VIDEO

inspiration

The song and video for 'Six Queer Kids' were inspired by an article I read in Rolling Stone (link below) about homeless LGBTQ youth...how gay kids from religious families stand a great chance of being kicked out of their homes...how LGBTQ make up 40% of the homeless youth population...how six of them die every day...JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE GAY! Reading it was like a punch to the gut - and I knew I had to do something. So one of the things I did was to write the song 'Six Queer Kids.' I hope the song and video not only raise awareness about this issue, but also point LGBTQ youth towards local and national organizations that are ready to provide assistance. As a reminder, these organizations also need your donations to provide vital services. If one youth is helped, then I did my job!

Rolling Stone - The Forsaken

lyrics

Six Queer Kids

Verse 1

James was kicked out of his house today
Like taking out the trash and throwing it away
Good at sports, Straight A’s, the class president
But he committed the ultimate sin
They found out that he loved another boy
And you know you just can’t pray that away
He’s got a duffle bag filled with some clothes
That’s all he could take, so it’s all that he owns

Pre-Chorus
He’s digging through trash to find something to eat
He cowers on the ground and tries to fall asleep

Chorus
So who’s gonna be there, Who’s gonna care enough
To help with no strings attached
To love with no questions asked?
Who’s gonna be there, Who’s gonna care enough
To let him know he’s not alone
To help him find a sense of hope?
Who’s going to, will it be you?

Verse 2
He leaves the small town, gone without a trace
But a city this big is a very scary place
So he stays in the shadows and he tries to hide
But you do what you have to just to survive
Puts on a brave face, tries to hide his fear
As he trades his body for a warm place to sleep
And angels burn when a young boy’s need
Comes face to face with an evil man’s greed

Pre-Chorus
He’s getting high while he’s losing hope
And he cries a prayer, “Please take me from here”

Chorus
So who’s gonna be there, Who’s gonna care enough
To help with no strings attached
To love with no questions asked?
Who’s gonna be there, Who’s gonna care enough
To let him know he’s not alone
To help him find a sense of home?
Who’s going to, will it be you?

Bridge
Six queer kids die homeless every day
For no other reason except that they were gay
And if it gets better, well it didn’t for them
So for each one that’s lost, we’ve got to find them

Chorus
So who’s gonna be there, Who’s gonna care enough
To help with no strings attached
To love with no questions asked?
Who’s gonna be there, Who’s gonna care enough
To let him know he’s not alone
To help him find a sense of hope?
Who’s going to?

Who i am

Hi! Thanks for stopping by. I'm Mike Rickard (pronounced Rick-erd), a singer/songwriter who calls Atlanta, GA home. I grew up in church, went to bible college, sang contemporary Christian music...then came out. I stopped singing for several years. I thought, "What do I have to sing about?" Turns out, a lot! And that's when I began writing music...to tell stories.

I write about life...things from own life, things I see in the world, some things I just imagined. Music is a beautiful gift. It has given me so many wonderful moments, and maybe even helped save my life. Music can make us laugh, cry, dance, escape, deal with the issues in our lives. And if I do it right, I will hopefully help you do these things depending on the day and the song.

I’ve released two full albums (Stirred, Not Shaken and SWEAT) and a dance remix EP, Dance Til You Sweat. It’s been a while, but 2018 is the year that I’m finally releasing my third full album. I wrote lyrics from my heart, challenged myself to write the kind of music that I like to listen to, and had a heck of a good time recording it. I can't wait to share it with you!

Here's what a few people have said about my songs:

"He could have been singing about me..." Beth Z., Indianapolis

"Whether his songs are secular or spiritual, Rickard is always stretching up on his tiptoes, trying to see the truth just over that mountain of worries and fears and insecurities." Indie Music

"...deals with bigger issues like love and loss by taking the mundane and transforming it into the miraculous. Scenes and tails of everday life are conjured and conveyed, the deeper meanings of which are there for the thoughtful listener." Edge Boston

"Even when dealing with hard life issues in his songs, Rickard addresses them with a sense of respect, learning and reverence leaving out any sort of victimized, 'why me cruel world' sort of feeling." Stonewall Society

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