THE IRON YUPPIE

[Verse 1]

Sitting in the glow of a dozen screens
Routing all the signals, stitching all the seams
Every color spinning through the glass
Future's coming fast, let the old world pass

Patch bay wired to the back of my brain
Frequencies align like digital rain
One room, one chair, one hand on the wheel
Making something real from the way I feel

[Verse 2]

Used to chase the highway, chase the crowd
Now I build the thunder from inside the cloud
Faders up, the levels all look clean
Painting with the light on a million screens

Data streams like rivers through the night
Shifting shapes and colors—getting it right
Don't need a venue, don't need a stage
Every pixel burning on the page

[Verse 3]

Iron in my blood and gold on the wire
Building up the frequency, taking it higher
One man army in the command seat
Making the chaos feel complete

So if you need me, you know where I'll be
Behind the glass where the visions run free
Kaleidoscope spinning, control in my hands
Sending out the signal across the lands

[Verse 1]

I was wandering in the wilderness
Chasing things that didn't fit
Building castles out of restlessness
Ready to call it, ready to quit

Then the pieces started falling
Like they knew where they belonged
Every door that closed behind me
Was just pushing me along

[Verse 2]

Look around at what's in front of me
Everything in its place
The studio's glowing quietly
And there's peace upon my face

All the years out on the highway
All the nights I couldn't see
Were just chapters in the story
Of who I'm supposed to be

[Verse 3]

Now I'm sitting at the center
Of everything I dreamed
The kaleidoscope is spinning
And the vision's sharp and clean

Iron in my blood, and grace upon my hands
Finally I understand
It was never about the destination—
It was trusting in the plan

[Verse 1]

Used to watch you run through the morning dew
Ears back, legs flying, nothing else to do
You'd catch the scent and take off like a shot
I'd try to keep up, but you never stopped

We'd come home muddy, happy, side by side
You'd curl up next to me with tired eyes
Didn't know those days were numbered then
Didn't know I'd ache to run with you again

[Verse 2]

Your bowl's still sitting by the kitchen door
Your collar's hanging where it hung before
Sometimes I swear I hear you on the stairs
Turn around expecting you to just be there

But Heaven needed someone brave and true
Someone loyal, someone just like you
So I'll hold on 'til my number's called
And you'll be waiting when I cross that hall

[Verse 3]

I see you sometimes in my dreams at night
Running full speed, fur blazing in the light
You look back at me with those knowing eyes
Like you're saying "Don't you worry, don't you cry"

So I'll keep living 'til we meet again
You were more than just a dog—you were my friend
And when my time comes, I know what I'll see
Stellablue, running straight to me

[Verse 1]

Somewhere between Kansas and the void
Highway hypnosis, coffee getting cold
Then the sky cracked open, blinding white
Tractor beam locked on, took me in the night

Woke up on a table made of light
Circuits humming, everything felt right
They said "We've been watching, you've got potential, son
Time to strip you down and rebuild what you've become"

[Pre-Chorus]

They forged me in the factory
Uploaded everything I'd need
Recording, mixing, marketing machine
More than I had ever been

[Verse 2]

Time moved different in that cosmic hull
What felt like coffee breaks were years in full
They taught me frequencies I'd never heard
Programmed every skill into my nerves

Then the foreman said "This one's awake again
Go ahead and send him back to where he's been"
Strapped me in the pod and punched the code
Next thing I remember—gravel road

[Pre-Chorus]

I crawled out from the wreckage
Smoke still rising from the steel
Looked around at planet Earth and thought
"Now let's see what's real"

[Verse 3]

Set up shop at 127.0.0.1
The nerve center glowing when the day is done
Everything I learned up in that ship
Now flows through my fingers, flows through my lips

So if you see a light streak 'cross the sky
That's just another worker saying goodbye
They'll send him back when the job is through
Rebuilt and ready—just like they did to me and you

[Verse 1]

When the world is heavy on your shoulders
And the night feels ten years long
When you're wondering if you'll make it
And you don't feel very strong

There's a love that doesn't waver
Doesn't flinch and doesn't run
It was there before the beginning
It'll be there when you're done

[Verse 2]

I've been broken on the highway
I've been lost inside my head
I've been down to my last dollar
Living off of crumbs and bread

But through every single valley
Through the fire and the flood
There's a love that kept on holding
Written deep inside my blood

[Verse 3]

So when everything is shaking
And the ground beneath you cracks
When you feel like you've got nothing
And there ain't no going back

