The first light in that eastern dawn shone on the world with bitter scorn.
People felt his heavy hand as mighty Caesar taxed the land.
Then Joseph went to Bethlehem with Mary by his side, and she with child
And in the manger where He went, watching was the angel sent.
Alleluia... alleluia.. alleluia... Christ is born.
As shepherds tended flocks by night ,the angel came in a heavenly light
"Do not fear for unto you, is born this day a savior who is Christ, the Lord."
Suddenly a multitude; a heavenly host were singing praise.
"Glory be to God on high, peace on earth good will to men."
Alleluia... alleluia... alleluia... Christ is born.
One of my new songwriting principles is, "Embrace the stupid."
Many of the songs that I've written that give me the most satisfaction are ones that began life as throwaway ideas. "This is going to be stupid," I say to myself, "but I'll just spit this out, and maybe it'll prime the pump."
One of these songs was Cleanup Man. If you've attended the song circle regularly, you heard this song after I'd put about 15 minutes into it before one of our meetings. I just didn't want to show up empty handed again. The song got under my skin, and I ended up putting in a lot more time into the arrangement (and a little more time into the lyrics).
This is how it turned out:
The point here is not to pimp my own song. It turned out better than I expected, but I don't expect you to agree.
Actually, this is an overly-long introduction to this recent article by Derek Sivers, the founder of CD Baby:
When I think of Thanksgiving songs, two come to mind with contrasting views of what it's like to spend a holiday surrounded by family.
Hazel's House by Richard Shindell
I couldn't find Shindell's version, but this guy does a good job:
I especially love the verse:
And no one seems to know that this is heaven
They say we only know it by and by
That someday all will be revealed
Well, here it is.
I think of a long string of Thanksgivings spent with my Aunt Bev, at her suburban home in Mesa, Arizona--a far cry from the rural New Jersey scene painted in Shindell's lyrics, but that's hardly the point. Looking back, it seemed to me that "the order of the universe" involved getting together with all of those people every year.
Covert War by David Wilcox
This is the actual David Wilcox song accompanied by a bizarre slide show. It's best if you just don't watch, at least the first time through.
Ouch:
Holy days they bring us all together
After so much left unsaid
You taught us well not to kick under the table
Kick under your breath instead
I'm glad Wilcox didn't leave that one on the therapist's the couch. It's got everything: love, pain, anger. Happy Holidays!
What songs come to your mind when you think of Thanksgiving?
At our last meeting, we asked if Sherrill Kennelly would share her lyrics to her song The Other Side of the Fence, and she graciously agreed. But that wasn't good enough for me. I invited her over tonight and record the song. Give it a listen, and let us know what you think. Is she channeling Woody Guthrie?
It’s a dry hate risin' from her ash.
The phoenix sings to pierce the heart of man.
Flames rise up between. Disease our minds and add to misery.
Cortez, he’s back to conquer. It’s ancient history.
At heaven’s gate, there’s a key reserved for the homeland refugee.
The other side of the fence.
The other side of hate.
There’s a key at heaven's gate
For those who died along the way.
Jesus, He walked on the water.
Our neighbors, they walk across need.
Illusions of the truth, conscience clean, will leave a man to bleed.
Drug smugglers, miracles, and martyrs. Traffickers and folkloric ballet.
Illegal immigrants, cultured indigenous. “Go back home” rhetoric of today.
The other side of the fence.
The other side of heresy.
At heaven’s gate there’s a special key
For the homeland refugee.
Clutch tight, you, to your holy grail, you on the right side of fate.
It’s just a fence between, it separates the truth from cliche.
Apple pie thick as hate, they serve at the Minute Man Cafe.
On the wall a target silhouette, of an outlaw they have named Jose.
The other side of the fence.
The other side of heresy.
At heaven’s gate there’s a special key
For the homeland refugee.
The other side of the fence.
The other side of hate.
There’s a key at heaven's gate
For those who died along the way.
There’s a key at heaven's gate
For those who died for the American way.
Too fat, fat you must cut lean.
You got to take the elevator to the mezzanine,
Chump change, and it's on, super bon bon
Super bon bon, Super bon bon.
This is the only song I can think of that uses the word "mezzanine."
At 7:30 PM this Monday, our song circle will be meeting at my personal favorite song circle location: The mezzanine level of the Hotel Weatherford. There are great acoustics in that room. (By "great acoustics" I mean "beer." By "in that room" I mean, "just upstairs in the Zane Grey Ballroom."
The lyrics offer good songwriting advice:
"Too fat, fat you must cut lean." Say what needs to be said, and no more.
