A Tiny Stone

This song got its inspiration probably from all those tiny stones that fill my shoes while enjoying long walks in nature. It feels quite time consuming to be emptying my shoes all the time, so sometimes I just let them be there, although I know possible consequences in the long run: broken socks, broken shoes, wounds, even other injuries because of bad posture etc. And this song is about that - how very tiny things can have big effect if they are not addressed. People may not realize that when they look only few days ahead. Although not ending into the song itself, I often think of a giant's kettle, how a tiny stone could drill a big hole, maybe unnoticable if observed for a day, but if the time scale is several centuries, you could see the effect.

I'm not very content with the verses, I just couldn't come up with better ideas. Maybe I have to refine them later, I hope that at least the environmental theme fits with the story. But I like how the chorus and the bridge express my thoughts more clearly.

I'm singing this time, but those nice Synth V ladies are accompanying me.

RealDrums: FootStompHornpipe^01-HlTo8,Sw16, CajonFolk16ths, AmericanaFunkyPopFred
RealTracks:
#1036:Bass, Electric, NorthernRockBallad Ev 065
#1602:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm Pop16 Ev16 065
#3059:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm Muted16thsFintan Ev16 080
#3656:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm IndieGentlePush Ev16 080
#1902 Guitar, Acoustic, Background Bolero Ev 090

Mixed in Cakewalk by BandLab with effects: Ozone 10, Neutron 4, Neoverb, VX-64 Vocal Strip

Vocals by me, backing vocals by Synthesizer V Weina & Natalie

Lyrics:

You may think a piece of litter doesn't count
you may think a single man can't move a mountain
maybe you are right
your carbon footprint is small
there are worse polluters
but calculate how tall
your pile of dung will be
after life's long haul.

It could be just a tiny stone
in a walking shoe
but think about the damages
one thousand miles would do.
See it on a larger scale
the gathering of grime
we are all those tiny stones
that warp the wheels of time.

You may think a word of teasing doesn't hurt
you may think that few mean lies are harmless blurting
maybe you are right
your mouth brings just a short strain
but mental gallstones build up
the liver cannot drain
toxic thoughts will subtly
gnaw what's still humane.

It could be just a tiny stone...

It could take a decade
a clam to grow a pearl
it could take a life to heal
a wrong of a wicked world.
A plastic bag degraded
by the Gaia's tears
diamonds are formed in
billions of years.

It could be just a tiny stone...
------------------------
Janne

Funny song with an unfunny message.
And I LOVE your Finnish accent.
I'm fine with the verses (I'm not a native speaker either, so take this with a grain of salt), but your singing rhythm could have more variation to get a better flow.

Janne,

Good song and a good mix. I also think this is one of your best vocals.

Well done!

Bob

Janne,
B.D. stole words out of my mouth. You have a wonderful sense of humor. Very interesting lyric structure. Gets a bit busy instrumentally at choruses, but vocal groove is strong enough to cut through. Cool tune. Thank you for sharing.
Misha.

Musically I really enjoyed the choruses.
The verses were very entertaining - funny story.

Mornin' Janne....

This is a creative write and good arrangement.
I'll gladly echo other comments also.

Well done and I enjoyed the listen.

Hi Janne,

A wonderful song you made. The lyrics are very good!
Like that chorus frase:
"It could be just a tiny stone
in a walking shoe
but think about the damages
one thousand miles would do".

It makes you think about causes and effect again.

And I was waiting for a duet with you and the AI girls (Weina and Natalie).
A very good choice. It worked out very well.

I enjoyed the song a lot,
Hans

Janne,

A really creative idea for a song . . . I think the verses work well. The chorus melody is catchy . . . nice use of the vocaloids for the BGvs. Is that the Bolero playing the acoustic lead in the break? Works really well for me. I think you’ve done a great job executing on your idea. Good stuff!

Best regards,

Deej

Janne, a very clever song.
Great vocal and mix.

"we are all those tiny stones
that warp the wheels of time."

That is a great line!

Hi Janne,

Very clever indeed!

Music sounds good, I liked the chorus especially. Guitar solo is perfect!

Enjoyed!

Once again a brilliant song idea turned into a fun song, Janne. I always thoroughly enjoy your lyrics. Thanks to BD I'm starting to recognize Natalie's voice. Very cool progression, and excellent solo. Well built and presented.

Hi Janne
Extremely cool song
Sounds great
The background track is excellent
The guitars are very well chosen
And the vocals are uniquely good
Great work
Many greetings
Andi ;-)

Thanks B.D. for your positive words Glad to hear that the verses work for you. You are right about my singing rhythm, maybe one day when I don't have to pay attention to technical things, I can concentrate on variations and other nuances.

Janne

Thanks Bob for your kind feedback Glad you liked my vocals, at least the song was quite easy to sing, that's why I gave my voice a chance.