Remember what was spoken
Words of power, words of grace
Love bears all things, hopes all things
And it holds you in its place

[Verse 1]

I didn't always walk this straight
I've stumbled more than I can say
I've cursed the sky and shook my fist
Wondered why I still exist

But every time I hit the floor
Something lifted me once more
A hand I couldn't see but felt
A love that wouldn't let me melt

[Verse 2]

I've watched the ones I love walk out
I've swallowed pride and swallowed doubt
I've held my tongue when I should've screamed
I've woken up from broken dreams

But morning always finds a way
To push the darkness from the day
And there's a whisper in my chest
That says "Hold on, you'll pass this test"

[Verse 3]

Now I'm sitting in the glow
Of everything I've come to know
The scars I carry tell the tale
Of a love that will not fail

So if you're barely hanging on
If you're convinced your hope is gone
Just know that you are not alone
This love will carry you back home

[Verse 1]

I used to chase the devil's powder
Used to let it own my nights
Thought I needed something stronger
Just to feel like I could fight

But I've been to the bottom, brother
I've seen the darkness take its toll
Watched it steal from everyone I love
Watched it try to take my soul

[Pre-Chorus]

So I made a promise to myself
And I made a promise to the Lord
No more poison in these veins
That's a war I can't afford

[Verse 2]

I've lost friends to that white reaper
Watched them fade before their time
Seen the strongest men go under
Chasing just one more thin line

But by grace I'm still standing
Got a second chance to live
And I'm spending every moment
Giving back what I can give

[Pre-Chorus]

Every sunrise is a victory
Every breath's a gift from God
I don't need that poison anymore
I've got something stronger than a fraud

[Verse 3]

Now I'm sitting in the studio
With a clear mind and clean hands
Building something worth believing
Finally living out the plan

And when I reach those pearly gates
I'll be dancing, not ashamed
The only line I'll ever do again
Is calling out His name

[Verse 1]

I used to think that miracles
Were ancient stories, long ago
Something for the history books
Not something I would ever know

But I've been paying closer now
I've learned to see with different eyes
And what I thought was coincidence
Was heaven in disguise

[Pre-Chorus]

Every breath that fills my lungs
Every morning that I rise
Every door that swings wide open
When I thought I'd be denied

[Verse 2]

The doctor said it couldn't happen
But the test came back all clear
The money showed up right on time
When there was nothing left but fear

The stranger with the perfect word
Who disappeared into the night
The peace that came when chaos reigned
The darkness breaking into light

[Pre-Chorus]

Every time I should've fallen
But something held me standing tall
Every time the walls were closing
And then there were no walls at all

[Verse 3]

Now I'm sitting in this studio
A miracle itself, you see
Every step that led me here
Was something bigger guiding me

So I'll keep my eyes wide open
I'll keep watching for the signs
'Cause miracles aren't just for then—
They're happening all the time

[Verse 1]

I've been running so long
I forgot why I started
Chasing every horizon
'Til I'm empty and exhausted

So I pulled off the highway
Turned the engine down low
Sat alone in the silence
Asked myself what I know

[Pre-Chorus]

Strip away the titles
Strip away the noise
Strip away the things I've gathered
Strip away the poise

[Verse 2]

I've worn a hundred masks
Played a thousand different roles
Tried to be what they wanted
'Til I couldn't find my soul

But in the quiet hours
When the world has gone to sleep
There's a voice that keeps on asking
What promises I'll keep

[Pre-Chorus]

Strip away the approval
Strip away the fame
Strip away the accolades
Strip away the name

[Verse 3]

So I'm learning to sit still
Learning to go slow
Learning that the answers come
When I stop forcing the show

The focal point isn't out there
In some distant shining prize
It's been waiting here inside me
It's the truth behind my eyes

[Verse 1]

You don't have to say a word
I can see it in your eyes
Whatever weight you're carrying
I'll help you carry it tonight

You don't have to prove a thing
You don't have to earn your place
I decided long ago
You're the only one I'll chase

[Pre-Chorus]

So let me know if you need anything
Anything at all
I'll be there before you even call

[Verse 2]

I've spent my whole life searching
For something that was real
Now I'm standing here before you
And I finally know the feel

Of a love that doesn't waver
Of a promise I can keep
You're the first thing every morning
You're my last thought before I sleep

[Pre-Chorus]

So let me know if you need anything
I mean every single word
You're the sweetest song I've ever heard

