Songs on Peterhiltz.com

Susanna the Healer

Peter Hiltz — Sat, 02 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This song was written about an episode in a cozy fantasy novella called Andras Hill, which can be found at Anthracyda.org.

Winds of Change

Peter Hiltz — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

I’m trying to get back to songwriting. This was in response to a challenge on writing a song involving listening to the wind. I started playing around with the theme of “winds of change” and how everything is always changing. So often we don’t hear the first whispers and, when we do, we try to fight it instead of accepting it and going with the flow. The changes can be physical (I can’t stop getting older), they can be cultural, they can be economic or environment or scientific or lots of other things.

Someone once said “Things were simpler when we were younger” and the response was “No, we were simpler”. We can’t go back to the naïveté of our younger days, but we can reset how we engage with life, the universe and others.

For those of you who care, this was actually written in an open D minor tuning.

He Is Gone

Peter Hiltz — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Trigger warning: Song about domestic violence.

This originally started out as a song about recovering from the end of a marriage involving domestic violence. Then after watching some relationships close to me, it took a twist at the end and got more complicated, with a flavor of co-dependency so the ending is sadder and more wistful than the original practically dancing on the grave.

Slicing the Sourdough

Peter Hiltz — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 14:18:19 -0400

How many of you have a kitchen utility drawer? How many of you buy your bread pre-sliced, but have a breadknife you never use? How many of you keep it in the kitchen drawer?

Usually I write my own melodies, but this is written to the tune of Waltzing Matilda

Dust Bunnies

Peter Hiltz — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 14:18:19 -0400

Inadvised use of percussive maintenance, but a good result from a sarcastic comment to someone who can actually change directions.

Character

Peter Hiltz — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Early early draft. Sometimes you drop nuance and need to be heavy handed. This song is a bit unusual in that it starts with an accidental.

Dark Stone Wall

Peter Hiltz — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

My only obviously autobiographical song. Families pay a price for the
games that politicians play that those politicians never pay.

Flanders Fields Rejoined

Peter Hiltz — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

The poem “Flanders Fields” was written by a Canadian doctor during
WWI. It is patriotic and, unfortunately, glories in the continuation
of conflict. Must so many people insist on having an enemy to unite
and fight against?

Friends

Peter Hiltz — Sat, 05 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Lifelong friends who will pick you up when you are down are to be treasured.

Ghosts of Westminster

Peter Hiltz — Sat, 05 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

There is a difference between politician: “one engaged in party
politics, especially as a trade; one who promotes the interests of a
political party, one concerned with public affairs for the sake of
profit or of a clique.” and statesman: “enlightened, disinterested,
and high-minded service to the state or the people of the state”.

We usually have too many politicians and not enough statesmen.

Give Me a Reason

Peter Hiltz — Sat, 05 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

For my daughter when she was in junior high school. If you insisted on
a rule and justified it because the authority figure said so, you
guaranteed a fight. If you gave reasonable reasons for the rule, there
wouldn’t be any problem. I’ve seen reports that up to 30% of any human
population consists of authoritarians. Those in power want mindless
obedience. Even those not in positions of power want to be
thoughtlessly led and will insist on mindless obedience to authority
and punishment otherwise.

New Fallen Snow

Peter Hiltz — Sat, 05 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

We as adults are afraid of things that we as children were ignorant
of. Sometimes we think it would be nice to be back at that age, but
now we are the ones with responsibility.

Candle in the Window

Peter Hiltz — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Growing up from the parent’s point of view.

Childhood Stories

Peter Hiltz — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Friends thinking back to our childhood dreams and where we ended up instead.

Christmas Threads

Peter Hiltz — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Remember christmas cards and sitting down at the kitchen table,
sending out those once a year notes to friends and relatives. Facebook
is not quite the same.

Drip, Drop

Peter Hiltz — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Written for my daughter when she was young and believed that animals
were nicer than people. Sometimes I even think she was right.

Empty Seat

Peter Hiltz — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

After the relationship is over and the fights have ceased.

Expat Community

Peter Hiltz — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Expats are temporary immigrants. But there are different types of
expats. Some just treat it as an extended vacation. Others are
seasonal and tend to forget the real truth that they are guests and
the local rules apply. Some become more native than the natives. A
fourth group is more internationalist and are more at home crossing
borders and dealing with multiple cultures than they are back home.

This song is about that last group.

Call of the Loon

Peter Hiltz — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Fall is my favorite time of year. Fall in New England is especially
entrancing. This has also been called a love song.

Ball Parks in Heaven

Peter Hiltz — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Memorial to a minor league baseball fan.

Great Ocean Road

Peter Hiltz — Thu, 05 Sep 2019 00:00:00 +0000

I wrote this on a paper placemat in a restaurant in Melbourne,
Australia after doing a tour of the Great Ocean Road and hearing a bit
of its history. Nearby diners were either amused or confused as the
waitress kept trying to put the food on the placemat and I kept pushing
it away because I didn’t want to lose the melody and my train of thought.

What Will Happen to Magic

Peter Hiltz — Sun, 30 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000

There is a place for warriors. There is a place for story
tellers. Sometimes both groups forget there is a need for the other.

Wordsmith

Peter Hiltz — Sun, 30 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Just a little fun pretending wordsmiths exist the same as blacksmiths did.

You Never Drew a Breath

Peter Hiltz — Sun, 30 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000

For some friends after the death of a child.

Waiting at Christmas

Peter Hiltz — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Spouses have been waiting for their loved ones to return from business
trips for centuries. This story happens at Christmas.

Happiness and Tears (2001)

Peter Hiltz — Mon, 31 Dec 2001 00:00:00 +0000

2001 was an eventful year for many reasons. I wrote this to sing with
some friends at a new years eve party.

Harwood North Dakota