“Here, here doggie!” Ever tried to get out of trouble by blaming someone else? Enter the faithful, family pooch who will take the heat every time, adn never complain. Of course you were late to work because of the dog, right?

"What do you when your "rights" all go wrong? How do you cope when you can't t get along? I choose hope..." _______________________________________________________________________ paypal.me/debseymourmusic Venmo: deb-seymour-1 Credit/debit: debseymourmusic.com/donate _______________________________________________________________________ I Choose Hope © November 9, 2024 ~Deborah B Seymour CAPO 2- G voicing Key of A G D 1. How do you sing when you have no songs C G D How do think your when your rights all go wrong G D How do you cope when you can’t get along C D I choose hope, I choose hope 2.How do you dance with two left feet How do talk when you can’t speak How do you win when you face defeat I choose hope, I choose hope CHORUS: C D G Hope is the stars in the darkness C D Em The seedling in the rain C D G It’s is the love that we can harness C Am D When we walk together through the pain C D G I choose hope, I choose hope 3. How do you laugh through all the tears How do you move all caught up in fear How do you pray when God disappears I choose hope, I choose hope 4. How do you stand when you feel so small How do you rise when you fall How do know it’ll work out at all I choose hope, I choose hope CHORUS x 2

Sometimes you have to get really stuck before you can figure it out. _________________________________________________________________________ Your support is appreciated! paypal.me/debseymourmusic Venmo: deb-seymour-1 Credit/Debit: debseymourmusic.com/donate JOIN ME HERE ON YOUTUBE SUNDAYS at 11 AM Pacific for "Brunch w/ Deb!", a 1/2 livestream of fun & frivolity (and maybe a classic cover or two!) ________________________________________________________________________ The Wallows © 2022 by Deb Seymour & Todd Lawrence Life was cruising on easy street ‘til your wheel of fortune stuck You thought it was just a glitch, a hitch in your good luck But then down came the avalanche and all the pain that follows Next thing you know; they’ve laid you low deep down in the wallows Who said that life was supposed to be fair? God laughs every time you plan You thought you had it all mapped out, lines drawn spic & span But times got tough, they coiled you up like a snake before it swallows And the cruel, cruel joke is you’ve begun to choke face down in the wallows Welcome bud into the tar and the mud I suppose it all seems grim Being stuck in the holy muck maybe you’d best learn to swim When you think about the journey out Some part of you just hollows So you acquiesce to your own distress neck-deep in the wallows Depression and discomfort they’re now your closest friend That melancholy baby has got you up on end Misery loves company, now you’re flesh and bone When you’re in the wallows, babe You’re never quite alone So welcome bud into the tar and the mud I suppose it all seems grim Being stuck in the holy muck maybe you’d best learn to swim All-your-fears-are muscled up flexing like Apollo’s You feel so small, so you toss it all to the mercy of the wallows The wallows are addictive they’re primed to keep you pinned The could-haves and the should -haves leave you twisting in the wind But faith will leave a golden thread down in the darkest pit It’s your call to rise or fall, what will you make of it So welcome friend to the bitter end, tell me what’s it gonna be Will you walk that first hard mile for drown in misery It’s the same for everyone everywhere From Seattle to Sao Paulo No soul alive too big to dive into the deep end of the wallows

"Mama Wears A Hard Hat" by Deb Seymour. Performed live at the Arizona Live Music Cooperative March 27, 2023. (w/ special guest Bob Kordas on Dobro.) ________________________________________________________ 3. Mama Wears A Hard Hat - 1998, 2011 © Deborah B. Seymour (Herkimer Productions/ BMI) CHORUS: Mama wears a hard hat, mama wears work boots Mama drives a fork-life and uses big tools She's got a big voice, she can talk tough To all the big boys, they listen up She don't dress in diamonds and pearls But mama is the queen of the working girls! 1. Mama never was one to take any flak Even when they said women don't work like that Mama got the training; mama got the job Mama is the one everyone counts on She can build a building, she can build a bridge She can build a roadway, she'll win the bid And if you need a buddy to get you through a jam You can bet your money, Mama: she's your man CHORUS 2. Whistle blows and the sun comes up Well she's out on the job site, getting things done Tote that load, lift the bale, Driving steel and pounding nails Sweat is pouring off her brow But she's flying high over broken ground Pretty is as pretty does, does pretty work? (Yes, she does!) BRIDGE: When Friday night comes around She lets her hair all hang down Mama love her friends and mama loves her kids And Mama loves her man like nobody's business

