Could it Be Something I Said

 Written and performed at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, Fall 1981


Could it be something I said?
Give me the chance and I'll explain all the thoughts in my head

They're not complex 
I'm merely lost in translation again

Give me the chance to defend...

My actions speak louder

than words, mine just flounder

and hurt those around me who don't understand

I'm better off if I say nothing more

Words don't do justice and I

Can't hide behind metaphor

I'll just confuse you 
Tell me 

Could it be something I said

What's going on in your head...
Aah....

I try to show
How I feel
I see things very clear

Yet I know

I'll  always cause you pain

Unable to explain
That I'm just not the same
I'll never belong but I can't get along without you...you...

I should have quit  while I still felt ahead
I just confused you 
Had I thought through the words that I'd said
If I'd refused to talk 
I know we'd be happy instead 
Our dreams would never have ended...

Now hope is broken since I went and opened 
that box of Pandora 
and let out the horror
That lurks in the corner

Beneath quiet waters

Inside of us all

Since Man took the fall
From Grace.

Food Waste to Energy

Food Waste to Energy
c 2019 T.H. Culhane

VERSE 1
A6
Food WASTE to energy


 it SHOULDN'T be a MYSTERY

       D9
 it's SOMETHING every boy and girl can DO 

A6

Everyone one has got it,

A6

If you're living on this planet

D9                                        E9

Then you'll always have the icky side of food

A6

But now we have technology 

A6

To turn waste into energy 

so WE can turn our FOOD back into fuel (and fertilzer)
A6
fat and grease and pot roast, that you can't put in the compost, 
F                                 G                    A6
you can turn it all to energy ... it's true!
F                                 G                    A6

you can turn it all to energy ... yes YOU!

D9                                          
Who me?  

E9
Yep! 

CHORUS
                   A6
 because it's your Planet too
                  D9
and it's the best thing we can do 
                         A6
keep saying it's my Planet 2
             Dm       Dm/C            E9
and my food waste is my fuel.
                              A6                       
Come on now: "My planet too 
   D9 
-- with food waste as my fuel".
                  A6
Oh yes its our planet too, 
  F                     E            A6
with food waste as our fuel


VERSE 2
 A6
Food waste to energy

it forms the perfect synergy 

D9   
               
CLOsing circuLAR EconoMIES

A6     

Food waste's really SUNshine 

it's a form of solar POWER

D9                                                            E

 making goods from bads that others see as waste

   Bm                                E9

But once you know the formula
  Bm                  E9
 and the magic of bacteria

G#m7b5                                                              F#m

 you know poLLUTIONS merely matter  out of PLACE
Bm                             E9
From ancient times to Marco Polo
Bm                 E9
People knew we can't fly solo,
C#m                                                         F#7#5
Microbes have been there to clean the waste

Bm                              E9

turning  food waste into energy
C#m                    F#7#5
it isn't new to history
Dm                                               E7

but everyone's been caught in the rat race 

A6             

wasting time and wasting food 

D9    

wondering what the heck to do 

  A6                                                         E9    

running helpless as we witness climate change

A6         

But nows the time to get involved

D9

And here's what you can do to SOLVE it

A6                                           E9                   A6

Food waste to energy's the simplest thing to Do

CHORUS 2

                         A6

Because its' your planet too

                          D9

And now you know what you can do

                 A6

We can get clean fuel from our food

               Dm                 G#m7b5  C#7b9

And turn the bad stuff into good

                   F#m

Because it's your planet too

               B

And you all have wasted food

                 D9

It makes a mess of our home planet

                 Dm

And we don't like the way you ran it

                 E9

But with food waste to fuel we can solve this problem, dammit!

                   A6

Because its my planet too,

      D9

And I know  the best thing we can do

    A6

Is to turn our food waste into energy

   Dm

It's real, its not some fantasy

   Dm/C                               E9                                         

There's no more time to waste to draw it down
   Fmaj7b5  E

Draw it down... as Greta Thunberg says:

BRIDGE

Bm                                                         E

You adults been talking green an awful lot

               F#m

But the green you talk's just money or it's snot (snot, get it?)

Bm                                                       E

You drag your feet but tell kids "don't complain"

               C#m                                        F#7#5

While dooming us to certain climate change

                   B7

But we're done with your confusion

                        B9

And the time for talking's done

F

We've found the best solution

One that's simple, safe and fun

 Fmaj7b5                                                    G6                             A6

Turning food waste from pollution into energy, nutrition and new food

D7                             E9   Dm     E7 E9!

