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Alex Houston

Member since 2011
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About

Thanks for visiting my SongU.com website
Influences Neil Sedaka, Everly Brothers, Russ Conway, Paul McCartney, Ray Davies, Carole King, Barry Mann, Greenaway/Cook, Howard/Blaikley, Joe Meek, Burt Bacharach, Del Shannon, B & F Bryant.
Genres Instrumental, EDM
Instruments Piano/Keyboard, Other
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Songs

31 songs

PAPER CUTS

Plays: 13
Backstory
Collaboration with SongU member Jackie Hird. Lyrics (Jackie Hird) and music (Alex Houston) are 100% created by the authors. Suno is used for demo only.
Lyrics
Verse 1
Paper cuts so sharp and fine,
Tiny pale, an invisible line.
Every day another layer,
Skin so fragile, laid so bare.
Each line so clean, hard to see,
Sank within and bled out me.
A million times that paper scored,
Cruel so deep inside, all stored.

Pre-Chorus
Whispers cut like steel,
Truth no one could feel…

Chorus
How do I ease these cuts so raw,
Wounds I felt but no one saw?
I let the wild take my hand,
Let healing rise from earth and sand.
Nature holds me when I fall,
She sees every hidden scar and all.
How do I ease these cuts so raw?
I breathe them out into the dawn.

Verse 2
Every day a little score,
Words too sharp to be ignored.
Layer on layer sank beneath,
Shadows, pain you did bequeath.
But now the wind sings back to me,
Carries strength from sky to sea.
What was carved will start to fade,
Light breaks through the scars you made.

Pre-Chorus
Whispers cut like steel,
But slowly I can feel…

Chorus
How do I ease these cuts so raw,
Wounds I felt but no one saw?
I let the wild take my hand,
Let healing rise from earth and sand.
Nature holds me when I fall,
She sees every hidden scar and all.
How do I ease these cuts so raw?
I breathe them out into the dawn.

Bridge
Let the rivers wash it clean,
Let the forest take the grief,
Every step I reclaim me—
Soft and slow, I’m breaking free.

Final Chorus
How do I ease these cuts so raw?
I walk the path where new hearts grow.
And in the wild I understand—
These wounds don’t shape all that I am.
Nature mends what once was torn,
I rise again, reborn, reborn…

© 2026 Lyrics - Jacqueline Hird, Music - Alex Houston

LET TIME GO (MUSIC OF THE FJORDS)

Plays: 1
Backstory
Collaboration with Jackie Hird. Lyrics (Jackie Hird) and music (Alex Houston) are 100% created by the authors. Suno is used for demo only.
Lyrics
Intro (instrumental)

Verse 1
Gather in… the air so clear
I walk this land… with no more fear
Waters fall… in shades of green
I wander home… to find me

Verse 2
Deep ravines… echo my pain
Coldest ice… still remains
But light… dances in my eyes
As time… drifts slowly by

Chorus
Drift… drift… let time go
Quiet waters… heal my soul
In this land… wild and free
I release… what’s inside me
Drift...take it slow...let time go

Instrumental break

Verse 3
White-tailed eagle… silent glide
Through the dusk… where shadows hide
Night-time stars… softly glow
Holding stories… long ago

Bridge
Bitter winds… they call my name
Through the trees… I feel the change
Every step… I let it be
Something loosens… deep in me

Final Chorus
Drift… drift… let time go
Quiet waters… heal my soul
In this land… I am free
All the hurt… releases me
Drift...take it slow...let time go

© 2026 Lyrics - Jacqueline Hird, Music - Alex Houston

ULTRA HIGH VOLTAGE

Plays: 4
Backstory
My latest effort at composing and producing Trance
Lyrics
No lyric

TRANCE MISSION (CLUB VERSION)

