to guide you, never doubt your own heart,
listen close when it sings and learn the next step in the dance
Be a champion of change
If the road is blocked, climb over, there's always another way
Just remember when things change, you can change them back again
by learning strength from the pain
You can be a champion of change
Fate must be a dancer, it all seems prearranged
And it choreographs the dance so well
that we learn the greatest lessons when things change
When the sun comes up tomorrow, it will all have been worthwhile
It made it through all that darkness, to rise up again,
break through the clouds and show the world your style
Be a champion of change
If the road is blocked, climb over, there's always another way
Just remember when things change, you can change them back again
by learning strength from the pain
You can be a champion of change
You can be a champion of change
You can be a champion of change
You can be a champion... when things change
No Love Ever Died * (Somewhere in Time)
by Richard Schweitzer
These lyrics were written for a friend's wedding, originally to the melody of the theme from the movie "Somewhere in Time" by John Barry.
(Sing them to it, it works)
In each man’s life there is a treasure
It’s not of gold or silver but the love she brings
And if it’s real that man will know it
despite the tears that time have placed in between
Somewhere in time, that man will find
That by the farthest stretch of thought no love ever died
Somewhere in time
Somewhere in time
Since, love is that thing time can’t defy
Since, love is that thing time can’t defy
Somewhere in time
In each girl’s life there is a moment
It is a gasp, a breath of fear caused just by him
And if it’s real that girl will know it
despite the pain and hurt the waiting had been
Somewhere in time, that girl will find
That by the farthest stretch of thought no love ever died
Somewhere in time
Somewhere in time
Since, love is that thing time can’t defy
Since, love is that thing time can’t defy
Somewhere in time
Somewhere in time, they will find
That by the farthest stretch of thought no love ever died
Somewhere in time
Somewhere in time
Since, love is that thing time can’t defy
Since, love is that thing time can’t defy
Somewhere in time
101
by Rus Stedman
& Richard Schweitzer
The light tapping at my door… barely pulled me from my sleep
And I struggled through the shadows of the dawn to let you in
It was 7 after 7 by the clock… and last night’s wounds ran deep
The automatic coffee pot went on, and let the day begin
It was just another hung over Monday
Until I saw the look on your face
I saw the rainbows in your eyes
And knew that you’d been raining deep inside
Oh, One-0-one to Santa Barbara
You’ll be going it alone
There’s no anger here to speak of
just a need to be on your own
One-0-one to Santa Barbara
I suppose I should have known
But you could have picked a better day to go home
The heavy teardrops on the floor… pulled me from my disbelief
And I struggled through the shadows of my life, to let you go
It was twenty after 7 by the clock… how can goodbye be so brief?
My automatic defenses went up, go let your day begin
It was just another hung over Monday
Until I saw the look on your face
I saw the rainbows in your eyes
And knew that you’d been raining deep inside
Oh, One-0-one to Santa Barbara
You’ll be going it alone
There’s no anger here to speak of
Just a need to be on your own
One-0-one to Santa Barbara
I suppose I should have known
But you could have picked a better day to go home
She Sings
by Richard Schweitzer
Inspired by the voice and songwriting of a girl I knew in Portland whose singular magic made me want to write again.
I want to be breath to breath,
with the soul that makes a noise that true
I want to run through fields of candor like I’m free
Somehow that honest voice shakes free the stale resign
that lines the walls of my heart
And I know every cry of pain and every fear of love is just a memory
She sings… and sometimes I can find the faith to listen
Her hopefulness… shakes me awake…
She breathes…and it’s like she takes the air directly from me
And I can’t breathe… and I don’t want to
If it means I might miss what she sings
Folded in the arms of the woman that feels those melodies
I want to sleep in gentle sounds that bleed so blue
Somehow that honest voice shakes free the stale resign
that makes my legs to falter
And I feel every rush of hope and every leap of faith I ever felt anew
When she sings… the words are not my life but I can feel them
Her truthfulness… caresses the air…
I drift away… and live another life for just a moment
And I linger… perhaps a moment too long
If it means another verse of what she sings
I can’t find it in me, to live up to my own design
And how I see myself in my own eyes
There’s nothing to reconsider, and nothing I would redefine
Except how honestly I’ve lived a life of lies
Somehow that honest voice shakes free the stale resign
that lines the walls of my heart
And I know every cry of pain and every fear of love is just a memory
And I feel every rush of hope… and every leap of faith… when she sings
Then We Can Talk
by Richard Schweitzer
There is pain all around us, so close we should feel it when we breathe. Sometimes there's nothing we can do, and sometimes the best we can do is just not be a part of the problem
He is in pain, right next door
Addiction is life, when life isn’t living anymore
She has no value, can’t buy a dime
And isn’t worth measured, these days, by the bottom line
He has no roof, or doors, and a heart of disdain
And only running water on days when it rains
She hates her life, and cries all the time
when there’s no room left to keep it bottled up inside
When we can love each other
Each and every other other
When people trump profit
When that’s what we’re taught
Then we will know each other
Then we will see each other
When we can hear each other
Only then can we talk
I don’t understand us, what happened to compassion
Should we by now not have opened our eyes?
