HOME
(Am D) or (F C)
VERSE 1.
Where the (G) windmill sings to the mocking bird
And the (CM7) prairie wind, without a word
(Am) Whispers thru tall (D) grass, I’ll be (G) home
(F C G) or (Am D)
VERSE 2.
Where the butter cups and…
Love this whole album James - sometimes you don't need 3 minutes to say everything you need to say. You're pretty much a master of that.... ~~ Peace, Wade
This originated as a poem sent to me by Rose Kampton, morning the loss of her father. I turned it into a prayer and put music to it. Then when Brook drowned it became something altogether else.
(c) 1990 Royal T Muaic
CHRISTMAS@#$%& II
Snow flakes splashing on my windshield
My old heater hums a tune
And I can hardly see the road
and I'm wishing it was June.
Now, I ain't no atheist
and I ain't no Hebrew
And I ain't one to hold my tongue
when the thots…
I took this bus trip from Forth Worth, Texas to Wheeling, West Virginia and on the way home I jumped off in Cincinnati and bought a ticket to Nashville... Lots of stuff happen when you are on a bus and in bus stations for over 60 hours.
Here…
I wrote this song with Lisa Aschmann. CAPO @ 3
Video - https://www.facebook.com/100001011201926/videos/1285714588695761/
HICKORY STIX
Dm Am
Billy Mac and Don McCray drive to work each dawn at six
Down the mountain to the factory, makes…
The lyrics of this song,
as they pertain to plot,
are my exact memory of the event.
I had spoken to the kid maybe a minute before the "action" started about how the pressure of the water was very strong. He was nestled down with his back…
Probably anyone who plays the guitar could write this song....
Someone asked if I was actually in Spain in 2003. Actually, 2000. Working on the movie, THE STONE RAFT with George Sluizer, from a book by Jose Saramago.
Inspired by something Jenni…
WATERMELON WIND Capo @ 3 Key G
On a (G) road outside of Brownsboro there’s a (Bm) watermelon stand
Dm Dm - E
All boarded and bedraggled, fallen signs peak thru the sand
Am…
Probably anyone who plays the guitar could write this song....
Someone asked if I was actually in Spain in 2003. Actually, 2000. Working on the movie, THE STONE RAFT with George Sluizer, from a book by Jose Saramago.
Inspired by something Jenni…
Probably anyone who plays the guitar could write this song....
Someone asked if I was actually in Spain in 2003. Actually, 2000. Working on the movie, THE STONE RAFT with George Sluizer, from a book by Jose Saramago.
Inspired by something Jenni…
Probably anyone who plays the guitar could write this song....
Someone asked if I was actually in Spain in 2003. Actually, 2000. Working on the movie, THE STONE RAFT with George Sluizer, from a book by Jose Saramago.
Inspired by something Jenni…
M E L I S S A Key of G
These are letters I like to say - M E L I S S A
These are notes I like to play……
Letters that sparkle. Notes that jingle
Make a little song in my heart
There’s a song in my heart today - M E L I S S A
I wish…
I took this bus trip from Forth Worth, Texas to Wheeling, West Virginia and on the way home I jumped off in Cincinnati and bought a ticket to Nashville... Lots of stuff happen when you are on a bus and in bus stations for over 60 hours.
Here…
There is nothing like the presence of a horse. The quiet understanding. The gentle strength.
Woodlake, California...1961. I had a horse. She was my friend.
There were times in my teens when Babe was the only being that did not judge me…
REMEMBERING BABE: I had NOT heard this one! I'm glad I insisted!!! Gotta be among the best of... my favs... I don't have to tell you, this is poetry. And your delivery... refreshingly original. In "stand up" readings, or "slam" poetry, there is a "style" of cadence that hearkens back to the Beats, and most poets fall into it, and it always annoyed the hell out of me. This is DRAMATIC ACTING, folks, c'mon! I
like the slow, unhurried, thoughtful way you spoke as the poem's Voice; how you mixed up the rhythm, unexpected hesitations, and rapid rushes. And esp the long pauses in unexpected places, as tho the Voice was thinking about the exact right word to use next to express what he wanted to say.