Plays: 4
Backstory
Some ideas for EDM
Lyrics
No lyric

TO ANDROMEDA AND BEYOND

Plays: 43
Backstory
Playing around with EDM
Lyrics
No lyrics

REBIRTH OF VENUS

Plays: 16
Backstory
Messing about with EDM sounds
Lyrics
No lyric

KISS OF LIFE

Plays: 17
Backstory
Version 4
Lyrics
No lyrics

SONG OF PROMETHEUS

Plays: 4
Backstory
I wanted to write an EDM track that wasn't all 8 or 16 bar sections. This piece has five and ten bar sections unlike most EDM songs. Prometheus is a moon of Saturn that disturbs one of the planet's rings and, with it, its perfect symmetry, hence the title.
Lyrics
No lyrics

THE ALCHEMIST

Plays: 5
Backstory
Playing with chord sequences
Lyrics
No lyrics

OUT OF LOCKDOWN

Plays: 8
Backstory
While messing about with a Lightpad Block , I came up with this tune. Have spent a bit of time trying to make it more commercial.
Lyrics
No lyrics

ALL BURNT OUT

Plays: 5
Backstory
Another attempt at EDM with different sounds
Lyrics
ALL BURNT OUT

All burnt out, I'm all burnt out
All burnt out, I'm all burnt out

Keep your body moving to the beat
Even though you're dying on your feet

All burnt out, I'm all burnt out
All burnt out, I'm all burnt out

Keep your body moving to the beat
Even though you're dying on your feet

All burnt out, I'm all burnt out
All burnt out, I'm all burnt out
All burnt out, I'm all burnt out
All burnt out, I'm all burnt out

© 2021 Alex Houston

CLASSICAL TRANCE

Plays: 3
Backstory
Attempting to combine Classical Piano with EDM
Lyrics
No Lyric

AESTAS

Plays: 3
Backstory
Trying to do something a bit different.
Lyrics
No lyric

MUSIC OF THE FJORDS

Plays: 20
Backstory
Re-worked instrumental from 2012 with new sounds and fuller orchestration.
Lyrics
No Lyric

QUINTESSENCE

Plays: 4
Backstory
Started out as an attempt at K-Pop but developed into something different.
Lyrics
No Lyric

AURORA SKIES (REMIX)

Plays: 9
Backstory
Prog rock track with section using MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression)
Lyrics
No lyric

TEMPORA MUTANTUR (CHANGING TIMES)

Plays: 10
Backstory
Messing around with modulations, chord sequences and time signatures.
Lyrics
No lyric

THROUGH THE DARKNESS (STARMAN)

Plays: 137
Backstory
This song is about escaping from the humdrum of real life via a hobby, in my case astronomy.
Lyrics
THROUGH THE DARKNESS (STARMAN)

Verse 1

I get up each day at the crack of dawn
I have a quick shower, put my best clothes on
Have coffee and toast, it's the same every day
Then I dream of the stars in the Milky Way

Pre-chorus

Then I drift up into space

Chorus

Starman, hear me now
Take me by the hand
Lead me through the darkness
To a distant land

Verse 2

I go out to work, always catch the train
I stand all the way there and back again
When I get the job done and I'm back at home
I venture out to my astrodome

Pre-chorus

Then I drift up into space

Chorus

Starman, hear me now
Take me by the hand
Lead me through the darkness
To a distant land

Bridge

I must escape when the chance comes around
Put my head in the air, take my feet off the ground
Leave the world that I know with its hate and its crime
When I look through my scope I can go back in time

Verse 3

I put on TV, watch the same old stuff
Quizzes, news and soaps till I've had enough
Some reality show that I can't abide
But then the skies clear and I go outside

Pre-chorus

Then I drift up into space
Leave behind the human race

Chorus

Starman, hear me now
Take me by the hand
Lead me through the darkness
To a distant land

Repeat Chorus with counterpoint

(counterpoint lyric:

Starman listen
Help me steer
Starman guide me
Away from here)


© 2018 Music and lyrics by Alex Houston

JUKEBOX IN MY HEAD

Plays: 181
Backstory
My wife Roberta, who had never written a lyric before, came up with a lyric for me. I also wanted to write something which didn't sound like it was written in the sixties and "Jukebox In My Head" was the result. Following feedback sessions with a few SongU instructors, I have incorporated some of their suggestions to improve the content.
Lyrics
JUKEBOX IN MY HEAD

