Monday, January 29, 2018

Doing a College Assignment


Alex sent me a text and asked for help for one of assignments for his music class. He has to write a blues song. I immediately thought of "Poor Musician Swingin'" and said I'd send him what I wrote way back in 1992.

Maybe there’s something below that will help …
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Poor Musician Swingin'
by Hanson/Schmitt
I'm broke
It's nothing new
Every time I get a paycheck
I give it to you
Say you gotta buy bread
That's okay
Give you my money
Why shouldn't I sleep all day

Poor musician swingin'
With someone naggin'
Poor musician swingin'
With my poor butt saggin'
Sleep all day . . . I swing at night

She left
She'll be back
It's nothing crazy
Just a swing attack
She'll survive
So will I
Playin', swingin'
Until I die
Wrote 8/25/1992 with my friend Ken in Sally Drive Studios
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Every Day Ordinary Life Blues
by Hanson/Schmitt
Boss is breathin' down my neck
Said son, "What's the matter with you?"
This job is getting to me
I need something different to do

Took a day off work
To enjoy life
Walked in the park
Mugged by a guy with a knife

Read newspaper of a crisis
In some distant land
Went back to work to escape
I still couldn't understand

Life is supposed to be tough
I know that to be true
But I have one too many
Things I have to do

I wonder when I try
To kiss the sky
It stays the same color
And life becomes a bit duller . . .
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Bad News
In the morning
I'll wake to find you gone
So I'll live
I'll find a way to go on
So when you leave
Don't take my key
And when he leaves you
Don't come cryin' to me

Cuz you've been hurting yourself
With the lies you tell
And if you wouldn't believe them
You'd still go to hell
Cuz you're bad news
Never a sight for sore eyes
Cuz you're bad news
You give me the blues . . .

You never smile
Unless you're taken out to eat
You like to lie
And say that you're just beat
You don't know
What you're talking about
And if he calls to ask
I'll give him reason to doubt
Wrote 9/2/1992
Gum Blues
Gum sticky and sweet
You make me complete
But one bad habit you do, I've seen you too
You stick to me like I'm made out of glue

You know I thought if I tried
I'd get you off my mind
But everywhere I look
I see remains of the tears you cried
There was a time in my life when I needed you
I had to believe your lies were true
Now the sun is brighter, I can see a new day
And I'm so glad I didn't invite you to stay

Gum, you're so sticky and sweet
Now you're gone, my life is complete
Gum, I don't think about you
I hope you don't think about me too.

Wrote 6/21/1993
When I showed these lyrics to Ken Schmitt, he gave me this look like, "Where in the world did you come up with this stuff?"
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Right In The Face
Think you got a method
I know you don't got a plan
Puttin' on your killer instinct
Searchin' for a man
But I'm here, right in your face
Open your eyes, I'm right in your face
You don't know a good thing
When it's staring at you . . . right in the face

I saw you last night
Out on the town
When I motioned to you
You looked down
I was your spark
The start of a fire
Did you forget the dark
Unleashed your desire

I'm a good thing honey
I'm right in your face
Don't ask for your money
I'm right in your face
Wrote 10/11/1993
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Concrete Shoes Blues
I've been tryin' baby
Tryin' to get back to you
But I don't seem to move
No matter what I do
I've been tryin' baby
But I can't seem to move back to you

Concrete shoes blues
They hold me still
Concrete shoes blues
They control my will
Nothing will make them go away
They're with me everyday
The concrete shoes blues
Drive me away

Since you said goodbye
I've waited for you
But if you're looking for me, you ain't looked hard enough
I tried to call you
You're not answering th phone
But your new man was there
I can tell you really care

Concrete shoe blues
Keep me away
Concrete shoe blues
Won't make me stay
Nothing makes them go away
As long as your new man continues to stay . . .
Wrote 1/22/1994
The Way You Are
Looking through the shattered window pane
Unaware of the wind blowing cross my face
I can't see the clouds
Your loving left me blind
I don't know why you treated me so unkind

But I guess that's just
The way you are
Narrow tunnel vision
Serves you best
That's the way you are
Why do you do this pain
Why won't you see the rain . . . makes the sun brighter

Looking at our pictures of smiles and laughs
Seem to mock the pain inside my soul
I can't see the smiles anymore
Your loving is what made me blind
Why did you treat me so unkind
Wrote: 9/8/1994

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