Kategorie: Contest

Lust For Life

Hey Mister Parkinson
Novak and I
The both of us
Want our life back

Come on get lost
Leave our bodies alone
Move again our muscles
They’re here for a workout

Before you sneaked in
Quietly taking over the steering
Until the last bit of Dopamine
Will be used up by our brain

Hey Mister Parkinson
Novak and I
The both of us
Lust for the old life

Innocent lightness of being
Was stolen many years ago
We’re in the mood for love
Yet the beds remain cold

In our night dreams
We can save the world
But reality is lead boots
They are the truth

Hey Mister Parkinson
Novak and I
We slow down
And loose strength

Bed sheets drip of cold sweat
We fear to leave the house
And the car remains in the carport
Then sing me this song

Sing it till the tune fades out
Just as our lust for life
Novak, can you still feel it
The burning lust for life?

We nearly all experience something nasty during our lives. Statistics tell the real story. In Mark Edward Fuller and René van Helsdingen’s case it was Parkinson’s disease, a brain disorder. This video combines a poem by Mark Edward Fuller, graphic art by Victor de Boo, animation and music by René van Helsdingen.

If that doesn’t get you
then this will

The nasty side of life
Comes without warning
In the blink of an eye
Changing you prospects
From good to appalling

One minute you’re there
Laughing and drinking
Laugh – ha ha ha ha ha ha

One minute you’re there
Laughing and drinking
The soul of the party
The next flat on the floor
Blood pressure sinking

If you knew what was coming
would you go – go on at all?
Given four weeks to live
On the first day of spring
Or a twin-tower fall

The nasty side of life
Comes without warning
In the blink of an eye
Changing you prospects
From good to appalling

When young and gullible
You blithely carry on
With careers and coupling
Restricting misfortune
To the unlucky one

But once you pass forty
Statistics tell the real story
With almost one in two
Nobbled by nastiness
Retirement plans end poorly

If you knew what was coming
would you go – go on at all?
Given four weeks to live
On the first day of spring
Or a twin-tower fall

The nasty side of life
Comes without warning
In the blink of an eye
Changing you prospects
From good to appalling

Life is a bitch we say
Life’s too short for complaining
… for complaining
When the last ditch appears
Raise your glass and hope
For a happy ending

There is no great escape
You can fly to the moon
Buy a Cryogenic crate
But the nasty side of life
Always comes too soon

If you knew what was coming
would you go – go on at all?
Given four weeks to live
On the first day of spring
Or a twin-tower fall

The nasty side of life
Comes without warning
In the blink of an eye
Changing you prospects
From good to appalling

Still you have believers,
Faith in Lord and master
Ducking the big question
What good will their God do
At life’s next disaster

If you knew what was coming
would you go – go on at all?
Given four weeks to live
On the first day of spring
Or a twin-tower fall

There’s no escaping fate
Just a matter of waiting
Till procreation done

There’s no escaping fate
Just a matter of waiting
Till procreation done
Evolution moves on
To new bouts of mating

---

Music recorded at Marzi Recording Studio, Riccione, Italy. Engineer Dani L. Marzi. Additional recordings and mixing at the Farmsound Studio, Heelsum, The Netherlands. Engineer: Wil Hesen. Production: © Helsdingen Music 2021, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. http://www.renevanhelsdingen.com

E.J. Ballard, passed away in November 2024 following a long and tumultuous journey with Parkinson’s and, later as consequence, dementia. He was a lifelong musician, deeply committed to his craft, and continued composing music well into the progression of his illness.

LOST AT SEA

Love is great to celebrate
with words so gently rhyming.
But all I can do is tell my true
with approximate pitch and timing. 
So I’ll take a chance, sing you the stars,
and hope that you don’t flee. 

Remember, remember me. 
Lost at sea. My boys and girls. Lost at sea. 

As my stride becomes the shuffle and
my back in a teapot spout 
and my face a fixed expression
which allows a little dribble out.
My life’s mostly a cat shuffle
but I won’t out rough the sea. 

Remember, remember, remember me. 
Lost at sea. My boys and girls, lost at sea.

And my garden fills with fairies.
Medication makes minds mushy.
And some who try to help me
just end up getting pushy.
And even my guardian angel
don’t find this caring cushy. 

Remember, remember me. 
Lost at sea my boys and girls. 
Lost at sea.

Remember, remember 
Be lost at sea. My boys and girls.
Lost at sea. 

Well, now you’ve heard my little tune.
In tune or thereabouts.
I dedicate it to you all 
who stayed and heard me out.
But spare a thought to those ,who 
are caught by some uncurabe malady. 

Remember, remember me. 
Lost at sea, my boys and girls. 
Lost at sea. Lost. 
Lost. Lost at sea. My girls and boys.
Lost. Lost. Lost. 

Door To Paradise

It is a cold cloudy night
as always ready to fight
lying in my bed with open eyes
I try to ignore the pain of those nights

I follow my dreams to the land I hope for
open the heavy old door
squeaks with an odd sound
turning it’s wooden old body around

This is where I will hide every night
Until me capable of
fighting my fight
let all things go
fully enjoy the show
door open or forever gone
until no one
hiding

A view of what might become
all the beauty in paradise already been done
flowering green with birds and butterflies
endless blue sky to arise

Oh sun stretching out your loving arms
warm the cold fear in my palms
endless hope and optimism
me dancing and singing the rhyth

This is where I will hide every night
Until me capable of
fighting my fight
let all things go
fully enjoy the show
door open or forever gone
until no one
hiding

Honest feelings and dedication
pure joy of doing things with fascination
There will be falling and impact
No more run away from the fact

life is full of up and down
you might fight for your crown
you’ll be a queen no matter what
a dirty dress is part of the plot

This is where I will hide every night
Until me capable of
fighting my fight
let all things go
fully enjoy the show
door open or forever gone
until no one
hiding

Slowly I begin to understand
I am the one, here where I stand
Behind days of daring
and night dreaming

As long as I hide
I have to fight
once I accept my role
the unknown will take over control