Every neighborhood has this bad boy...and you just love him, right? "Meowrrrrrr!" BAD CAT (c) 1992 Deborah B Seymour/ BMI Cool as the click of a switch-blade knife ] I walk on to your back porch and into your life I check out every corner and upturn every stone You’d better believe, I’ll make this back yard my own As I dominate the best sun patch Contemplating which birdies to catch Grooming myself from my head to my toes And just when I’ll pounce I tell ya- nobody knows CHORUS Cause I’m the king of the alleys, prince of the trash Sometimes I purr, sometimes I scratch Cruising through your neighborhood, I haven’t a care To let you come near me if come near me you dare ‘ Cause I’m a bad cat…bad cat… I’m a ba-a-a-d cat…..bad cat…. I was born in an alley the smallest of six I learned to survive on a cheap bag of tricks Out in the streets I’ve grown old, I’ve grown wise I’ve earned my share of more than nine lives Well, I’ve got this old lady, she tries to keep me in She offers me caviar and sips of her gin But she’ll never tame me, nobody can Fish eggs and booze are so insufferably bland! BRIDGE: And when your family’s asleep in the dead of the night In a silence so thick, you can slice A scream rips the air, makes your hair stand on end It’s me giving chase to that she-cat again... In the morning you’ll see me just as sweet as can be “What, last night? A cat fight? Who, me?”) As I gently play with some paper that’s scrap And shortly thereafter retire for my nap My name’s not important, I’ve never really had one) You know my deportment’s a mean, tough and bad one So if you see me on your back stairs and such You can come say hello, but don’t you dare touch… CODA: I’m the duke of the dumpster, baron of the back fence Hanging around’s what I do best

A true story of my encounter with a homeless man that opened my eyes to that love can be found anywhere, even in the darkest of places. Lyrics The Can Man (Light Is On) © Deborah B. Seymour (Herkimer Productions) He's not much to look at, shabby, faded Like a piece of punched-up leather someone used and threw away He takes his trash can in and out of the dumpsite each day Cashing in for what he can and taking other stuff away I was working for the county doing surveys on the trash Smoky diesels screaming down, drivers rude and fast I wrote him off as crazy, wouldn't give him my time ‘Til he caught me at a pause and looked me in the eye CHORUS The light is on, somebody's home. Lean on me, sister, you are not alone Open up your heart, share your heavy load The light is on.... Three years ago, they said, by now I should be dead Spots the size of golf balls in my lungs and in my head But Jesus came and now I'm here, digging in the dump Rescuing souls in need whom others give up People think they can own their home, their body or their lives But these things are impermanent, I've seen the other side So, take care of what's holy, choose to do right And when God comes and finds you won't you let His love inside? He said, "God bless and thank you" and to my surprise, he gave me a hug And wheeled his battered barrel out, his daily work now done The trucks still rumbled through the site, the drivers were still mean But somehow down there in the garbage all this were washed clean Now I don't know which path to God I'll walk over time The Buddha, Jesus, or the Goddess, someday I'll decide But I now know there's a love out there that crosses all those lines And if I ever feel in doubt, the "Can Man"' is who I’ll think about

Have you ever been addled by folks who tell you how to run your life? I wrote this song for you! (Originally filmed for the Tim Noah Thumbnail Theater Virtual Open Mic 2021)

A little ditty about growing older and learning to let things go. ;-)

When the going gets tough, the tough go to outer space. Recorded by Alicia Healey at the Winterblue Room, Seattle. www.debseymourmusic.com #debseymourmusic #farwestconnects #southeastregionalfolkallianace #songwritersinseattle #pugetsoundguitarworkshop #victorymusic #ancientvictories #comedy #novelty #scifi #space #mars #elonmusk #spacex #filk #norwestcon #milehicon #comiccon #martians #tangos #silly #humor #lovesong