That's what we're gonna do...

CHORUS 3

                    A6

Because it's our planet too

                      D9

And the SOLUTION's in our food

                   A6

Turning our food wastes to energy

It shouldn't be a mystery

 D9                                  E9

It's something every boy and girl can do

(Food waste to fuel and fertilizer

Food Waste to Fuel and Fertilizer

 Food Waste to Fuel and Fertilizer -- Food waste).

VERSE 4

  A6

We're running out of time

D9

Just like we're running out of rhymes

A6                                    E9

And all y'all are doing is DEBATE

A6

Having meetings at the Hague

D9

and talks at the UN

E9                                                A6

While our KIDS are sick of being told to wait

     A6

You say that they should be the change

D9

While you all throw your food away

A6                                                 E7

And all you have to do to make the change

 A6

Is change your FOOD waste into ENergy

  D9

and mitiGATE that CImate change

D9                      E9                   A6

And really all the rest can stay the same

Dm/C                                E9                      A6

And we don't have to play that dumb blame game

CHORUS

              A6

Because its our planet too

                 D9

And best thing we can do

  A6

Is to turn our food waste into fuel

E9

That's what we're gonna do.

Food waste to fuel and fertilizer

Food waste to fuel and fertilzer

Food to waste to Energy,  it's true

                  F            E9            A6  (Food waste!!)

Because its your planet too.

_______________________________________________

A6

food waste to energy 

we'll all go down in history 

Fmaj7b5                              Eaug E9

Defenders of the earth and of the truth 

Getting off the Grid

Getting off the Grid
C 2018 by T.H. Culhane, Ph.D.

Key of E

E E/D#
CLIMATE Change is causing trouble
C#m C#m/B
GOTTA solve it on the double
Bbm7b5
GET ourselves off fossil fuels
A
And TURN to those
Am
reNEWables
And
E E/D#
STOP the direst of predictions
C#m C#m/B
By GETTING off our OIL addictions
Bbm7b5
AIN’T no problem, as YOU can see
A Am
We HAVE all the technology
__________________________________________________________
                                E E E B C C#m 
For getting off the grid
                                    A  C E
We’re getting off the grid, yeah yeah
___________________________________________________
E E/D#
Everything we throw away
C#m C#m/B
Can be USED for fighting climate change
Bbm7b5
Our PLASTICS, food and toilet wastes
A Am
Can BE recycled right in place To make our
E E/D#
Own FUEL and SOIL to grow our garden
C#m C#m/B
And IF we put a price on carbon
Bbm7b5
We’ll see POLLUTION’S really lost opportunity
A Am  
We can create a zero waste economy…
____________________________________________________________
By getting off the
        E E E B C C#m
Grid… We’re getting off the grid
A C E
By getting off the grid…
    E E E B C C#m
We’re getting off the grid
A C E
Get on with gettin’ off the grid
____________________________________________________________
E D# D C# C
Yeah we’re getting off the grid by
C C# D D# E
Biogas and solar by and by
E D# D C# C
Yeah, We’re taking it in stages
C C# D D# E
And we’re buying us some time
E D# D C# C
Right now we’re COOKING on our food wastes
C C# D D# E
Using the SUN to play Fortnight
E D# D C# C
We took our WHOLE HOUSE off the grid by
C C# D D# E
RELYING on the
B7
SUN
And PRAYING for blue skies….
_____________________________________________________________
C#m11
OFF grid we have all
C7b5
ameniTIES (MICROwaves , fridges and BIG screen TVs)
C#m11
WE don’t pay bills,
F#m7b5
we do WHAT we PLEASE (we have SOlar eLECtriciTY
C#m11
BLACKouts can not bring us
C7b5
to our KNEES (When the HURRicanes COME it’s a BREEZE)
C#m11
NOW we must counter
Am
the rising seas…
B9
by
_______________________________________________________
E E/D#
SAYING goodbye to coal and oil
C#m C#m/B
And FIXING carbon into soil
Bbm7b5
Growing FOOD and trees organically
A Am
BYE BYE AgroINDustry
E E/D#
We LIVE it now at OUR own home
C#m C#m/B
But WE don’t want to BE alone
Bbm7b5
The OFF grid life is NOT so hard
A  Am
And ALL you got to DO is start
__________________________________________________
                              E E E B C C#m
Start getting off the grid
                               A C E
Start getting off the grid
                         E E E B C C#m
(Join us in) getting off the grid.
                                        A C E
You’ll thank us once you did

