Some of these songs were started before 2024. All were recorded and modified in 2024, in many cases by using the computer to lower the song’s register.
1. Make the Most
MAKE THE MOST . ©2024 by Myron Schreck
I’ve been around enough to know … there are some things that have to be learned
Like when you try to “catch on fire” … there’s a risk of getting burned
Sometimes I aim too high … sometimes I aim too low
But when you’re trying … to reach for the stars … it’s better to be bold
I grab at every chance that comes my way
Doesn’t matter if I make mistakes
I’ll keep trying ‘til I get it right
and fake it ‘til I make it
Life is precious and it goes too fast
I don’t dwell on what I don’t have
I just try to do the best I can
Make the most of what I have
Some people live off of family wealth.
Some inherit genes that give them good health
I decide who I am …
Re-invent myself when I can …
With no apology … for what finally …
Ev’ry body does
I grab at every chance that comes my way …
I hear you say you feel abused …
disadvantaged and so confused
So you come to me for advice …
Well hear my “words to the wise”
Maybe you’re acting too fast …
Maybe you’re acting too slow
But when you’re trying … to reach your full potential … it’s better to be bold
Sometimes we all feel like we’re living a lie.
And we’ll do anything to survive
Just keep trying ‘til you get it right …
and fake it ‘til you make it
Life is precious and it goes too fast.
So don’t dwell on what you don’t have.
Just remember that the past is past …
Make the most of what you have
Make the most of what you have
Just try to do the best you can
And make the most of what you have
2. The Band-aid Kid
THE BAND-AID KID ©2024 by Myron Schreck
Let me tell you the story of a boy named Shmuel
A kid like any in school
When he goes out to play, he comes back with scrapes
He’s Shmuel, the Band-Aid Kid
When he climbs up a tree, he skins his knee
He’s got Band-Aids on most of his fingers
And when one cut clears, a new one appears
That’s Shmuel, the Band-Aid Kid
In the park almost every day,
he is so athletic.
Baseball, football –– whatever he plays ––
he ends up pathetic.
With a BATMAN on his elbow,
A SMURF on his toe,
SPONGE-BOB on his butt
where he tore his clothes,
He might look like a KLUTZ
when he finally gets home
That’s Shmuel, the Band-Aid Kid
He's not big or small, short or tall, …
Just your average hyper-active.
He’s a kid who likes to compete …
‘Cause he’s smart and quick on his feet …
He’s not a SCHLEMIEL -- Not a SCHLIMAZEL …
He just needs a bandaid …
or a hug and a cuddle …
He’s Shmuel, Shmuel, The Band-Aid Kid.
Notes:
KLUTZ – Yiddish for a clumsy person
SCHLEMIEL – Yiddish for a clumsy person, like one who always drops things
SCHLIMAZEL – Yiddish for an unlucky person, like someone who always has things dropped on him
BATMAN, SMURF, SPONGE-BOB and BAND-AID are probably trademarked or copyrighted – “so sue me”
3. Listen to Your Mother
LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER …. © 2024 by Myron Schreck
LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER
HER VOICE INSIDE YOUR HEAD
THE WISDOM THAT SHE OFFERED
THE WORDS YOU CAN’T FORGET.
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU EAT
AND ALWAYS BRUSH YOUR TEETH
AN APPLE EVERY DAY ……
WILL KEEP … THE DOCTOR … AWAY.
A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE.
BE PATIENT, TAKE YOUR TIME.
YOU ONLY HAVE ONE LIFE.
EARLY TO BED … EARLY TO RISE …
THE EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM.
THE GRASS MIGHT LOOK GREENER
ON THE OTHER SIDE.
BUT THINK FOR YOURSELF … …
AND CLOSELY OBSERVE.
LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP. ...
AND THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK.
COMPASSION IS A VIRTUE …
AND SOMETIMES YOU MUST BE … DISCRETE.
AND COUNT TO TEN WHEN YOU ARE ANGRY
BEFORE YOU SAY SOMETHING MEAN.
SOMETIMES IT’S WISE TO BITE YOUR TONGUE.
SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO MAKE A SCENE.
EVERY PENNY SAVED IS A PENNY EARNED.
DON’T PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET.
