Below you can download and keep the MP3 files if you’d like to listen anywhere anytime.
If you want to listen to a song just click on the title to the left of the DOWNLOAD button.
Also included is some general information relative to each song for anybody who might be interested.
On the HOME page you can click to download the lyrics for these songs.
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What so many people call “the river song” is one I knew had to be written someday and I am surprised I didn’t come up with it a lot earlier in life.
Spending my childhood listening to the rapids 24/7/365 and discovering new mysteries every day was a fantastic way to grow up.
The primary concept of the song is about how rivers demonstrate all those facets of life that we want to have. Complete freedom, a sense of belonging, universal admiration, looking great in photos, having a purposeful direction in life, being appreciated just because of who you are, and of course most of all BEING LISTENED TO!
My favorite lyric:
“Makes me wonder what it is that they know.”
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In 1986 I was invited to do a benefit concert for the homeless in America. This is an issue that has always bothered me so I was glad to accept the offer.
In fact it inspired me to write a song for this particular purpose. I tried to capture the various essences of how a homeless person might feel in different scenarios and during the diverse seasons prevalent in Minnesota.
I wrote it in a first person perspective because that is how I felt the lyrics would come across most effectively.
My favorite lyric:
“Shoes that are worth more than all I own.”
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For many years I didn’t really think of Side by Side as a “presentable” piece of material. But after sharing it with a number of listeners and getting a good response I decided I might as well put it out there.
It’s mostly just a simple love song but I like the lyrics that talk about how I felt less lost after I stopped playing music than I felt when I was constantly surrounded by people.
My favorite lyric:
“I don’t feel as lost in these shadows as I did when I lived in the light.”
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In 1988 The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency was trying to convince Koochiching County to accept their proposal to install a Hazardous Waste Facility not far from where I spent my childhood.
A lot of concerned citizens banded together and fought for about two years against this proposal. Fortunately the MPCA finally gave up and the plan was dropped.
This song was written during the final weeks before that momentous battle ended.
My favorite lyric:
“Nothing can fill my eyes like your dark and dancing skies.”
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This is one of many songs that makes me wish I could afford to do a much more professional recording.
I’m always aggravated by my unseasoned vocal on this 30-year old “live” audio but I really like the concept and general ambience of the song.
The melody and chorus are super simple but the message is upbeat and belongs to be heard.
I wrote this song for another documentary intending to broaden public awareness regarding people in wheelchairs. Also written from a first person perspective because I think the lyrics come through with more vibrancy.
My favorite lyric:
“Don’t look at me like I ought to be just wishing I could be like you.”
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I was commissioned to write this song for a video documentary about a tragic drinking and driving accident that took place in 1993.
A 17 year old boy drove off the road at 115 MPH and the car rolled over five times. Three of the occupants miraculously walked away with minor injuries but a 16 year old girl died.
The documentary won more than 30 awards and has been utilized in all 50 states for Driver’s Education courses, rehabilitation centers, drug treatment programs, etc.
Although the production company conveniently cheated me out of tens of thousands of dollars in royalties, over 25 years later I still feel I might have helped a few kids to make better decisions.
I like to think that’s a decent royalty.
My favorite lyric:
“They were like two rivers with no place to run.”
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Late one night I was thinking about all the fine lines that separate one thing from another and what is referred to as the “gray area” in between.
I’ll admit it’s likely that Jim Beam played a role in at least the initial concept of this song. I was 24 years old and this is when my lyrical approach began to take shape.
Even today I remember the night I wrote this and how good it felt when the concept came to my mind to use waves as an example of what I was trying to say.
Although the wind and the water combine to become one thing they are still each separate from one another.
My favorite lyric:
“Like the wind is apart from the wave.”
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This is one of my oldest songs. I was 22 and had studied Biblical and Christian concepts by myself since age 15.
The possibility of some vast higher power existing didn’t seem outlandish but the whole “burning in Hell” idea and the need for a Redeemer just never took root for me.
So you will notice each verse begins with a rather disrespectful “Hey holy savior” and the second half starts with a more reverent “Oh holy father.” It is just my way of separating the two concepts in a subtle manner.
I continue to ponder and remain open to new perspectives but will always feel that the one who knows the most about God is the one who knows nothing about God.
My favorite lyric:
“Is there love somewhere I’ve lost within or only hatred to you see?”
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My songs tend to lean toward the serious side but this is a rare one with humor and I was grateful to write it.
I even sent it to the NPR radio show Car Talk and was informed they would play it within the coming two weeks. I left for Germany within days and still don’t know if it was ever played.
My favorite lyric:
“Exhausted all my leisure funds on a muffler for your cough.”
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