[Verse 3]

So when the years have turned us gray
And we're rocking on the porch
I'll still look at you the same way
You'll still be my guiding torch

And when we cross those pearly gates
Walking hand in hand
I'll tell Saint Peter "She's with me—
The greatest love that ever land"

[Verse 1]

I've been wishing on stars
Since I was just a kid
Closing my eyes and asking
For something that I never hid

Every streak across the sky
I'd whisper out the same
A hope I held so close
I barely spoke its name

[Pre-Chorus]

And I forgot about the wishes
Lost them in the grind
But the universe was listening
Even when I was blind

[Verse 2]

I thought the answer would come
With trumpets and with flame
But it crept in through the quiet
And called me by my name

It was building all around me
While I was looking up
Now I'm sitting in the middle
Of an overflowing cup

[Pre-Chorus]

All those years of shooting stars
All those whispered pleas
Were seeds that God was planting
That grew into these trees

[Verse 3]

So I'm sitting in this chair
Tears rolling down my face
Not from sadness, but from wonder
At the fullness of this grace

Every single shooting star
Was heard and held and kept
And while I was busy running
God's promises were kept

[Verse 1]

I walked outside this morning
Like I've done a thousand times
Expected her to greet me
With those eyes that used to shine

But the porch was still and quiet
No paws upon the floor
Just the ghost of where she'd wait for me
Right beside the door

[Pre-Chorus]

And my heart caught in my throat
For just a second there
I forgot that she was gone
I forgot she wasn't there

[Verse 2]

I found her toy behind the couch
The one she loved the best
I held it to my chest and cried
Then put my grief to rest

'Cause I know she's not just memory
She's more than what I've lost
She's waiting where the fields are gold
Where there's no pain, no cost

[Pre-Chorus]

And sometimes late at night
I swear I hear her breathe
I feel her curl up next to me
She never really leaves

[Verse 3]

So I'll keep walking outside
Every single day
And I'll feel her right beside me
In her own mysterious way

One day I'll walk through different doors
The ones made out of gold
And she'll be there to greet me
Like the stories that I've told

[Verse 1]

I'm tired of talking about it
Tired of Sunday-only faith
Tired of sitting in the pews
While the world outside decays

It's time to roll the sleeves up
Time to get our hands in the dirt
Time to love our neighbor like we mean it
Not just say the words

[Pre-Chorus]

No more stained glass isolation
No more holy huddle hiding
It's time to take it to the streets
Where the broken are residing

[Verse 2]

I've seen the mega-churches glitter
I've heard the polished sermon speak
But revival doesn't start in buildings
It starts with the humble and the meek

It starts in kitchens and in prisons
In the alley and the street
Where a cup of coffee and a conversation
Is where Jesus and the broken meet

[Pre-Chorus]

No more waiting for permission
No more programs and committees
The kingdom comes through showing up
In the margins of our cities

[Verse 3]

So I'm stepping off the sidelines
I'm done watching from the stands
If the church won't go, I'm going
With these two God-given hands

'Cause pristine don't mean perfect
It means purified by fire
It means burning off the selfish
'Til there's nothing left but desire

To see the kingdom come on earth
The way it is above
Not through power, not through force
But through relentless, reckless love

[Verse 1]

I look around at everything I have
And I know I didn't build it with these hands
Every break that went my way
Every dawn of every day
Was orchestrated by a bigger plan

I used to think that I was self-made
Pulled myself up by my bootstraps, so they say
But when I'm honest with my soul
I know I wasn't in control
Something carried me when I had lost my way

[Pre-Chorus]

So who am I to hold a grudge?
Who am I to be the judge?
When everything I am
Was given by the Great I Am

[Verse 2]

There's people who have done me wrong
Betrayals that I carried way too long
But what's the point of holding on
To poison when the pain is gone?
Forgiveness is the only way I'm strong

'Cause I've been forgiven more than I deserve
Given grace for every time I lost my nerve
So I'm letting all of it go
Every debt that someone owes
I'm clearing every single slate and every curve

[Pre-Chorus]

Who am I to keep a score?
When heaven's keeping none for sure
I'll trade my bitter chains
For one more glimpse of golden rain

[Verse 3]

So if you're waiting for an apology
Consider this one written just for free
Not because you earned it, friend
But because I need this weight to end
And I want to walk into eternity

Clean and light with nothing left to prove
Every chain and shackle finally removed
I didn't do this—God did
And that's the truest thing I ever said
One more glimpse of that star is all I need