PLAYING WITH FIRE CAN GET SOMEONE BURNED.
ASK FOR ADVICE … THAT’S HOW YOU’LL LEARN.
BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER.
TREAT PEOPLE WITH RESPECT
AND NEVER DO TO OTHERS …
WHAT YOU DON’T WANT DONE TO YOURSELF.
BEGGARS CAN’T BE CHOOSERS;
TAKE WHAT YOU CAN GET.
BE GRACIOUS WHEN YOU WIN …
AND KNOW WHEN IT’S TIME TO QUIT.
A BIRD IN THE HAND IS WORTH TWO IN THE BUSH.
LOOK FOR THE SILVER LINING.
AND DON’T PUT YOUR CART BEFORE YOUR HORSE.
YOU KNOW, OF COURSE,
THINGS CAN ALWAYS GET WORSE.
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR …
AND ENJOY THE THINGS YOU GET.
MONEY MIGHT NOT MAKE YOU HAPPY.
ALWAYS TREASURE YOUR HEALTH.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK.
THE WORST THEY CAN DO IS SAY “NO.”
FIGHT FOR WHAT’S RIGHT … NEVER SAY DIE.
YOU KNOW YOUR WORTH …. REACH FOR THE SKY.
LISTEN TO YOUR PARENTS.
WE WERE ONCE YOUR AGE.
WE ONLY WANT WHAT’S BEST FOR YOU …
AND TRUST THAT YOU …
WILL LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES.
WE’RE SIMPLY OFFERING ADVICE.
IT’S YOU WHO MUST DECIDE …
HOW TO LIVE YOUR OWN LIFE.
4. Like a Moth to a Flame
Moth to a Flame © 2019 by Myron Schreck
I have come to this hill at sunset …
To savor a vision that’s grander than Man
With the distant mountains, blue horizons – infinite and pure;
I yearn for Nature and aspire to breathe free
What doth our Mother the Earth
gift us each season of sun?
What will we choose to preserve
for generations to come?
Are we the masters of our own existence ––
or just slaves to our needs and desires?
Instinctively drawn to the fire …
in spite of the pain …
Like a moth to a flame
Once this was desert that stretched to the ocean. Now here are cities that reach to the sky
Polluting the air and wasting the waters. Uprooting the earth and threatening fire.
With our coal and wood and gas and oil,
every place has become despoiled.
Nature will survive …
But what of our children’s lives?
What doth our Mother the Earth
gift us each season of sun?
What will we choose to preserve
for generations to come?
Are we the seeds of our own destruction;
and the means of our own demise?
Instinctively drawn to the fire …
in spite of the pain …
Like the moth to the flame
Summer sunlight … filters through the forest … while the tangled branches … dance upon the breeze … and the
Cool clear waters … ripple over pebbles …
Changing … colors … in the stream …
like a dream …
Now here I stand on this hill at sunset
Surrounded by Nature – serene and sublime
A Universe vast and beyond comprehension
Connected by Energy, Substance, and Time
Though our ancient glaciers melt,
and our sacred forests burn
I refuse to give up hope.
I have faith we can return.
And I believe and pray…
that we can learn some day …
To forge a future so much better than our past
What doth our Mother the Earth gift us each cycle of light?
What will we choose to protect and preserve so our children survive?
Are we the victims of our own deception –– adrift in a sea of denial?
Instinctively drawn to the fire …
in spite of the pain …
Like the moth to the flame
5. Come With Me
COME WITH ME ... © 2024 Myron Schreck
Near the banks of River Corrib, where it flows to Galway Bay,
There’s an overlook that holds a local legend.
Of a young man bound for Boston and the girl he’d loved for years,
And the morning when he asked her for her hand.
He was smiling as he got down on his knees;
She was crying as she listened to him plead …
A plaintive plea: “Oh, darling please” …
Come with me … down our river.
Come with me … out to sea.
Come with me … across the ocean.
And we’ll be free … We’ll be free.
But the fates were set against them, for her family disapproved …
Of this orphan boy who’d grown up in the “docksides.”
They said he had no education. He was godless and a fool.
He could never make a good home for their child.
She was afraid to break away from Father’s grasp …
Or refuse to do whatever Mother tasked …
So she said “No … I can’t.” ... when he asked …
Come with me … down our river.