Janne

Thanks Misha for your kind comment I didn't think this as a humorous song, but I feel honored to read your liking about my sense of humor... because I consider myself a humorist

Janne

Thanks Ray, I appreciate your kind words Glad you liked the verses, I was thinking they were not fully expressing my ideas, but good to know that my message was understandable and funny after all.

Janne

Thanks for your very kind review

Janne

Thanks Hans for enjoying my song and your very kind comment Nice to hear that the chorus part made you think, that was its intention. I wasn't sure how well the AI girls would work with my voice, it wasn't easy to find a right balance between my voice and theirs, because they were so different, but glad to hear it worked out well.

Janne

We agree wholeheartedly with your message in this song, Janne and the below lines particularly got our attention.

“we are all those tiny stones
that warp the wheels of time.”

“toxic thoughts will subtly
gnaw what's still humane.”

You and the girls sound great together too.

Excellent band, mix and we enjoyed reading about your inspiration for the lyric.

Well done!

J&B

The chorus is killer and catchy. I like the instrumentation.

Interesting inspiration for your song and good message. I like your lyrics, in particular: "but calculate how tall/your pile of dung will be/after life's long haul." People need to be mindful of all the sh*t they're doing and spewing.

Love it - catchy and well written.

The SynthV vocalists sound great with you and really make the chorus work.

Thanks Deej for your kind review Nice to hear that my idea worked so well for you Yes, the bolero guitar is playing the lead, I was bit disappointed that I couldn't find any better RT solo, but based on the feedback, I'm glad that I didn't find.

Janne

Thanks Mario for your pleasant comment and especially quoting that line

Janne

Janne,
An excellent write;universal truths told with humour.
The chorus sounds so "up" with those sweetly voiced harmonies, and, as always, you assemble an eclectic band that really works to support the song.
Very well done!

Robert

Thanks Dave for your kind review I'm glad you liked the chorus, because it is my favorite part and writing it was very easy and quick, almost automatically.

Janne

Thanks Marty for your heartwarming comment although "brilliant song idea" sounds bit too stylish

Janne

Thanks Andi, I appreciate your nice review

Janne

This is a very nice song and I especially loved the chorus with backing vocals. I must check out your use of backing vocals by Synthesizer V Weina & Natalie. I enjoyed the guitar solo in the bridge and thought the mixing of the song was just right. Well done!
Regards,
Dermot

Thanks Janice & Bud for your wonderful review And thanks for quoting those lines, the toxic part was the most difficult one, I had 'brain' as the last rhyming word first ('tissues of the brain'), but somehow it didn't feel right, luckily I found 'humane', it was more in line with the whole message.

Janne

Thanks ES for your kind feedback Glad you liked the killer chorus.

BTW. I read that an average human poops about 11 km in a lifetime, I was thinking about adding that information to the lyrics... so it would take only 4000 persons to make it around the Earth

Janne

Hi, Janne !

I can relate to those
little stones in your
shoes as I do have a
mutation in the bottom of
my feet and they forces me
to go cutting the stones
away every other month otherwise
I just could not walk !

A superb tune you´ve written
once again Janne !

Cheers
Dani

Thanks David, I really appreciate your kind and positive feedback

Janne

Thanks Robert for you kind comment "Universal truths told with humour" that is a very nice description, I really like it

Janne

Hi Jannesan,

The accompaniment is pleasant with a singer's voice and nice backing vocals. The mix is ​​flawless. The whole thing is catchy. Well done.

Kindly regard
Derochette
alias JaniJackFlash

Thanks Dermot for your very kind comment I'm glad you loved the chorus part.

Janne

Thanks Dani for your positive comment I'm glad that you can relate to the stones, although I'm sad to hear how the stones make your life so difficult.

Janne

Your pitchy. I only mention this single critical comment because Melodyne would fix that all in 30 minutes. The free version lasts for ~15-30 days, time enough to adjust as needed.

Thanks Derochette for your kind words Glad you found the song catchy.

Janne

Thanks MusicStudent for your feedback. I have had full version of Melodyne for year and I always use it for my vocals. I always put the note blobs to the exact center of the correct pitch. I still leave some pitch drifting - of course I could put a completely flat pitch line to each blob, but then my singing would sound lifeless and artifically autotuned. If you prefer that way, I can make you such a version. But I rather suggest you listen to the Synth V vocalist version instead, link on the song page, it shouldn't be pitchy.

I would have rather read comments on the song itself and the use of BIAB than about my lack of singing skills (I know that already).

Janne

Sorry, I didn't know that you were not open to corrective critism. I won't bother you again.

You are always welcome to give me more corrective criticism, from which I can learn something new. In this case, I learned that I can tolerate more pitch drifting than you. It is a matter of taste, I can live with the current version, but I can offer you an alternative version of the song more to your taste.

Janne