Reduced chorus

The jukebox in my head, the jukebox in my head
The jukebox in my head, I can't get it to stop
It just won't go away, it just won't go away
The jukebox in my head, I can't get it to stop

Verse 1

It's 3am and I'm lying in bed
And the jukebox in my head starts playing
It makes its selection, there's no chance of rejection
And it's going to drive me insane (drive me insane)

Chorus

The jukebox in my head, the jukebox in my head
The jukebox in my head, I can't get it to stop
It just won't go away, it just won't go away
The jukebox in my head, I can't get it to stop
There goes another coin, I just hope it won't drop

Verse 2

I should be sleeping but that song is keeping
Going round and round in my mind
It's totally random, just where does it come from
And how can I leave it behind (leave it behind)

Chorus

The jukebox in my head, the jukebox in my head
The jukebox in my head, I can't get it to stop
It just won't go away, it just won't go away
The jukebox in my head, I can't get it to stop
There goes another coin, I just hope it won't drop

Bridge

I try to think of another track
But no matter how I pray
The first one still keeps coming back
And soon it will be a new day

Verse 3

It's 4am and I'm lying in bed
And the jukebox in my head keeps playing
Here comes that line for the 99th time
And I can't get it out of my brain (out of my brain)

Extended chorus

The jukebox in my head, the jukebox in my head
The jukebox in my head, I can't get it to stop
It just won't go away, it just won't go away
The jukebox in my head, I can't get it to stop
There goes another coin, I just hope it won't drop
The jukebox in my head, I can't get it to stop

Coda

Make it stop


© 2017 Music and lyrics by Alex Houston, original lyrics by Roberta Houston

RAINBOW'S END

Plays: 50
Backstory
The music was written for a SongU collaboration challenge. The lyricist then left SongU leaving me to write the lyrics for my own tune. I have made five attempts and this is my latest. It is written as a song suitable perhaps for a children's TV program.
Lyrics
RAINBOW’S END (children’s version)

Verse 1

Jenny the spider had an urge inside her
When she was older, could she make a web?
Then her mother told her "just begin"
That's how Jenny learned to spin

Verse 2

Henry the rabbit had a silly habit
He loved his magic but always got it wrong
Then he came across an old top hat
Now Henry appears from that

Chorus

Some say you cannot find the end of a rainbow
That surely isn’t true, so here’s what you must do
To find your pot of gold just follow the bend
When you search for your rainbow’s end

Verse 3

Sammy the seagull thought he was an eagle
But when he tried he couldn't fly so high
Then one day he heard the thunder roar
And now you should see him soar

Chorus

Some say you cannot find the end of a rainbow
That surely isn’t true, so here’s what you must do
To find your pot of gold just follow the bend
When you search for your rainbow’s end

Bridge

Our little friends all found out what it took
To make your dreams come true you need to look

Chorus

Some say you cannot find the end of a rainbow
That surely isn’t true, so here’s what you must do
To find your pot of gold just follow the bend
When you search for your rainbow’s end
You’ve got to search for your rainbow’s end

© 2017 Music and lyrics by Alex Houston

RACE TO THE FINISH

Plays: 113
Backstory
Around 1969/1970 I was challenged by a friend to write a song with an original chord structure. I played around with the chord structures of two of the more interesting songs of the time, "Love is Blue" and "Space Oddity", rearranging and developing the chord structure until I came up with the verse for "Race To The Finish". I added the third verse with the piano counterpoint at the time but only added the intro, bridge and lyrics after I joined SongU.
Lyrics
RACE TO THE FINISH

Intro

Verse 1

You buy me flowers, talk for hours
Each and every time we meet
Play the game, say my name
Try to sweep me off my feet
You’re moving too fast
For this love to last
Race to the finish all you can
But not with me, if that’s your plan

