Go Happy Blues
July 2013- March 2014
These songs were originally themed from a simple question: "Can I write happy songs?" The keep it simple, "happy"blues concept made me smile.
Songs:
1. Just One Time
2. Go Happy Blues
3. Like Only Stars Can Do
4. Going River Blues in "E"
5. A Little Bit Lonely
6. In my Room
7. You''re Gonna Get It Wrong
9. Tin Pan Thing
10. What Makes You Happy
11. Own Little World
2. Go Happy Blues
3. Like Only Stars Can Do
4. Going River Blues in "E"
5. A Little Bit Lonely
6. In my Room
7. You''re Gonna Get It Wrong
9. Tin Pan Thing
10. What Makes You Happy
11. Own Little World
What Makes You Happy
1/20/14 Yes. I can write a keep-it-simple, happy blues song.
What makes you happy?/ What makes you jump, shout, let it out, sing it loud, tell it proud kind of happy?/You got to choose./You gotta know what makes you happy/Everything else is just your blues.
What makes you rock? /What makes you roll?/What gets you down on the floor, begging for more, shaking your knees and crying out please kind of happy? You gonna. Choose. You gotta know what makes you happy because anything less is just paying dues.
What makes you holy?/ What makes you whole?/What makes you shine bright with your inner light, down to your soul kind of happy?/You get to choose./You gotta know what makes you happy because everything else you got to refuse.
What makes you here?/What makes you now? What gets you right in the moment, completely aware, living your life like you don’t have a care kind of happy?/You just can’t lose/You gotta know what makes you happy because anything else is yesterday’s news.
What makes you free?/What makes you high? What gets out in the wind and up in the air and feeling like you can fly sort of happy? You gotta choose/You gotta know what makes you happy because that’s exactly what you gotta choose.
What makes you happy?/ What makes you jump, shout, let it out, sing it loud, tell it proud kind of happy?/You got to choose./You gotta know what makes you happy/Everything else is just your blues.
What makes you rock? /What makes you roll?/What gets you down on the floor, begging for more, shaking your knees and crying out please kind of happy? You gonna. Choose. You gotta know what makes you happy because anything less is just paying dues.
What makes you holy?/ What makes you whole?/What makes you shine bright with your inner light, down to your soul kind of happy?/You get to choose./You gotta know what makes you happy because everything else you got to refuse.
What makes you here?/What makes you now? What gets you right in the moment, completely aware, living your life like you don’t have a care kind of happy?/You just can’t lose/You gotta know what makes you happy because anything else is yesterday’s news.
What makes you free?/What makes you high? What gets out in the wind and up in the air and feeling like you can fly sort of happy? You gotta choose/You gotta know what makes you happy because that’s exactly what you gotta choose.
What makes you happy?/ What makes you jump, shout, let it out, sing it loud, tell it proud kind of happy?/You got to choose./You gotta know what makes you happy/Everything else is just your blues.
Own Little World
3/1/14 The first line of this one I came up with on my motorcycle..."of course it makes me wonder what they do on other planets for fun," Five tracks are recorded: acoustic guitar, Gretsch 6120 guitar (of course), upright bass, lap steel and one vocal to get the idea down.
Of course, it makes me wonder what they do on other planets for fun/We’re not the only ones/They don’t have Harley Davidson’s to ride on days like these, out in their Summer breeze/They don’t have Beatles or Stones or Zeppelin to rock out to, or maybe they do.
Let’s catch a ride on that cosmic wave for two/Visualize the places we will travel to.
Of course, it makes me wonder what they do on other planets for happiness/It’s anybody’s guess/They don’t have friends to land a hand when they’re feeling down on days like these, down on days like these/They don’t have sunsets at the end of their movies for their heroes to disappear into, or maybe they do.
Let’s catch a ride on that cosmic wave for two/Visualize the places we will travel to.