I've been trying to work on my delivery for my planned re-entry (after covid) into the local poetry reading community. It is terrible... isolation in quarantine can do that! So I've been practicing w/ video and putting music behind me for good measure.Anyway, I found some good tips here. Thank you. 🙂 I really love R.BABE The ending works really well, something that's sometimes difficult. Gwyn Henry
I wrote this at my dad's urging. He likes it. We sing it together. I have YouTube Video of it up.
EULOGY
He grew up in Clinton, Oklahoma
Red dirt back yard, Gramma's place
Honey suckle in a dust bowl
Life as hard as limestone lace…
".. you had me right off the bat--"Red Dirt" for me, classic Ok City area!; plus "honeysuckle dustbowl" (so beautiful) and "limestone lace" --each image is 2 completly different things contrasted to make a third. Lovely. Oklahoma evocative! " Gwyn Henry
IN MY DREAM by James Michael Taylor
Last night I held your hand
Reached out and touched your hand
I know it's just a dream
I say, "What does that change?"
Today the sun will shine
Because you made it mine
IN MY DREAM
I held…
This is the title song from my first LP.
FEATHERS IN THE WIND by SNOWGEESE.
Snowgeese was my first wife, BarbaraAnne and me. Michael was a new friend we met when we moved to Texas that liked my songs enough to produce and arrange and record…
Jenni Mansfield Peal
Thanks for posting these beautiful songs. I’m so sorry for the loss of your friend. Bittersweet listening; hearing Barbara, I am grieving her loss.
My motto is INWARD THRU THE FOG. One day about a month ago, Laura 'Taylor' Whitfield told me I should, "write that song." Thinking back on a fog-bound night in California, I wrote it. Norman Pilcher, a friend from Texas, and I were headed north…
I BUY GUITARS
Em
One man might buy cigarettes and waste it all in smoke
Another marijuana and share a friendly toke
Am
Another, with more money, might invest in antique cars
Em
I buy guitars
A man might buy a baseball card
Keep it…
I BUY GUITARS
Em
One man might buy cigarettes and waste it all in smoke
Another marijuana and share a friendly toke
Am
Another, with more money, might invest in antique cars
Em
I buy guitars
A man might buy a baseball card
Keep it…
... that's great! It's all very lighthearted until you get to the part about them not leaving. I guess the companion that remains true will always be the one with strings. Lazarus Knight
I was told that even tho she left me after 28 years it doesn't negate the idea.
There’s a place in my mind where your face had a home
Long before you came into my life
Before you were a known
There’s a note in my song that I knew fit somewhere…
was a Texan.
Quannah Parker was the son born to Cynthia Parker, a white girl, stolen by Comanche raiders who grew up to be the wife of the chief. Quannah, in turn became the leader of his tribe. Eventually, Cynthia returned to her people. This…
The Winnowing Wind
I feel the wind blow thru me
Oh, please don't let it undo me
Let it level and true me
The Wind. The Winnowing Wind
And here I stand, alone, against the wind,
And, who am I to think that I
Can stand alone against the…
Candy Davis
That's so much fun, singing with oneself, laying down multiple tracks. Your Winnowing Wind is such a polished, beautiful example of the magic of music.
Love
The Winnowing Wind
I feel the wind blow thru me
Oh, please don't let it undo me
Let it level and true me
The Wind. The Winnowing Wind
And here I stand, alone, against the wind,
And, who am I to think that I
Can stand alone against the…
Lazarus Knight
Beautiful arrangement and vocal peformance. When I noticed the 2007 copyright it made me wonder if the song was written and recorded before or after a certain life changing event that year.
FOR A PENNY
From the moment Toy saw the light
he was the center of attention.
In a room full of sunlight and 'Welcome,"
he was a new dimension.