Verse 2

Take it slow, ’cause you know
I’m an ordinary girl
Having fun, much too young
And I want to see the world
I want to see life
And not be your wife
Race to the finish all you can
But count me out, you’re not my man

Instrumental section

Bridge

Please tell me what you need from me
Why can’t you take the lead from me?
Let’s build a friendship, it’s hardly a crime
Sharing and caring and taking our time

Verse 3

So that’s your cue, what you do
Will determine how we fare
Buck the trend, be my friend
And who knows what will be there
When I get around
To settling down
Race to the finish all you can
It’s not the way to win my hand

© 2011 Words and music by Alex Houston

WAITING FOR THE DAY

Plays: 10
Backstory
This song was originally written in the mid to late sixties; however, I had forgotten most of the lyrics and had to re-write them based on what I could remember of the original. The song is about self-delusion; despite the fact that the girl treated him badly and has clearly gone for good, he makes out that the relationship was wonderful and she is bound to come back. The lyrics are fairly simple, as was very much the case in the sixties. Is this a major problem these days? I used the melody as an instrumental for an audio-visual on the ghostly past of Edinburgh and wonder if the piece stands better purely as an instrumental. Although I spent a little time producing the backing, the vocal was done in one take with no auto-tune, so please excuse the singing.

Lyrics
WAITING FOR THE DAY

VERSE 1
There she goes, look at the way she’s walking
There she goes, she wants to be free
Here am I, sitting here on my own
I’m waiting for the day when she will come back to me

VERSE 2
Silly girl, she thinks the grass is greener
Silly girl, she’s too blind to see
On her own, she won’t be happy and
I’m waiting for the day when she will come back to me

BRIDGE
She used to gossip and lie to me
She used to make me feel blue
But when she said her goodbye to me
I knew that I could never pull through

VERSE 3
In my heart, I know that she still loves me
In my heart, I’m sure she’ll agree
Life is good when we’re together and
I’m waiting for the day when she will come back to me

Repeat BRIDGE

Repeat VERSE 3

© 2014 Words and music by Alex Houston

THE TEARS IN MY EYES

Plays: 13
Backstory
I wrote this song in the sixties and, with the help of advice from Alan Roy Scott and Craig Bickhardt, have rewritten it as a retro ballad. Due to time constraints, I have performed the vocal myself although I am not a good singer and feel that it should have a young, female vocalist.
Lyrics
THE TEARS IN MY EYES

Verse 1

The tears in my eyes won't dry
'Til you're by my side
I'm gonna cry
'Cause I just can't hide the pain
I feel since you left me alone
To cry on my own

Verse 2

The love in my heart won't go
Though you're far away
I love you so
Like a fool who stays in the rain
Alone as it pours from the skies
Just like the tears in my eyes

Bridge

You said our love would last eternally
That you would always be around
But then you took your love away from me
And turned my whole world upside down

Verse 2 repeated

The love in my heart won't go
Though you're far away
I love you so
Like a fool who stays in the rain
Alone as it pours from the skies
Just like the tears in my eyes
Just like the tears in my eyes
Just like the tears in my eyes

© 2019 Words and music by Alex Houston

NO TURNING BACK

Plays: 3
Backstory
This song came originally from a SongU challenge where Joel Rockman and I were paired. This is a re-write of the lyric. Please excuse singing; I am actively seeking a singer for this song.
Lyrics
NO TURNING BACK

Verse

I feel safe and very secure
Living in my comfort zone
Should I throw caution to the wind
And venture into the unknown
I won't know if love is waiting
Till I get to the other side
I've been weighing up the odds
but find it (so) hard to decide

(Pre-chorus) It’s a giant leap of faith for me
I’ve no idea how it’s going to be

Chorus

I can’t stop in the middle
And turn and cover my track
I know once I’ve crossed over
There will be no turning back

Verse

There may be a culture shock
Different language and different ways
It’s a great big risk to take
And hard for me to appraise
I hope it’s a bridge of joy
And it’s not a bridge of sighs
And it becomes a stepping stone
Not a pitfall in disguise

