Music and lyrics by Ethan Husted, Tessa Husted, Jimmy Melitski, Sophia Meritt, Jan W. Midtskogen, Katerina R. Midtskogen, Chapman Odlum, Molly Odlum, Karana Stokum with Mark S. Meritt (facilitator)
This song was written from scratch on July 30, 2007, during the second test run, the first with all kids, of the Potluck Creative Arts Songwriting Workshop. It took 135 minutes with breaks, starting only with music as the topic. Learn more about the Songwriting Workshop which uses Appreciative Inquiry to foster collaborative creativity.
Music and lyrics by Ethan Husted, Tessa Husted, Jimmy Melitski, Sophia Meritt, Jan W. Midtskogen, Katerina R. Midtskogen, Chapman Odlum, Molly Odlum, Karana Stokum with Mark S. Meritt (facilitator)
The original workshop performance was by Ethan, Tessa, Jimmy, Sophia, Jan, Katerina, Chapman, Molly, Karana and Mark on July 30, 2007.
Watch the video right here by just pressing Play immediately below. Or, visit YouTube to see the video or post a comment.
Lyrics
Whenever I listen to a song
I turn up the dial
‘Cause in the car or at home
Songs make me smile
Whenever I dance to a song
My body gets riled
‘Cause Macarena, Chicken or ballet
Songs make me smile
Whenever I sing a song
I sing it with style
‘Cause soft, in between or loud
Songs make me smile
Whenever I play a song
It’s really wild
‘Cause whatever instrument I play
Songs make me smile
Music and lyrics by Jen, Sophia, Teresa with Mark S. Meritt (facilitator)
This song was written from scratch on July 27, 2007, during the first test run of the Potluck Creative Arts Songwriting Workshop. It took 90 minutes, starting only with the topic of Mystic, CT, where the participants have for many years had a family cottage. Learn more about the Songwriting Workshop which uses Appreciative Inquiry to foster collaborative creativity.
Music and lyrics by Jen, Sophia, Teresa with Mark S. Meritt (facilitator)
The original workshop performance was by Jen, Teresa and Mark on July 28, 2007.
Watch the video right here by just pressing Play immediately below. Or, visit YouTube to see the video or post a comment.
Lyrics
There’s a seaside cottage we’ve gone to for years
Where we’ve had lots of laughter and shed a few tears
As we walk on the dock and remember the past
We know Mystic memories will last
Come along to our place by the sea
It’s fun for you, and it’s fun for me
There’s food and family and history
At our place by the sea
From a walk downtown to a ride on the boat
You can sit in a kayak or tube afloat
A big family meal on the deck in the breeze
Then a s’more by the fire, if you please
Come along to our place by the sea
It’s fun for you, and it’s fun for me
There’s food and family and history
At our place by the sea
This song was written as a submission for American Idol’s first songwriter contest. Howard and Mark used Appreciative Inquiry to tailor the song for the program — the first time either of them had created a song fully through the use of AI. Learn more about Potluck’s custom songwriting service which uses Appreciative Inquiry to draw out your needs and desires as the basis for an original song.
Music and lyrics: By Mark S. Meritt and Howard Ditkoff
I was afraid I was forgotten in the shadows
Too weak to hope the sun would shine on me again
But you lit me up and helped me to remember
How alive I used to be, deep in every part of me back then
You were the faith that moved me forward when I faltered
You were the trust that made it safe to risk it all
To bet my life and all that I’ve believed in
To stand alone and vow to reveal the joy I now recall
We feared our dreams would fade away
But now we know they’re here to stay
I’m strong, I’m free
I’m where I’m meant to be
No longer trapped so deep inside
Afraid of all that I’d denied
You saw in me
What I would come to see
And freed it so there’s nothing left to hide
I’ll lift you up, we’ll fly as one for our whole lives
When I look back on every step along the journey
I see how you unlocked each door through which I’ve grown
Though you may feel your sense of wonder is divided
You showed me how to give, now I know we’ll never live alone
My sun will shine to see us through
I’ll light the way that lives in you
I’m strong, I’m free
I’m where I’m meant to be
No longer trapped so deep inside
Afraid of all that I’d denied
You saw in me
What I would come to see
And freed it so there’s nothing left to hide
I’ll lift you up, we’ll fly as one for our whole lives
We are the rock each other stands on
The reflections that set each other free
Our whole lives, we’re always more together
For you, for me, for we can be
Free and strong
We’re right where we belong
No longer trapped so deep inside
There’s nothing left for us to hide
We finally see
What we were meant to be
We’re free and now we’ve crossed the Great Divide
I’ll lift you up, you’ll carry me, we’ll fly as one for our whole lives
This song was written for a compilation album of songs inspired by the work of Daniel Quinn. Mark wanted to throw things for a loop with this song about being true to who you are. The appreciative approach he took led him to create an homage to some of the great disco anthems, both lyrically and especially musically, using that style and the notion of coming out of the closet in a similar way to how the gay movement has at times used disco songs for its own anthems. Learn more about Potluck’s custom songwriting service which uses Appreciative Inquiry to draw out your needs and desires as the basis for an original song.