Tiny traveler, arriving wet
Peggy hardly breaking a sweat
Toy was born in the middle of the…
Rahim Quazi - I love that. What did you mean when you said that you had wished you had kept the penny?
Enter
You sent
It would be a nice thing for him to have as a keepsake. The actual penny that saved his life.
Enter
You sent
Peggy had aborted the previous two pregnancies.Really didn't want any more kids. True is my best friend. I don't know what I would do without him. He is what I have left of Peggy.
Enter
Rahim
Rahim Quazi
Ahhh, I get it now. It’s a beautiful song
The Winnowing Wind
I feel the wind blow thru me
Oh, please don't let it undo me
Let it level and true me
The Wind. The Winnowing Wind
And here I stand, alone, against the wind,
And, who am I to think that I
Can stand alone against the…
The Winnowing Wind
I feel the wind blow thru me
Oh, please don't let it undo me
Let it level and true me
The Wind. The Winnowing Wind
And here I stand, alone, against the wind,
And, who am I to think that I
Can stand alone against the…
FOR A PENNY
From the moment Toy saw the light
he was the center of attention.
In a room full of sunlight and 'Welcome,"
he was a new dimension.
Tiny traveler, arriving wet
Peggy hardly breaking a sweat
Toy was born in the middle of the…
TWO POUNDS - (Diethylstilbestrol Daughters)
"DES, which was once prescribed to prevent miscarriages, caused obesity, rare vaginal tumors, infertility, and testicular growths among those exposed in utero." http://www.motherjones.com/environment…
...after reading John Steinbeck's IN DUBIOUS BATTLE and watching the John Ford movie of GRAPES OF WRATH. The opening and closing statements are quotes from the Preacher in the movie.
A friend said he wanted to do a video of this track. I…
Tony Desmuke
I still think "In Dubious Battle" is one of the best songs that you wrote. If nothing else, the production was incredible. We still listen to it occasionally.
...after reading John Steinbeck's IN DUBIOUS BATTLE and watching the John Ford movie of GRAPES OF WRATH. The opening and closing statements are quotes from the Preacher in the movie.
A friend said he wanted to do a video of this track. I…
Refuge into the imagination:
Is it crazy?
Is it survival?
Is desire to survive crazy?
THERE SHE WAS Key - G 102811
G
She'd been gone for three years now so he'd been on the road
Playing every truck stop bar and every song he…
LAMENT FOR WILD BILL in C - Capo @ 3
The moon shone like diamonds on mirrors in puddles shaped like horse's feet
Deadwood was quiet. The smoke had all settled. The blood was dry.
Young Jack McCall sat awake in his cell, alone and quiet…
One night I was singing Wild Bill at Fort Worth Live and there was so much talking that I stopped in the middle. No one had any idea what I had just done. The silence just meant, "Clap now."
Walking alone in late February
Thinking on friends I’d lost
John and Sean and Christopher
Ryan, Ian, and Mark
Some of them fell to fever and drink
Some to women or song
One of them made it to the good life
But all of them are gone
All…
Comments on James Michael Taylor's stuff
Love this whole album James - sometimes you don't need 3 minutes to say everything you need to say. You're pretty much a master of that.... ~~ Peace, Wade
...beautiful voice, intonation ... well done! Mike Hanby...Gig Harbor, Wa
Boch Slydur WONDERFUL !!!!.....
Thank you! I love it ! ❤️❤️Jo Ella Baker Glenn
Great Lyrics. Jeff Prince
(One of) 2 songs that make me tear up just hearing the song title. JMT’s the most gifted song writer I know! Kathy Holdway
(One of) 2 songs that make me tear up just hearing the song title. JMT’s the most gifted song writer I know! Kathy Holdway
i'm sure the table misses both of you. Connie
gee, james. i'm crying with you. i hear you. i'm so sorry for your loss.
