Crossing Paths

In an earlier post I had written about the art of listening to yourself.  The thought if you truly understood yourself and lived best right now as you are that the right footprint would present itself and all you need to is place your foot in it and off you'd be in an even better place.  Do this enough and your on your own journey that is right for you and you only.  I didn't invent this idea of course, it's straight up existentialism. 

I did put this to work over the last year and sure enough it works.  I have three main things I enjoy, the first of course is writing.  Over the last year and a half I've been writing this blog which led me back to lyric writing which then led me buying a recorder which then led me to recording and that has pushed me into several friendships with some great people I'd never have met otherwise.  Plus footprints continue to present themselves.

Another thing I enjoy is book hunting.  Mostly that has led me to piles of books.  3500 of them or more.  This has been on hold for quite a while as I have no room for more books.  The ways to move them require small investments which I could not afford some six months ago, and now that I can I've been immersed in Track. 

Which brings me to track.  I am finishing up my second year coaching track.  I do this not because I love track, I do enjoy the sport, but I do it because I like helping others achieve. 

There is a pitfall in taking steps. As you move forward you cross paths where your footprint fits in nicely.  It would be easy to jump on a path and wander away on it a good while never even asking yourself if it's a path you ought to be on.  It's important to continually reconnect with yourself and stay grounded to who you are and what you want.  Or you may find yourself in some other place that isn't right for you.

This is where I am at now.  I've moved forward on everything, and opportunities continue to present themselves.  But before I wander off I best orient myself to my own North, my own compass.  It's time to think and ask myself what makes where I'm at better.  How can I live in my space more perfectly, truer to my authentic self?  If I think about this hard enough, once again a footprint will appear, and one I am sure of.

I can't stay here part II

So this looks like a double post but it's not.  I usually do my editing right on this blog and change the lyrics when I see fit but I'm taking a different approach.  The reason is two fold.  The first is that the whole point of the sneak peeks is to get some music on the words asap for you readers and to let you into my creative process a bit.  So I think it'll be better if I leave the original.  The second is that I have suscribers now and they get an email everytime I post.  Lucky them!!

The sneak peek is slow which is somewhat intentional.  It's easier for me to develop that way.  So the biggest change will be tempo.  But also the lyrics will change.  I don't know if they'll change much from this version to the end product.  Usually when I've done this edit it won't be until I start recording that I make more changes and they will be subtle and most of the time I don't even change the lyrics to reflect those changes.

In this song there are two things going on.  One is the need for cleansing, to be rid of the burdens that seem to get heaped on us until we can hardly function.  That is the going to California part.  But of course the singer needs a reason to go and that's the second part, the need to have some authenticity in our lives.  To have our true natures connected to what we are doing.  What is missing in the first set of lyrics is that I haven't connected the two concepts well.  It still works because the first part needs a motivating event and so we naturally accept the second, but unlike a movie you want the listener moving with you and not thinking ahead.  The story line in a song needs to unfold as opposed to twist.  In a book you provide the full story line and details and allow the reader to create the world around it.  In a song as I write them you create the colors of the world and give enough detail to allow the listener to create the rest on their own.  It's very tricky which is why so few songs are really great.  Many are very good. 

So here are the lyrics.  I will alter these as the song evolves although this might be the final now.  I'll listen more to the song and see if I can cut.  I like my songs under four minutes and I'm sitting at 6:49.  The tempo change will get it close to five, but I need to go deeper.  In this song the part about neverland and oz was the original concept and probably where I'll have to cut as it's cute but not necessary in its entirety, and that's a painful thing to do.  I'm going to try and avoid it.

Edit #3 
I've decided to keep the neverland/oz bit but that required I set it up a bit earlier.  I think these changes will tie it all together and make for a more complete story.

A Gypsy Denim Kiss
You were Stevie Nicks,
I was Mellencamp,
our Rock-n-Roll dreams
could always beat as one.

What fools we were.
What a fool I am.

I think I'll go to California
she'll know just what to do
the ocean air will run
right through
and take my sin
back to you.
I can't stay here,
with you.

I'll take the pick up truck
a little luck and my old guitar
with the dusty strings
the rest I leave for you

this life we made
that looks so good on you,
it's crushing me,
and i can hardly move.

I think I'll go to California
she'll know just what to do
I'll let her ocean air blow
right through
and take my sin
back to you.
I can't stay here,
with you.

I sold my gear, and cut my hair,
quit my band and took your hand,
I played the game the best I could

I traded my truths, for suits
and deals with some crooked dudes,
friendships for revenues.
I can't stay here
in this make believe land
I can't pretend
I'm your kind of man.

If you get close to neverland
won't you talk toTinkerbell
tell her this lost boy
has broken out of hell

maybe I'll grab a twister
and ride it up to OZ
shack up with someone wicked
and help her with her cause
But I can't stay here
in this make believe world

I can't pretend
You're my kind of girl.

I'm off to California
she'll know just what to do
I'll let her ocean air
run right through
and take my sin
back to you.
I can't stay here.

I can't stay here.

Just photographs
happy faces of myself
laughing back at me

What a fool I was
What a fool I am.

I think I'll go to California
she'll know just what to do
the ocean air will blow
right through
and take my sin
back to you.
I can't stay here,
with you.

I bought this beat up truck
took a couple hundred bucks,
the rest I leave for you

except these six strings
that hurts my fingers to play

I think I'll go to California
she'll know just what to do
I'll let her ocean air blow
right through
and take my sin
back to you.
I can't stay here,
with you.

I sold my amps, and cut my hair,
quit my band and took your hand
I played the game the best I could

I traded who I am, for suits
and deals with some crooked dudes,
friendships for revenues.
I can't stay here
in this make believe land
I can't pretend
I'm your kind of man.

If you get close to neverland
won't you talk toTinkerbell
tell her this lost boy
has broken out of hell

maybe I'll grab a twister
and ride it up to OZ
shack  up with someone wicked
and help her with her cause

But I can't stay here
in this make believe world

I can't pretend
You're my kind of girl.

I'm off to California
she'll know just what to do
I'll let her ocean air
blow right through
and take my sin
back to you.

I can't stay here.

I Can't Stay Here (Acoustic Blog Sneak)

Oughtta know.

Well I was at work and was working out a great song in my head and singing it quietly to myself.  Then for just a brief five minutes another song popped in my head and by the time I got back to the first one it was completely gone.  How the hell does that happen?  All I can remember is what it was about, maybe it'll come back to me.  So anyway, I was bound and determined not to be defeated by a pathetic memory and so I wrote another one in spite.  So here's what I came up with.  It's obviously a country song.

I've traveled from coast to coast,
every bar is another ghost,
telling me what I don't want to hear.

and I'm wearing down
and town to town,
reminds me there's someplace else
and someone else
haunting me and calling me back home.

and I don't want to give this up,
but I'm not sure it means as much,
as when I packed my guitar to find the lights,

I used to look towards another show,
but now I miss the things I know,
and the love that use to fill up my nights.

 It's a long long way from where I came from,
It's a long long way down the road,
It's a long long way from your door step,
a long long way,
to learn,
what I oughtta know.

Every song I've ever played,
I'd watch them dance the night away,
but i don't think they ever heard a word  I'd crow.

And every song I ever wrote,
every tear and every note,
about a girl I left at home,

It's a long long way from where I came from,
It's a long long way down the road,
It's a long long way from your door step,
a long long way,
to learn,
what I oughtta know.

I oughtta know,
what you're doing,
I oughtta know
where you are,
I oughtta know
if you still love me,
and I oughta know,
If I go back home,
give this up
and face the truth,
I oughtta know
If you still care.

It's a long long way....