Song of the Day No. 20

I'm going back to prison
Lord knows I messed up bad
I'm going back to prison
Lord knows I f'd up bad
I done got another D.U.I.
Parole off'cer show was mad

Judge said I was lucky
I ain't cause nobody death
Judge say I was lucky
I ain't cause nobody death
I done five years already
For manufacturing crystal meth

They gonna lock me up
And throw away the key
They gonna lock me up
In that penitentiary

Red & blue lights was flashing
When I regained consciousness
Red & blue lights was flashing
When I regained consciousness
I couldn't pay no bondsmen
Walked on my own recognizance

I'll sing the blues in prison
I'll sing 'em when I'm free
I'll sing while I have vision
I'll sing when I can't see

I'm going back to prison
Lord knows I f'd up bad
I'm going back to prison
I know I f'd up bad
Got another D.U.I.
Parole off'cer show was mad

Song of the Day No. 19

"Boss Man"

Don't expect 100 percent
Don't expect my best
You don't pay me enough
Give it a rest

I'm tired of working
For minimum wage
I feel like I'm trapped
In a cold metal cage

CHORUS:
Boss man, boss man
Get outta my face
Boss man, boss man
Get offa my case

If I ain't here on time
It's your problem, not mine
Just pay me my dime
Everything's fine

CHORUS

James

Song of the Day No. 18

I want another chance
I want another shot
I want a better chance
Than the one I got

I gotta prove myself baby
I gotta prove myself baby

Give me a rematch
Give me a rematch, baby
Give me a rematch
And I will whoop your ass

James

Song of the Day No. 17

"The Measure of a Man (is the Size of his Soul)"

I am not measured in inches
I am not measured in feet
I am measured in rhythms
I am measured in beats

The measure of a man
Isn't silver or gold
The measure of a man
Is the size of his soul

I am not measured in dollars
I am not measured in cents
I will not be put up for auction
I am not for sale or for rent

The measure of a man &ct.

Don't judge me for belief or religion
Don't judge me for the look on my face
Don't judge me for my orientation
Don't judge me by my color or race

The measure of a man &ct.

I am not measured in gallons
I am not measured in pounds
I am measured in visions
I am measured in sounds

James

Song of the Day No. 16

"Writing Songs"

Writing songs is very hard.
Don't ever try to do it.
You are only sure to fail.
Everyone'll know you blew it.

Playing guitar is very hard.
Do not attempt to do it.
Yoy will only play the fool.
Eveyone'll say you blew it.

James

Song of the Day No. 15

Don't go to sleep, whatever you do
Here in the deep, vast and blue.
Keep your head above the surface
To be dead is no great service.
Don't get grim reaped when we need you.

Yes, we need you.
Whoever you are, we need you.

We all shared a laugh in the waterless sea
Afloat on a raft so endlessly.
Don't get ill if you can help it
Just be still and watch the swelling.
I can't steer this craft; don't look at me!

We need you.
Whoever you are, we need you.

James

Song of the Day No. 14

Bad, bad, bad, bad blues.
Got them blues so bad.
Bad, bad, bad, bad blues.
Got them blues so bad.
I'm so sad and lonely,
Lost the only girl I had.

Las' night I lost an ear;
Today I lost an eye.
They both just disappeared;
I may never know why.
Bad, bad, bad, bad blues &ct.

I always been mistreated;
I always been put down.
I'm always gettin' cheated,
Abused and pushed around.
Bad, bad, bad, bad blues &ct.

Las' night I seen a lion
With a glowing mane of fire.
I thought that I was dyin'
The circumstance was dire.
Bad, bad, bad, bad blues &ct.

James

Song of the Day No. 13

This song actually has a bit or two from an older number. But I didn't like the words of the old one and didn't care much for the melody either. The lyrics tell you how I used to feel before I met Lily. This is a bright pop song.

"Someday She Will Come"

Last night in my dream
I met a lovely girl
With iridescent wings
And stardust in her curls.
She was as lovely as a sunset
On a breezy summer day.
But she and I have not met yet;
We will find a way.

Because I know that she is out there;
I know that she is real.
I know I'll never doubt her
Or the true love that I feel.

I know that I will find
My one true love someday.
She will treat me kind
And together we will stay.
She is as lovely as the sunshine
After summer rain.
Someday I hope she will be mine.
What more can I say?

Someday she will come!
Someday she will come!
Someday she will come for me.

James

Song of the Day No. 12

We don't believe a word that you say;
You've reneged on all your promises.
But tomorrow is another day
You may regain our confidences.
Just don't lie to us.
Don't lie to us ever again.

