In the winter's cold

In the winter cold darkness fill the air

No stories told just wishing you were there

I close my eyes, and see who’s to blame

I close my eyes, and shout out my name

How stupid can I… possibly be

Strung out and high, and sitting next to me

I close my eyes, and try to a different way

I close my eyes and regret it to this day

The warmth of wool

A lesson from school

A beer to share

A voice who cared

Just lost for what

Just lost……. for what.

in the winter cold darkness fill the air

no stories told just wishing you were there

I close my eyes, and see who’s to blame

I close my eyes, and shout out my name

by Dave Schipper (c) 2017 Rose Riversongs

Angel in Disguise

We all encounter angels young and old who we need to watch over; while they grace us with their presence. This song was on my mind recently, here is the instrumental track... my voice will never do the song or the angels justice so we'll leave it hear. You’re an angel in disguise

With unusual brown eyes

You’re a child not in the fold

But a piece of heaven to hold

Your many faces change and shine

With a gentleness so kind

When passing by please hear a prayer

Let me stand and protect her

Take a stand and clear a space

Where it’s safe for her to grow

Stand in back and let her know

True love is hard too show.

You’re an angel in disguise

Beauty masking any whys

My hope to you is that a smile

Light your life’s many miles 

And if chance just stop to pray

You’re a gift from God today

If you take your wings to flight

He’ll show you brilliant in the night.

Take a stand and clear a space

Where it’s safe for her to grow

Stand in back and let her know

True love is hard too show.


 by Dave Schipper © 2005 Rose Riversongs

Graceful & Grand Mary

Here's a piece written over 5 years ago for Lady Mary and many other fair skin dark eye angels that easily cast a spell on me.  I was reminded of it as I was pitching Barry to learn the melody on his full size Irish Harp.


Graceful and grand is your beauty
Tender and soft is your white skin
I gaze into your deep dark eyes
To lose myself once again.

There but a moment when we met
You fashioned my heart
In your alchemy

Casted a spell to tear me apart.
You fashioned my heart
In your alchemy

Graceful and grand is your beauty
Tender and soft is your white skin
I gaze into your deep dark eyes
To lose myself once again.

A season must pass until we meet
You stay in my mind
Each night and day

To renew a love more replete
You stay in my mind
Each night and day

Graceful and grand is your beauty
Tender and soft is your white skin
I gaze into your deep dark eyes
To lose myself once again.

By Dave Schipper © 2012 Rose Riversongs

Lucky dog

I am a copy of my old man

One that flirts with every pretty miss

You can trust me I’m no Peter Pan

I’ll sometimes hug, but never do I kiss

Why don’t we spend some time? 

Crying about a show.

Why don’t we talk a while? 

About your favorite Bordeaux

That dress that Margret wore 

Or what veggie you will grow.

Girl you got a friend

And I really want to know.

I am lucky dog, a trait I hold dear

Just lead me for a walk, throw me a smile.

I’ll sing you up a song, not loud but clear

Maybe a Dylan tune, but always worthwhile.

So you’re in Paradise

Hallelujah my friend

So when Johnny died

Did you Cry Cry Cry

Or sat alone in blue

Just tangled up again

Which tune you’d like to hear.

Knock twice for a Dylan.

I am a copy of my old man

One that flirts with every pretty miss

You can trust me, I’m no Peter Pan

I’ll sometimes hug, but rarely do I kiss

by Dave Schipper © 2016 Rose Riversongs

I decided to make this a spoken word piece on Bones  CD by Lucky Dog.


Here was it sounded like as a song.

Come check my heart

Photo Credit
Ok.. here you can listen to the demo with you are reading:
Click here for the most recent demo.

Come check my heart, my lights are flashing,

Come check my heart, you need no warning 

Come check my heart, it's beating faster 

Come check my heart, here in the morning

Cat’s on the pillow case, and dust on my shoes,

You’re sleeping in lace, so hard to refuse,

His is lost is my gain, I’m grateful too,

I can sense your pain, I’m the one for you,

Chorus

Your cross is scarred; you take all dares,

You hold every card, in this new love affair

So hold me close, and trust in me, 

I am no ghost, in that you’ll see.

Chorus

The coffee poured, the rain begins

No points were scored, and no talk of sin

You pet the cat, and purr yourself

I’m thinking that my heart’s been dealt.

