Words and Music Archives - Tony Funderburk

I’m gonna rant and rave. And, although I can’t speak for him (especially since he’s got other things on his mind besides music, these days) I think Buddy Holly would back me up on this. If you’ve never heard of Buddy Holly, or don’t know any of his music, that reference is gonna be way over your ears. Anyway… My rant and rave is about your rants and raves. Well,...

If I’m elected, I’ll do my best to restore whirled peas. And bring hominy to every household. Because, c’mon people. Can’t we all just get along? After all, we’re one race. So, that’s a great starting point. And speaking of whirled peas and hominy. Let’s talk about how segregation can be a useful tool. That shouldn’t offend anybody. Right? Hello? Hey...

Dream Town. I remember playing a multi-timbral sound on my fairly new Korg Triton keyboard several years ago. And the ethereal setting immediately set my imagination in motion. It was one of those magical moments songwriters love almost as much as anything. At least I do. And that particular moment took me to Dream Town. If you’re a songwriter, you know what I mean when I say the song flowed...

Several years ago I shared an old love song I wrote. It wasn’t for anyone in particular. I guess it was sort of a culmination of feelings and thoughts from different relationships. But I’d be willing to bet this melancholy art is a reflection of more than just MY experiences. I’m sharing the lyrics to this melancholy art, down below. And I’m gonna share the only recording I have...

It’s so sad that so many people believe you can kill a little boy or girl just because of how they look or where they live. And I mean the very youngest boys and girls. The most innocent boys and girls. The boys and girls who can’t even fight for themselves. Can’t even say a word. And, of course, I mean the tiny boys and girls that cellular biology shows exist from the moment of...

Habitual liars just make up stuff as they go along. I think we can all agree on that. Right? But what we might not agree on are the lies. Most everyone who subscribes to my blog, emails, The Power of God’s Love Podcast, YouTube channel, or social media profiles has similar worldviews. But maybe you’re different. Maybe you’ll be the one who disagrees with what I’m about to m...

When I led the praise and worship music, at a church in the greater Denver area, I made sure to include old hymns. Because so many of those “old songs” have such meaningful depth. And one of them has remained so popular, through the years, it was even sung by Elvis. How Great Thou Art was originally written back in the 1800’s. I kept recordings from some of those hymns. And I eve...

When I was a mere lad, back in the ol’ country (America, pre-lamebrainian era), the only people who had tattoos were some servicemen and hardcore bar rats. And you just didn’t see the average Joe or Jane with that “unspeakable” everlasting art on their bodies. Fast forward into the present, and Katy bar the door. Everlasting skin art is everywhere. Men. Women. Young. Old. A...

This week, back in 1979, I lived and worked in Houston, Texas. My brother and I had established ourselves as one of the more popular music duos. And we had fans we could depend on to come see us as we performed all around the city. It was quite an experience for me. Actually making a living playing live music. But my brother and I didn’t remain one of those popular music duos. Our personalit...

Cowboys and ranch hands ain’t the only ones who have to mend some fences once in a while. Regular guys who say the wrong thing (yes, it happens) need a good way to do that with their wives or girlfriends, too. So, how do you do it? Well, roses are almost perfect. They’re beautiful, they smell nice, and women love them. Why? Because they’re beautiful and they smell nice. Duh! And...

Tomorrow is not the time to start something new. Because tomorrow is a concept. Because humans need that concept to help us understand the flowing of time. And even though it helps to include tomorrow in your understanding of time, it never actually gets here. Then, on the other hand, tomorrow is already here. On the other side of the world at the international date line area. But those people who...

So, grass fed beef, chicken, pork, etc. is better for you. Agreed? Whether you do or not, why would anyone make that claim? And what kind of proof does anyone have that it’s true? Well, there’s a ton of grass fed nutrition information “out there.” And I decided, some time ago, that it was compelling and convincing enough to make me choose grass fed meats over the alternativ...