Such a sad and beautiful song. Hugs, friend. Thank you for sharing. Shawnee Smith Ray
That's a great one, James. Terry Koontz
What a lovely song! Very soothing. Brian Curran
James, this hit me in the guts. Daniel Payne
That is a beautiful song. Timeless. Gwendolyn
Love the bridge to this one, James. Tim Robinson
I've heard a lot of your songs, but never this one that I can recall. Very powerful and touching lyrics. Ashley
😌🥰
Why did you puke? Sorry, in a song fully of details I guess I want another detail.
REMEMBERING BABE: I had NOT heard this one! I'm glad I insisted!!! Gotta be among the best of... my favs... I don't have to tell you, this is poetry. And your delivery... refreshingly original. In "stand up" readings, or "slam" poetry, there is a "style" of cadence that hearkens back to the Beats, and most poets fall into it, and it always annoyed the hell out of me. This is DRAMATIC ACTING, folks, c'mon! I like the slow, unhurried, thoughtful way you spoke as the poem's Voice; how you mixed up the rhythm, unexpected hesitations, and rapid rushes. And esp the long pauses in unexpected places, as tho the Voice was thinking about the exact right word to use next to express what he wanted to say. I've been trying to work on my delivery for my planned re-entry (after covid) into the local poetry reading community. It is terrible... isolation in quarantine can do that! So I've been practicing w/ video and putting music behind me for good measure.Anyway, I found some good tips here. Thank you. 🙂 I really love R.BABE The ending works really well, something that's sometimes difficult. Gwyn Henry
".. you had me right off the bat--"Red Dirt" for me, classic Ok City area!; plus "honeysuckle dustbowl" (so beautiful) and "limestone lace" --each image is 2 completly different things contrasted to make a third. Lovely. Oklahoma evocative! " Gwyn Henry
Comments made by James Michael Taylor
I like In my Dreams!! It does have an Orbison vibe! LIke the way it builds. Operatic. Orbison. Gwyn Henry
Jenni Mansfield Peal Thanks for posting these beautiful songs. I’m so sorry for the loss of your friend. Bittersweet listening; hearing Barbara, I am grieving her loss.
Paul Smith Some of your tunes fit right in with a soundtrack feel like "Pulp Fiction". I love it. 🎶
That was great, thanks Jim Jim Kempton
... that's great! It's all very lighthearted until you get to the part about them not leaving. I guess the companion that remains true will always be the one with strings. Lazarus Knight
Lazarus Knight That's a great album!
Jenni Mansfield Peal Beautiful. Thanks so much for posting.
Candy Davis That's so much fun, singing with oneself, laying down multiple tracks. Your Winnowing Wind is such a polished, beautiful example of the magic of music. Love
Lazarus Knight Beautiful arrangement and vocal peformance. When I noticed the 2007 copyright it made me wonder if the song was written and recorded before or after a certain life changing event that year.
Rahim Quazi - I love that. What did you mean when you said that you had wished you had kept the penny? Enter You sent It would be a nice thing for him to have as a keepsake. The actual penny that saved his life. Enter You sent Peggy had aborted the previous two pregnancies.Really didn't want any more kids. True is my best friend. I don't know what I would do without him. He is what I have left of Peggy. Enter Rahim Rahim Quazi Ahhh, I get it now. It’s a beautiful song
David Young We both loved it! Very beautiful!
Paul Smith Very cool
Listened and such a biographical song, really captured me. Rahim Quazi
Kat Angel Interesting song 🙂
Tony Desmuke I still think "In Dubious Battle" is one of the best songs that you wrote. If nothing else, the production was incredible. We still listen to it occasionally.
Tony Desmuke Definitely. One of your best.
There She Was definitely captures that longing that the imagination tries but fails to satisfy Lazarus
One night I was singing Wild Bill at Fort Worth Live and there was so much talking that I stopped in the middle. No one had any idea what I had just done. The silence just meant, "Clap now."
Great groove...
Such pathos. We could collect all the Ghost Town songs on Alonetone and have a very interesting album.