(Pre-chorus) It’s a giant leap of faith for me
I’ve no idea how it’s going to be

Chorus

I can’t stop in the middle
And turn and cover my track
I know once I’ve crossed over
There will be no turning back

Bridge

I'm going to let fate decide
Stay here or cross to the other side

Chorus

I can’t stop in the middle
And turn and cover my track
I know once I’ve crossed over
There will be no turning back

Repeat Chorus

I can’t stop in the middle
And turn and cover my track
I know once I’ve crossed over
There will be no turning back

© 2014 Music by Alex Houston; Lyrics by Joel Rockman

RACE TO THE FINISH (INSTRUMENTAL)

Plays: 7
Backstory
Around 1969/1970 I was challenged by a friend to write a song with an original chord structure. I played around with the chord structures of two of the more interesting songs of the time, "Love is Blue" and "Space Oddity", rearranging and developing the chord structure until I came up with the verse for "Race To The Finish". I added the third verse with the piano counterpoint at the time but only added the intro, bridge and lyrics after I joined SongU.
Lyrics
No lyric

WAITING FOR THE DAY (INSTRUMENTAL VERSION)

Plays: 7
Backstory
Originally written as a song in the sixties, an instrumental version of "Waiting For The Day" was created as a soundtrack to "The Underground City", an audio-visual sequence produced by my wife and I about the ghost stories that abound in Edinburgh, Scotland. Subsequently, lyrics based on what I could remember of the original song have been re-written and the song is included in my SongU library. Here, I have re-recorded the instrumental version electronically using Cubase 12, as I believe that it is more suitable than the vocal version for submission for film and TV. On the advice of two previous feedback classes, I have added some timpani, some extra sounds and different lead instruments.
Lyrics
No lyrics

THROUGH THE DARKNESS (INSTRUMENTAL VERSION)

Plays: 0
Backstory
Instrumental version of song.
Lyrics
No lyric

DAWN OF THE NIGHT (INSTRUMENTAL VERSION)

Plays: 2
Backstory
Song originally had lyrics and was written as a soundtrack to an audio-visual project produced by my wife and I.
Lyrics
No lyrics

SUPERNOVA

Plays: 2
Backstory
This is a third re-write as the result of feedback received.
Lyrics
SUPERNOVA

Verse 1

My skies were so dark and cloudy
Until you appeared in my world
Tall, dark and mysterious
All I could want in a girl

Verse 2

I didn’t think you would choose me
You took me by surprise
Then I saw a glowing light
The sparkle in your eyes

Chorus (short)

You light my sky like a supernova
Your beauty came from afar
I looked away but you won me over
You are my bright shiny star

Verse 3

What appeared like a fireball
A certain sign from above
You shone like an aurora’s glow
Suddenly we were in love

Chorus

You light my sky like a supernova
Your beauty came from afar
I looked away but you won me over
You were my own avatar
Now my eyes are open wide
I see how lovely you are
You light my sky like a supernova
You are my bright shiny star

Bridge

Keep your light shimmering just for me
So I stay out of the shade
Nobody’s told what the future holds
But our love will never fade

Chorus

You light my sky like a supernova
Your beauty came from afar
I looked away but you won me over
You were my own avatar
Now my eyes are open wide
I see how lovely you are
You light my sky like a supernova
You are my bright shiny star
You are my bright shiny star

© 2020 Music by Alex Houston. Lyrics by Alex and Roberta Houston

GOING TO BROADFORD

Plays: 1
Backstory
Written originally as a song for fans of my favourite Scottish soccer team to sing, it had suitably banal lyrics which I have long since discarded. A few years ago, on a visit to the town of Broadford on the Isle of Skye, I decided to create an audio-visual of my journey which is now on YouTube. I converted my soccer song to a Scottish Country Dance instrumental to serve as a soundtrack to my photographs taken on the trip.
Lyrics
No lyrics

Music Box

Plays: 1
Lyrics
MUSIC BOX

There are currently no lyrics.

© Music by Alex Houston

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