1st Place
“You Make Sense”
Jay Madera
Cincinnati, Ohio
Art is just graffiti with a plaque and a frame
Science is just nature with a Latin name
Religion is just finding out who to blame
But you, you make sense to me
Yeah, you make sense to me
War is just ego with a battle plan
Time is just fear in a glass full of sand
Family is just a myth with a wedding band
But you, you make sense to me
Yeah, you make sense to me
I’m just a man with a story untold
You’re just a woman with a heart of gold
We’re just living in a world that’s oh so cold
But you, you make sense to me
Yeah you, you make sense to me
Bridge:
The more that I learn, the more that I doubt,
the more that I don’t want to leave my house
The more that I know, the more that I doubt,
the more than I just can’t get off my couch
But you, you make sense to me
Yeah you, you make sense to me
2nd Place
“Mount Everest”
Frank Renfordt
Hagen, Germany
He met his Appalachian girl in a summer camp
she became his wife and his best friend
They found a place on earth to settle down
big skies and green grass all around
They got a couple of kids and a lazy dog hanging out on the porch
and a four-wheel-drive ten year old Dodge
They’re working hard to keep the wheels on turning
rarely skipping church on Sunday morning
and he was always feeling alright
with some friends and a cold beer at the barbecue on Saturday night
Some people’s dreams ain’t big enough to fail
they never play a leading part in an heroic tale
but to live a life full of love and happiness
you don’t need to climb Mount Everest
Summer came and summer left
and autumn brought another gift
it wasn’t long after the youngest had left home
when the first grandchild came along
Now they spent some more time by the sea
she lent her hand to a charity
and was always feeling fine
when everybody’s coming home at christmas time
Some people’s dreams ain’t big enough to fail
they never play a leading part in an heroic tale
but to live a life full of love and happiness
you don’t need to climb Mount Everest
When she got sick and needed care
he spoon-fed her and combed her hair
and at the moment she passed away he whispered sweet nothings in her ear
while his eyes were filling up with tears
Sitting in his rocking chair
missing his Appalachian girl
one thing he’s really sure about
he will meet her again in a different world
Some people’s dreams ain’t big enough to fail
they never play a leading part in an heroic tale
but to live a life full of love and happiness
you don’t need to climb Mount Everest
Some people’s dreams ain’t big enough to fail
they never play a leading part in an heroic tale
but to live a life full of love and happiness
you don’t need to climb Mount Everest
you don’t have to climb Mount Everest
3rd Place
“Different Ways”
Kevin Zak
Novi, Michigan
I try, I try, I try
To say everything just right
But when I don’t say the right word
Just know that if I could
(Chorus)
I would paint you a picture
Like it was brushed by Monet
I would sing like Sinatra
And take your breath away
I would write you a story
To say all I want to say
In a way so deep
Like it was all written
By Hemingway
A song so the melody
Would get stuck inside your head
A story so these feelings
Don’t ever get misread
And a picture so I’d have
A thousand words to say
That I love you baby
In so many different ways
One day I’ll drop
My knee down to the floor
Ask you to be my
Forever and more
But if the words don’t come out
Exactly as they should
Just know they mean so much more
And remember if I could
(Chorus)
When I’m old and gray
I’ll just want you to know
You made this life worth living
With a love I won’t outgrow
So when I’m down to my last breath
I’ll find the strength to say
That I love you baby
In so many different ways
4th Place
“Another Man’s Coal”
Gary Beckstead
Taylorsville, Utah
Verse:
We all work hard, to earn the mighty dollar. Some work hard, in dirt and squalor.
Others in palaces, indulgences to feed.
Some find sorrow, in all their greed.
Chorus:
One man’s coal, is another man’s gold.
One man’s gold is another man’s coal.
It’s not what’s in your pockets, it’s what’s inside your soul.
Verse:
We believe that money, brings peace to the soul
Riches and excess, is every man’s goal
We’re still not happy, with riches we’re blind
Be it comfort or sorrow, it’s what you’ll find.
Chorus:
One man’s coal, is another man’s gold.
One man’s gold is another man’s coal.
It’s not what’s in your pockets, it’s what’s inside your soul.
Verse:
You can be happy, no matter life’s state
Happiness is a choice that you make
Sorrow’s created, by actions that you take
Be it happiness or sorrow, you choose your own fate
Chorus:
One man’s coal, is another man’s gold.
One man’s gold is another man’s coal.
It’s not what’s in your pockets, it’s what’s inside your soul
Honorable Mentions:
“Green Eyes”
Patty Lakamp
Carmel, California
“Backseat Love”
Richard M. Schroder
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
“The Lesser Of Two Evils”
Douglas Kwartler
Chelmsford, Massachusetts
“If The Devil Has A Name”
Jeffrey Ellis
South Charleston, West Virginia
“That One Time”
Heather Lloyd
Catonsville, Maryland
“Brave Old New York”
Ryan Schmitz
Laurel Hollow, New York
“Red And White Blues”
Grace Gonzalez
Nashville, Tennessee
“Home”
Karen Biser
Augusta, Maine
“Drive This Love”
Dani Hoy
Key West, Florida
“In My Cubicle”
Ed Rosney
Portland, Oregon