Get on getting off the grid
______________________________________________________
Spoken:
E to C
There’s a million things that you can do right now to get on getting off the grid
C to E
And start drawing down the carbon surplus caused by the mess we created from the things we
did
E to C
Turning to the sun and the wind and the easy transformation of food waste into fuel and fertilizer
are some things you can do at home like we do
C to E
While our communities can scale things up to run off grid supermarkets and shopping malls
E to C
From there it isn’t hard to add in endless geothermal power to run our industries
C to E
And once we close the metabolic rift and support local organic farms we won’t be forced to use
fossil based fertilizers or pesticides ever again.
E to C
Getting off the grid isn’t going backwards, the kind of off grid living we’re talking about brings us
C to E
more abundance, more luxury and leisure time and more health and happiness and liberty and
justice for ALL. So let’s get off the grid together, right now!
 E E E B C C#m
Getting off the Grid….
A C E
Let’s get on off the grid, yeah yeah!







Key of A
A  A/G#
CLIMATE Change is causing trouble
F#m F#m/E
GOTTA solve it on the double
Ebm7b5
GET ourselves off fossil fuels
D
And TURN to those
Dm
reNEWables
And
A  A/G#
STOP the direst of predictions
F#m F#m/E
By GETTING off our OIL addictions
Ebm7b5
AIN’T no problem, as YOU can see
D Dm
We HAVE all the technology
__________________________________________________________
A A A  E F F#m
For getting off the grid
D  F A 
We’re getting off the grid, yeah yeah
___________________________________________________
A  A/G#
Everything we throw away
F#m F#m/E
Can be USED for fighting climate change
Ebm7b5
Our PLASTICS, food and toilet wastes
D Dm 
Can BE recycled right in place To make our
A  A/G#
Own FUEL and SOIL to grow our garden
F#m F#m/E
And IF we put a price on carbon
Ebm7b5
We’ll see POLLUTION’S really lost opportunity
D Dm
We can create a zero waste economy…
____________________________________________________________
By getting off the
A A A  E F F#m
Grid… We’re getting off the grid
D  F A
By getting off the grid…
A A A  E F F#m
We’re getting off the grid
D  F A
Get on with gettin’ off the grid
____________________________________________________________
A  G# G F# F
Yeah we’re getting off the grid by
F F# G G# A
Biogas and solar by and by
A  G# G F# F
Yeah, We’re taking it in stages
F F# G G# A
And we’re buying us some time
A  G# G F# F
Right now we’re COOKING on our food wastes
F F# G G# A
Using the SUN to play Fortnight
A  G# G F# F
We took our WHOLE HOUSE off the grid by
F F# G G# A
RELYING on the
E7
SUN
And PRAYING for blue skies….
_____________________________________________________________
F#m11
OFF grid we have all
F55
ameniTIES (microwaves, fridges and big screen TVs)
F#m11
WE don’t pay bills,
Bm7b5
we do WHAT we PLEASE (we have solar electricity)
F#m11
BLACKouts can not bring us
Fb5
to our KNEES (When the Hurricanes come it’s a breeze)
F#m11
NOW we must counter
Dm
the rising seas…
E7
by
_______________________________________________________
A  A/G#
SAYING goodbye to coal and oil
F#m F#m/E
And FIXING carbon into soil
Ebm7b5
Growing FOOD and trees organically
D Dm
BYE BYE AgroINDustry
A  A/G#
We LIVE it now at OUR own home
F#m F#m/E
But WE don’t want to BE alone
Ebm7b5
The OFF grid life is NOT so hard
D Dm
And ALL you got to DO is start
A F#m D F A
__________________________________________________
A A A  E F F#m
Start getting off the grid
D  F A
(Join us in) getting off the grid.
A A A  E F F#m
You’ll thank us once you did
D  F A
Get on getting off the grid
______________________________________________________
Spoken:
A to F
There’s a million things that you can do right now to get on getting off the grid
F to A
And start drawing down the carbon surplus caused by the mess we created from the things we
did
A to F
Turning to the sun and the wind and the easy transformation of food waste into fuel and fertilizer
are some things you can do at home like we do
F to A
While our communities can scale things up to run off grid supermarkets and shopping malls
A to F
From there it isn’t hard to add in endless geothermal power to run our industries
F to A
And once we close the metabolic rift and support local organic farms we won’t be forced to use
fossil based fertilizers or pesticides ever again.
A to F
Getting off the grid isn’t going backwards, the kind of off grid living we’re talking about brings us
F A 
more abundance, more luxury and leisure time and more health and happiness and liberty and
justice for ALL. So let’s get off the grid together, right now!
A A A  E F F#m
Getting off the Grid….
 D F A
Let’s get on off the grid, yeah yeah!
Key of C version

