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B.D.,
Even if you carefully enter prompts into the AI, it doesn't always produce a good result.
I'm sure you've felt that frustration as well.
So I think the balance of 8x BIAB, 6x You, and 1x AI is very good.
It's a very sad song, but a very great song.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.
Best regards.
Shigeki Adachi
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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. Thank you, Dave, for your really nice comment ![[Linked Image - Only viewable when logged in]](https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/images/icons/default/thumbs_up.gif) And yes, it is (unfortunately) the same all over the world. Wherever I have been in my life, it is the same everywhere. That's why I just _had_ to write this song.
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Powerful song BD. The homelessness is definitely a global issue. Very sad to see.
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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. - yep, I think your words describe it better than I ever could. Thanks for listening and for your really kind words, Ron
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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 Thank you for your really nice words, Torrey. Much appreciated
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Brilliant. I echo Andrew's comments. I could go on a rant about the U.S., but I will spare you. Lovely and emotional melody.
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Hi B.D. sorry I'm late to this.
What a gut-punch of a song—raw, narrative-driven, and haunting in its humanity. B.D., you’ve turned up the volume on silent struggles, and that takes guts and grace. It’s a stark reminder that homelessness isn’t a fringe issue—it’s a mirror held up to society, reflecting how thin the ice really is beneath our feet. One economic tremor, one medical bill, one rent hike… and poof—the safety net vanishes.
Here in Australia, we’re watching families become car-dwellers under the weight of a cost-of-living crisis that our political leaders—across all parties—seem more skilled at ignoring than solving. It’s not just unfair; it’s un-Australian.
So bravo for making the invisible seen. Art like this doesn’t just move us—it should move us to action.
Now, the million-dollar (or should I say, rent-stabilizing) question: How do we fix this? Because compassion without concrete solutions is just a beautiful sad song. Let’s turn the melody into momentum.
Life isn’t fair—but maybe, just maybe, we can vote, build, and care our way toward something better.
regards
Izzy
(PS my grandparents were Berlin natives)
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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. Thank you for your nice comment, Rob I don't have answers either. And I also know that I cannot change the world. But from time to time, I can make the world for some people a little less miserable for a day or two.
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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. Thank you, Marty. Hearing that from someone who knows this problem firsthand really warms my heart❤️
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An angelic voice for a very beautiful and moving song. Very well done.
Laurent Merci beaucoup for your really kind comment, Laurent. Much appreciated
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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. Thanks for your kind comment, David, especially about the lyrics, because that's the part of songwriting I've worked hardest on improving over the last year. Much appreciated 
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Brian an extremely important message in this fantastic song. Everything about this song is perfect. 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. It would be fantastic is we all could live in peace. But there is always a group of people whom want to rule the world and will try to take it by force if need be. I agree about taking just 10% of the military budgets and investing in it in education and creating jobs. World peace will only come from an outside source IMHO. Hopefully a few UFOs becoming real just might force the world to unite. But I wouldn't bet on it. An outstanding song - loved it. Thank you for your really nice words and your thoughts on the underlying problems, Mario. Much appreciated!
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This song is exceptionally brilliant in all respects. I can't praise it enough.
A lot of my best songs from the 70s (my 20s) were freeform poetry like this one, but I can't reproduce the music using BiaB and even if I could spend hours recording just my vocals and guitar accompaniment at home where making any loud sound is virtually impossible I can't see how I could incorporate BiaB. But this song makes me really want to.
Re the theme, if we lived in real democracies - governments FOR the people and BY humans of love and compassion instead of by servants of the banks and corporations for the banks and corporations - there'd never ever be any homelessness. Most people think of fascism as being outright dictatorship, but I recently read that Mussolini, who coined the term, defined it as "the marriage of the corporate with the state". I can't be certain that's true - you wouldn't find it on Wikipedia anyway - but it's what we've got.
Here's a poem I wrote in 2009, actually thematically atypical for me (it's published in one of my poetry books):
=======
The Lost Ones
[ ... ] Thank you for your really nice words, Chay. Much appriciated! That's a really good and sad poem you've written, and more people should see (or hear) it. I'd like something like this in song form, even if it would be a rather long song due to its length. Perhaps, as in classical music, divided into different movements.
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That is beautiful, sad and relevant all rolled into one exceptional song BD. The simplicity of the arrangement, clear vocals just adds weight to the message.
Really well written and produced. Loved it. Kind regards. Thank you for taking the time to listen and write such a nice comment. Much appreciated
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INCREDIBLE.
Excellent on every level.
An amazing arrangement/production. Your productions have real "class".
Mix is perfect. Vocal is amazing.
A truly strong write.
A truly important message.
Respect. On many levels.
fj
(a side note:
My wife volunteers at the local feed-the-homeless cafe (she "captains" one shift a week - directing all other volunteers).
It is part of Feeding Tampa Bay which is part of Feeding America. At this location, they typically feed 200 a day
So, we interact with and talk to "the homeless" on a weekly basis.
They are people. They are families.
The stories of how they ended up there are too varied to even imagine.
Once you've heard those stories, you realize... any of us could end up there.
We need to all take care of each other) Wow. I think I'll frame your comment and show it to my wife. Thanks Floyd, you made my day And, please tell your wife that I have the utmost respect for people who devote their precious free time to helping those in need. Most people don't care as long as they can make ends meet - until they can't. The blanket of civilization is thin. I take my hat off to the Floyd family!
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Beautiful!! "Write something...?" Is that an order???? No but seriously man, great song, and lovely pop. The production and mix are great. Very touching as well. Poignant. Happy Holidays. Thank you, David. Your feedback is, as always, much appreciated
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Sad indeed, a subject we usually want to close our eyes to. You depict the situation very powerfully, Berlin hasn't felt as cold and desolate place since I read the book "Christiane F.". "The torn sole of a shoe, broken teeth, the strange checkered jacket/That doesn't quite go with the sweatpants", you are not just writing excellent lyrics, you are telling something that goes to the core.
The band has the right elements to bring that mood into our hearts, no big drama, just wind blowing, the vocalist whispering and strings mourning. The vocal melody and lyrics flow very naturally. Touching, makes me think about the underprivileged and the true message of Christmas.
Janne Thank you for your _really_ nice words, Janne. Especially about the lyrics. Made my day
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“If you don't want to see them, you won't”
That is the saddest line because it is true.
The world, it seems, is in great need of more compassion and empathy.
B.D, the song is beautiful in sound and in message.
Excellent production in a aspects.
Powerful,
J&B Thank you, Janice & Bud The irony is that people who refuse to see are actually unhappier than these poor souls. The other day, I observed a couple (I guess they were in their twenties) laughing happily like lottery winners when they found some empty bottles that they could turn into cash thanks to our deposit return system here in Germany.
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B.D.,
Even if you carefully enter prompts into the AI, it doesn't always produce a good result.
I'm sure you've felt that frustration as well.
So I think the balance of 8x BIAB, 6x You, and 1x AI is very good.
It's a very sad song, but a very great song.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.
Best regards.
Shigeki Adachi Thank your for your really nice words, Shigeki Adachi. As I have already promised elsewhere, I will limit myself to a maximum of two AI tracks (vocals, since I obviously cannot sing female vocal parts, and a maximum of one instrumental track if I or BIAB cannot play the instrument myself) so that the forum remains BIAB- and not too AI-related.
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Powerful song BD. The homelessness is definitely a global issue. Very sad to see. Thanks, Scott. It's good to hear that everyone here in this forum agrees that this is a major problem that needs to be addressed.
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