bass hats boom chuck I’ve got a long long ride
And it’s a dark dark night
With nothing but the stars to light my way
I’ve got some big big dreams
And some good good friends
And I know I’m gonna make it back someday
I left my small small town
For the bright bright city
I knew that I could make it if I tried
I had a true true heart
And a deep deep love
For a dream I had that would not be denied
chorus
There were some rich rich people
Heard my hot hot music
Heard a gravy train a-comin’ from afar
Now they were sharp sharp thinkers
Had some fat fat bankrolls
And they spent it so that I could be a star
chorus
I know you’ve heard this story two too many times
Mean city breaks a country boy’s heart
I’m telling you right now that’s not how it was
I made a name And got my fame
I had it good As one man could
But missing home was tearing me apart
C Em7 FM7 Fm7
Bowling alley’s having disco nights
Mirror ball, flashing lights C Fm7 Em7 C G
They play Donna Summer and you get your shoes for free C Em7 FM7 Fm7
Get some nachos, cold drink
Bowl a few games, whatcha think? C Fm7 Em7 C
Be like old times, you and me
Sit on the dock, drop a line
Go for a dip, water’s fine
Our swinging rope’s still tied to that big oak tree
You scare the fish off with your smelly feet
Lona’s diner’s got all we can eat
Be like old times, you and me
FM7 Fm7 C
I know you’ve got a lot to do
Folks in the city all depending on you FM7 Fm7 C G
Come when you can, just for the day
Be like old times, even if you can’t stay
Fair’s next month, a whole week
Setting up in the meadow on Bear Creek
[man’s name] says it might be muddy, have to wait and see
We’ll hit the dime toss, win it all
Break [woman’s name] record for Skeeball
Be like old times, you and me chorus, then bridge F Em7 x3
It’s getting old;
Nothing to do since you moved away
I know you miss it too; Fm7 Em7 Ebm7 Dm7
We both know you been gone too long
Go by the Dew Drop, have a beer
Gimme cap at the John Deere
Seem like every time we go they got something for free
Get muddy in my old Ford
Go see Leroy, get our ears lowered C Fm7 Em7 C F [0230 0233]
Be like old times, you and me C Fm7 Em7 C F [0230 0233]
Be like old times, you and me C Fm7 Em7 C
Be like old times, you and me
F D5 B♭ C
She couldn’t get it started so she called for a ride
And talking about she tried not to But she cried
One took her out to lunch while another stayed behind And by the time she got back home her car was running fine
He heard we’d lost some work though we don’t know him that well
He didn’t seem the type but with some folks you can’t tell
You never know who’ll help or how they will
He shook my hand and left behind a twenty dollar bill
B♭ F D5 C Givers gotta give, sharers sure do share
Lovers learn to love and carers care B♭ D5 B♭ C F
Doing for others is the only way to live
Carers care and givers, givers gotta give
We knew the trip was long and we’d need a place to stay
Old friends called us up and said we’re right on the way
They lined up to hug us, ate so much I thought I’d die
I know that when we leave on Monday I’m gonna cry chorus
B♭ F B♭ F
It’s not just being friendly or kind
Makes even strangers glad to go that far B♭ D5 B♭ D5 Doesn’t just come naturally, it’s part of who they choose to be B♭ C
Identifying mark of who they are
Out of coffee, almost out of tea
Did the brave thing and let someone see
It’s hard to ask for help, the struggle is real
Till the look on their face reminds you how givers feel chorus
There’s a place I hate go
On the back side of the ridge
And as a result it can suffer some neglect
But now and then I remind myself
It’s better to make the ride
Than to wait until the whole thing’s wrecked
I saddle up right early
’cause I pack the night before
C
El Aguila picks his way
Through the starless Bible black
And the sun will be rising by the time we’re there
A man’s gotta know
Where his boundaries are
If he don’t, it’ll end in crying
That side’s yours
And this side’s not
Once in a while we all cross the line
El Aguila hates this ride
Almost as much as me
But he knows when there’s a job, you gotta get it done
His temperament is different
Every time we climb this hill
He knows his usual tricks won’t help him n
A man’s gotta know
Where his boundaries are
If he don’t, it’ll end in crying
That side’s yours
And this side’s not
Once in a while we all cross the line
Bridge:
I’ll be working on this ridge ‘til sunset
Thinking about just what this thing is for
Who does it keep out?
What does it keep in?
And why does it have to be such a miserable chore?
Two strands of barbed
Let the little stuff pass
Just keeps the bigger critters getting through
Some little kid
Wants to fish down in my stream
I’m pretty sure I’ll never miss a fish or two
A man’s gotta know
Where his boundaries are
If he don’t, it’ll end in crying
That side’s yours
And this side’s not
Once in a while we all cross the line
There’s a place I hate go
On the back side of the ridge
And as a result it can suffer some neglect
‘Home’ Fiona was timid, cautious, did not try new things. ‘Travel’ Fiona was fearless, adventurous, eager for new experiences. ‘Travel’ Fiona shows up the most these days.
a million stars are shining imaginary dawn
dark and light together before the stars move on
head against the pillow, pillow on the door
snuggle in the back seat, fall asleep once more we love to go, away we went on a drive to the next surprise destination irrelevant follow stars to a grey sunrise
gas station’s quiet fill up the car
get juice and sandwiches before we get too far
but still we’re on the way before the sky is light
imaginary dawn spilling from the night chorus
who are all these people up before it’s day?
where are they all going slipping through the grey?
do they love to travel always moving on?
we won’t ever tire of it imaginary dawn chorus
welcome rest stop barn, exhibits and a snack
always something new to see whenever we come back
birds and bugs and meadows, historic marker plaques
run across the grass read the nature facts chorus
Tea HQ and Tucson, best waffle you ever ate
Yellowstone and forests nearly every state
will you travel all your life alone or with a friend?
the imaginary dawn is a journey with no end chorus
We’ve traveled a lot, and Fiona loves waking up before it’s light, piling in the back seat, and watching the stars as she falls back to sleep. These are her memories of all the trips we’ve taken, all the places we’ve been, and the things she loves about traveling.