Not everything is black and white;
Some things are Roy G. Biv.
Not everthing is wrong or right
So let's just live and let live.

James

Song of the Day No. 11

I'm very behind with publishing songs here, but I've written more than enough to cover the past few days that I've been absent. Here's the first, a fantasy:

I sang a new world
Where none was before
Didn't think the old world
Was for me anymore.
I sang for the mountains
The valleys, the sky.
I sang for the rivers
And deserts so dry.

I sang for the nations,
The cities, the towns.
Everything grew from
The shape-shifting sound.
I sang for the creatures
Of earth, sea and air,
All covered in scales, feathers
Short or long hair.

I sang for a people
Who were free of sorrow
Forgot about yesterday,
Knew not of tomorrow.
I sang for a people
Who only knew love.
I sang for a people
Who only knew love.

Nothing is wrong.
Nothing could ever be wrong
In a world that exists
Only in a song.

James

Crawly Baby

Beatrice can crawl! She is six and a half months old. OK, so she's not great at it yet. But hardly anyone is great at anything when they're six and a half months old. She just looks at you with her big blue eyes and makes this goofy little face and moves one wobbly little arm forward, then the next. Sometimes she just tumbles right over. But I swear this little girl has a ton of determination. When she sees something she wants, she finds a way to get to it, even if she has to roll in a big circle to get there. But now that she's getting up on all fours, she won't have to do that much longer!

James

What's Been Up

Oh My Gosh! We've been away so long! James and Beatrice have been sick and I've been busy caring for my family. Poor things!

First of all, let me assure you that James has kept up with his songwriting. A song a day, often more. Don't worry, he'll post them here...as soon as he gets a handle on that dripping nose of his. Despite his lingering cold, he has also stayed on top of schoolwork. He had two tests and a project on Sunday. All A's, good man.

As for Bea, she tries so hard to crawl, but her little arms just aren't strong enough. Still, she'll crawl before she sits on her own. Mmmmm, she's so cute we can hardly take it.

Being sick, we've watched a lot of movies. The Man Who Knew Too Little last night, Land of the Lost before that, Elizabeth I and The Proposal we watched together. On my own I watched Miss Congeniality and part of Monsters, Inc. and Marcelino Pan y Vino. That's a lot, even spread over a few weeks. Damn Blockbuster and their rewards card!

On that note, can I just say one thing? I am not a Will Ferrel fan. It's just that his movies are funny. I haven't seen all of them and I don't intend to, but he makes me laugh. He's got one of those faces, you know, like a lesser Bill Murray.

In other wonderous-fantasmical news, Beatrice sleeps through the night! And when she does wake in the dark hours, I don't get her. Finally, Mama is well-rested. This was all James' doing. He put his foot down after the Most Dreadful Night of Them All and I thank him for it every morning when I emerge from the bedroom blurry-eyed and dis-shevled from such engrossing sleep. I love you, James! (He plugged in the white noise generator on my side of the bed and cranked it.)

So I didn't really get sick, but at one point I thought I was getting sick. Turned out I was just in desperate need of a shopping spree. That happens to me sometimes. Luckily, Christmas is just around the corner, so I have a good excuse for the frenzy. It's like vampires on the hunt. This time, I didn't have wheels so I had to content myself with the online thing. Oh, blessed, blessed, glorious PayPal, you are so good to me!

Okay, signing off,

Lily

Song of the Day No. 10

"Reverend Bramble Childress" (based on a character created for a collection of short stories.)

Reverend Bramble Childress
Ain't from around these parts.
But he show can impress our women;
He show can steal they hearts.
His eyes are thunderstorms;
His smile's a lightning bolt.
Though his hair's all white
No one knows how old.

Reverend Bramble Childress
Is the fastest talker around.
He could sell charcoal to the devil
Or convince "up" it's really "down."
When he gets up in the pulpit
All his flock agree
They would follow him through hell
If it was necess'ry.

Reverend Bramble Childress
Is a servant of the Lord.
He cast them devils out
With his demon-killin' sword.
He exorcised ol' Brandon Boyles
'Til B.B. couldn't see,
But saved him from the Lake of Fire
And suffering eternally.

Plus two for Baby Bea:

I.
Daddy wants to give
His little girl a kiss.
Daddy wants to kiss his Beatrice.
On her - cheeky cheeky cheeky cheek!

II. "D" (Lily's been writing songs for Bea based on the alphabet. So far she has A-C. So here's "D"!)

D is for diamond and dragonfly.
D is for dynamite and dandelion.
Doorbell, detail, dizzy, doe,
D is for all these words and
"Daddy-O!"

