676

(18 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Zurf and Mojo and anyone else dealing with such heartache.

I am truly sorry for the unfortunate circumstances you are facing.
I too have faced such situations, losing two of my brothers in the last year and a half.
There isn't much we can do except to try to ease their pain and bring peace to our own mind.
I think this is an appropriate line - one that I came across in my situation that sticks in my mind.

" Wherever a beautiful soul has been, no matter that they are gone
there's always a trail of beautiful memories that we can look back upon"

It's good to have our "chordie family", where the compassion and care we share is  as
righteous as the music we write and play.

Cheers and best wishes to you all
Jim     

Chocolate side up for me!!     

678

(23 replies, posted in Poems)

Peatle and Phill

I was admiring how clever you boys are...... and then

I looked at the title of this post....  that's when I lost it -if i had been eating custard - it would have been a mess as well
too funny !!

Jim     

679

(6 replies, posted in My local band and me)

Ken,

OMG - just had a chance to listen - frigging hysterically great !

I can't help but laugh out loud at some of the lines.

Great performance - loved the guitar work.

That is some some song !  - It's the old man's national anthem !     

I'll be celebrating the 48th Anniversary of my 21st Birthday this summer !

Cheers,

Jim

680

(6 replies, posted in Songwriting)

Thanks Peatle
Every young generation thinks they are invincible.
Part of the learning of life.

Appreciate the kind words.
Sending my best to you and Maree

CHEERS !
Jim     

681

(23 replies, posted in Poems)

Peatle

Excellent !

I quite agree with Ken   that line is superbly brilliant !!

"His words have power.

A magnet.

A fishing net.

Fishing net made of words.

Drawing his audience into his boat.  "

Way to go my friend !
Jim     

682

(23 replies, posted in Poems)

Peatle

Excellent !

I quite agree with Ken   that line is superbly brilliant !!

"His words have power.

A magnet.

A fishing net.

Fishing net made of words.

Drawing his audience into his boat.  "

Way to go my friend !
Jim     

683

(23 replies, posted in Poems)

Peatle

Excellent !

I quite agree with Ken   that line is superbly brilliant !!

"His words have power.

A magnet.

A fishing net.

Fishing net made of words.

Drawing his audience into his boat.  "

Way to go my friend !
Jim     

684

(6 replies, posted in Songwriting)

Thanks Ken.     

Brilliant song -- isn't that so true - just like Dorothy in Wizard of OZ " There is no place like home" ! And there's several ways to interpret what the word " Home" is referring to. Very Nice Jeff !     

It's one of those songs that as a songwriter you go - Dang, I wish I'd of thought of that !  smile

Way to go Jeff, and thanks for sharing.

Jim

686

(6 replies, posted in Songwriting)

Hold Each Other Tight by Jim Kenyon


[G]Nothing’s ever promised , ain’t [C]nothing set in [G]stone


All our days are numbered, just the [C]timing is un[G]known


Our[C] lives can turn upside down, in the blinking of an[G] eye


And [D]what you thought would last for[C]ever, ]just said good[G]bye




.




[G]What if what you cherish, just [C] disappears some[G]day ?


Leaves you with an empty heart, with [C]no words you can[G] say


Oh, [C] what is it that tomorrow holds, no one really [G]knows


so, [D]never take life for [C]granted as we see how fast it [G] goes




.




Chorus


[C]so lay down your sorrows, keep chasing all your [G] dreams


like [D]catching leaves in an autumn breeze, it’s [C]harder than it [G]seems


when you [C]finally find that special someone, be [G]sure to treat them right


open[D] up your heart, and say“ I love you”, an' [C] hold each other [G]tight





.






[G]life can leave you feeling like a [C]boat that’s lost at [G]sea


it happens more than you think, it can [D] bring you to your knees


oh, we [G]face regrets and fear, and hope forgiveness is [C] here at [G]last


find some love before it’s too late, as those [D] fleeting seconds [G] pass


.