It’s a mean world. Every day you see and experience the cold, hard truth in this world. Whether you like it or not. And whether you prefer to think positive or be negative. Doesn’t matter if you’re a glass-is-half-full person or glass-is-half-empty person. It’s the “new normal.” But this new normal is anything but new. If you’ve been alive here on planet e...

Just about everybody has a bedtime routine. It makes sense. Because humans are creatures of habit. Like brushing your teeth and changing into pajamas. Those activities just become something you do without having to put a lot of thought and effort into them. And then maybe you read a little and turn off the lights. Boom. You’ve got a bedtime routine. Good for YOU. And you might think that&#82...

Bob Dylan said it. So, it must be true right? He talked about how you gotta serve somebody. In fact, in one of his songs, he sang “you’re gonna have to serve somebody” quite a few times. So, he must be pretty darn sure it’s true. And, in a way, it is. Sure, you could say you gotta serve somebody, OR… You could say you GET to serve somebody. First, and foremost, you GE...

“They” called him the “Chairman of the Board.” How he got the title depends on who you ask. But there’s no denying that Frank Sinatra liked being in charge. And I was never a fan even though he sang a couple of songs here and there I actually liked. One of those was about lost love. But this particular lost love was blown away. At least, according to the lyrics, there...

People get ready. There’s a train a-coming. You don’t need no baggage. You just get on board. All you need is faith to hear the diesels humming. Don’t need no ticket. You just thank the Lord. Yeah, those are lyrics to the old Curtis Mayfield song, “People Get Ready.” And there’s a lotta word power goin’ on in that song. When The Impressions had a hit with...

Just in case you haven’t noticed, the world is full of mean people and bad stuff. Nations are at war…all the time. Political parties are in constant power struggles. Murder is consistently at epidemic levels. And man-made pandemics are all the rage. But, even with all this dark-hearted dreariness, my cup runs over. And my cup runs over because all this will go away. Yeah, it’s te...

They say ignorance is bliss. Who are they? And why do they say that? But never mind all that right now. There’s one way ignorance will be anything but bliss. Because you won’t be able to plead ignorance when you leave this world. And you’ll discover, if you haven’t already, how your own denial will be revealed to you by the… King of Hearts Working it out, they say the...

Back in 2012, right here on TonyFunderburk dot com, I wrote about the longest daylight day of the year. Summer solstice. And I shared how it makes me ponder time. I also shared how so many people say something like, “Wow, time flies.” Einstein theorized that time is relative. I believe he was wrong. Unless he actually meant it could FEEL that way. Because a day can take “forever&...

Generally speaking, most scientists (and the rest of us, too) believe there’s nothing faster than light. And it’s mighty difficult to imagine that not being true. Because, think about it, when you flip the switch to your kitchen light, it comes on instantly. But I think there IS something faster than light… Your thoughts. And I know, some will say thoughts don’t travel. But...

Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite. Did you ever hear that when you were a kid? Or, for that matter, any other time? As it turns out, that’s not just a sweet, little thing to say to kids that rhymes. Because bedbugs are real. And they don’t seem like characters for nursery rhymes. Check out this bullet list description for why you shouldn’t let the bedbugs bite. The ad...

Did you ever watch The Waltons? Either when it was a new show or in reruns? Either way, do you remember how the kids would run out the front door and the screen door would smack shut? That’s because those old screen doors were lightweight and had long snakey springs. And I remember both sets of my grandparents had screen doors like that. And I also remember how, when the summer months rolled...

Paramecia don’t become parakeets. And an amoeba will never be an ambulance driver. Not in a million, trillion years. Because changes like that don’t happen. Not by accident. Not on purpose. And certainly not accidentally on purpose. Accidentally on purpose used to be a joke, when I was a kid. But we didn’t imagine how serious that whole “accidental” thing would be. We...

Three years ago, around this time of year, I sent a sad and happy song out into the internet. It was in response to a request for me to write a song for a young man battling cancer. A friend of mine, on social media, told me about Jeremiah. And I’m glad. Because before that I’d never heard of him or his battle or even his make a wish request. So, I told my friend I’d look into th...