Words and Music Archives - Tony Funderburk

Mi Amiga – a song about a very special friend If you’ve been following along on your game boards at home, you might have noticed I’ve shared some song stories. And here’s another one. It’s about a song I wrote over 30 years ago. Mi Amiga. The Spanish translation of that is “my friend.” But it’s not any old friend. It’s a female friend. Nouns th...

Wielding my poetic power again The underlying theme to everything I do, here in the TonyFunderburk.com galaxy, is Rhyme and Reason. To put it simply, I like to use my poetic power to share logic and reason. For life. Love. And for a solid, eternal perspective. With poetic power comes powerful responsibility. I’m not an infallible person. And I don’t play one on TV. But it’s still...

What’s the “it” in “Keep It On Hold” I’m not really a “country” singer/songwriter. But back in 1992-93, I played one on TV. Well, not TV. But I sort of played one on stages. In Nashville. For what they called “songwriters in the round.” That’s where a group of songwriters take the stage and each one plays an original song. When each...

Be glad you don’t get what you give Do you believe in time going on forever and ever? I do. And I’m a firm believer in the Creator of Heaven and Earth and everything else in the universe. Because without a designer, there could never, in a thousand trillion years, be the simple complexity of life in this world. Design, by its very definition, requires a designer. And if you don’t...

Awards shows matter, if… You like dumb chatter? Really? And you seriously don’t mind watching a bunch of fantasy fanatics telling you what’s really important? If you can answer “yes” to questions like that, then I guess awards shows matter to you. But I think they only matter for one reason… Awards shows matter only as they expose the rebellious, willful ignoran...

Make music not war I’m a singer songwriter. So I make music, not war. But I don’t use that slogan to justify ignoring humans doing wicked things to each other. You don’t have to agree with me. And the vast majority of people in the world won’t. But the fact remains…sometimes you gotta bear arms to save lives. The slogan only works when you get everybody to make music...

The majestic young mountains of Venus Evolutionists believe their theory just falls into place. Literally. And they have a term for that falling: gravitational accretion. But their theory falls apart from the high, rocky slopes of the Mountains of Venus. One of those mountains, Maat Mons, is even higher than our own Mount Everest. But you probably wouldn’t have to wear parkas to climb it. Be...

What do love and the afterlife have in common? Most people believe they “go somewhere better”when they die. And I hope they do. But if you’re like most people, do you also believe you go somewhere better because you’ve been a good person? If so, why? Is it because you know what love and the afterlife have in common? Or because you you’re just so nice? Love and the aft...

Timelessness of Eternity Every day holds so many opportunities to witness silliness. Humans seem to have an almost infinite supply of it. And we dream up such empty notions. Just so we won’t have to go where truth and evidence lead. One example I came across today was the concept of the timelessness of eternity. And I’m sure you can see the blaring oxymoron from the second you read tha...

Do you have the bond of perfection? If you have millions or billions of dollars, but you don’t love your neighbor as yourself, you have nothing. And if you give to charities, but you don’t care about who receives or what they get, you have nothing. Or maybe you’ve spent years increasing your knowledge. You can speak multiple languages. And you’re able to address audiences o...

I’ve been marching to a different drum Christmas morning. 1967. And there it was. A large gift-wrapped box with MY name on it. When I picked it up, it felt kinda heavy, and it made an odd sort of rattling sound. But I still wasn’t sure what it could be. So, I tore the wrapping paper off, opened the flaps of the box, and pulled out the most beautiful metal flake blue snare drum I’...

This is just for Christian songwriters So, everybody else just go about your business. Nothing to see or hear here. (Are they gone, yet?) OK, I’ve got some encouragement, admonition, and even merch for Christian songwriters. Especially the ones living in America. Since that’s where I live, I’m more connected. But if you live somewhere else in the world, can speak and/or read good...

Sharing a new tune and thankfulness on this episode of Rhyme and Reason I love when I first finish a new tune. There’s something magical and rewarding about being able to listen to a recording of what used to only be in my head. It must be, on a much smaller scale, how God felt, during the six days of creation. You can read, in Genesis, where God “ saw that it was good “. In fact...

