Singer Songwriter archives: Recent Episodes
Tony Funderburk
The anchors, the weather and sports reporters, the investigative reporters, and the editorialists all talked a blue streak night after night. So, it was ironic when Theo felt something like the stroke of a paintbrush across his heart. Because it wasn’t the same feeling as a physical paintbrush stroke.
It was more like a blue streak of cool light.And it happened as he listened to a late night, local talkshow host talk about something in the Bible. But the host didn’t sound like a preacher. He sounded more like a reporter who related current events to verses in the Bible. And every time he pointed out another truth, it tore away another layer of darkness from Theo’s eyes. The truth sort of pierced right into him like a needle in the hand of skilled nurse. No pain.
So, night after night, Theo would tune in. And night after night he’d hear more truth that he hadn’t heard from churches and other religious organizations. Plus, the talk show host included hilarious entertainment by taking calls from people, all around the country, who disagreed with him.
Theo noticed a pattern form. Many people from all around the country clearly despised the talk show host. And most of them could only express their contempt for him with insults and complaints. They refused to believe the words he read, directly from the Bible, were actually words in the Bible. Because, like me, they also hadn’t heard those messages in church. Or from any Christians they knew.
So, Theo tuned in to the show, for months. He couldn’t find any points of contention or disagreement with the talk show host.
And he enjoyed how the host ended his shows with “Do right. And risk the consequences.”
Then, one day, after watching a particularly entertaining episode of the show, Theo’s brain lit up with some lyrics. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. Theo’s an excellent songwriter. So, he wrote down the words, editing as he wrote (because that’s the best way). And he twiddled around with some chords and progressions as he ironed out the verses and chorus.
I’ll bet you can see why his first line was…“There’s a blue streak like a paintbrush stroke through my heart.”
Right? You picked up on that whole connection I’ll betcha. And I bet you get this next line, too.
“It’s a cool light and it tears the darkness apart.”
How about it? The lyrics make a lotta sense, since you read a little bit of the backstory. Can I get an Amen? So, any guesses on the next line? Try these next two lines:
“I’m so near it; though it pierces me I don’t fear it.
Like a needle; the Word sews into my spirit.”
I don’t know about you, but that gave me goosebumps. OK, maybe little goslingbumps. But I really enjoy observing a maestro’s mind at work.
Well, I’ve been writing up a blue streak about this story. So, I’m not gonna share the whole rest of the laborious and intense songwriting process with you. But you can rest assured, Theo included the line, “Do right and risk the consequences.”
You know what you should Do Right now?Go get your own digital download of the Do Right Songbook Journal. And when you get your own copy, you’ll get all the lyrics to ALL the songs. Not just this Do Right song I wrote about.
Plus, there are tons of pages where you can journal, take notes in church, or just doodle if you prefer. AND you can download ALL the songs (at no extra charge) from a secret (not secret) link in the book.
Just go to the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop and get yours today.
https://www.tonyfunderburk.com/rhyme-and-reason-bookshop
Let me know if you have any problems getting the book. I’ll make sure you get it! Till next time…
Stay tuned…
P.S. If you already have your copy of this classic music, refer the link to someone else. Thanks!
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I can hardly believe it’s already been almost 4 years. But the calendar doesn’t lie. And the metadata in the documents I saved doesn’t either. Yeah, almost 4 years since I produced rough cuts to several new songs. And I have a couple of main reasons why I call them “rough cuts.” One of those songs is called “I Can Do.” And, yes, it’s one of the many songs I’ve written where I swim upstream against current trends. But so be it.
It’s part of my job description to swim upstream against the trends of the world.And, no, I don’t get some sort of surreptitious pleasure from going against the grain. In fact, I wish my worldview and songwriting style were more the norm. But that ain’t gonna happen. So I know those opportunities I passed up on, back in the day, for recording deals, are the only ones I’ll ever have.
But I know the One who created me, AND made sure I can live forever, is much more pleased with my choice. And He said the world hated Him before it ever hated me. So, I’m in the best of company.
Anyway…
Back to those songs. There are seven of them. So far. And I have a deep and abiding desire to produce them from rough cuts to smooth. But, to my constant consternation, for six years, respiratory issues have kept me from accomplishing that goal. And my wife and I have moved to two entirely different parts of the country to hopefully help alleviate those issues.
Right now I’m gaining some cautious optimism that maybe I’m making some progress (Your prayers are desired and appreciated). And I hope I can do some recording, soon, and make some tracks. Sadly I’ve had that hope dashed against the rocks a few times in the past six years. But the thing about real hope is, it springs eternal.
