2025 Competition Entry:

Living By The Numbers by Mike Kaufman

Genre

Folk

Artist

Co-writer(s)

no

Performer(s)

Mike Kaufman – guitars, vocals, bass, keys

Description

A folk-rock song about how we measure our lives.

Bio

Music has always been in my life. My mother was a concert pianist and my father was a self-taught jazz pianist. My younger brother Steve is world renowned as a guitarist and teacher; my youngest brother Will is one of the world’s foremost authorities on the life and work of Woody Guthrie. There was always music in our house.

I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Music Education from Montclair State College in New Jersey. I have over 40 years’ experience teaching music to students of all ages, styles and levels of expertise. I am a certified music teacher in both South Carolina and New Jersey, with a Master’s in Education Leadership.

In addition to teaching, I’ve performed in coffee houses, concerts, churches, bars, festivals, living rooms and back porches throughout the Mid-Atlantic states. I’ve recorded three CD’s for release and sale – they’re available on iTunes, Amazon and CD Baby.com.



I am really fortunate – I’ve been able to make a living doing something I love every day, and still get to play the guitar!

Lyrics

V1
There’s 12 months in every year
‘Til we start it all again
I hope we’ve learned a little bit
We should know more than we knew then
There’s 4 directions on the map
North and South and East and West
I like to go between the lines
Find the path that I love best

V2
Now the river flows one way
From the mountain to the sea
That’s the way it’s always been,
That’s the way it’s supposed to be

We can push against the flow
‘Til our arms come off our sides
One thing that we surely know:
Paddling’s better with the tides



Chorus
We can get it wrong
And still come out right
We can take too long
And never find the light

BRIDGE

Living by the numbers, dollars
made, dollars spent
‘Til we get to the exit wondering
where it all went?

40 days and 40 nights
Summer, winter, fall and spring
We can wander through the land
Never understand a thing

We can push against the tide
Paddle ’til we lose our arms
We can run away and hide
Stay where we can do no harm

Chorus (2x)

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