James

Song of the Day No. 9

Two very short songs for today:

I. "The Starship Balboa" - a fragmentary companion piece to "The Starship Pizarro" about the first planetary exploration mission that left astronauts stranded on Ganymede.

A.
She's leaving Planet Earth.
She's leaving Planet Earth.

B.
The Starship Balboa
Is the first in its class
To explore the planets
Though she won't be the last.

Simple ternary (A-B-A) form.

II. "Let's Sing a Song" - a simple singalong with a melody reminiscent of Irish drinking songs. One verse and chorus, repeat them over and over again.

Everyone, gather round, round, round.
Hear this tune I have found, found, found.
When the world gets you down
Lift your voice; make this sound:

(Chorus):
Sing a song. Let's sing a song.
Sing a song. Let's sing a song my friends.

James

Song of the Day No. 8

Another Sci-Pop song!

The time machine's almost complete.
She's got a sunroof, A/C and heat.
She can travel at the speed of light
And turn the left around into the right.
So climb aboard and take a seat.

(Chorus:)
'Cause we're going to the future,
Yes, going to the future.
We're going to the future
And we ain't never coming back!

The time machine's all that we need.
It will get us out of here at speed.
We'll learn about where we are headed
While space-time fabric's torn and shredded,
So climb aboard and take a seat.

(Repeat Chorus)

James

Pictures of Things I've Made Lately

Good Crafternoon

Like James said, I've been spending a lot of time making stuff: I've made shoes for Beatrice and toys for Beatrice. The shoes are based on a number of patterns I found for free online. One I like especially is here. But this one is the one I've used most.

I'm in the process of altering a dress of mine into a skirt. It's a dress I made for Easter years ago. I don't like the style anymore, but the fabric is a beautiful batik that begs to be worn. By me.

Have you noticed how expensive baby clothes are these days? Instead of buying them, I'm making them. All I have to do is go up to Goodwill on the weekend (they have $1 and $.50 racks) and find grown-up clothes in fabrics I like. Then, bring them home and make nice, warm, weird things for Bea to wear. I made her some hot pink sweat pants the other day. They are super cute.

Speaking of baby clothes, I found this website where lots of good ideas live. I used their stencil technique today to turn boringly plain onesies into delights.

I made a sweater for her, too. It's one of my first adventures in crochet. Kinda bulky. Next time, maybe I'll try this one.

I have also come up with a number of stories to tell her. I wrote them all down and have started illustrations.

I did an oil painting and a crayon drawing.

That's what I've been up to.

Hopefully, my next move will be selling all my pretty-baby-handmade wares...

Song of the Day No. 7

Sometimes I draw inspiration for songs from real life. Other times it's total fantasy. This one is a combination of the two.

Everything is better
When we are together.
Everything is alright
Here tonight.

You are the sunshine
And the shore.
You are the one
Whom I adore.
You are not like other girls;
Your eyes are complete worlds.
Oh darling, please come home to me.

You are the moonlight
And the breeze.
You are the green
And all the leaves.
You are not like all the rest;
For your love I am truly blessed.
Oh darling, please come home right now.

James

Song of the Day No. 6

There's a murder of crows
In a lifeless live oak
As the frigid wind blows
A smell of burning leaf smoke.
It's a good, good day.
The sky looks just like a bruise;
There's not a sunbeam in sight
And you have nothing to lose
The icy glare is so bright.
It's a good, good day.
It's a good, good, good, good day.
It's a good, good day to be alive.

In the snow covered woods
The wolves are hot on your heels.
You wish that everyone could
Feel just what you now feel.
It's a good, good, day.
There's a body afloat
In the river so red.
Bleeding from a torn throat,
There is no doubt she is dead.
It's a good, good day. . .

Everything is right in your mind.
Everything's alright in your mind.

If you never get sick,
How will you know when you're well?
How will you know you're in heaven
If you ain't been to hell?
It's a good, good day.
If you never break down,
It's hard to build yourself up.
If you never get out,
How will you ever find love?
It's a good, good day. . .

Note: Since I didn't post anything the last two nights, I figured I'd make up for it tonight by posting some songs I wrote on those days as well as today's.

James

Song of the Day No. 5

I gave my heart to you;
It was the only one I had.
It wasn't all nice and new;
It was messed up pretty bad.
But when I saw you, I could tell
That you would always treat me well,
So I gave my heart to you,
No questions asked.

