So many goodbyes to so many good friends

July 9, 2026 

Well here’s another goodbye to another good friend
–Jagger-Richards, Before They Make Me Run

I heard you were sober 
Then I heard you were gone 
A hardworking man
Now you're just a sad song 

You had plenty of talent
Humor and charm
Checked out of this world
With a spike in your arm

Doctor said the sclerosis 
Was taking its toll
Nothing but the bottle 
Ever made you feel whole 

You were barely 21
When you faded away
Another bloody car crash
Another crazy day

Flowers and florsheims  
Condolences to send
So many goodbyes
To so many good friends

by Richard W. Bray

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Posted in Poetry | Leave a Comment »

Cuckoo for the Puff

July 3, 2026 

Every day is fry day
Dazing in the haze
Chronic is her tonic
She loves her hippy ways

She’s cuckoo for the puff
That sticky stinky stuff
She’ll never get enough
She’s cuckoo for the puff

She’s never gonna cope 
Without an eighth of dope
The Nirvana she has found
Is growing in the ground

She’s cuckoo for the puff
That sticky stinky stuff
She’ll never get enough
She’s cuckoo for the puff

Blissful waves of blasting
Unplugging from it all
She’d rather hug a tree
Than take another call

She’s cuckoo for the puff
That sticky stinky stuff
She’ll never get enough
She’s cuckoo for the puff

by Richard W. Bray

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Posted in If it sounds country, Lyrics | Leave a Comment »

Dancing on Quasars

June 24, 2026 


Clickity wickity
Tickity tock
I talk to the trees 
And sing to the rocks

Lickity splickity
Knickity knack
The trees only laugh
The rocks all sing back

Hockity pockety 
Blippity blap
The sound of the sirens
Is my favorite trap

Snickity snackity
Whippity wap
I tickle my Cyclops
When he takes a nap 

Snoopity poopity
Goopity gap
My dog sings a ballad
And sits on my lap

Cookity bookity
Hoppity hip
When you’re dancing on quasars
You better not slip

by Richard W. Bray

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Posted in Poetry, Poetry for Kids | Leave a Comment »

Green meadows green hills yellow daffodils

June 13, 2026 

Green meadows
Green hills
Yellow daffodils
Laughter, love and smiles
Joy that lasts for miles
Romance dreamy free
Sang a song to me

Then reality returns
The fun fades away
The memory burns
Until my final day

Green meadows
Green hills
Yellow daffodils
Hand in hand 
Yesterday
Now I'm groping through the tears
Till there’s nothing left to say

by Richard W. Bray

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Posted in If it sounds country, love songs, Lyrics, sad songs, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Pay attention when you’re angry

June 7, 2026 


The conscious mind thinks it’s the Oval Office, when in reality it’s the press office.
–Jonathan Haidt

Pay attention when you’re angry
It can show you who you are
Find out where your hurting
By listening to your scars

A friend's girlfriend looks so hot
You wanna fill his gut with shot

One of your buddies at the bar
Just got a really awesome car

Somebody tells a stupid joke
And your head fills up with smoke

That singer dresses funny
Why should he have so much money?

Someone talks about a wedding
And you dream of their beheading 

Take a deep breath 
Wish everyone the best
Let it out slow 
Try and let it go
 
by Richard W. Bray

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Posted in If it sounds country, Lyrics | Leave a Comment »

The Dew of Your Devotions

May 15, 2026 

Bombs are not the answer
And kindness isn’t bad
Caring for your neighbor
Is not a silly fad

Don’t let people tell you it’s just a dirty scheme
You can make a rainbow out of dandelion dreams

No more Golden Idols
No more worshipping machines
It’s time to tend the garden
And cook some healthy greens

Don’t let people tell you it’s just a dirty scheme
You can make a rainbow out of dandelion dreams

Time keeps gurgling on
No matter what you do
Pick a destination
And paddle your canoe

Don’t let people tell you it’s just a dirty scheme
You can make a rainbow out of dandelion dreams

by Richard W. Bray

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Posted in Emily Dickinson, If it sounds country, Lyrics, Wallace Steven | Leave a Comment »

Who’s Pulling Your Stings?

May 1, 2026 


They look like you
And they talk like you 
They went to your school

They've been prepped 
And they've been vetted
They have the right to rule

But year after year
They keep on messing up
Are your people simply stupid?
Are they hopelessly corrupt?

One thing you know for sure 
The other side is wrong
They don't share your values
They don't like your songs

But maybe it's a lie
Or maybe it's a show
Maybe you're a puppet
And you don't even know

Instead of pointing fingers
And calling people Kings
Do your own research
And see who pulls the strings

Until you work together
With with the ones you wanna hate
The puppeteers will laugh 
And manipulate
 
by Richard W. Bray

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Posted in Poetry | Leave a Comment »

Further up the Mountainside

April 26, 2026 


Talking doesn't make you any smarter
Spirits whisper when you're walking harder
Further up the mountainside
Moist and friendly dirt resides

A setting star pulls two along
A feeble path less trampled on
A doe a buck a friendly pine
A stony seat where two recline

Smell the dew
In walking shoes
With misty skies above
Pay your dues
And find the view
Where Earth returns your Love

by Richard W. Bray

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Posted in If it sounds country, Lyrics, Robert Frost | Leave a Comment »

it sure beats living a lie

April 17, 2026 



Smashing into walls
Cuz you really like the view 
Singing to your hatred
Cuz it loves you so true

I might pay a price for telling the truth 
But it sure beats living a lie

Practicing your backstroke 
Swimming in the gutter
Wearing your deception 
A coat of many shudders

I might pay a price for telling the truth 
But it sure beats living a lie

Self-preservation 
Is the only thing you trust 
Throwing friends and lovers
Underneath the bus

I might pay a price for telling the truth 
But it sure beats living a lie

Inside out
Your pride is really shame 
There's nothing left to hide 
There's no one else to blame

I might pay a price for telling the truth 
But it sure beats living a lie

by Richard W. Bray

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Posted in If it sounds country, Lyrics | Leave a Comment »

Clean My Thinking

April 10, 2026 

She's got big dreams and small feelings
Treats me like potato peelings
I'm hung up on a woman
Who can't respect a man

Lobotomized accommodations 
The sudden fall of mighty nations
I'm hung up on a woman
Who can't respect a man

Stupid people and stupid talking
Close my ears and just keep walking 
I'm hung up on a woman
Who can't respect a man

Cheats and liars getting wealthy
Surrounded by so much unhealthy
I'm hung up on a woman
Who can't respect a man

Stop my crying. Stop my stinking
Time for me to clean my thinking
I don't need a woman 
Who can't respect a man 

by Richard W. Bray

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Posted in If it sounds country, Lyrics | Leave a Comment »

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