2025 Competition Entry:

The Finish Line by Marvin Conan

Genre

Folk

Artist

Website

Co-writer(s)

no

Performer(s)

Vocalist – Reed Waddle
Producer – Matt Anthony

Description

I’m an old guy, and when you get to be old you start thinking about the end and about whether or not your life was meaningful.

Bio

A Brooklynite by birth, I’ve been involved with music my entire life. I began taking piano lessons when I was 5 years old and as a 9 year old, had a scholarship to study classical piano at the prestigious Chatham Square Music School. As a teenager, I listened to all kinds of music – jazz, folk, classical, top 40, American songbook etc. I taught myself folk guitar, took flute lessons and played in my high school and college orchestras. I occasionally wrote a song, and a few of my songs came to the attention of the legendary music publisher Al Gallico, who, after after listening to them, asked me to come work for him. At the time, music was a fun avocation, and I had no thoughts about being a professional songwriter. Throughout my life I would occasionally write songs, but it was only as I neared retirement from federal service that I began to write more regularly and take my writing more seriously. I had a few country songs released on Pharaoh International Records that got a fair amount of airplay in Europe. A song called “Too Soon”, written in remembrance of a loved one who died in the terrorist Lockerbie plane crash over Scotland was a finalist in the UK Songwriting Contest, and a few years later a song I co-wrote won the Olympic Theme category in the same contest. Several of my songs have been performed in satb choir arrangements. Many of my recent songs have to do with social issues and aging.

Lyrics

THE FINISH LINE

The movie’s playing much too fast – I wish I could slow it down
It’s the story of my life – it covers a whole lotta ground
It only has one showing – I never thought it would end
But the finish line – it’s gettin’ close – it’s somewhere around the bend

It’s hard to think the world will go on – when I cross that finish line
I only know the world exists by the way it is in my mind
But I know birds will sing – dancers dance – and children play
And some people -they’ll remember me – I wonder what they’ll say

Will they say he had a good heart – and did the best that he could do
That he knew what was important – and lived his life with that in view
That he was there for friends and family – when they needed love or truth
And when he made mistakes and hurt someone – he would work to heal the wound

Will they say his roots were planted – on his Brooklyn stoop
And his mind was always hungry – for learning somethin’ new
And he believed that dreams were wings that you could soar on thru the sky
And he never lost the wonder you can see in every child

The finish line – it’s gettin close – it’s somewhere round the bend
So far away – when I was young, havin’ fun – tryin’ to get ahead
The only thing that’s certain as we live life every day
Is the finish line – and when I cross it – I won’t know what they say

© Marv Conan

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