Come with me … out to sea.
Come with me … across the ocean.
And we’ll be free … We’ll be free.
Sometimes families are like forests: tangled branches; tangled roots;
Holding fast to their traditions and religion.
Until some later generations … seek out something new …
And follow their own dreams … and their own plans.
In the night, she’d lie awake a-top her bed …
Listening to his gentle voice inside her head
While she re-read the letters that he’d sent
Come with me … down our river.
Come with me … out to sea.
Come with me … across the ocean.
And we’ll be free … We’ll be free.
Several years passed, and this young man – now a carpenter by trade –
Saved his money and returned to Galway Bay
He was resolved to wed his true love; bring her with him to the States.
Build a house … and raise a family … someday.
She was waiting for him, waving at her door.
He was trembling like he’d never done before.
Then she said “Yes!”… when he asked her once more
Come with me … down our river.
Come with me … out to sea.
Come with me … across the ocean.
And we’ll be free … We’ll be free.
6. Refugees – for Ukraine
REFUGEES .. (c) Copyright 2024 by Myron Schreck
G/D Bm/D Em G/D Cmaj7 D7sus G .
G/D Bm/D C6 G/B .
The wheat fields of summer shine in the moonlight
Em/B Bm/D F/C C .
While winds weave and wander through the golden grains
G/D Bm/D Am7/E D7sus4 G/D .
We have packed all our bags … and shuttered our homes
C G/D Bm4/B - Em/B Am7/A D/A G/G .
We are leaving; we are grieving, but we won’t lose our way in the dark
D/A Bm7/D Em - A7/E F#m/C# .
The thick clouds of smoke, and the flames of fire
Bm/D F#m/A Em7/B A/A .
are the scars of our desperate situ----a------tion
Bm/B Cmaj7 G/B D/A .
There’s a sorrow and a heartbreak filled with fear …
Bm/B A G G A A
Seeing soldiers send their families away … … … To be safe … …
F/C Am/E Bb/D C7sus4 F .
All our hopes and dreams, all our wants and needs,
Dm/F Am7/E Eb C7
must a---wait while we fight for our lives… …
Am7/E Cm7/C F7/C Bb/D C7sus4 F/C .
Will our sons come home? Will our girls sur-----vive?
Bb/D F/C Am7/E Dm/D .
We’ll be wait---ing. We’ll be pray------ing.
Bb/D Am/E Bb/D C7sus4 F/C .
And we won’t be a---fraid of the dark
G/D Bm/D C C G/B .
The peace of winter and the bloom of spring
Em/B Bm/D F/C Dm
will re---turn to our land once a---gain …
Em/E F F#m7 B7 .
And though some might move onward to a new future somewhere,
Em/E B+/Eb Em7/D Em/C# Cmaj7 Cmaj7.
we will always be con---nected to our home …
C G/D Bm/D Em/E Em7
We are re-fu-gees - forced to fight and forced to flee. Yet we
Am/E Bm/D Am7/E D7sus4 G/D
Re----main un---a----fraid of the DARK … …
7. Chasing Those Feelings Again
CHASING THOSE FEELINGS AGAIN … ©2024 Myron Schreck
The cycle of life is filled with emotions
Like a movie has music, silence, and sounds
Stirring up feelings …
Words often fail to convey
The flush of first love …
The thrill of romance …
Those butterflies when you close your eyes
And you take a leap of chance
So deep and intense …
We keep chasing these feelings again
The smell of cut grass after a rain
And those tingles you get from a fine French champagne
And that light-headed feeling at the top
Of a Ferris wheel right when you drop
A series of notes and chords on a piano
Bringing tears to my eyes … and a chill down my spine
It’s so obvious why …
For the rest of my life …
I’ll keep chasing these feelings again
To laugh with abandon with friends on the street.
Unafraid – unashamed - at how crazy it seems.
You can’t fake or pretend - Create or invent -
That unconscious response
when your body transcends
And you see … instantly …
Why we keep chasing these feelings again
8. Bethlehem
BETHLEHEM … © 2024 Myron Schreck
There was a boy … David of Bethlehem
A shepherd boy … who loved to play the harp.