Of course, it makes me wonder what they do on other planets for love/What do they do for love?/They don’t have cars to park beneath their stars on nights like these/They don’t sing songs about their broken hearts, or dream of far-off places to travel to, or maybe they do.
Let’s catch a ride on that cosmic wave for two/Visualize the places we will travel to.
People tell me that I live in my own little world, it’s true, out here in the black on a little dot of blue/It’s true/You live here too/Maybe, they do.
Let’s catch a ride on that cosmic wave for two/Visualize the places we will travel to.
Of course, it makes me wonder what they do on other planets for happiness/It’s anybody’s guess/They don’t have friends to land a hand when they’re feeling down on days like these, down on days like these/They don’t have sunsets at the end of their movies for their heroes to disappear into, or maybe they do.
Let’s catch a ride on that cosmic wave for two/Visualize the places we will travel to.
Of course, it makes me wonder what they do on other planets for love/What do they do for love?/They don’t have cars to park beneath their stars on nights like these/They don’t sing songs about their broken hearts, or dream of far-off places to travel to, or maybe they do.
Let’s catch a ride on that cosmic wave for two/Visualize the places we will travel to.
People tell me that I live in my own little world, it’s true, out here in the black on a little dot of blue/It’s true/You live here too/Maybe, they do.
"Tin Pan Thing" (Instrumental)
It fit the "happy" theme.
You're Gonna Get It Wrong
11/27/13 Lyrically, the last few songs I have written have been more about getting a few lines down and then creating while recording. I am not saying that's good or bad...it is what it is.
Of course, you’re gonna get it wrong more than you get it right/That’s just the way it goes/ In the end, all you can do is step up and hold her tight and let know/The music will go round and round and you’ll be holding on/You’ll whisper something in her ear while you hold on tight/It’s alright/You’re gonna get it wrong more than you get it right/You better know/You better hold on tight.
In My Room (Instrumental)
Discovering a new chord is always cool. When I found the second chord in the progression-I thought that sound had a 50's vibe and pretty much heard this progression. This is played imperfectly on a Gretsch 6120. I love the tone and I hope whoever listens to this does so with a good set of headphones.
A Little Bit Lonely
10/26/13 This one came out of a dream with the first line, "The whole world is crumbling and my feet can't find the ground" being available to me when I woke. Being not a very pleasant sort of dream...I turned it around into something ....well...into this.
10/26/13 This one came out of a dream with the first line, "The whole world is crumbling and my feet can't find the ground" being available to me when I woke. Being not a very pleasant sort of dream...I turned it around into something ....well...into this.
This whole world's crumblin'/My feet can't find the ground/I'm just a little bit lonely/Stars in space exploding/Shock wave comin' down/I'm just a little bit lonely/Soon we'll have ten billion people stompin' their feet singing, "Be bop a lula baby wop bam boom"/Can't walk out my front door afraid of who I might meet/The government says they love me but they could be jivin' too/I got a room full of people with no one to talk to/I'm just a little bit lonely/(People holding) hammers for hitting instead of building something new/I'm just a little bit lonely.
Just One Time
7/10/13 A quick ditty that was written and recorded in front of the recording mic. I had about 30 minutes before I had to leave for the airport and had the idea in my head for a few days...hit the record button and put this one down. Vox and guitar live with 1 overdub guitar.
One time, one time is fine/One time be just fine for me/Just one time with your sweet little lips, I’m talking about one time be just fine for me.
Two times, two times is enough, two times is enough for me/Two times is enough when one time is fine and one time be just fine for me/just one time with your sweet little lips, I’m talking about one time be just fine for me.
Three times, three times is a dream/Three times is a dream just for me me/three times is a dream when two times is enough and one time is just fine for me/just one time with your sweet little lips, I’m talking about one time be just fine for me.
Two times, two times is enough, two times is enough for me/Two times is enough when one time is fine and one time be just fine for me/just one time with your sweet little lips, I’m talking about one time be just fine for me.