Some very old notes about recording the demo:
She is still very shy about singing so she recorded this sometime in the wee hours of the morning. I played with some reverb, ducked my vocal behind hers, and love love love the staggered fade ending with just her dreamy little voice echoing at the end.
I love that I have a daughter and step-daughter with amazing voices. (Now if I can only get their mother to sing more, since she’s where they got their voices.)
Winding through a tiny sliver of West Virginia
It was late and we needed gas in the worst way
Lost in the dark between Ohio and Pennsylvania
Got in after 11, had to leave before the break of day
We’ve been here before, and we got through
maybe because we didn’t know what else to do
it’s a shame, but no one’s to blame
that’s how it’s always been for me and you
So sick I was hallucinating
Tingling all over and sweaty, I was a mess
Desperate for something, I still don’t know what
I called out for you, and then I fell asleep I guess
I’ve been here before and I got through
maybe because I didn’t know what else to do
it’s a shame, but no one’s to blame
that’s how it’s always been for me and you
You’re gone but I’m still here
Alone and empty, lying on the floor
I’m lost in the dark and sick to death
And we both know I’ve been here before
I’ve been here before, I’ll get through
maybe because I don’t know what else to do
it’s a shame no one’s to blame
that’s how it’ll always be for me and you
It was one of the 5 gloomy days of the year here in southern Arizona. They make me gloomy. These pictures came up on their own, images from a hard time in each of my lives which I combined into something that never happened, but it feels like it did.
Had the idea to steal the Bo Diddley beat and then take the vocal as far away as possible.
I don’t know what this is about. It started out as science, since we are mostly water, then turned into being at one with nature and our fellow humans.
Don’t take it too seriously.
DDD CD
we are water
we belong to the sky GGG FG
we are water
and I, I know why AAA
every turn of the tide AAA GGG
every tear that we’ve cried DDD CD
we are water
we come from dust
we belong to this place
we come from dust
grains floating in space
like the grass on the plain
like the sun golden grain
we come from dust
we live eternal
this future we trust
we are water
we come from dust
we know what will be
when we’re finally free
we live eternal
A songwriting challenge pointed me to Penny Lane and various erudite comments on how Macca got a downstep key change to work.
Wrote a verse in D and a chorus in C using the same melodic trick, and decided it works, though it’s devilish hard to sing the first note of the choruses and later verses after the key change.
D D G A
green and blue and sunshine
water sparkles so fine
puffy clouds are all mine to share
river, road, and meadow
no rain but there’s a rainbow
find the end and we’ll go there
C C F G we’ll wind with the river and wend some
way through the woods round the bend some
day we’ll see it all and then some
on and on we’ll fly forever you and I Bb [0333] G
warm and windy weather
down the road together
blowing like a feather free
yellow, green, and blue
picture perfect view
custom made for y
chorus
cows in the field are mooing
they don’t care what we’re doing
only stand there chewing hay
behind a wooden gate
train makes us wait
but no such thing as late today
I’m often bemused and occasionally amused by the way some people approach travel and adventure. Growing up in south San Diego when my father worked in Tijuana I got used to other cultures and taking things for what they were instead of what I expected.
Am I’m riding on the back of an elephant F G Am Please forgive any typos you may note
The video I made is still uploading
You’ll have to be content with reading what I wrote
The drive here from the airport was so short
The Jeep’s heated seats barely got warm
No vegan choices at last night’s big buffet F G C And our tour guide wouldn’t cancel the rainstorm
F G C Never thought when we bought this great adventure
We’d be subjected to conditions like these
Can’t even get a half-caf low-fat cinnamon soy latte F G Am Don’t think I’m so very hard to please
How do the locals live each day with such indignities?
Our guided tour of the jungle was a bust
My iPod battery died and I was stuck
Listening to the guide drone on and on
About the okkabeest and wildebuck
I tried the WiFi on our flight over the veldt
It’s free but then of course it’s awfully slow
Can’t recommend the side trip’s extra cost
You’ll see it clearer when they make the tv show chorus
The entire country is redolent of wildlife
Someone should take steps to hide the smell
I’m sure the concierge would make amends
If only I could reach them on my cell
How can one enjoy the blooming sunset
When it’s purple instead of pink and orange?
And now my phone’s battery is dying
I’m afraid I won’t be finishing—
When Fiona was a baby her sister would put her finger in the middle of the baby’s eyebrows, push down, and make the baby’s face into an evil scowl. She claimed it was the little one’s evil twin and named her a contraction of the kid’s first 3 names: Fibethos (fee BETH ohs)
It’s more ridiculous than it sounds.
Since these lyrics are a bit of a parody of what she’s like as she approaches 14, I figgered naming it after her evil twin would be appropriate. And then explaining it to death.
G D C C She always comes and says good morning
At least the days she’s up before noon
And her mom asks her how are you C D G G She doesn’t answer; too soon, too soon
Then it’s back upstairs to
Where the creature is reanimated
In an hour or so she’s back in the kitchen
For a breakfast that was prefabricated
C D G G Our seventh child is a little bit odd C D Em Em That’s how some peppers grow C D G C Laughs when I’m funny, doesn’t cost much money C D G G She reminds me of someone I know
Her sister is her very best friend
When they’re together who knows what goes on
Singing and la
They’re rarely asleep before dawn
chorus
Her supper is 1 ounce of chicken
And eight or nine, maybe 10, peas
In the morning I discover overnight she’s consumed
