I sure love what other people bring to my songs - playing in a band gives me an opportunity to enjoy the talent of those around me, it also makes me hear new things in the songs that I've been carrying around with me.
Okay then, the songs. Some folks feel that art should speak for itself, that the artist's intent or interpretation are not only irrelevant to but, moreso, get in the way of the audience's experience. While I agree that the audience should be given the opportunity to experience and interpret art without additional input from the artist, my experience of art has always been enhanced by knowing the artist's perspective and biography. Sometimes I've gained greater respect for artists and their work and other times additional insights have made me uncomfortable with a work of art or its maker; either way my experience is enriched. So, at the risk of making you feel uncomfortable:
Sail Away
(You can hear me perform a version of this live and unplugged on the Satan's Cabaret Podcast in my January 29, 2015 blog)
It's been 14 mornings on the kitchen floor
You'd think by now I'd know what I did the night before
But the kicks and the wince, the drugs and the kicks
Come down with the weight of the guilt that I'll wash away
When I get down to the water
You can let yourself run fast and loose like the Grievous Angel's wild goose
And let love hurt you every day
Or you can lay down in the bathtub with the fat man blues and sail away
I'm always leaving behind what I'd like to hold
The same old story in the rear view mirror on that same old open road
And the lips that I'll miss, the words and the kiss
Her voice a distant melody that I'll wash away
When I get down to the water
You can let yourself run fast and loose like the Grievous Angel's wild goose
And let love hurt you every day
Or you can lay down in the bathtub with the fat man blues and sail away
So here's to 14 mornings on the kitchen floor
Here's to the same old story in the rear view mirror on that same old open road
Here's to the friends that have been, the good times and sins
The bruise of a heart on my sleeve that I'll wash away
When I get down to the water
You can let yourself run fast and loose like the Grievous Angel's wild goose
And let love hurt you every day
Or you can lay down in the bathtub with the fat man blues and sail away
This song was written with two of my favourite songwriters and performers in mind - Lowell George and Gram Parsons - and muses on the lifestyles that killed them far too early in their lives. I wrote this when I got to thinking about my own lifestyle and about being careful what I wished for. Is burning out unavoidable in some cases? Can measured passion still be passionate?
I have once again used the Golden Progression for this song - 2 free passes to any one show I play to the first person who can identify in a message to this site my 2 other songs that exploit this progression (a prize worth potentially in excess of $10.00).
I will introduce you to Emily in about a week's time.