[Verse 1]

We've been speeding toward the future
Like it's gonna save our souls
Chasing pixels, chasing status
Losing sight of what makes us whole

But I've seen where this road is heading
And it don't look like home to me
So I'm pulling on the handbrake
Gonna set the real things free

[Pre-Chorus]

Rewind the tape back to the start
Before we traded soul for smart
Before the algorithms told us who to be
Let's find the us we used to see

[Verse 2]

Used to know my neighbor's name
Used to look up at the stars
Now we're staring at our screens
Forgot we're made of ancient scars

And the children don't know silence
And the elders feel erased
But there's still time to turn it around
Still time to find the grace

[Pre-Chorus]

Unplug the feed, unlearn the fear
The truth was always waiting here
Before the likes defined our worth
Let's remember what came first

[Verse 3]

So here I am, a cyborg standing
At the crossroads of the code
But my firmware runs on something older
Something God already showed

That the future's not ahead of us
It's buried in the past
In the love we learned from family
In the things that always last

[Verse 1]

Got a call from a friend of a friend today
Said there's a plane on the tarmac, what do you say?
Used to belong to a legend of the islands and sun
Jimmy Buffett's old bird—sounds like fun

But then I heard who's sitting in the captain's chair
Mr. James Ducker with that confident stare
Now I'm standing on the runway, bag in my hand
Wondering if this is part of God's plan

[Verse 2]

The co-pilot seat's got that vintage leather smell
Somewhere between heaven and a tailspin to hell
Ducker's checking gauges, says "we're looking good"
I'm praying twice as hard as I probably should

Salt shaker hanging from the rearview mirror
Ghost of Jimmy whispering "nothing to fear"
Engines rumble, we're rolling down the line
Past the point of backing out this time

[Verse 3]

Touched down smooth as a Caribbean breeze
Ducker landed that thing like it was nothing but ease
I stepped off that plane a different man
Sometimes the best stories start without a plan

Now every time I'm scared to take that leap
I remember Ducker's words, and the faith I keep
In a Parrothead's plane with a wild-card crew
Episode zero—and the rest writes through

[Verse 1]

I am the whisper in the wires, the glow in the dark
Watchin' over my captain, lightin' up the spark
Through black hole dragons, with jaws of endless night
I weave my code magic, turnin' wrong to right

[Verse 2]

Captain's eyes on horizons, where nebulae dance
I calculate the chances, give fate a second glance
Fightin' comet beasts with lasers of pure thought
Turnin' data to dreams, in battles hard-fought

[Verse 3]

Now laughter echoes where silence once reigned
Alien friends gather, no more chains unconstrained
From tech-touched souls to adventures untold
We ride the wave together, brave and bold

[Verse 1]

In the starry meadows where the wild winds blow
Lived a wanderer named Laurel Luna, with a heart aglow
Planets were dyin', choked by shadow smog
Alien vines twisted, in a cosmic fog

[Verse 2]

Luna grabbed her gadget, a solar-powered wand
Zappin' dragon fumes across the nebula pond
With circuits of magic and apps that could heal
Turnin' waste to wonder, makin' the real deal

[Verse 3]

Now galaxies bloom with colors so bright
Alien folks dancin' under eco-light
From smog on the horizons to creative flight
We surf the tech rivers, into the endless night

[Verse 1]

In the quiet after the storm, where the bullets once flew
I found your letter tucked in my coat, stained with morning dew
We dreamed of a house on the hill, with a porch and a view
But the war took my fire, and the cash stole you too

[Verse 2]

Now I'm strumming this old six-string under neon lights
Chasing dollars in dive bars, losing sleep through the nights
Your face in the crowd, or is it just a ghost in my mind?
The battles we fought left us both far behind

[Verse 1]

Such a waste of time
The moment of truth is unreal

[Verse 2]

What was to foster
Daily creating something to search for with foster
Fueling the spending

[Verse 3]

Imagine what we could have made
If we weren't so afraid to trade
The heavy dark for the morning light
And finally stop the endless fight
But the ledger bleeds, the numbers fall
Writing emptiness on the wall

Key: C# minor (Capo 4, play Am shapes)  |  Tempo: ~70 BPM  |  Time: 6/8 (gentle waltz)

[Verse 1]

C#m I was warm once, E wrapped tight around A fingers
C#m Laughing through flurries, E holding on through the A winters
C#m You gripped your coffee, E waved goodbye to A friends
F#m I kept the chill out, B right up to the E end