"You got to take the elevator to the mezzanine." Bring your song to the mezzanine. However, there is no elevator. Take the stairs.
Now enjoy the song. Heads up, folkies, avant garde hip hop ahead:
Over at Songwriting Scene, Sharon Goldman has compiled a short list of books about songwriting. They seem like good resources.
These five books are ones I’ve either read myself or have been meaning to read, since they’ve been recommended by other songwriters I respect and admire.
Like most songwriters, I can name a few songs that I think represent the absolute best of the best. Willie Nelson’s “Crazy” and John Lennon’s “Imagine” jump to mind immediately and probably need no explanation. A bit more obscure, I often call Michael Smith’s “The Dutchman” my favorite song. It is a simply perfect narrative about age and love. Finally, the clarity with which Jackson Browne expresses his feelings upon the death of a loved one in “For a Dancer” makes it my ultimate meaning of life song.
It strikes me that the quality each of these songs shares is timelessness, and I suppose it is no surprise that examples of the very best of the best happen to have a universal quality that allows them to transcend the time in which they were written. In a recent interview for Acoustic Guitar magazine, songwriter Jakob Dylan discussed how important it was to him to write these kinds of songs - so much so that he won’t even attempt to write about certain topics. When I read that I recognized a bit of myself. I’ve been trying to write my version of “Imagine” or “Crazy” ever since I started doing this.
There is nothing wrong with that. Trying to write a memorable, timeless song is a noble goal. But I also have started to see that I’ve been missing something important. Life isn’t timeless. Life is immediate.
A songwriter who clearly understood this, Steve Goodman, is author of a number of timeless classics including “City of New Orleans” - a song made famous by Arlo Guthrie. Goodman wrote timeless songs for sure, but he also wrote stacks of timely topical songs. On the funny end of the spectrum, Goodman wrote and performed songs with titles like “Vegematic”, “Chicken Cordon Blues”, “A Dying Cubs Fan’s Last Request”, and “Lincoln Park Pirates”. Of the serious topical songs, “The Ballad of Penny Evans” stands out as an especially powerful commentary on the human price of the Vietnam War. Topical songs were often collaborations for Goodman, whose writing partners included Jimmy Buffet, John Prine, and Michael Smith.
In revisiting Goodman’s work, it hit me that I’ve been guilty of limiting myself. I’ve been allowing myself to do only one thing, when in fact I should be doing many things. There is an immediacy to topical songs, and certainly they have a usefulness when performing in public. We live in the now, and maybe it is as important to capture that as it is the capture the timeless or universal.
So, if you’re stuck in a rut this month, looking for a timely topic is one possible solution. Take a cue from Steve Goodman. A song can be about anything.
I'll be the featured performer at the Flagstaff Folk Project next Friday, September 17th. There is an open mic to begin the evening, and you're welcome to bring a song. I hope to see you there!
Start your day by stretching (yoga’s great!) and vocalizations (no words, start with humming. It’s the best simple thing you can do, gently running slides through your entire vocal range)
Hydrate with room temperature water — no ice! — and clear liquids (not soda) throughout the day
Watch your food intake, make sure you get protein.
Warm up your voice thoroughly.
At the gig– get some room temperature water for the stage, stretch again (you’ve just lugged in your equipment), vocalize again a little so your voice gets used to the microclimate you’ll be in.
Enjoy yourself! Try to sing with as little stress in your body as possible and don’t concentrate on your vocal technique at a gig…that’s for your home studio…concentrate on the emotional meaning of your songs.
Resolved: The next song circle meeting will begin with 15 minutes of yoga. Or not.
Songs sometimes don’t have linear and specific narratives, that is why they are songs and not short stories. Elements remain unformed and ambiguous, and that is what makes a song interesting. Songs can have multiple parallel meanings and they can all be true. They are quantum in that way.
I find it very difficult to write a non-linear song, yet my favorite songwriters are adept at it. When a song I've written is not tied together as a clear narrative, I find myself wanting to apologize or explain.
For the longest time, we met on the last Monday of the month. Then something happened that shifted our schedule to the first Monday of each month. I can't remember what it was.
The first Monday works for some of us, but perhaps not all of us, or not even most of us. So at our last meeting, we decided to put up a poll.
It's clear that Mondays are preferred. But which Monday?
The first Monday conflicts the monthly meeting of the Grand Canyon Guitar Society and possibly another regular meeting which our members may wish to attend.
Take the poll at the right, and help us decide whether to change to a new Monday, or keep the schedule as it is.
Leave a comment below if you have a different idea.