Then why are we still so unwise?
Still so blind
He sits alone, with a bottle of gin
And keeps another close, in case he wakes up again
She’s growing tired, fading fast
But poverty wins, and in the end, all she wants is half a chance
They just don’t get it, none truly care
They’re in their own world, that no one can share
I’m not on your path, you’re not on mine
But we should remember that our roads will meet at the end of time
When we can love each other
Each and every other other
When people trump profit
When that’s what we’re taught
Then we will know each other
Then we will see each other
When we can hear each other
Only then can we talk
Then we can talk
I would approach you, if I knew how
Have you ever had one of those lives
I’m living one right now
I can feel your subtle glances thrown at me in secret
If I look too long it’s cause I know it’s all I have
and it’s not enough by half
You and me are not an item, never will be
Don’t be hurt and please don’t take it wrong
If you would force your way in I would let you
But I think that I have been alone too long
Oh, it’s not you, it’s not you, it’s just me
and I have been, alone too long
I’ve said I love you, in quiet pain
Have you never been fooled by that line
Well I have, but not again
I have even dialed you number, but I cut off the signal
And I even half imagined you knew it was me
But I never let it ring
You and me are not an item, never will be
Don’t be hurt and please don’t take it wrong
If you would force your way in I would let you
But I think that I have been alone too long
Oh, it’s not you, it’s not you, it’s just me
and I have been, alone too long
I can feel your subtle glances thrown at me in secret
If I look too long it’s cause I know it’s all I have
and it’s not enough by half
You and me are not an item, never will be
Don’t be hurt and please don’t take it wrong
If you would force your way in I would let you
But I think that I have been alone too long
Oh, it’s not you, it’s not you, it’s just me
and I have been, alone too long
Oh, it’s not you, it’s not you, it’s just me
and I have been, alone too long
I would approach you, if I knew how
Did we say
all the things we wanted to say
Did we put all the words on the page
Did we find the right lines
were they failures or crimes
Did we say, all we wanted to say
Did we laugh
all the times there was a reason to laugh
Were our hearts all in, or did we pass
because we couldn't decide
to show or to hide
did we laugh, did we laugh
We were born to run
We were born to run
We were born to run the forever highway
We were born to run
We were born to run
We were born to run the forever highway
Did we run
too fast, too slow, toward or just from
Subtracting our strengths from our sum
Did you know it too late
Or right from the gate
From where we begun, from there, did we run
We were loyal to the cause
Rebels in our hearts
Always candid of our flaws
We took our turns, never drawing straws
And then we said
all the things we had the time to say
We put of very souls on the page
In desperation at times
we traded reason for rhymes
...to say
We were born to run
We were born to run
We were born to run the forever highway
We were born to run
We were born to run
We were born to run the forever highway
Something Sad
by Richard Schweitzer
This is a true story of an old guy (Senny, if memory serves) that frequented a bar in Cleveland that I used to go to occasionally. I wasn't the piano player, but it is written from his perspective.
He comes in almost every night
And asks for drinks by candlelight
And I can’t see, for him, how life goes on
Love has been a ghostly taunt
Hiding in the restaurant
Each night he comes, each night leaves alone
I just sit and bang the keys
He rubs his hands on bony knees
And tries to stand to help me fill my jar
He never seems to know the name
So each night it turns out the same
He’s reaching for a past and fading star
He’s the strangest one I’ve ever met
His body’s tired, his heart is empty
And still he asks… for something sad
He comes in from the snow and rain
Each passing week he shows more pain
Some night, for good, he’ll close his fading eyes
Don’t yell at him he’ll fall apart
Don’t dance with him, he’s lost the heart
He drinks more tears than most eyes ever cry
Depression’s all he’s ever had
And still he asks for something sad
Is to sing a man to death a crime?
