by Willy Grigg 3/3/2023

[E]You can be soft, [A] but you don’t [E] have to be soft [A]
[E] You can be strong,[A] but you don’t have to be [E] strong
[E] You have the right, [A] to decide who you are [E]
No one has the right, [A] to tell you you’re[B] wrong

[A] If you’re not [B] hurting no one [E] else
[A] It’s no one’s [B] business what you [E] do
[A] The songs you [B] sing, the clothes you [G#m]wear [C#m]
How could [F#m] someone be offended?
Why would anybody [B7] care?

You’ve [E] got a voice, inside of you
Iit wants to sing out, it wants to ring true
I’ve got a voice, inside of me
The song I sing might not be right for you

Is there anything more cruel?
Then to tell someone they’re wrong
Wrong because of how they feel (inside)
That can’t be changed with prayers or magic wands

You can be soft, but you don’t have to be soft
You can be strong, but you don’t have to be strong
You have the right to decide who you are
You have the right to decide who you are
You have the right, be who you are

This is a song about the end of a career, relationship, life, planet. There comes a time when it’s too late.

Too Late by Willy Grigg 7/22/22

Thought I saw you running, you knew this day was coming
When you decided, this can wait
Now your sky is falling, there is no hole to crawl in
I’d like to help, but it’s too late

Don’t look innocent, dear. We both know how we got here
We know there isn’t an escape
No reason to get formal, we haven’t reached new normal
We can’t go back now, it’s too late

Tell me have you ever seen a clearer sky?
Everywhere you look, man, it’s hot and dry

We could have talked this over, when things were still in order
But you had too much on your plate
Such a sad catastrophe, this didn’t really have to be
We had our chance, now it’s too late

I was thinking about what different people want. I was guessing some people want more things, some want more love and some people are so depressed, they want to burn everything down. Remember Socrates! “An unexamined life is not worth living.” What is it you want?

What Is It You Want? by Willy Grigg 2/4/22

[G]What is it you [Bm] want, then?
[Em]What’s it take to [G/D] get [D]you [G/D] high[D]er?
What is it you want, then?
What kind of things get you inspired?

[CM7]We all want to be [GM7]warm and safe
And [CM7] we all want to be free from hate
We [CM7] don’t get everything we want and [Bm7] sometimes we’re not sure
[Am7] If our hearts are golden, if [D7] our desires are pure

What is it you want, then? Is it something you can get on credit?
What is it you want, then? Just how likely do you think you’ll get it?

We’ve [CM7] been misled by [GM7]fairytales
Golden [CM7] memories, leave out [GM7] dark (fine) details
There’s [CM7]emptiness inside us and [Bm]it won’t go away
Until [Am7] we shine a light on the[D7] words we can’t say

Last October, I had to say goodbye to this guy, my uncle, Ed Talaga. This guy had been part of my life as long as I can remember. He was always there to help me, guide me and encourage me.

I wrote this song while I was driving into town to catch a plane to Michigan to go to his funeral. It’s hard to say goodbye to someone you love. I’m glad he was a part of my life.

Saying Goodbye by Willy Grigg 11/1/2021 Nemo Rd towards Saginaw Mi
I’m going back home to say goodbye
To say goodbye to someone I’ve always known
And I see where he lies, and I see him pass by
And I’m saying goodbye
And he’s leaving alone

He’s saying goodbye to the sunshine, saying goodbye to the birds
Saying goodbye to the friendly faces he’s known
He’s saying goodbye to the horses, saying goodbye to the clouds
Saying goodbye to the cowboys with their guitars

It was so long ago when we first said hello
And I knew you before, I even knew how to speak
And we worked in the field, Then we worked on your car
And I’d hand you the wrenches, Then we’d get something to eat

And I’m saying goodbye to a good man, Saying goodbye to a friend
Saying goodbye to someone, Who’s always looked out for me
I’m saying to my Uncle, saying goodbye to Ed
Wherever I travel you’ll always be a part of me

Cassandra by Willy Grigg 6/23/21

You [Am] tried to make the [G] science true
You [Am] checked your methods [G] through and through
Yet, you find people treating you
Like Cassandra

You said time will bear you out
And there’ll be floods and heat and drought
But other voices drowned you out
Like Cassandra

No one [G] hears, no one [C]wants to make a change
It might [E7]hurt, It might [F] cause a little [G] pain

Someday, it’s true the blind will see
When this world’s just a memory
And they’ll be cursing you and me
And Cassandra

12/27/2020

I (A)Don’t wanna (D/A)live in the (A) real world, I don’t want to deal with the facts
I don’t want to live in a hurry
Really I just want to relax
And if that’s[E] all right with you
Then it’s [D]all right with me
I ain’t [E]bothering you
Don’t be [D]bothering me

I don’t want to live in the real world
I want to keep all the plans that I’ve made
I want to pretend things are normal
I’ll never admit I’m afraid
And that’s just all right with me if that’s all right with you
You keep on laughing at me, cuz I’m laughing at you

This (F#m)crazy guy, he drove a bus a [A] way up in the mountains
On [F#m] one lane roads with no guard rails he was [A]speeding like a demon
The [D]passengers were [E] trembling
They [D]wanted to relieve him of his [E] job
But he said you don’t have to worry our lives are in the hands of God
And he decides
If we live and if we die
( You have no personal responsibility)

I (D)can’t be(E)lieve there’s danger out there
(D)I won’t (E) live my life that way
God will surely take care of me
Don’t I always kneel down and pray
I have been a faithful servant
Why does this world let me down
Just tell me who to blame, Lord
Tell me who to run out of town