And all I ask is:
"Take good care of my heart now, girl;
Take good care of my heart."

James

Song of the Day No. 4

I'm on a capsule to the sky
I don't have wings, but I can fly
Never thought I'd get so high
I'm spacing out
I'm seeing stars
I'm spacing out

I'm on a high speed rocketship
What a kaleidescopic trip
Like when I first tasted your lips
I'm spacing out
I'm seeing stars
I'm spacing out

In the wormhole there's no glare
Of only colors I'm aware
And I'm floating 'round the air
I'm spacing out
I'm seeing stars
I'm spacing out

James

Song of the Day No. 3

This one's a blues:

You can't forget me, baby
Even though you wish you could.
You can't forget me, baby
Down by the river in the woods.
Swirling eddies in the shallows
Underneath the long pine shadows
Kiss the red clay bank where we once stood.

You can't forget me, baby
No matter how hard you try.
You can't forget me, baby,
The one who put out your eye.
Of binocular vision you are bereft
And with the one eye you have left
All you can do is cry.

You can't forget me, baby
Although we miles apart.
You can't forget me, baby
The one who broke your heart
And dried and ground it to a powder
To add some flavor to my chowder
And I keep it in my spice rack in a jar.

James

Song of the Day No. 2

Here are two songs for today. The first one is urgent, with the A section (first two stanzas) in a gloomy minor key. The coda (stanza 3) shifts to a brighter sound. It won't use the usual verse-chorus pop song format, but will instead have the repetitive bit at the end.

I.

In the demon forest night
I heard an unusual light,
Pale as day
But only half as gay
And retarded
By the writhing branches

Into my eyes it shined
And struck me deaf,
Sweet as grass
And almost clear as grass
But piercing
Like a thousand hollow points.

It was the light of your love,
The light of your love.
My only saving grace
In that god-forsaken place
Was the light of your love.

The second song has more of a repetitive structure: verse/chorus/verse/chorus. It will be a really short one without any intros, solos or any other extraneous appendages.

II.

I used to get so depressed
But then I burned that part
Of my heart away.
Now the night looks like day
And I feel a billion times better;
I feel a billion times better.

I used to have emotional problems
But then I took a knife
To that part of my brain.
Now there is no more pain
And I feel a billion times better;
I feel a billion times better.

Take care,
James

Song of the Day No. 1

I'm trying a new experiment. As a way of getting back into writing songs, I want to try to post a new song lyric here every day. It'll definitely be a challenge, but I think I'm up for it. Here's the first one:

I saw you again in my dreams last night
That ugly little face I never thought I'd miss.
And though it's true that you were never clever,
Now that you're gone from me forever
I just can't go on anymore like this.

Who else will stay with me
Now that you're gone?
Who else will stay with this old dog
That wants to talk but can only bark?

Though you tried once to get away,
It was I who escaped you.
I left you all cold and alone
By that old ruin in the snow,
But now I long for you; it's true.

Who else will stay with me
Now that you're gone?
Who else will stay with this old gypsy,
This mean old vagabond?

Cheers!
James

Recent Goings On

So we haven't blogged lately. Sue us! We've been pretty busy. Lily and I want to make some more time for this though, so I figured I'd break the ice and tell a little about what we've been up to lately. I think this calls for a list:

1. September 12: Hangarfest. Lily, Jake and I played a rock show at our favorite new local venue, The Hangar on Wade Hampton in Greenville. It was a lot of fun! We played 6 songs: "Deep Space," "Hurtling Through Outer Space," "It's Kinda Weird," "All You Earthlings Look the Same," "We Are Aliens" and "Goodbye, Strange Planet." It was weird to see Lily's twelve and ten-year old brother and sister rocking out in front of us as we played.

2. Recording Jake Xingu's awesome new album It's Kinda Weird. It is going to be amazing! Jake is an ingenious songwriter and performer and I can't wait 'til this set of recordings is finished so I can listen to them on repeat.

3. Crafting. Lily has been CONSUMED with making stuff! Baby shoes, stuffed animals, paintings, clothes for Beatrice and herself and much more. I am really proud of the diversity of her talents.

4. New music video: "In the Caves" by Cooper Knights. Lily's younger brother is a brilliant if nonchalant musician. As soon as we have this clip edited we'll post it here for all to enjoy.

5. Beatrice is eating solid food now. She really wants to crawl but her little arms aren't strong enough yet. She can sit up in her high chair now. And the biggest news of all: she's got TWO TEETH! As if she wasn't cute enough already. It's almost more than we can take. Almost.

Cheers!
James