Five songs: Heal a Broken World

EP title Heal a Broken World. These are my five favorite submissions for February Album Writing Month. The other nine (out of 14) are in the next post B-side.

Here is a link to my YouTube channel

https://www.youtube.com/@billchin-bw4zz

Five song titles: 

Kindness of Strangers

Thy Will Be Done

Glory

Hand of Jesus

Hitchhiker’s Testimony

Verse and chorus for Kindness of Strangers

When lightning fills the sky or the streets are full of danger, I hope for someone like you. When my car is broken down, or I’m feeling broken hearted, I hope for someone like  you.

The kindness of a stranger can heal a broken world. You can make a different today.

Verse and chorus for Hand of Jesus

Are you lost without a compass? Are you circling in the dark? Do you need a new direction? Are you hiding in the crowd?

Will you take the hand of Jesus if he speaks to you out loud?

You can hear him in your dreams, You can hear him when you wake, He is calling out your name. Come home. Come home.

Verse and chorus for Thy Will Be Done

I ttravel to the desert to lift some grains of sand. I look up to the sun and feel a greater hand. I hear a voice around me, Tell me, Tell me son. Tell me all your troubles and let my will be done.

I tell my troubles to the Lord, with an open heart. I trust that he will guide me, a beacon in the dark. God is here to walk with me, Let Thy Will be done.

Glory is an instrumental here, but I wrote these lyrics:

In the stillness of the morning, feel his presence, call his name. Dear Lord Jesus, I surrender my decisions to your grace.

In His Glory, Christ the king. He is risen, praise his name.

Lyrics for Hitchhiker’s Testimony

I stick out my thumb in the morning mist, Nobody sees me, Nobody cares. Here I am on the road of life, Nobody sees me, Nobody care. 

A car appears out the mist. Driver asks Do you need any help? I ask for a ride to town. We get to talking and I share my concerns about my loneliness. Driver says, I am headed to church, come in and sit for a while.

When I sit down the driver is gone. The lesson is from Matthew:

I am with you always

With that line, I start to cry. After the sermon the pastor stops by.  He asks how I got to town. I tell him Tracy gave me a ride. He says, there is nobody here by that name.

It dawns on me, what happened. God sent an angel for me. Saved my life. That’s why I believe.

In my ear I hear the driver’s voice:

I am with you always

FAWM B-side February Album Writing Month

I participate in February Album Writing Month FAWM. The stated goal is 14 new original songs for the month. 

This entry has some of the are lower quality recordings and song sketches:

Link to my YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/@billchin-bw4zz

Things are Rough All Over, line from the book The Outsiders. I write about two people that tried to kill themselves. True tales from the front of the war against mentail illness.

Your Private Idaho 2: Main person is tormented. Describes life as a private hell. Trades places for a day with a happy person. He realizes, he brings his demons with him where ever he goes. Doesn’t matter if he goes to a happy, peaceful place, the demons are in his mind. This tries to capture the nature of severe mental illness.

Break Up in F Minor, Fictional breakup song within a song. Two songwriters are involved, and one records a Dear John type of song to break up. First time I sing and play the piano ever.

Unresponsive, Blink if you can Hear Me. Fictional account of an ex who gets called by the hospital. Could be a several years later follow up to Break Up in F minor. The former partner is unresponsive with no other visitors. Visitor sings a song, remembering the happy times, trying to get a response.

Wish You Came with Instructions. Fictional story about a single dad trying to cope with his baby daughter after mom dies during child birth.

May a Star Shine Upon You-Elen Siluva Llena. One line of Elvish for Lord of the Ring fans. Please forgive my pronunciation of Quenya

Place Holder in Your Heart, Songwriters often use place holder lyrics. Most famous all time is Yesterday by the Beatles, which started with the place holder, Scrambled Eggs. This song is about being a place holder in a relationship. Person suspects that he/she is just there until someone better comes along. 

Circle of Crows and a Tiger. One of the first people to follow me during FAWM (February Album Writing Month) has the screen name GlassCrow. A song sketch with mystical crows communicating with the Tiger (me).

Dance with the Holy Spirit. Light hearted song about dancing away your worries