Empty
That’s how I’d always feel
My life
Didn’t even seem real
I just couldn’t get all the things I needed
I thought I was defeated
Prison
That’s what I felt inside
Afraid
Part of me might have died
But then someone brought me a brand new story
Here’s what that someone told me
Come out!
Come out of your shell
Or all you get and all you give, you’ll be living in hell
Come out!
Come out of your hole
Or any tale you might be telling, you’ll be selling your soul
If you want a lot, just forget what you’re not
If you’re gonna go far, you’ve gotta be who you are
Shout it, flout it, spout it, tout it
‘Til there’s not a drop of doubt
About
Come out!
So I
Took my mind off the bad
And looked
At what I really had
Though it wasn’t much, still, it was beginning
I slowly started winning
Take two
Now, I am what I am
My life
Not someone else’s sham
For better or worse, I do what works for me
And you’ll, too, if you’ll only
Come out!
Come out of your shell
Or all you get and all you give, you’ll be living in hell
Come out!
Come out of your hole
Or any tale you might be telling, you’ll be selling your soul
If you want a lot, just forget what you’re not
If you’re gonna go far, you’ve gotta be who you are
Shout it, flout it, spout it, tout it
‘Til there’s not a drop of doubt
About
Come out!
You wanna live your life?
Well, you just can’t do it
If it’s not you doing the livin’
You wanna love someone
But you just can’t do it
If it’s not you doing the lovin’
You wanna change the world?
Well, there’s nothin’ to it
Long as it’s you doin’ the changin’
You wanna speak your mind
But if you can’t say, "My mind is mine"
Then what’s the use of talkin’ at all?
Come out, come out, whoever you are
Come out, come out, whoever you are
Come out, come out, whoever you are
Come out, come out, whoever you are
Stand up
Be yourself, feel alive
You’ll do
So much more than survive
Just like love and shelter and food and air
It’s something that we all share
Homo
sapiens all the world ’round
Were lost
Now we all can be found
It all can come out in the end, you’ll see
If everyone will only
Come out!
Come out of your closet
If you don’t, you won’t earn a return on your deposit
Come out!
Come out of your cage
Or all you loathe and all you love, you’ll feel nothing but rage
Come out!
Come out of your shell
Or all you get and all you give, you’ll be living in hell
Come out!
Come out of your hole
Or any tale you might be telling, you’ll be selling your soul
If you want a lot, just forget what you’re not
To get what you need, be yourself in deed
Shout it, flout it, spout it, tout it
‘Til there’s not a drop of doubt
About
Come out!
You wanna get things done
You wanna have some fun
You wanna feel so free
You wanna let it be
You wanna find your path
You wanna have a laugh
You wanna see the sights
You wanna reach new heights
You wanna do your best
You wanna get some rest
You wanna leave your mark
You wanna bite and bark
You wanna be so kind
You wanna ease your mind
You wanna make a friend
You wanna reach the end
You wanna have a thrill
You wanna make a kill
You wanna feel some pride
You wanna get inside
You wanna satisfy
You wanna live and die
You wanna raise the youth
You wanna know the truth
Jingle Bells and Winter Wonderland
Take a Sleigh Ride, Let it Snow
But like Frosty’s one day
All these songs melt away
Though there’s so many winter days to go
They could light and warm the dark and cold
Not a holiday word sung
Yet somehow for a year
They will all disappear
Moments after the holidays are done
See the family, visit your hometown
Gather all your closest friends
Give to somebody else
It comes back for yourself
Bringing life’s most rewarding dividends
All these things could happen any day
But we seldom let them last
For we’ll spend most the year
Missing what we hold dear
Moments after the holidays have passed
And can we truly be happy
With shopping crowds and bills galore?
Even the holidays don’t feel
At all like holidays anymore
Then again, it feels like all we’ve known
Is this ornamental dream
But if what we enjoy
Really beats any toy
Are the holidays not all that they seem?
No, they really can be special times
Overflowing with good cheer
The best gifts you present
Don’t require money spent
Even after the holidays are here
It can feel like the holidays all year
For so long we’ve been together
And each moment’s beat the last
I’ve seen oh so many others
But you’d never been surpassed
Yet now I’ve something to tell you
And it’s so hard to impart
No, our love has not yet abated
But someone duplicated the key to my heart
I once thought each had one only
And I thought my one was you
Yet now, anything but lonely,
I feel everything for two
A smorgasbord lays before me
But love’s not served a la carte
I don’t know with whom I’ll be sated
For someone duplicated the key to my heart
A copy’s a key only fools would use
The master’s the one that you must not lose
But how to choose to stay or run?
The dupe may have come first — are you the one?
Was it I who made the knockoff?
Did I broach Pandora’s Box?