Chorus

by Dave Schipper (c) 2017 Rose Riversongs

Notes: Here's another one inspired by Dylan (think Forgetful Heart) but started in the dumbest way.  I was driving to work and heard a commercial for an auto parts and going there if your check engine light is on.  I was reaching over to turn it off for silence in the car and that message resonated.  Truly this is my alter ego and I'll have fun singing it someday with a gravely 70's edition Bob voice.  Also I thought I'd share I write safely in the car today with technology, although my voice translation is pretty hilarious.  I thought I'd share it with you.

Keep living deep in love

It’s priceless to hold your hand.
You are a precious gift of life.
You are the smile on my face.

It’s senseless to live without you.
Time or distance tries to separate,
Rhyme and sentences bring you back.

So I sit with words in black and white
Left to flesh the feelings out
Then I sit with adjectives abound
Silently I sit wanting to shout.
But I write you these dear words,
“Keep living deep in Love”

by Dave Schipper © 2010 Rose Riversongs

photo credit

Note: Thanks for making this my most viewed post, only confirms that love still runs deep.

Under her skin

My hero never let's a song sit idle... and I thought the version I was listening to, just had too many words, and the song lacked feeling.  Slowed it down, and tweaked the key and melody I have demo of the second take of the song here:  CLICK HERE to Hear. The demo is played in these chords but capo 2.

Here's the rewrite:

E           F#m              G#m                      E

One by one the cars gathered ‘round the house 

E       F#m       G#m           E

Each leaving a space to get out

A            B                  C#m

A final  hug for each pair

      B                  A              E

That day she had friends to spare 

       B                    C#m

And no one would dare 

B   |   |             A

Bring him up again 

pause  A         B    E

And get under her skin 

Go goodbye is no love affair
Yet friends can have fill the air 

She'll be off to Nashville
Her daughter at Vanderbilt
Now how to pay the bill
She’ll trust in
What's under her skin 

As the last hug went goodbye
She looked at her phone and said why 

Just silence on his end
No good luck or opinion
Will she see him again?
She let him in
Right under her skin 

She lit the candle one last time
And sat down with a glass of wine

 A toast to independence
To taking on the next dance
With a prayer and a chance
And all the talent
Right under your skin 

She goes to the Bluebird tonight 

Waits until the moment is right
She’ld play them under the table 

When she's willing and able 

She’ll be on the playbill 

Very confident in 

What's under her skin 

Some say the most dangerous play

 Is to sit tight and play it safe
She flashed her famous smile
Loving her new lifestyle 

His 1st text in a while 

Yep she’s cookin’ 

Just under her skin. 

By Dave Schipper © 2017 Rose Riversongs 

The version on bandcamp link below:

One by one the cars gathered ‘round the house

Each leaving a space for them to get out

Handshakes and hugs were shared

That day she had friends to spare

And no one would dare

Bring him up again

And get under her skin

Saying goodbye is not a happy affair

But friends always have laughter in the air

She'll be off to Nashville

Her daughter at Vanderbilt

Now how to pay the bill

She'll trust in

What's under her skin

As the last one left with a hug goodbye

She looked at her phone and wondered why

There was silence on his end

No good luck or opinion

Will she’ll see him again

She let him in

Right under her skin

She lit the candle one last time

And snuggle in the chair with a glass of wine

A toast to independence

To taking on the next dance

With a prayer and a chance

And all the talent

Right under your skin

She walks down to the Bluebird tonight

Waits until the moment is right

She could play them under the table

When she's willing and able

She'll be on the playbill

Not confident in

What's under her skin

Some people say the most dangerous play

Is to sit tight and play it safe

She flashed her famous smile

Loving her new lifestyle

His 1^st text in a while

Yep she’s cookin’

Just under her skin.

-->

By Dave Schipper © 2017 Rose Riversongs

note... being a big Dylan fan, this was written in the style where that last line of each verse is the refrain like "Black Diamond Bay", "Tangled up in Blue", or "Desolation Row" to mention just a couple of them.  Plus the fourth verse has a playful nod to Bob's "She lit the burner on the stove"

Now you can listen to it, or take it for a free download.

Falling Water Seranade

Words can't discribe;
The harmony
Nature, man
Side by Side.

I leave you then
with this
Melody flowing
in Time.

by Dave Schipper (c) 2011 Rose Riversongs



Thanks for listening... Dave.

River Town

He combed his hands through his gray hair and put his faded black ball cap back on.

His scrap memo pad in hand he came into the cafe with enough for a coffee.

Took a table in earshot of several talkative tables sure to supply good material.

In a colorful world of debate and opinions, he was gray scale and unnoticed.

The characters fill the place each sporting a short story of their own

An angel playing the devil’s fiddle, the local poet on the griddle.

The hipster clearing last night’s haze, a handicapped old fart on a bass.