So, that being said, here’s a snippet of lyrics from a little song in B flat called…
I Can DoOutside the lines the grass is greener.
But that will not change my demeanor.
Because my life runs like a river.
I’ll take what all my days deliver.
I know the morning sun will shine,
And so, I’ll draw another line.
I’ll keep a box of all my most important things
Inside my heart where they can be
A constant song of joy to me.
I love the sound of optimism when it sings.
I can do…what I need to. I know it’s so, so I can do!
The rest is reserved for when I fully produce this song and the others. Until then, you can dive into lots of my other songs, AND all kinds of books, when you click or tap this link:
(https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B008R08LUG/allbooks)
Stay tuned,
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Love, peace, and music. I wish those for you. And now, let’s get down to business. No, I’m not smokin’ any halo tobacco. It doesn’t take a dope-smokin’, long-haired, hippy freak to talk about the finer parts of life. And, … Read the rest
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Ideas have consequences. And, naturally, that statement implies both the positive and negative. And I’m gonna share an example of bad consequences for bad ideas. This is a post I found on a social media platform where the discussion was … Read the rest
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Music is an aural expression of life. From babies in the womb to the silver-haired citizens, music is an amazingly comforting language. I’ve shared a lot of information about the health benefits of music and sound. But it doesn’t benefit … Read the rest
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If you’ve been following along with me here at TonyFunderburk.com for a while, you might recall that I spent a year in Nashville. Yeah, the one in Tennessee. Elgielene and I went there, after a couple of years on the … Read the rest
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They sure had some silly lyrics in the hits from the 50’s. For the most part it was one innocent song of love after another. Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing – You Make Me Feel So Young – When I … Read the rest
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Back in my early teens I started my lifelong love affair with drums and percussion. And I remember getting a cool, metal flake blue, snare drum for Christmas. It came with instructions on how to do paradiddles, flams, rolls, and … Read the rest
The post Drums and percussion and a rockin discussion appeared first on Tony Funderburk.
Poetry in motion Back in the 80’s music took a sharp, electronic turn. Synthesizers were ubiquitous in top 40. And even drums were digitized. A lot of it was cheesy. But there were plenty of songs I enjoyed, too. One … Read the rest
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Hard work and dedication It’s not the same thing to everyone. For example, farmers need a lot of physically demanding hard work and dedication to grow food. And there are guys who somehow manage to wrestle steel, glass, and concrete … Read the rest
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My songwriter journal Over the years I’ve seen my songwriter journal go from a spiral notebook to what your reading right now. This blog post. I remember carrying my nineteen cent Bic pen around in my teeth like a chewed … Read the rest
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Come on over to the light side It’s counterintuitive to me. And I wish it was to every musician. I’m talking about going “dark”with the art and craft of music. Darkness is so prevalent in the music business that going … Read the rest
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Where are the whole Jesus Christian music artists? I just watched part of a Hillsong “praise music” song included in a video news clip and I just about got a toothache from the sugar-coated message. Before I explain, I’d like … Read the rest
The post Christian music artists sing messages about nothing appeared first on Tony Funderburk.
I have some very straightforward opinions on how our world, galaxy, and universe came to be. I make no secrets about it. If you’ve read my articles much at all, you’ll know I’m a young earth creationist. I have no … Read the rest
The post What If I’m Right appeared first on Tony Funderburk.
