 |
|||||
|
   |
||||
8 September
Obama
So my brother comes to me with a couple of songs the other day... One of them he says is a depressing one and the other is a tune inspired by the political environment... Well, I tried to get him to record them, but he grew bored quickly... So I discarded the second political one altogether, cause I forgot how it went, and changed the lyrics very slightly to the first tune and turned that one into a song about what's going on now.. specifically my feelings about Obama... and I added the bit at the end..
Give me a reason, to believe in you
what makes you so pure?
'Cause I got a feeling, what you say ain't true
but my heart isn't sure...
Chorus
You say, "Won't you take a little time? Time to work it out... Oh, I know you have your doubts... Like anyone"
solo
Chorus
And I can't help myself from thinking
from thinking
That our ship's out there and it's sinking
into... the blue
11 August
Stalling for time...
Today's installment is my rendition one of my favourite songs ever.. It was originally recorded by the Allman Joys, the Allman Brother's first incarnation.. I first heard it about 15 years ago in this old LP shop on 5th street that doesn't exist anymore.. It blew me away.. I guess it's influenced every song I've written since then... The sentiment is perfect for how I feel on this vacation.. I wish I could stall time right about now... make it go slower.. freeze this moment and never leave...
Stalling For Time
You stretch one cigarette from one to the other
And you go from politics to baby brother
Ah, you're just stalling for time
Stalling for time, till the sun shines
You make small talk and lead me on and on
And then draw back just at the crack of dawn
'cause you're just stalling for time
Stalling for time, till the sun shines
You run in tears from my embrace
And hope the morning sun will hide your blushing face
While you fight a battle you know i'm gonna win
But you don't give up till the sun comes up again
You're just stalling for time
Stalling for time, till the sun shines
Till the sun shines, till the sun shines
And burns all my chances away
5 August
Bored on my first day of vacation...
So yesterday was my first day of vacation... I just kind of paced around restlessly.. Didn't know what to do with myself... Didn't feel like working on Walrus at all.. Didn't feel like much of anything.. Forced myself to record something.. Didn't feel like singing.. Didn't feel like saying anything.. So I just went with how I was feeling and this is what came out..
21 July
The Grey Carpet
Woke up this morning, flipped on the recorder and just started strumming. This is what came out. I wrote it as I was playing it... Didn't add any other tracks.. It's more a moment than a song..
Waiting around all day
Oh, some days you just go crazy
Thinking about what you said..
Oh, it's rattling around like a marble
In my soul..
You better...
Roll out the grey carpet
It's just like the red
Except one leads to a party
The other leads to dead..
Took a round, ok
You can go crazy
What was that?
I said nothing wrong
Nothing wrong
You better...
Roll out the grey carpet
It's just like the red
Except one leads to a party
The other leads to dead..
We're ALL on the grey carpet
Posing for the papparazzi
We don't know where we're heading
and that's alright with me
Make some room for me
Make some room for me
Make some room for me
Make some room for me
14 July
I Don't Mind (Wasting My Time)
Today's song is one my brother wrote a long while ago, but never had any lyrics for the verse... So this weekend I finally got around to doing that... I always loved the chorus.. and I thought it was a shame to never do anything with it.. so here is a humble version..
Here are the lyrics.. bit of gobbledy gook poetry with some autobiographical touches.. I wrote them in about 10 minutes.. came out all at once.. I needed to finish this song for him..
Up on blocks in argyle socks, I was forced to lend a hand
She was down and out between Park and South
She was waiting on her "Mystery Man"
I said "I can't breathe, until you leave"
And so she fled the room
But she returned a minute later, with an angry alligator she had stolen from the zoo
That's the CENTRAL PARK Zoo...
Well Lady Luck in a pick-up truck pulled up with Henry Soo
They were heading down to Chinatown, for some hot and sour soup
And I asked them, "Could you maybe, buy me some M-80s? Cause I'm in a crazy mood"
But they told me flat, that they couldn't do that they were just going for the food
That's the SZECHUAN...
Chorus-
I don't mind
I don't mind wasting my time
I don't mind
I don't mind wasting my... time
So I went inside, without my pride, determined to get some sleep
And she let me in and flashed a grin that went down from her head to her feet
Well, I knew what she was doing, she was trying to seduce me
But she's a really easy girl to resist
'Cause when the light hit her just right, she looked like David Berkowitz
That's the SON OF SAM...
Chorus
Solo
Chorus x 2
7 July
Did I Ever Say "I Love You", Blue?
Over the weekend, I had the opportunity of hanging out with my dear old friend Kevin.. He's a terrific producer, who also recorded hundred of songs of mine and my brother's back in the 90s.. We checked out his new studio and he put up a bunch of our old songs on the computer and we went strolling through memory lane... most of them made me cringe a little.. They were so strident.. when your'e a kid you really don't have a "corny" filter.. Which is a good thing.. You can't b successful if you don't give it youre all.. Anyway, a few I always loved.. and today's song is one of them.. never got the lyrics right on it.. but I always liked the melody.. so when I got back home I recorded the song quickly.. no second takes..
Kev's working on an anothology of our best stuff from back in the day, which we hope to put up here as soon as it's done..
1 July
In the Spirit of Full Disclosure
I pridefully didn't want to upload this song yesterday, but when I thought about it, it didn't gel with the whole purpose of the blog which is supposed to be about capturing a moment warts and all.. Sometimes you feel you can do anything with the guitar, make it work however way you want.. and sometime, it just feels like a lump of cheese in your hands.. this is one of those nights.. Didn't help that I only have one pick, and I lost it.. and this is a song that needs one.. This is an example of something that didn't work.. but maybe I'll take something from it.. a snippet.. a chord.. maybe not.. I left in a little bit at the end of something else I was working on that was even worse.. Tell you the truth, I just forced myself to get through the fucker.. Like I said, some days it works.. some days it doesn't..
24 June
In My Dreams Tonight...
So I got this Zoom H4 recorder a couple of weeks ago, and since then I've been real inspired to record stuff... I'm a veritable recording maniac with this thing.. So instead of sticking the songs in the main Hermit blog, I thought it'd be cool to create a new blog.. a song-a-blog, if you will, just for the little recordings I make.. Hey, I can do what the fuck I want.. I'M the EDITOR for Chrissakes!! You got a problem with that??
Anyway, sometimes there'll be completed songs with backing vocals and a lead guitar.. sometimes it'll just be me fucking around on the guitar.. maybe I'll do some covers.. I might even feature guest artists... you never know.. The point is to capture a musical moment..
So, I'll be uploading one a week.. At first I thought maybe I'd try to write a song a day, but then I thought I'd probably end up in the hospital with brain exhaustion from that kind of pace..
Today's entry is a little ditty that I started a few weeks ago and finished up today... fun to play on the guitar...