Posts tagged as:

songwriting

Beale Street lyrics

by johnford on December 17, 2007

someone wanted the for this . here they be….

I stared down broadway
stood out on madison and vine
seen this land scared
by man and the hands of time
i know this old world will pass on
sure as my body hungers
for a new home in the ground
still they buried my heart
in a shallow grave
the day they tore old down

everybody wants to cheat the reaper
anywhere you may go
to tear it down and build it up
sure makes you feel like you have control
so it has been
since this whole world started spinnin round
but my heart fell in a shallow grave
the day they tore old beale street down

i walked up church street
one of these days
they’re gonna carry me back down
up the stairs into daylight
past mr hamilton
and poor old mary brown
how the high and mighty do fall
and gather as dust onto the ground
still they buried my heart in their shallow grave
the day they tore old down

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Ain’t never going to Hawaii

by johnford on December 3, 2007

With apologies to John Prine and Don Ho….
A somewhat cute 10 minute wonder.

———————————————————————-

I ain’t never goin to Hawaii
To learn to dance the Hula
Thought a time or two I’d do it
But now I just say screw it

Ain’t gonna make it to Lihue
Man there just ain’t no way
Don’t wanna’ be just a stinkin haole
So I’ll stay right here in LA

But I can see my feet
In the golden sand
I’d become a slack key
One man Band
You would be
My Biggest fan
My oh my
Wouldn’t it be grand
But I guess I gotta’ find me
A different plan….

Aint’ never goin’ to Hawaii
N catch me a mahi mahi
You could be my wahini nani
God these rhymes come so damn eas-ay

So I’ll drive home to Encino
Blow my paycheck out in Reno
Rope a philly at the casino
so much for my big dreamo

But I can see my feet
In the golden sand
I’d become a ukulele
slinging man
You would be
My Biggest fan
My oh my
Wouldn’t life be grand
But I guess I gotta’ find me
A different plan….

I ain’t never goin to Hawaii
To learn to dance the Hula
Thought a time or two I’d do it
But now I just say screw it

Ain’t gonna make it to Lihue
Man there just ain’t no way
Don’t wanna’ be just a stinkin haole
So I’ll stay right here in LA

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best….

December 1, 2007

After posting “Visions of Johanna” and mentioning it was one of my top 10 ‘best’ songs ever written/recorded. I started to think. Could I actually come up with an honest to God top 10 list? So I tried. Not in any particular order and just off the top of my head right now. Subject to [...]

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the best line from the best song ever written

November 29, 2007

“Name me someone who’s not a parasite, and I’ll go out and say a prayer for him”
Well I don’t know if it’s the best song, but it’s in my top 10. The production is so damn sparse and perfect. Robbie Robertson’s guitar just walks around the song with quivering imperfection.

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old songs come back to haunt

November 27, 2007

It’s an old song I wrote for “nobody.” At least I thought so at the time. This morning as I picked up the guitar, it came back to haunt me. Hurt my hands to play it. Just had to suffer through the couple of bar chords.
old mp3—> Lovin’ You
Lovin’ you
is sweepin’ leaves on a [...]

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What a farking line.

November 22, 2007

Damn I almost hate him for writing one so good:
“But I’d trade all of my tomorrows for one single yesterday
To be holding Bobby’s body next to mine.”

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I love this song

November 19, 2007
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Tu Es Partout

November 16, 2007

The sun is just about set on my little beach town. The beach bars just below my window are starting to mill with the tourists, locals and disenfranchised. I can hear the laughter of highballs clanging off the stucco walls. I was walking back up to the neighborhood earlier and started writing a song in [...]

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quite possibly one of my favorite all-time Dylan songs

July 1, 2007

I think it’s the hook. Wish it was mine. Link below the lyrics to the vid from “Don’t look Back” with Joan Baez singing “Percy’s Song” and “Love is Just a Four Letter Word” while Dylan types on the typewriter in a hotel room.
“Love is Just a Four Letter Word”
Seems like only yesterday
I left my [...]

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The new Lucinda Williams has been playing non-stop on my ipod for days!

June 21, 2007

Every record she puts out just keeps getting better and better. And her songs always speak to my heart. “Are You Alright” is really talking to me in the last few days. Funny how songs can do that. Like they were written just for you. Well, everyones songs but my own. haha.. Lyrics and [...]

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What is the soul of a man

July 13, 2004

I watched the Wim Wenders directed film for the Martin Scorsese blues series again a couple of nights ago. “The Soul of a Man” is loosely based around the lives of Blind Willie Johnson, Skip James and JB Lenoir, and it’s voiced from the perspective of Blind Willie Johnson. Johnson has always been one musical [...]

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No songs

July 12, 2004

I appear to still be holding a moratorium on songwriting. It’s nothing intentional, at least I don’t believe it’s intentional. As I said before, I just don’t see much point in it. When it comes to writing a song, you pretty much have to have a reason to do it, even if it’s purely selfish. [...]

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