C C/B
CLIMATE Change is causing trouble
Am Am/G
GOTTA solve it on the double
F#m7b5
GET ourselves off fossil fuels
F
And TURN to those
Fm
reNEWables
And
C C/B
STOP the direst of predictions
Am Am/G
By GETTING off our OIL addictions
F#m7b5
AIN’T no problem, as YOU can see
F Fm
We HAVE all the technology
__________________________________________________________
C C C GG#Am
For getting off the grid
F Ab C
We’re getting off the grid, yeah yeah
___________________________________________________
C C/B
Everything we throw away
Am Am/G
Can be USED for fighting climate change
F#m7b5
Our PLASTICS, food and toilet wastes
F Fm
Can BE recycled right in place To make our
C C/B
Own FUEL and SOIL to grow our garden
Am Am/G
And IF we put a price on carbon
F#m7b5
We’ll see POLLUTION’S really lost opportunity
F Fm
We can create a zero waste economy…
____________________________________________________________
By getting off the
C C C GG#Am
Grid… We’re getting off the grid
F Ab C
By getting off the grid…
C C C GG#Am
We’re getting off the grid
F AB C
Get on with gettin’ off the grid
____________________________________________________________
C B Bb A Ab
Yeah we’re getting off the grid by
Ab A Bb B C
Biogas and solar by and by
C B Bb A Ab
Yeah, We’re taking it in stages
Ab A Bb B C
And we’re buying us some time
C B Bb A Ab
Right now we’re COOKING on our food wastes
Ab A Bb B C
Using the SUN to play Fortnight
C B Bb A Ab
We took our WHOLE HOUSE off the grid by
Ab A Bb B C
RELYING on the
G7
SUN
And PRAYING for blue skies….
_____________________________________________________________
Am11
OFF grid we have all
G#55
ameniTIES (microwaves, fridges and big screen TVs)
Am11
WE don’t pay bills,
Dm7b5
we do WHAT we PLEASE (we have solar electricity)
Am11
BLACKouts can not bring us
G#b5
to our KNEES (When the Hurricanes come it’s a breeze)
Am11
NOW we must counter
Fm
the rising seas…
G7
by
_______________________________________________________
C C/B
SAYING goodbye to coal and oil
Am Am/G
And FIXING carbon into soil
F#m7b5
Growing FOOD and trees organically
F Fm
BYE BYE AgroINDustry
C C/B
We LIVE it now at OUR own home
Am Am/G
But WE don’t want to BE alone
F#m7b5
The OFF grid life is NOT so hard
F Fm
And ALL you got to DO is start
C Am F Ab C
__________________________________________________
C C C GG#Am
Start getting off the grid
F Ab C
(Join us in) getting off the grid.
C C C GG#Am
You’ll thank us once you did
F Ab C
Get on getting off the grid
______________________________________________________
Spoken:
C to Ab
There’s a million things that you can do right now to get on getting off the grid
Ab to C
And start drawing down the carbon surplus caused by the mess we created from the things we
did
C to Ab
Turning to the sun and the wind and the easy transformation of food waste into fuel and fertilizer
are some things you can do at home like we do
Ab to C
While our communities can scale things up to run off grid supermarkets and shopping malls
C to Ab
From there it isn’t hard to add in endless geothermal power to run our industries
Ab to C
And once we close the metabolic rift and support local organic farms we won’t be forced to use
fossil based fertilizers or pesticides ever again.
C to Ab
Getting off the grid isn’t going backwards, the kind of off grid living we’re talking about brings us
Ab C
more abundance, more luxury and leisure time and more health and happiness and liberty and
justice for ALL. So let’s get off the grid together, right now!
C C C G G# Am
Getting off the Grid….
F Ab C
Let’s get on off the grid, yeah yeah!