And every night his sheep …
would rest and sleep …
Listening to his music ‘neath the stars
And then one day … this shepherd boy …
Traveled from Bethlehem
To join his brothers in the army of King Saul
Fighting the mighty philistines …
and their champion Goliath,
A giant of a man … all clad … in brass
Who shouted: “Fight me, all you Israelites.
Fight me man to man.
Choose a man to fight me if you dare.
Kill me if you can, ….
And we will be your servants.
But if I win, then you will be our slaves.
…. Or are you afraid?”
And then this boy … this shepherd boy … stepped up to battle him.
Facing Goliath
with his staff and just five stones
And when Goliath, with his sword and spear,
Laughed at David standing there,
David aimed a stone
Straight at Goliath’s head
And everyone was stunned to see
Goliath fall down dead
That was the day … when David became the man
Who gave the Israelites courage, pride and joy
Proving that faith … in the Lord …
Is more mighty than any sword …
And keen intelligence …
Can defeat mere brutal strength …
And you can find it even in a shepherd boy.
9. I Call You
I CALL YOU … © 2024 Myron Schreck
Inspired by Psalms 4, 27, 55, 57, 62, 71, 86, 139, 141, 142, 143
THERE WERE DAYS WHEN I WANDERED
AWAY FROM MY HOME
IN THE HILLS OF JUDEA AIMLESS AND ALONE
AND I CALLED YOU … NEVER MAKING A SOUND. I CALLED YOU … I CALLED YOU
AND WHEN ANIMALS ATTACKED US, YOU INTERVENED.
AND YOU GAVE ME MY STRENGTH
AND THE COURAGE I NEED
AND I THANKED YOU … NEVER MAKING A SOUND. I THANKED YOU … I THANKED YOU
AND NOW ENEMIES ENTRAPPED ME …
BUT YOU SET ME FREE
AND YOU FAVORED ME WITH GRACE …
AND YOU COMFORTED MY GRIEF
AND I CALL YOU … WITHOUT A SOUND …
JUST A FAITH WITHOUT BONDS …
A FAITH WITHOUT BONDS
OH TEACHER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS …
SHOW ME THE WAY TO HUMILITY, HONESTY, SACRIFICE AND FAITH.
HELP ME TO CURB MY YEARNINGS …
AND BE CONTENT WITH WHAT I HAVE
DARKNESS SURROUNDS ME … MY PATH IS UNCLEAR
EVIL ENTICES ME I TREMBLE IN FEAR
AND I CALL YOU … DEEP IN MY SOUL …
OH, HOW I CALL YOU … FROM DEEP IN MY SOUL …
OH YES, I CALL YOU … FOR DEEP IN MY SOUL … I KNOW … YOU’RE NEAR
OLD AGE PURSUES ME, I’M SICK AND I’M TIRED
I HAVEN’T ANY STRENGTH LEFT
BUT MY BODY WON’T DIE … …
AND SO I CALL YOU … DEEP IN MY SOUL …
OH, HOW I CALL YOU … FROM DEEP IN MY SOUL …
OH YES, I CALL YOU … FOR DEEP IN MY SOUL …
I KNOW … YOU’RE NEAR
10. Your Hand Upon My Shoulder
Your Hand Upon My Shoulder ... © 2020 by Myron Schreck
I don’t need your sole attention …
I don’t need your constant care
I don’t need expensive presents …
I just need you to be there.
To be there while we grow older …
Losing memories - Losing sight
With your hand upon my shoulder …
I know “everything’s all right.”
You are beautiful and clever …
You are wise beyond all measure
You are gracious and you care for others
More than you care for yourself
You can keep any plant from dying …
You can keep any child from crying
Like a blanket, you are soft and warm, … Shelter in a storm
But I don’t need you to be my shelter …
Or to heal me or solve my problems
I just need you here to listen patiently.
For after all my years of wandering …
All my fears and disbelief
I have learned that you’re the only one …
Who has everything I need
Yes, you have everything I need
I don’t need a flower garden …
Though your flowers outshine the sunlight
I don’t need our fancy dinners …
Though they make our evenings bright.
I just need your laughter in the morning …
And your smile when you say good night …
And your arms around my shoulders …
As you whisper:
“everything will be all right.”
Thank you for listening.
Myrrh ~ Songs by Myron Schreck 