I recently heard from some baby boomers in love. They’re friends of mine, and they’ve been married for over 25 years. Yep, they stuck it out when things were tough…enjoyed wonderful times together…had kids and sent them on their way … Read the rest
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Politicians And Their “Talking Points” I Think They’re Mostly Just Cliché OK…I admit it. I have some opinions about politics. And I’m absolutely sure that truth trumps party. And so many of the things I hear politicians say (in all … Read the rest
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Even When Things Get Tough We can still beat the world Once upon a time there was this world. And it was good. And beautiful. And pure. Fast forward about 6,000 years…and we have this world. And it’s not so … Read the rest
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A Still Small Voice In Your Head And Words Written On The Tablet Of Your Heart Intuition? Gut feeling? Conscience? Whether you know it or not, your Creator installed some important software on your human hard drive. Christians know this … Read the rest
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How Does A Singer Songwriter Start Making Sense Of It All? When you were a kid, did you ask “why” about a lot of stuff? Or do you have a kid or kids who ask a lot of “why” questions? … Read the rest
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3 Tips For A Good Night’s Sleep Just in case you’re having a difficult time getting enough sleep… Here are 3 tips from a singer songwriter that are almost guaranteed to cure your troubles: Turn off the TV…or at least only … Read the rest
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Black Friday From A Singer Songwriter‘s Perspective OK…admittedly I’m a guy. So maybe I’ve never been a shopaholic because I’m such a stereotypical guy on the issue of shopping. In my role as a singer songwriter, I’ve written about shopping … Read the rest
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If You’re A Singer Songwriter With Road Experience… …then you’ve probably got Road Stories Here’s one of mine… Well, this is sort of like 3 in one. After a long, almost 24 hour drive from Kansas to South Carolina, we … Read the rest
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On A Beach Long Ago…or… A Day In The Singer Songwriter Life… Have you heard any of those marketers who talk about working on your laptop on a beach? Of course, most of that is hype and silliness. It can … Read the rest
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Old Singer Songwriter Files Have A Heart Throb Looking through my old files, and I found some of my own 80’s music that I recorded as demos but never took any further. I actually recorded a bunch of songs like … Read the rest
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Wanna Hear This Singer Songwriter On Drugs? I know all musicians are supposed to be tortured souls who need to escape the confines and restrictions of this mortal, flawed world. I know we’re supposed to be seekers always searching but never … Read the rest
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It’s time to get a real job because… Singer Songwriters Don’t Really Work…Do They? My own personal music business used to be full time traveling. Then, life took a few turns (as is always does), and I stopped the full-time … Read the rest
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Highlighting Words In My Singer Songwriter World If you’ve visited my blog before, you may have noticed that I’ve written a lot of music for kids. Well, in the past 6 months I’ve been writing some stories for kids, and some have even been … Read the rest
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I used to be a full-time on-the-road-singer-songwriter… And I played so many places all around the country. It was a blast. The reason I bring this up is because of some photos I recently came across. Check out the one … Read the rest
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Yes…Even Singer Songwriters Can Have A Train of Thought An observant singer songwriter is always on the lookout for ways to jump start musical ideas. Sometimes lyrics from other singer songwriters spark a new idea. Sometimes it’s almost by accident. … Read the rest
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This singer-songwriter isn’t a sensitive 90’s guy. But when it comes time to “mend fences,” flowers are almost perfect. When I was a singer songwriter in Nashville in the middle 90’s, I was almost always the only keyboard player on showcase … Read the rest
The post Singer Songwriter Recommends Roses appeared first on Tony Funderburk.
I’m Not A Superstitious Singer Songwriter, but… It doesn’t stop me from using a figure of speech to write a song. I mean…well…that’s just good songwriting business. 🙂 Here’s one from 1987. My brother, Marty, on acoustic guitar…feel free to … Read the rest
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Singer Songwriters Like Metaphors… …or at least this songwriter does. Pardon my metaphor and I hope you enjoy an old homemade recording of my song: Angel Cafe Stay tuned, P.S. Here’s a hint…if you’d like to get songs delivered to … Read the rest
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You Don’t Have To Be A Singer Songwriter To Open Up Your Heart There’s no time like the present to give love. Tomorrow may be too late. And yesterday is impossible. If you find the words hard to say…use my … Read the rest
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Step Right Up And Get Your Love Songs Here’s a video sample… Alright…My new love songs collection is queued up for worldwide distribution on iTunes and these online stores… But you won’t find any of these love songs anywhere other … Read the rest
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Singer Songwriters Face Impossible Odds We sing and write about things a lot of people don’t like or want to hear. But…so what. Most other Christians in this world face the same obstacles. If you’re a Christian, and you feel … Read the rest
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A Singer songwriter, A Jeep, A Driving Message Technology is so cool. With my iPhone, which I keep in a small pocket on the side of my jeans, I capture video and photos of things I want to remember. Then, … Read the rest
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Get Your Name In The Book of Life… no, not that “book” It’s ironic to me…automobile insurance is mandatory in America. You can’t drive your vehicle around for long without risking your driver’s license if you’re caught without auto insurance. … Read the rest
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“Nothin’s Sacred Anymore” Take the truth and lock it up, and throw away the key. Winds of change are blowing foul; a dance with destiny. Blur the face of love and sex and say it’s all OK. Tell the child … Read the rest
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This singer songwriter describes music as an aural expression of life. Tightly woven into my life, God gave me this great and constantly compelling gift of music. It’s been my constant companion even through the years when I had no … Read the rest
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A Wedding Song Here’s a wedding song I wrote to help promote a video service: Controlled Burn Media. The name of the tune is called “Here We Are”, and it’s designed for weddings. If you need or want a wedding … Read the rest
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Why this singer songwriter loves life This singer songwriter I know asked me to share some of the reasons he loves life. Since I’ve known him pretty much my whole life I agreed to help him out. So here are … Read the rest
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