Hi everyone.  I went to Seattle last weekend for a workshop.  I fully intended to do some good, old fashioned street singing, but the weather didn’t play along.  I did record one of my original songs in the hotel room.

When I used to is a song I wrote when teaching middle school choir.  I realized that some of my students were just getting to the point where they felt they couldn’t talk about things that were bothering them.  If they needed help or just needed someone to listen, they put on a brave face and suffered in silence.  This song is from the perspective of a “grown-up” who is a envious of very young children who haven’t learned to stop crying out what they want and need.

WHEN I USED TO CRY

When I used to cry, “I’m feeling lonely” then

Someone would come to me

And they’d give me company

When I used to cry

Someone would hear me, but

Now I’m older, and

I don’t cry anymore

*

When I used to cry, “I’m cold and hungry” then

Someone would come to me

And they’d warm and feed me

When I used to cry

Someone would hear me, but

Now I’m older, I

Can’t seem to cry anymore

*

When I used to cry, “I’m feeling frightened” then

You’d come to my room, and

And you’d turn the light on

When I used to cry

Someone would hear me, but

Now I’m older, and

I don’t cry anymore

*

Frankie Valinda Ghee

Beauty

Beauty thrives in Clichéd imaginings

In brilliant sunsets, clear oceans

Bright futures and romantic pasts

In such common things as truth and hope

And love that lasts

Beauty rests in campfire’s orange glow

In a problem solved

In an unclimbed tree and in an offered hand

In a cheek gladly turned

And in a taken stand

Beauty lives in the mundane

A parent’s watchful eye

A child’s mischievous grin

A simple compliment, a complicated equation

The recognition of a friend

Beauty is what saves us from plummeting over the unguarded edge

It is the longing to rush in where only foolish tread

Beauty is the heartbeat and breathe of a sleeping dream

It is the texture and depth of a story well told

Beauty is in the believing

Formula 521

Formula 521 keeps you from dying But it doesn’t keep you young There will still be aging And aching And watching still another one That you loved Passing   Your skin wrinkles and withers Your memory fades And your bones become porous You will disintegrate Into a rickety pile Of wheezing, rasping dust That sits alone Reeking of vapor-rub   And you become accident prone So that no one can stand the sight The smell Or the responsibility of you This lingering pile of something They once loved and knew And they pray for you to die And you try But only decay a little more And the stress upsets the delicate fabric Of your intestinal lining

Check me out on youtube  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLbmARMZ7q4

YOU ARE THE SUN is an original song by Frankie Ghee.  I recorded it today in Spokane’s luscious Manito Park.  You will hear wind, birds and cars in the background, but you don’t get to hear the people and the pets that I was watching while singing.  It was a wonderful morning.  I plan to head out later tonight for more busking Spokane style.  Look for me on the South Hill somewhere around 29th and South East Boulevard.

Thank you all for the kindness, support, donations, and for listening to and reading my stuff.

Frankie

YOU ARE THE SUN BY FRANKIE GHEE

A CAR GOES BY WITH NO HEADLIGHTS

DO THEY SEE WE’RE TOGETHER

YOU TAKE MY ARM AND SAY “THEY MIGHT

KNOW I’LL LOVE YOU FOREVER”

CHORUS:

YOU ARE THE SUN

YOU ARE THE SUN AND I AM THE MOON

YOU ARE THE SUN

YOU ARE THE SUN AND I GET YOU

A WINTER BREEZE THAT CLINGS THROUGH SPRING

MAKES ME APPRECIATE THE WEATHER

THE WAY THAT YOU CLING ON TO ME

IN A LOVE WITHOUT MEASURE

CHORUS:

YOU ARE MY CLICHE’

LIKE A ROSE ON PIANO

I LOVE YOU ANYWAY

I LOVE YOU ANYWAY

IF ROMEO HAD GONE ONLINE

HE COULD HAVE AVOIDED THE PRESSURE

THE WAY THAT WE SAVED SO MUCH TIME

IN A LOVE WITHOUT MEASURE

CHORUS

YOU ARE MY CLICHE’

LIKE A ROSE ON PIANO

I LOVE YOU ANYWAY

I LOVE YOU ANYWAY

Check me out on youtube  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-RRJonyamg

“Sunday Train” is I IV V blues.  It’s a lot of fun and was easy to write.  I’ve got a bunch of these.  I usually go for humor with blues songs.  You’ll also notice the happy ending in this one which is a little more out of character for me.  The “cool shoes” line is a nod to a band I performed this song with.  We were called “Cool Man Shoe”

You may hear some distorted wind sound in the background, but that’s how you know it’s live and uncut.  Oh, and there are some really big birds “cawing” above me. The sun is right in my face making me all happy and warm.

Thanks again for all you support, kind words, and donations

Frankie Valinda Ghee.

Sunday Train by Frankie Ghee

I thought about you Monday morning

Just as it came to rain

And I thought about you Tuesday morning

As my dreams went down the drain

I might have called you on Wednesday but I knew you wouldn’t take the blame

So I bought a new car on Thursday

Thinking it would ease the pain

But I took it too far on Friday

And I’ve been polishing up my aim

If I were in your shoes, baby

I’d put my feet on a Sunday Train

Chorus:

I’d take the Sunday Train out in the pouring rain

Although you might get wet

You wont forget

How if you break a heart to pieces

You’ve got a price to pay

If I were in your shoes baby

I’d put my feet on a Sunday train

I spent the whole week crying

Things would never be the same

And I listened to you denying

Every promise that you ever made

If I were in your shoes baby

I’d put my feet on a Sunday train

Chorus

I started feeling better come Monday

I had a song to sing again

And by Tuesday I was dreaming

About a life without all that pain

And by Wednesday, I was thinking

That my heartache wasn’t all in vain

So I bought my ticket on a Thursday

On the minute that the good news came

Packed my bags up on Friday

I couldn’t wait to get out on my way

I’ll get up early in the morning

And put my feet on a Sunday Train

I’ll take the Sunday train out in  the pouring rain

Although I might get wet, I wont regret

How I loved you just a little

And gave my heart a change

I’m gonna shine my new shoes

And put my feet on a Sunday train

I’m gonna shine my Cool Shoes

And put my feet on a Sunday Train

Check me out on youtube  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1OgwzP_lGY

This is one of my favorite jazz standards.  We recorded live this morning in Manito Park.  It was a beautiful day to be outside singing.

You may hear some distorted wind sound in the background, but that’s how you know it’s live and uncut.  Oh, and there are some really big birds “cawing” above me. Very, Very cool.

Please let me know if you want more Jazz.  It is one of my favorite musical outlets.  I am working on some original jazz as well.

Thanks again for all you support, kind words, and donations

Frankie Valinda Ghee.

Check me out on youtube   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeENTAu7kp8

This is recorded live and outdoors, so the wind does become an issue for a few seconds, but then it goes away.

This was recorded July 7, 2015 in Manito Park, Spokane, Wa.  I wrote this when I was still only 48!  It’s supposed to be funny.

You Make Me Feel Young by Frankie Ghee

When I’m with you, I feel forty-two

Although I’m really forty-nine

Baby

You make me feel young

Baby

Now I always feel young

Baby

When I’m with you, I feel beautiful although I’m

Really nothin’ special

Baby

You make me feel so exotic

Baby

Now I always feel exotic

And I always feel young

Baby

When I’m with you, I feel like I know the answers

Even though I’m staring blankly

Baby

You make me feel like a genius

Baby

Now I always feel exotic

And I always feel young

And I always feel like a genius

Baby

Sometimes, a single choice can change a life’s course. What decisions have shaped you?