“Shadow on the Wall,” a song inspired by the amazing street artists of Valparaiso.
Vocals: Peter Melnick
Home demo for the album, BETTER LATE… (release date - Spring 2021)
Shadow on the Wall
He comes and goes,
And hardly anybody knows
He’s been at all,
Until they find he’s paid a call.
And they see what he’s drawn,
He’s here, now he’s gone
But he leaves his gift, a free-for-all.
No chance of meeting
The shadow on the wall.
Outlaw poet
With a code all his own.
He got a place to stay,
But the streets are his true home.
Master magician,
With a harlequin vision,
Heeding his true call…
No chance of meeting
The shadow on the wall.
Reflections of the world he knows,
Une Colore Distinto,
Melody notes that melt and drip down
Dali-esque piano stairs,
Manhattan pays no heed
But Valparaiso cares,
Day or night
Someone cares.
He comes and goes
Got no time for gallery shows.
Still, his work gets seen
On city walls and computer screens.
Spray can in motion,
He inspires devotion,
Dreamscapes after night fall.
No chance of meeting
The shadow on the wall.
Bison on the ceiling,
The first artists left their mark
Found a perfect canvas
Lonely cavern in the dark.
Joni’s street musician
Playing real good for free,
And here’s me,
With my melodies and my rhymes,
Cave art for modern times…
We come and go,
And hardly anybody knows
We’ve been and gone,
But we leave behind our songs.
After all the pushing and shoving
There’s a dog needing loving,
And a friend in need of an ear –
Glad I’m here to heed the call,
No one famous,
Hardly anyone at all
But so much more,
More than a shadow on the wall.
© Peter Melnick 2018