Three times, three times is a dream/Three times is a dream just for me me/three times is a dream when two times is enough and one time is just fine for me/just one time with your sweet little lips, I’m talking about one time be just fine for me.
Go Happy Blues
7/28/13 Featuring Forrest on trumpet.
I tried crazy/It did not take/I tried loneliness/There was no friend there to make/I got pretty good at singing those pitiful blues/I walked on fire once without any shoes/Happiness was always one step away/Happiness is a state of mind they say/I tried everything else and it may sound strange, I guess I’ll go happy for a change.
Worry, worry, worry could not easy my mind/Trouble, trouble, trouble, angry all the time/I got three degrees in heartbreak, pain and misery/none of that education brought any joy to me.
Happiness, just out of reach/Happiness, they say you got to practice what you preach/These days, it may be quite out of style, guess I’ll go happy for a while.
I tried crazy/It did not take/I tried loneliness/There was no friend there to make/I got pretty good at singing those pitiful blues/I walked on fire once without any shoes/Happiness was always one step away/Happiness is a state of mind they say/I tried everything else known to god or man, I guess I’ll go happy if I can.
Worry, worry, worry could not easy my mind/Trouble, trouble, trouble, angry all the time/I got three degrees in heartbreak, pain and misery/none of that education brought any joy to me.
Happiness, just out of reach/Happiness, they say you got to practice what you preach/These days, it may be quite out of style, guess I’ll go happy for a while.
I tried crazy/It did not take/I tried loneliness/There was no friend there to make/I got pretty good at singing those pitiful blues/I walked on fire once without any shoes/Happiness was always one step away/Happiness is a state of mind they say/I tried everything else known to god or man, I guess I’ll go happy if I can.
Like Only Stars Can Do
8/25/13 For the "Great 18" ...I never wrote a song for a group before....up until now...going with the feeling.
Some of us had lost our way, if only for a little while/Some forgot that love was just a hug away/Some forgot they knew how to smile/When push comes to shove and we needed each other the most, don’t you know we came through/We were all in/We were powerful, inseparable, just plain wonderful,/We were shining like only stars can do./We’re all in/We are powerful, inseparable, just plain wonderful,/We’re shining like only stars can do.
Going River Blues
9/7/13 Blues on the acoustic guitar. I recall being around 13 years old and checking out of the library a book of of traditional folk song lyrics some from Europe and most from America. Everybody dips from that same well so nothing new in the lyric ..there's enough stored memory to let this kind of thing "flow" with very little editing...so sang each verse and wrote it down pretty much simultaneously, When I had a few verses went ahead and recorded it. Next.
Life is a river/Take it where it flows/Go from shore to shore, picking up, dropping off, collecting up, paying out until my boat’s so full of ghosts, surely gonna drown/You’ll have to row or you’ll have to go, because, can’t have no dead weight hanging around.
So long, fare thee well/Where I’m bound, I can not say/Got no hard feelings here/Water underneath the bridge or so they say/Life is a river and that river and that river just don’t stand still/You can do what you can to hold back the flood, but you know you never will.
Don’t get caught with your possessions on the judgement day/People going down to the river to throw their silver spoons away/No rich man’s gonna get to heaven, while a poor man can’t buy a shirt/Gonna pack up my belongings in a shoe box until I sort it out so a matchbox will work.
If you go down to the river, it’s best to travel light/If your head don’t tip you over, your boat just might.
So long, fare thee well/Where I’m bound, I can not say/Got no hard feelings here/Water underneath the bridge or so they say/Life is a river and that river and that river just don’t stand still/You can do what you can to hold back the flood, but you know you never will.
Don’t get caught with your possessions on the judgement day/People going down to the river to throw their silver spoons away/No rich man’s gonna get to heaven, while a poor man can’t buy a shirt/Gonna pack up my belongings in a shoe box until I sort it out so a matchbox will work.
If you go down to the river, it’s best to travel light/If your head don’t tip you over, your boat just might.