I pray I sing with the understanding What am I talking about? The understanding of what I’m singing about. And making sure my message is understandable. When I sing with the understanding that no one wants to listen to garbled messages in secret tongues, the message has a chance of getting through. Here’s why it matters… People can hear when I sing with the understanding Paul wro...

Jesus is the one way I see social media posts and internet articles talking about the forgiving nature of God. And His immense love. Of course, God forgives and loves. Certainly He does. But, unlike most Christians will tell you, it’s not unconditional forgiveness and love. God has one, single condition, one requirement, for His forgiveness and eternal love. You gotta humble yourself and ask...

The Actual Attributes of God If you do an online search for the attributes of God, you’re liable to find what one pastor calls the “omni’s and the im’s”. You’ve probably heard of them…omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent…immutable and impassible. Those are some impressive (pun slightly intended) attributes. But they don’t truly represent the God...

“From my mother’s womb you have been my God” Several years ago, when I was still the praise and worship music guy for a small Denver area church, our pastor preached a series of sermons from the Psalms. And they connected with me on a deep level. Maybe because King David wrote them, and he was a singer songwriter in addition to being king. One of the messages focused on Psalm 22....

Law Breaking and Danger Making Rhyme and Reason #306 I’m talking about law breaking in this episode of Rhyme and Reason. Actually I talk about a law you can’t break. Even if you try real hard. And I’m talking about danger making. Sort of. Actually the danger is already made. But I’m encouraging listeners to avoid the most dangerous mistake of all. You might already know wha...

A story to tell This episode of Rhyme and Reason has a story to tell. Well, actually two stories within a story. They both come from articles I wrote quite a while back. Anyway, it’ll all make sense when you tune in. Or if you prefer to read, keep scrolling down. Down the river there’s a ripple and a wake That doesn’t seem to end like it does in a lake. It doesn’t need a st...

A little story about lip syncing Quite a few years ago, I was playing music in a local club in the Denver metro area. There was a nice crowd, and for the most part, they seemed to be diggin’ up on what I was layin’ down. (That’s cool musician talk for “they liked it”) But there was this one guy who kept walking up and basically getting in my face…well, as close...

The best ever carburetor upgrade In 1989 my little Toyota pickup was only 10 years old. Little did I know I’d be driving it another 30 years beyond that. (including up to this very day) And even though the tough little machine was running like a top, I was working on the best carburetor upgrade I’d ever get in my life. Metaphorically speaking. Another little smooth running engine poppe...

Which one do you prefer? I’m gonna share the lyrics to two of my songs. You can also hear them in the podcast. And I’d like your feedback. Which one do you prefer? You can either comment, below, or send me an email tony@tonyfunderburk.com, or let me know in a review on my iTunes Podcast page.   I’m not asking just for fun. Help me get the choosing done. I’d like to know wha...

Humans Require Jazzy Love I enjoy jazz. Not all of it. But then again, I don’t enjoy ALL of any kind of music. And there are plenty of kinds of music I don’t enjoy any of. (ended with a preposition on purpose) But one of the reasons I enjoy jazz is because of how versatile it is. Depending on the style you’re listening to, it can be completely predictable or totally unpredictable...

Love Birds Songs I love birds. Always have. And love birds songs. Love those, too. All the beautiful colors, the rustling of the wings, and certainly their ability to fly. Wow! Birds are amazing, sparkling creatures. God makes cool stuff. Love birds, songs, candy, romance. Huh? How did Valentine’s Day get to be a thing? I don’t mean the actual history of how it started? I mean, how did...

Three is a magic number. Well, not really, but… It’s more than ironic how many people, who don’t even believe in the God of the Christian faith, believe three is a magic number. It’s a wonderful number. But hardly magic. Well, I guess you could say, in a way, it’s somewhat magical. But not like it has any powers to conjure up something from nothing. And yet, the reaso...