Hit the Ground

I don't want to ever forget this song. It is short and sweet. I don't usually do short and sweet. I wrote this about three years ago, and it still means a lot to me.

Hit the Ground

Verse
There's a sound that silence makes,
It's a noise my heart can't take.
It's creeping in the house now,
As quiet as a mouse.

I'm not a man, I'm a shadow of
Love: the lack there of.
I keep digging in, looking for something else.
I faithfully fall off that shelf.

Chorus
And what I thought was rain
Was tears from God himself.
And though I couldn't feel the pain,
There was something that I felt.

I felt the chains that held me down
Hit the ground.

Verse
There's a rhythm inside my mind,
It speaks louder than words and life.
There's something hidden in every line.
I don't speak to loud because it may get out.

Chorus
And what I thought was rain
Was tears from God himself.
And though I couldn't feel the pain,
There was something that I felt.

I felt the chains that held me down
Hit the ground.

At the Hall of Fame Lounge

Jimmy was nice enough to join me (at the last minute) to go play some songs at the Hall of Fame Lounge in Nashville. I have been missing playing in front of people, and until I can get the full band practicing and in routine I think I will continue to hone my song writing and performing skills at writer's nights, coffee shops, etc.

We showed up early enough to catch two rounds of performers. And it took a while before I realized what the format was. It goes like this:

You have three chairs, three mics, and three inputs on the stage. Three different song writers take a seat. The writer to the left goes first, then the guy in the middle, then the guy on the end. You repeat this process three times. Each of you have a guitar, and are welcome to play along with the other performer's songs.

So when we went up I sat Jimmy to the left of me, and he played cello. He would play around a little when the other guys were playing, but not I of course. And one of the guys played along with Jimmy and I when we did our songs. It was very interesting.



All of the music that was performed besides our own could be considered country on some level, alt. country, country blues, or just blues. And Jimmy and I were easily the youngest people there. So given our attire, age, and set-up (cello and guitar) I think we had them all curious as to what we would come out with. And I believe (to put in Murphy Small's words, the first performer in our round) they were pleasantly surprised.

All of the musicians there were great song writers and excellent guitar players, it was Nashville is all about.

Thanks to Ty Brando for giving me the opportunity to play, and for taking these nice photos.

Restless Passenger

I wrote this song several weeks ago for a good friend of mine. The premise is this: Sometimes we make things to complicated. If it feels good, then keep it simple, and by all means enjoy it.

By the way, thanks for reading my blog. I have a lot of long term plans with the site, and all of you who participate are really helping my momentum.

Restless Passenger

Verse

The purpose of your skin

Is to hide what lies within,

But I just want to skim.... on the top.

Please don't tell me to stop.

The purpose of your eyes

Is to see what's on the other side,

But I could just stare

Twenty years into there

And never go anywhere.

Chorus

We're just two bodies, we're just two souls,

And all the missing pieces fill whole.

This sullen traveler finds peace.

And this restless passenger, release.

Chorus Outro

The purpose of our lives

May never be defined,

But still you can't deny

The way it feels tonight.

Verse

The purpose of these hands

Is to explore your foreign lands.

As I circumnavigate,

I paint your body like a landscape.

The purpose of our time

Is to see what we can find.

The moments that we share

Hang above us in the air,

And will never go anywhere.

Chorus

We're just two bodies, we're just two souls,

And all the missing pieces fill whole.

This sullen traveler finds peace.

And this restless passenger, release.

Chorus Outro

The purpose of our lives

May never be defined,

But still you can't deny

The way it feels tonight.

Pretty Little Princesses

To my girls: Thanks for a great weekend!

Less Like Life

Song in the works. I know, I need some new themes. I have them, but they are more music based than word based. They don't look as good on paper if you will, better to experience them live.

Less Like Life

Verse
I can still smell you on me;
That's as close to you as I'll ever be.
If the horizon is where the day begins,
If you run fast enough away, then it never ends.

Chorus
Every time that you fall,
The friction in the wind
Makes a sound that nearly muffles your call.

And every time that you've tried,
The daylight in the window
Looks more like pain and less like light.

You feel more like rain
And less like life.

Verse
The shadows on your skin
Are the remnants of a selfless sin.
You are more to me like pieces in my hand,
But the image I'm building I have yet to understand.

Chorus
Every time that you fall,
The friction in the wind
Makes a sound that nearly muffles your call.

And every time that you've tried,
The daylight in the window
Looks more like pain and less like light.

You feel more like rain
And less like life.

Bridge
You define yourself
Through other people's lies.
And inside your hell
Is the eyes of a child.

Chorus

N.D.E.

Poor, lost song. Way too long. But I like the words. That is why I am putting them here.

N.D.E.

prelude
There's an anchor at the end of my chain,
But no end to where it leads.
The feast is set, the guests are met,
There's no subtext in which to misread.

An army of misfortune,
Be it vague or indiscreet.
Disappears while I am standing here,
The ground beneath my feet.

verse
An itchy finger and
An unloaded gun won't kill,
But a broken heart will.

Fog looks like ghosts
And dreams fade like the dawn
On the morning lawn.

chorus
When its over its so much sweeter.
Lick your lips and taste the flavor.
Kill for love and die a martyr.

If that's what it takes,
Then what's the point of trying to...
Fight it.

verse
Silhouette of a figure
That I can't recognize;
Just two staring eyes.

There's a question ever pressing
Like a vice on my soul:
"Is it my time to go?"

chorus
When its over its so much sweeter.
Lick your lips and taste the flavor.
Kill for love and die a martyr.

If that's what it takes,
Then what's the point of trying to...
Fight it.

outro
Close your eyes
Until the sunlight rises
On a calm blue horizon
And surprises your mind.

You float like a pillow
As a white cloud billows
Over a tall broad willow
On the side of the lake.

If there was ever a moment,
A moment worth living,
If there was more to just breathing
That life kept giving than this is it.

This is it.

A poem (of sorts)

Eh... It's been a while. I'll take a stab at it.

Sanctuary

They will worship this place,
The way that only eyes and hands can.

Like a prism in a raindrop
Our colors harmoniously fan.
Each hue revealed
Through one beautiful strand.

The moon: a spectral spectator.
The night: the arch of heaven, stands.
The heart shall be the alter.
The body: the sacrifice. The sand
The earth, the dust:
Born of Zenith's thin hand.

The eyes of the world:
The soul of a man,
To gaze upon forever
As passion's last stand.

Midnight Rider

This was a nice find! Us playing 'Midnight Rider' at our hometown square. The quality is bad, but it was still a lot of fun.