No matter who chipped the block off
With hearts, you can’t change the locks
It seems that I must decide now
Perhaps I should throw a dart
To find out for whom I am fated
Not just infatuated, till death do we part
The choice became so complicated
When someone duplicated the key to my heart
Someone duplicated the key to my heart
If their life were good
Most people would
Be happy with their fate
Still, down deep inside
It’s not denied
They want a life that’s great
Spite of what they have, they want it all
Lucky me, I’ve got it wall to wall
I’m lost in a wonderful paradise
I’m lost in a glorious dream
Strangers envy me
How happily
They think I live my days
Not one ounce of strife
The perfect life
Wherever I may gaze
Perfect things galore and then some more
But I wonder, who’s it perfect for
I’m lost in a marvelous paradise
I’m lost in a something-else dream
But if this was my kind of paradise
Well, then why do I find myself always wanting to scream?
When I look around me I can
See so many things
That so many people would desire
But nothing makes me feel
Like fireworks exploding
‘Stead of setting me alight,
I only want to set it all on fire
Strangers envy me
How happily
They think I live my days
They don’t know how I’m
So dissatisfied
And it’s more than a phase
All these things around me tease and taunt
None of it is what I really want
I’m lost in someone else’s paradise
Trapped on someone else’s cloud nine
And I can’t help but think that perhaps someone else may be lost in mine
Lost in mine
The music for this song was originally written for You Could’ve Been Something Special (Love Theme from Gratuitous Violence). Mark felt the music worth reusing for a piece with a greater likelihood for longevity. Other than the title being a nod, the lyrics are essentially unrelated to the original.
Listen to .mp3 sample of Gratuitous Silence.
Sung by Mark S. Meritt.
Lyrics
We used to be so together
Two shining diamonds in the rough
And for a while just each other seemed enough
But we wanted something better
You sought your fortune in the sky
For me, a far more grounded future caught the eye
But as your star ascended by degrees
We didn’t know we’d turn to enemies
And now you only give the deepest freeze
Gratuitous silence
Tried to help so many others
It’s the hardest row to hoe
When someone else is who they rather would know
If everybody had their druthers
It’s you whose life they’d want to live
They all refuse to see just how much I can give
It kills me knowing that they’re all so blind
But they can’t leave all your false hopes behind
And now from you all that I’ve come to find…
I had the strength to say what I believe
And you thought I was mad
But it turns out that I was self-deceived
If being true should make me glad
Then tell me, why’s it feel so bad?
I did not want you to leave me
Didn’t mean to go away
But sometimes losing what you care for’s a price you pay
Still we follow in our footsteps
Build our castles in the sand
And though we may have been divided, still we stand
Can we be harmonized? I have no clue
What’s good for just one leaves no room for two
And so for now all I’ll expect from you’s
Gratuitous silence
Gratuitous silence
Gratuitous silence
Music by Mark S. Meritt; Lyrics by Richard Hack and Mark S. Meritt
This song was written as a submission for Wendy’s Search for Sizzlin’ Sounds Contest, in which Wendy’s sought to judge the best song about hamburgers. Learn more about Potluck’s custom songwriting service which uses Appreciative Inquiry to draw out your needs and desires as the basis for an original song.
Listen to .mp3 sample of Three Times a Burger.
Sung by Mark S. Meritt.
2007, 2000 Mark S. Meritt
Watch a video of a solo piano version right here by just pressing Play immediately below. Or, visit YouTube to see the video or post a comment.
In the morning when I’m wakin’
I’m craving to get on a course that’s right
But I don’t want no eggs and bacon
They might be fine for some, but they don’t whet my own appetite
My buddy Chuck knows there’s no fakin’
The only thing on Earth to fill my need
Though the day’s just begun
He hops inside of a bun
And makes the one thing on which I feed
For every meal I have a burger
So nice and round, three squares a day
Broil or grill it
Fry it up in a skillet
Long as I get my fill it’ll all be OK
‘Cause everyday’s three times a burger
The finest choice, U.S.D.A.
Twice won’t suffice
Entice with me thrice
Paradise, any price I would pay
My good friend Patty, she’s a luscious hotty
And with me, she’s got a hunch
That the only way to please such a man of taste
Is takin’ a break with a burger for lunch
But even that was just a teaser
When dinner rolls around with good Sir Loin
He helps me to bake
Well done Salisbury steak
And my ache turns into enjoyin’
‘Cause everyday’s three times a burger
Give me the bait, and I will bite
Don’t want fish or chicken
With burgers I’m stickin’
‘Round the clock as it’s tickin’, from morning to night
Yes, everyday’s three times a burger
And if it’s wrong, don’t wanna be right
When I get no meat
I feel incomplete
Triple treat’s my dining delight
‘Cause I’m a burger-eatin’ junkie
And if it was against the law
I’d still get my fixin’
To feed my addiction
It’s such an affliction, I’d swallow ‘em raw
And when I die and go to heaven
Buy the farm and greet Saint Pete
It won’t be so strange
I’ll be at home on the range
With one change: there’ll be all I can eat!
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2007 Mark S. Meritt
2007, 2002 Mark S. Meritt