Find the Hero.. in You

Every hero has empty days when he feels alone
every heroine has a time when she's on her own
I hear voices that say you'll leave me and go somewhere
So I'll tell you what I have learned so that you will be aware...

any swordsman who'll slay a dragon will let you down
Any hero who plays the braggarts not worth the crown
Make your hero an honest person whose judgement's sound
No prince valiant who's truly valiant is ever glory bound...

Any fool who pretends he's wise hurts and never helps
Any wiseman who plays the fool only fools himself
Choose your heroes from those who are what they claim to be.
Choose your heroes from honest people who let their soul's be seen

Find the hero
Find the hero

Who doesn't know that a half of the pleasure we take in this world,
lies not just in what we do, but in anticipation
How many people would rather be living the life of a hero
But how many get there and how many even begin?

I read a quote said what any fool knows is a vice can be altered
Changed by an artist to look like a virtue
but is it true?
I'd like to think that if your will is pure you can tap into wisdom
You have to know
Which way to go
You have to grow
But how?

Every hero has empty days when he feels alone
Every heroine has a time when she's on her own
You don't feel that you have the strength to pull sword from stone
Nonetheless you can pass this test with the skills you've always shown

Find the hero
Find the hero
Find the hero
Find the hero...

IN YOU.

Awareness Campaigns

 (Written in Oman and delivered at the Cengage National Geographic Education Conference in Muscat, 2014, T.H. Culhane).

What if "awareness" campaigns could achieve all their aims
through hands on creation through building foundations
using infrastructure as the basis for human relations?

What if, to sensitize, the most effective key now lies
not just in speeches from experts
no matter how wise...
But in heart felt experience
of what it's like ON THE OTHER SIDE
the uncomfortable realities from which we all try to hide...?

How do... we combine both education and practice?
How do... we move our nations toward justice?

There is no path to peace, for peace IS the path
through our birthright to knowledge, applied science and math
no rule of the "elite"
just you and you and me...

Never Ever Met a Clown (Like You) {Before}

copyright 1982 T.H. Culhane (Cairo, September 1982)

Intro B-C B-C, B-C, A - G, B-C, B-C . AAA CB G. Otrp
C, F, 2x, CF G 2x C Bb G, Intro 4 Heys then C, F AAA CBG, C, F AAA CBG, CFG CFG C Bb G

Last night my pants were falling down
lst night my shirt was turned around
last night my tie was crooked
Shoes unlaced and funny looking
Last night my hat was upside down
People said he must be unwound
last night my shoes had holes,
my Dr. Shoals were far too old and...

Last night my vest was inside out
People were sure beyond a doubt
They thought that I was drunk
And yet their theory's quite unsound and...

I guess they never met a clown
Never met a clown!
(Break)

Hey!

Last night I was a connoisseur
Last night I was a loup garou!
Last night I went beserk and people laughed
"He's from the zoo"

Last night I sword fought with a skewer
Swung from the chandeliers and dueled
Thought I was Errol Flynn and all my guests could do was grin and...

I guess they never met a clown.
Never met a clown!

(Break)
Hey! (4x) C Bb

Last night I said some things profound
Spread my philosophy around
I said the world was flat like stale club soda! (Break).

People just stared and said "You must be loaded"...

I guess they've never met a clown.
Never met a clown!
Hey!
(Circus theme: Dut dut duddleuddleutdut dah! Dut dut duddleuddleut dut dah! ).

My Eutopia

My Eutopia
 
By T.H. Culhane 2014
Tempo 168

( 5/4 tempo in verses, a la Dave Bruebeck's "Take 5") 
Cm, Cm Gm, Fm, Cm
 
Turn the farms to forests and fields
Throw the grains out from our meals
Turn to trees to grow our yields
Start with food to make love real

Turn our food wastes back to food
Turn our garbage into fuel
When we kill do not be cruel
Love your neighbor, be no fool
 

(Chorus in Beguine style, Gm, Fm, Cm, Bb7)

And I dream of a better world
Not a different world
Not a different land or people

Dream of a better time
free of war and crime
Free of all disease and suffering

Dream, we can make them real
We can help and heal
That's the world in my eutopia

Use the sun to make things boil
Shun the atom, shun the oil
Use wind and water, biofuels
Geothermal – nature's tools

Make our cities work for man
Eco-cities better planned
Microbiome managed land
Man and nature hand in hand...

Once we finally understand

So I dream
Knowing its in reach
If only we would teach
All our children each to dream up

Dreams, we can make them real
We can help and heal
That's the world in my eutopia...