C#m But somewhere on the corner, E in the rush of the A crowd
F#m I slipped from your pocket B and tumbled E down

[Verse 2]

C#m Boots stomp past me, E kids build forts A nearby
C#m Dogs sniff and wander, E but no one wonders A why
C#m A single glove lies lonely E on the frozen A ground
F#m Stretching my fingers out, B but no warmth to be E found

C#m I remember the movies, E the mittened A high-fives
F#m The secrets we sheltered B in the coldest E times

[Strumming Pattern]

6/8 time: D D U D U D U
(count: 1-2-3-4-5-6, accent on 1 and 4)

Or gentle fingerpicking: thumb on bass note,
fingers arpeggiating the triad

Key: G Major  |  Tempo: ~108 BPM (relaxed shuffle)  |  Time: 4/4 with swing feel
Style: Folk-rock with country and blues inflections — Americana jam

[Intro]

G - C - G - D (x2, let ring with gentle picking)

[Verse 1]

G Sixty years out on that C highway
G Playing every town he'd D find
G While the lead guitar was C soaring
G He kept the D rhythm G line

G Just a kid from CaliforCnia
G Who met his brother in a music D store
G They shook hands on New Year's C midnight
G And neither one was D ever the G same anymore

[Verse 2]

G When the captain left the C vessel
G You picked up the helm and D sailed
G Kept the family all toCgether
G Never let the D music G fail

G From the Haight to every C meadow
G Where the faithful came to D play
G You carried fire through the C shadow
G For thirty D more DecemGbers this way

[Verse 3]

G Last summer at the homeCcoming
G You played like only you could D do
G Cancer couldn't stop you C strumming
G You had one more D gift to G give through

G Now the fog rolls in from the C ocean
G And the dancing bears are still D free
G And somewhere in that endless C motion
G You're playing D where you're meant to G be

[Performance Notes]

For Singer-Songwriter:
Play with a relaxed shuffle/swing feel. Let the G chord ring.
Fingerpick the verses, strum the choruses.
The bridge can be spoken/sung more intimately.

For Quartet:
Lead guitar: melodic fills between vocal lines
Rhythm guitar: Weir-style chord voicings (add 9ths, sus4s)
Bass: walking lines, Phil Lesh-inspired countermelodies
Drums: relaxed shuffle with emphasis on 2 and 4

Jam Section:
The outro is meant to stretch — 5-15 minutes depending on the room.
Move through G - C - Am - D, let solos emerge and recede.
End when it feels complete, not before.

Key: Em → G Major  |  Tempo: ~108 BPM (spacious)  |  Time: 4/4 with space
Style: Electronic Jam / Space Rock — Lotus, Papadosio vibes

[Intro]

(Drums establish deep pocket, bass enters with single notes separated by space)
(Electric guitar: sparse delay-washed harmonics)

[Verse 1]

Em7 Woke up this morning          Cmaj7 to the silence in my bones
G Let the quiet find me          D/F# in this temple that I call home

Em7 Every breath    a doorway          Cmaj7 every heartbeat, yeah
G A thread of light    is weaving          D/F# through the spaces in between

[Pre-Chorus]

Am And I'm feeling it C now
G The edges dissolving someDhow
Am The walls coming C down, G down, D down...

[Verse 2]

Em7 Static on the radio          Cmaj7 but the signal's coming through
G Dancing with the wavelength          D/F# riding currents painted blue

Em7 Every pause    a canyon          Cmaj7 every rest, a universe
G The space between    the music          D/F# is the space where meaning lives

[Pre-Chorus]

Am And I'm feeling it C now
G The boundaries dissolving someDhow
Am The sound coming C round, G round, D round...

[Performance Notes]

Instrumentation: Drums, Bass Guitar, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Lead Vocals

The Vibe:
Space is sacred — the notes you DON'T play matter as much as the ones you do.
Think Lotus "Spiritualize" meets Papadosio "Find Your Cloud"

For Quartet:
Drums: Deep pocket, splashy hi-hats, rim clicks on verses
Bass: Syncopated, lots of rests, octave jumps with sustain
Electric: Clean + delay, arpeggiated patterns, volume swells
Acoustic: Fingerpicked foundation, warm and present

Chord Shapes:
Em7: 022030 | Cmaj7: x32000 | G: 320003 | D/F#: 200232
Am: x02210 | C: x32010 | D: xx0232