Chorus


[C]so lay down your sorrows, keep on [G]chasing all your dreams


like [D]catching leaves in an autumn breeze, it’s [C]harder than it [G]seems


when you [C]finally find that special someone, be [G]sure to treat them right


open[D] up your heart, and say“ I love you”, an' [C] hold each other [G]tight




.


open[D] up your heart, and say“ I love you”, an' [C] hold each other [G]tight


open[D] up your heart, and say“ I love you”, an' [C] hold each other [G]tight



687

(7 replies, posted in Songwriting)

Wild lyrics Phill -  I never had such issues, in fact my buds and I used to sleep out in the summertime in the cemetery for fun.

Jim     

Ken,

Good question, and Phill got it exactly right. ( at least in my head. )

I can think of many instances of people that never got the chance to achieve their dreams b/c some establishment type obstacle thwarted them.
Two that comes to mind right away were Robert Kennedy and Martin L. King, Jr, in their cases, by  an assassin's bullet.
I think many young African American Musicians in the early years of the music industry who were robbed of their songs and $.
People that have spoken out on civil rights issues, whose ideas somehow get buried in the media or social prison ( I think of the women's rights movement)
Or more commonly, just a teenager that wants their own identity, wanting to break away from the authority of their parents, school rules, or other social norms. 
(I know that there were many times I did stuff that I hoped and prayed that my Mom never found out about. smile  )
Try to understand the kid that doesn't want to work the farm, or go to college, but wants to follow there dream of being an artist or musician.
( or someone telling Beamer to only play classical music, instead of METAL smile   )
So this song just comes down to basically a young person being rebellious, and not wanting to be stifled in what they wanted to do or say.

As for that the last line in the first verse, it means ( at least in my head) that the young person would achieve that freedom before they get old and change-
and end up being part of the establishment. Thus the line before it - want to break the mold.  (I think Pete Townsend wrote those famous words - " Hope I die before I get old! ")
The world would never have progress if there weren't dreamers that break tradition.
(Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly come to mind, musically) 

My brother told me a story once about a little girl who was watching her mom cook a roast beef.  The mother cut the ends off the beef and threw them away  and then proceeded to cook it. The little girl asked why she did that.   The mom said because that's the way her mother did it and it always tastes great.   The next week the little girl visited her grandmother and told her what her mother said, and asked her why she cut the ends off the roast beef.  Grandmother replied, b/c that's the way my mother did it and it always tasted great. The next week the little girl got to visit her great grandma. Sure enough she asked her, " Great grandma, My mommy and her mommy both cut the ends of the roast beef before they cook it and throw them away. They said it's b/c that's the way you did it. Can you tell me why ?  " 
Grandma smiled at her great granddaughter and said , " Sure, it wouldn't fit in the only pan I had".
smile  smile smile


This is just another reaffirmation that a song can be interpreted many ways.

Thanks for all the interest and the way you performed it. Hope this clears it up.

Jim

689

(10 replies, posted in Songwriting)

Phill

WELL THEN,.........   LONG LIVE ROCK 'N ROLL IN A COUNTRY SONG !  smile

HOPE IT COMES OUT GREAT !

And on a side note, that's how I gauge when I START to get ready - when my wife tells me she is ready.   And I'm still ready before she is actually ready to walk out the door.  smile     

Ken
Thank you so much, that is really fantastic.
It's amazing how someone can turn the way a song is written
into something quite different that what they thought it was going to be.

It happens more often than we think.  There are many versions of songs we know and love.
While I had this song in my head as a country rock, or bluesy type song, I was amazed how nice it sounded and flowed the way you did it.

It's funny too, a couple of the lyric changes you made were exactly how I had written them but had changed them for some reason.

I know that Graham had said he might do a copy of it when his voice gets better which would be a true blues version that he is really good at.

I can't wait for Beamer to give his rendition as a " Metalized" version. Should be quite a contrast  smile

This kind of reminds me of how we used to have the FSOTM (Featured Song of the Month) here on chordie where someone would choose a song and a lot of members would do their own version.  It was quite fantastic

I always encourage any of our members to use my songs and make any changes necessary.

Phill is a Godsend here on chordie for many of us - he has had such a terrific way of helping me with my songs ( and others) .
I probably would have stopped writing a long time ago if not for him.

That's what makes Chordie so great.  What a collection of superb musicians (except for me  smile  ) and composers of so many various genres - yet all support and encourage each other.  If only the world operated the same way.


Thanks again Ken.

