1000 eyes, 1000 stars
Watch from above
Watch from afar
Forced outside my ring
The shadows slowly dance
As the street-light softly sings
Time slips away with a feeble yawn
No one the wiser
As he rouses the dawn.
I wait, impatiently, for signs of the light
Twisted and hungry
With only dreams and eyelids to fight
Then a flash, a firefly's haze
Shadows torn open
By a headlight's gaze
Stunned, I smile and reach out a hand
Quivering, but happy,
Wind at my feet, ground in my hair, and -
The headlights roll on.
I am left waiting
For morning to come.
---
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
(Low-Down, Up-Town) Leavin' Blues
"Final Version"
"Rough Version"
The Story:
This is a bit of an interesting one, because as you may have noticed, there are two audio files to chose from. I'm doing something I normally wouldn't with this post by including a "rough draft," of sorts to what I am considering the final work. There are a bunch of reasons to consider it a rough draft. 1) It was done when I had a cold. 2) It was done without a pop filter. 3) Some parts of it just sound bad. 4) The lyrics have been somewhat revised in the final version. I hope to show that there is a difference between the rough draft (kind of like the "demo" of the song) and the final product. I've generally spent more time writing and performing than balancing the levels of my tunes, butu even in the short time I spent on these two versions, I feel there is a noticeable difference in quality.
The other thing that I'd like to point out is that it contains a chorus, verse, middle solo, and end solo. Normally I wouldn't jump right into the lyrics, but I think it worked out alright for this song. There are still definitely points where I am unhappy either with the guitar or the vocals, and the drum track is completely one-dimensional (it is literally just one loop), but I think this is an improvement on my previous works and ideas. It seems to me the best way to improve as a singer, song-writer, or guitarist is to try things to see what does and does not work...or get lessons. Whatever comes first, right?
The Lyrics: (Chord Progression: C-F-G)
Chorus:
Low-down up-town leavin' blues
Tell me mama, what can I do?
I don't need no post-man
To tell me the news, I got the
Low-down, up-town leavin' blues
---
Once was a girl
I used to know
She said she loved me but
She had a funny way of showin' it
We'd been together three months
'Til she took a train and a plane
To sip margaritas
In the Spanish rain
I never saw her again
But at least I still have
My money
[Chorus]
Once met a girl from
Foreign lands
With the sweetest smile and
The biggest plans
But when I asked her to take my hand
She up and ran off with a
China man
But at least I still have
My dignity
[Guitar Solo]
[Chorus]
Once met a girl with
Her mind all wrong
She would bark like a seagull
And flap like a frog
But when I took her to the farm
To set her free, some one was committed
And hell, it was me
Life sure is hard
Can't get my way
It seems these blues
Are here to stay
But if I save them
For a rainy day
Maybe my ladies will come back
Without delay
(That'll happen.)
[Outro]
---
Edit - I was quite happy receive some feedback on my work today. It was mentioned that I still suffer from vocal inconsistencies, and after listening more closely, I definitely agree. Sometimes it can be easy to get caught up in the moment of song-writing, and not realize a certain section should be revised. In light of these comments, I have produced yet ANOTHER version of the song. I actually recorded it very quickly, so...enjoy!
"Rough Version"
The Story:
This is a bit of an interesting one, because as you may have noticed, there are two audio files to chose from. I'm doing something I normally wouldn't with this post by including a "rough draft," of sorts to what I am considering the final work. There are a bunch of reasons to consider it a rough draft. 1) It was done when I had a cold. 2) It was done without a pop filter. 3) Some parts of it just sound bad. 4) The lyrics have been somewhat revised in the final version. I hope to show that there is a difference between the rough draft (kind of like the "demo" of the song) and the final product. I've generally spent more time writing and performing than balancing the levels of my tunes, butu even in the short time I spent on these two versions, I feel there is a noticeable difference in quality.
The other thing that I'd like to point out is that it contains a chorus, verse, middle solo, and end solo. Normally I wouldn't jump right into the lyrics, but I think it worked out alright for this song. There are still definitely points where I am unhappy either with the guitar or the vocals, and the drum track is completely one-dimensional (it is literally just one loop), but I think this is an improvement on my previous works and ideas. It seems to me the best way to improve as a singer, song-writer, or guitarist is to try things to see what does and does not work...or get lessons. Whatever comes first, right?
The Lyrics: (Chord Progression: C-F-G)
Chorus:
Low-down up-town leavin' blues
Tell me mama, what can I do?
I don't need no post-man
To tell me the news, I got the
Low-down, up-town leavin' blues
---
Once was a girl
I used to know
She said she loved me but
She had a funny way of showin' it
We'd been together three months
'Til she took a train and a plane
To sip margaritas
In the Spanish rain
I never saw her again
But at least I still have
My money
[Chorus]
Once met a girl from
Foreign lands
With the sweetest smile and
The biggest plans
But when I asked her to take my hand
She up and ran off with a
China man
But at least I still have
My dignity
[Guitar Solo]
[Chorus]
Once met a girl with
Her mind all wrong
She would bark like a seagull
And flap like a frog
But when I took her to the farm
To set her free, some one was committed
And hell, it was me
Life sure is hard
Can't get my way
It seems these blues
Are here to stay
But if I save them
For a rainy day
Maybe my ladies will come back
Without delay
(That'll happen.)
[Outro]
---
Edit - I was quite happy receive some feedback on my work today. It was mentioned that I still suffer from vocal inconsistencies, and after listening more closely, I definitely agree. Sometimes it can be easy to get caught up in the moment of song-writing, and not realize a certain section should be revised. In light of these comments, I have produced yet ANOTHER version of the song. I actually recorded it very quickly, so...enjoy!
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