The clutter of words filled the air offering hope for grace of the pen.

An hour with the same cup, his paper an unloaded gun, he shifted.

Not a word of hello, brought none of goodbye as he pushed the glass door.

The river town was in it’s Sunday’s best, and the streets were sparse

He flipped up his collar, zipped his jacket, stared down and walked ahead.

Tracking the path of last night pub crawl is a not one for a weak stomach

But the daylight brings a harvest of the dropped memories and change.

The drunken words still hang stale in the air, the laughter, the slander

This morning someone awoke to a lifetime of regrets, he picked up a quarter.

The river is quiet as he sits on the rod iron bench seat and stares forward

Life behind him keeps moving, a runner huffing, a mother exclaiming

Two lovers arguing over another’s cheating words during a pub crawl

The sun will set earlier, the streets empty; he’ll head for his home again.

by Dave Schipper (c) 2017 Rose Riversongs

I'll write...

In case you didn’t notice,
I’ve been watching you.
It’s a style I’ve practiced.
Ever since my youth.

There is nothing to fear
I’m a shy gentle soul.
But when you just appeared
My heart was put on hold.

Yep you will turn and leave;
I will say nothing of course
It’s not my style to grieve
But I will write this verse.

by Dave Schipper © 2007 Rose Riversongs

note: I was looking back at some old blog posts, this is as true today as it was ten years ago.

This week

This week I give you the lonely

To share your space humbly

A sign, a smile, a laugh, a hug

Real snippets to hold to love

To cherish with the lonely

Yes, you and me only

by Dave Schipper (c) 2017 Rose Riversongs

A friend

It’s a friend and 

Respite from solitude

In the clutter of 

People all around 

And no accident 

It’s you I found

The Game of Thrones 

A Netflix binge

A new board game 

A sushi cringe 

If there were 

people around 

I don’t think

I heard sound

Of course just then

we were interrupted

A party grand

Had just erupted

You can find me

Anywhere tonight

Smiling ear to ear

And within eyesight

by Dave Schipper (c) 2017 Rose Riversongs

Writers note:  This all started because I was thinking about rhymes to accident & incident, and came up with It's a friend... who knew it would then be a first line of a piece.

Sing a New Song

Chord Capo 3 (OPEN)

C(Eb)                  G(Bb)

Sing a new song

D (F)             G(Bb)

Sing far and near

C(Eb)               G(Bb)

Sing right a long

D                    G

God loves to hear (2x)

G  (Bb)

Ring the bells for church has started

          D (F)

   Ring them as our call.

G  (Bb)

Open the doors with a joyous heart

  D (F)  G(Bb)

   You are welcome one ’n all

Chorus

The strings are tuned & voices lifted

   In a grateful song

The young & old, the rich and poor

   We’re many voices strong

Chorus

Shake a hand of a friend or stranger

  All at the table gather

Bread & Wine, Christ is our host

 God Emmanuel, Our Savior

Chorus

The bells will ring when we’ve departed

   Our praise is never done

To move us out beyond these walls

   God’s work has just begun!

By  Dave Schipper & Lori Toso  (c) 2017 Rose Riversongs

Oh so cliche

Well gather around I'll tell you a tale

About a man not afraid to fail

He would open his mouth start to speak

Out would come his hands and feet

Don't let the beans right out of the bag

No matter what those people say

Just nip it in the butt

Before it mixed up.

Don't let the beans right out of the bag

There was no phrase he wouldn’t utter 

He would just go spit and sputter

You'll figure it out all bye-bye

He's telling the truth he would not lie

Just short and sweet

Too long of feet

Right thru the mouth

Before it goes south

Some folks say that guy is me

But come on now I speak frankly

All my words are all classic

Like a bear is Catholic.

Don't let the beans right out of the bag

No matter what those people say

Just nip it in the butt

Before it mixed up.

Don't let the beans right out of the bag

by Dave Schipper (c) 2017 Rose Riversongs

Don't Screw it Up

Chorus

Don't screw it up, again

You have the right plan 

just take her by the hand

And don't screw it up again

That night at the bar

I knew you were a star

From the way you walked in 

to the dimple on your chin

My heart did flutter

To find words that mattered

Chorus

We ain't 21 anymore

You're looking good at 34

We are both on our second try, 

No need to ask why

Let's make our own lovers tale 

I'll get you another pale ale

Chorus

Those nights you need a friend

Just to make the silence end

I'm a little bruised and dent

From the years I've spent

But let me open the door

There's so much life in store

by Dave Schipper (c) 2017 Rose Riversongs

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