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Link: Winter, Berlin City West The idea for this song came to me when I heard Bob Dean's song "Christmas In Berlin". But this is not a memory. It's about today. In Berlin. 2025. It's about those who don't have a Christmas. The homeless. The ones left behind. Somewhere down below. Those whom no one likes to see. It's a documentary. Probably not even what you would normally call "a song". No choruses, no rhymes, nothing. Because I believe that it loses its impact if you force it into the traditional boundaries of a song. Not a song to sing along to. One that makes you think. Not sure if this works for others. Write something... Some technical information: Lyrical and dramaturgical advisor: Marty Style: TINES.STY The band:Bass: 1592 + me Guitars: 522, 1537, 3435, 3738, me Strings: 2336, 2338, me Synths: 1265 + me Piano: me Vocals: AI Tracks Stats for those interested:You can find the lyrics in the next post.
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Title: Winter, Berlin City West
(Intro)
It's drafty
Winter, the harsh Berlin winter
Is casting its shadow
The one with the icy wind
It's coming
(Verse)
A homeless man on a rusty bicycle
With plastic bags and a sleeping bag
Hanging from the handlebars rides past me
For him, it's all about survival again
Winter
Snow
Sub-zero temperatures
Full homeless shelters
(Verse)
With luck, an open subway station
Or the lobby of a bank, where the ATMs are
Where it's warm
Where, a short time later
Snobs have him picked up by officials because he stinks
He has to leave, preferably to a place where no one can see him
No one wants to see that
(Verse)
There are many of them around here
If you keep your eyes open, you'll see them
Arms buried in trash cans, carrying plastic bags
The torn sole of a shoe, broken teeth, the strange checkered jacket
That doesn't quite go with the sweatpants
If you don't want to see them, you won't
(Verse)
There are two of them standing in front of the supermarket
Disheveled
Bottle
Each holding an alibi homeless newspaper in their hands
You don't really want a newspaper
It's just an excuse to give something
And then generously do without it
You wouldn't read it anyway
(Verse)
At the supermarket, I buy a pack of Fisherman's
Fresh breath is important to me
I pay with a bill
I press the change into the hand of one of the two
And wish him a nice evening
He wishes me the same and smiles at me
No teeth
I take out my wallet again and give him what I can spare
(Outro)
Winter will be here soon
It's like this every winter
But something is different
There are more of them
There weren't so many before
So many
Last edited by B.D.Thomas; Yesterday at 10:27 AM. Reason: Lyrics added
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Journeyman
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Hi B. D.
I won’t comment on this musically because that’s not the point.
Your song and video made me angry.
In one sense, I wondered what can one man do? It would be like throwing dust into the wind. This, coupled with growing wealth inequality, is a growing problem that we MUST fix. But first, we have to acknowledge there is a problem, and I fear that many of us - myself included - can find it easier to turn a blind eye. One of the reasons, I think, is the fear of the cost or burden it would place on us as individuals. That is why I think we must address it collectively. Here in my own state within Australia, there is a lot of commentary about how we can find AUD$16bn for a metropolitan motorway with tunnels but can’t find money for more pressing social needs.
I recall something from my uni studies back in the day - Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs - where physiological needs (food, shelter) then safety needs, must first be satisfied before we can get into some of the higher needs like contribution to society and self actualisation. We need to give people a safe base to start from and address their base issues before we can expect them to be back on their feet.
I fear for my own country (Australia) where housing affordability is such an alarming problem that we will have large swathes of the population living in sub-standard accommodation or none at all. We already see story after story of DV victims sleeping in cars and many people living in caravan parks.
I don’t know what to do about the size of the problem other than changing my vote in elections.
Andrew
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B.D.,
Tough subject to write about. Some great lines here and an excellent production. The band sounds great too, as does your piano.
Bob
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Powerful and moving!
It seems the homeless problem is global, we have tent cities here too in most cities across the country.
Kudos for writing about such a difficult subject.
I will also comment on the music and production, because if it was not done well it would not have the same impact, and of course you absolutely nailed it, well done.
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B.D., this is an emotional gut punch of a "song" or whatever you wish to call it. I'll call it a song. A really beautiful song.
Love the sparse arrangement and open mix, and how you allow the power of the words to take center stage.
Superb.
DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
Presonus Studio One
ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM
Presonus Faderport 16
Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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Hi B. D.
I won’t comment on this musically because that’s not the point.
Your song and video made me angry.
In one sense, I wondered what can one man do? It would be like throwing dust into the wind. This, coupled with growing wealth inequality, is a growing problem that we MUST fix. But first, we have to acknowledge there is a problem, and I fear that many of us - myself included - can find it easier to turn a blind eye. One of the reasons, I think, is the fear of the cost or burden it would place on us as individuals. That is why I think we must address it collectively. Here in my own state within Australia, there is a lot of commentary about how we can find AUD$16bn for a metropolitan motorway with tunnels but can’t find money for more pressing social needs.
I recall something from my uni studies back in the day - Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs - where physiological needs (food, shelter) then safety needs, must first be satisfied before we can get into some of the higher needs like contribution to society and self actualisation. We need to give people a safe base to start from and address their base issues before we can expect them to be back on their feet.
I fear for my own country (Australia) where housing affordability is such an alarming problem that we will have large swathes of the population living in sub-standard accommodation or none at all. We already see story after story of DV victims sleeping in cars and many people living in caravan parks.
I don’t know what to do about the size of the problem other than changing my vote in elections.
Andrew Thank you for writing down your thoughts about the message of the song. Much appreciated, and I fully agree. Idea: "In 2024, global military spending reached approximately $2.7 trillion". Take 10% of that, and you could save many, many people on this planet. The remaining 90% is still enough to kill the rest of us.
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B.D.Thomas,
You've done a moving and beautiful job on this song and video! You always produce excellent work! The vocals on this really propel the song to a much higher level! The violin sound in the left side of the mix is a real plus to this arrangement! Great work!
Thanks, TB
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Everything you do is so professional. I wrote several long paragraphs about this problem and then deleted them. I don't have answers. But it seems apparent to me that people don't care enough about the dilemma to solve it. That's all I'll say.
Windows 11, Intel Core I5 10400, 16 gig ram, Scarlett 2i2, Sony Acid Music Studio 10, BIAB 2020 UltraPlus Pak
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What another wonderful gem you've created, Brain. I've heard it many times already, and each one is better than the last some how. Just brilliant. Well played, too. This should be heard the world over.
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An angelic voice for a very beautiful and moving song. Very well done.
Laurent
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Hi, BD.
Excellent work. Sounds like a song to me!
AI sings expressively, and the setting is exquisite. The lyrics are touching, especially:
I pay with a bill
I press the change into the hand of one of the two
And wish him a nice evening
He wishes me the same and smiles at me
No teeth
I take out my wallet again and give him what I can spare
It works for me. Well done.
-- David Cuny My virtual singer development blogVocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?BiaB 2025 | Windows 11 | Reaper | Way too many VSTis.
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Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
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