I give the saddest songs I know
And draw the notes out long and low
Euthanasia played in common time
He’s the strangest one I’ve ever met
His body’s tired, his heart is empty
And still he asks… for something sad
Blue Memories
by Richard Schweitzer
I didn’t have to ask to be your lover
I believe the stars were playing games
They reached into your lonely heart and wrote my name
Could it have been just a trick of lighting
Could we have just imagined how we felt
I swear that if you touched my hand my heart would melt
It couldn’t last forever
I could have been all you’d ever need
The passion seemed to fade away
To blue memories
If I had loved you better
You could have been all the world to me
It felt so right to love you
So right that you loved me
Maybe we had too much time together
Reality was always in the way
The dream that we were holding onto slipped away
But maybe there’s a time and place and season
If you hold your breath and I hold mine
The carousel will come around just one more time
It couldn’t last forever
I could have been all you’d ever need
The passion seemed to fade away
To blue memories
If I had loved you better
You could have been all the world to me
It felt so right to love you
So right that you loved me
Nothing's ever perfect, even when it seems to be
my heart holds me together, but my mind's on a different team
And I can’t even find time to shine
I can’t even find time to shine
No, no, no
You captured me completely, damned if I know why
When I should be concentratin’ - concentratin’ on me and mine
If time were money, you know I’d pay any price
Cause things that make me crazy, turn out so damned right
But I can’t even find time to shine
You know I can’t even find time to shine
No, no, no
It’s hard to watch you dance
when I’m not allowed to touch
I’ve never felt a feeling
tear me up so much
Even music don’t rock me like you
Even the blues don’t leave me sh-sh-shakin’ when I’m through
I know the music, it don’t rock me like you
Even music don’t rock me like you do
Don’t you know I’ve got time enough for trouble, and passion on my mind
We gotta talk, cause I gotta tell you, I’m just a little unrefined
I take you to a restaurant, candlelight and a little wine
But you've got friends lit’rally everywhere, and I can't find time to shine.
You know I can’t even find time to shine
I can’t even find time to shine
No, no, no
It’s hard to watch you dance
when I’m not allowed to touch
I’ve never felt a feeling
tear me up so fuckin’ much
Even music don’t rock me like you
Even the blues don’t leave me sh-sh-shakin’ when I’m through
I know the music, it don’t rock me like you do
Even music don’t rock me like you
I know the music, it don’t rock me like you do
Even music don’t rock me like you
Covered with Love
by Richard Schweitzer
She thinks I’ve died…
that wasn’t supposed to happen till the later years
She may be right, I have been slowly shifting gears… shifting down
She’s out there now,
trying to pick her life up, and I’m here all by myself
What have I done with the security and wealth… what have I found?
I’ve found that I don’t have the strength to play the game
But I played until the first chance came to quit
I don’t think she’s leaving me, and I’m not leaving her
But gradually the pieces ceased to fit
I’ve settled to a feckless life of 9 to 5 and sleep at night,
but I clung to her support those times when push had come to shove
Now I think we put our love to sleep, from secrets that we chose to keep,
I always thought it was enough that she was
And she is…
Covered with love… covered with love… covered with love
Covered with love… covered with love… covered with love
She lives alone…
But only in her mind, she barely knows I’m there
And all the noise I make is spirits pushing air… indolent sound
But it’s my fault,
I’ll probably lose her now, despite the way I feel
Sometimes love is like a spoke within a wheel… it goes around
I’ve found that I don’t have the strength to play the game
But I played until the first chance came to quit
I don’t think she’s leaving me, and I’m not leaving her
But gradually the pieces ceased to fit
I’ve settled to a feckless life of 9 to 5 and sleep at night,
but I clung to her support those times when push had come to shove
Now I think we put our love to sleep, from secrets that we chose to keep,
I always thought it was enough that she was
And she is…
Covered with love… covered with love… covered with love
Covered with love… covered with love… covered with love