Jim

P.S.  and I agree with Peatle - it really does have that John Denver feel to it. 
It didn't occur to me at first, but after Peatle pointed that out and I listened again, I certainly got it.

691

(10 replies, posted in Songwriting)

Sounds cool, lets hear it !!

Long live Rock 'n Roll !!     

Ken
OMG YES !!!

PLEASE DO.


I WOULD LOVE IT  !

Jim     

Mojo

AS the great poker players of Texan lore used to say.........

it's not cheating if you don't get caught.     

694

(8 replies, posted in Songwriting)

Brian

Let's not confuse poetry with just a rhyme
similar sounds, with thoughts sublime
June and Moon and Fox in the box
alliteration, metaphors, and paradox
Cat and Rat, Free as the Sea
not meter, not octave, nor simile

a man from Nantucket, and sometimes worse
hyperbole, litotes, Shakespeare's blank verse
it's all good, whatever you choose
as long as you're writing, you can't lose
if you're wondering how this will end
it's two sestets, sans iambic pentameter, sans couplet !

smile 

Keep on keeping on my friend !

Jim     

695

(11 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Zurf
I am so pleased that you are returning to chordie.
Sorry to hear about the past misfortunes you have endured, but I am also excited to see what the future unveils
for your future.
Welcome home !
Jim     

696

(4 replies, posted in Poems)

Beamer

The chorus lyrics IMHO  are top shelf buddy !

Hope you put it to music!
Jim     

697

(11 replies, posted in Songwriting)

My TOP 10 choices would be  ( in order)
Bob Dylan
Kris Kristofferson
Lennon& McCartney
Paul Simon
Hank Williams
Roger McGuinn
Brian Wilson
Smokey Robinson
Townes Van Zandt
Willie Nelson

A song is like a dream, and you try to make it come true.     

Phill

Yeah that's the hardest part for me - never the lyrics - always the music.
It might help if I could actually play or sing worth a hoot !  smile

As far as this song, I just kinda tried to play it like fast little bluesy song.
I'm sure I probably screwed up how it should go musically. 
That's why i love chordie - the guys who actually know this stuff usually tell me how to fix it. As usual, I am always grateful for criticism,corrections and changes.

Thanks for the kind words - just a couple of rebels we are !  smile

Jim

ahhhhh.... to be young again !

Just kind of reminiscing how I used to be brash and wild.
It's amazing how we change over the years.
If I was a songwriter when I was 16- this is probably something I might have written.

Chasing my dreams, hope I never caught by Jim  Kenyon


.




[E]Never believe everything I’m told


[E]not gonna have my mind controlled


[E]Maybe someday I can break the mold


[B7]Let’s hope it happens ‘fore we [A]all get [E]old




.




[E]It’s hard to face life’s reality


[E] we live in a world full of fantasy


[E] I wanna see the world like I want it to be


[B7]Guess it’s just a young [A]mentali[E]ty




.


Chorus


.


[A]They tell me that I should do just as I’m taught


[E]Putting steel chains on my every thought


[A]I might get sold out, but I’ll never be bought



‘cause I’m [B7]chasing my dreams, hope I [A]never get [E]caught




.


[E]It’s really hard to see, like black on black


[E]But it seems like freedom is what I lack


[E]Ain’t nobody ever gonna cut me no slack


[B7]I’m breaking away and I’m [A]never looking [E]back




.


Chorus


.


[A]They tell me that I should do just as I’m taught


[E]Putting steel chains on my every thought


[A]I might get sold out, but I’ll never be bought


‘cause I’m [B7]chasing my dreams, and hope I [A]never get [E]caught


Yeah , I’m [B7]chasing my dreams, and hope I [A]never get [E]caught


[B7]chasing my dreams, and hope I [A]never get [E]caught





700

(10 replies, posted in Poems)

Phill

That description probably fits 30 % or more of men over 60.  smile

Great description.

When I was a youngster, we had a guy named Orvis Lunn in our town that wore exactly that everyday.

We used to call him the Gray Man at our town's little theater, where he worked on Friday and Saturday nights - keeping us young'uns under control. 

And that's what we would say when we saw him coming to yell at us _ " Gray man's coming" !!!  Thanks for rekindling that memory !

Jim