Story Behind The Song

The writing process was less about crafting a polished anthem and more about channeling raw emotion, letting riffs and metaphors guide the structure until the song revealed itself. Dedicated to my band mate and funniest entertainer I ever knew - [Kasey Jones] R.I.P. Also Lee and Chuck...and all my friends and loved ones passed on...Till we meet again...

Song Description

"Playing For Ghosts" was born from late-night sessions where silence felt crowded with memory. The song emerged as a meditation on absence; the people, moments, and ideals that shape us but no longer stand beside us. Written in a restless state of reflection, it fuses blues phrasing with folk storytelling and rock dynamics, creating a sound both intimate and cinematic. The guitar lines carry the weight of conversation, while the lyrics weave satire and sincerity into a narrative about playing not for applause, but for the unseen audience of ghosts, personal, cultural, and historical.

Lyrics

Playing for Ghosts

verse 1
A guitar man playing in bars for years gets old.
Like a crack in your soul with your ego exposed. When the bartender's closin' and there's no one around, I'll be tellin' the waitress that I'll walk her out.
As I pack my life in a haggard guitar case, I marvel at the silence of this empty smoky place.

chorus
No stage, no glory, no lights, no fame,
Just stories, just stories, the tales I claim".
With a wink and a smile I continue to play my tired ol' guitar while the crowd fades away.

verse 2
I don't feel his handshake, as the promoter then combs his hair. Winks as he spikes the tip jar with a 5 spot...now that's fair.
But he thinks I'm gigging for chump change so he doesn't say a word, hoping I will play for just exposure...how absurd.

chorus
No stage, no glory, no lights, no fame,
Just stories, just stories, the tales I claim".
With a wink and a smile I continue to play my tired ol' guitar while the crowd fades away.

bridge
They sell the dream, they sell the fame,
but I'm still stuck in this artist game.
With every chord I smile out loud, singin' for ghosts instead of a crowd.

verse 3
Another motel morning, another highway line; chasing down a dream that was never left behind.
Farewell to friends and lovers tired of the game. Did I trade their hearts for a song and a name?
So I'll play to the shadows, I'll sing to the night; with each song a reminder, I chose this life...and it was right, sooo right, and I just can't quit my music...cuz it's right, so right.

outro
They sell the dream, they sell the fame, singin' for ghosts......Do you know my name?

End