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…
One night after three month of no rain, as we were driving home from singing at Gringos in Grapevine a splash of water hit the windshield.
I said to myself, "Sweet Rain."
I went home and wrote the song. It's on the soundtrack of a movie called…
I never sing this song the same two times in a row.
The lyric below is pretty close to how I sing it now.
Listening again, this is an awful version of this song...
I have my recording machine working again...I must redo this.
I PLAY C…
Like most or all of your songs, there is always something really stands out and pays off big time. That last verse (or is it the last two) is absolutely, powefully emotion packed. And it is somewhat Vonnegut like in that so much is conveyed so precisely and with elegant simplicity. "... in the dream we left behind" - my God man, it's pure genius. Not the first two times I heard the song, but the first time I "listened" to it, I thought WHAT WAS THAT! And the it sunk in.
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…
I have a new love
Of course she doesn’t know
How can a work of art
Know when lovers come and go
And when the artist is the art!
My eyes are the eyes of the beholder
And my eyes are the eyes of the world…
…when the artist is the art…
OUT THERE SOMEWHERE
Her eyes were blurry. Her face was painted
Her hair was dyed black. Her purse was heavy
She said something. I asked her to repeat it
She said, “Stop the car. I thot I could trust you.”
I pulled it over and I waited…
CATTAILS AND BUTTERFLIES capo @ 4 in C
C G repeat
There was a field around the corner
And a stream flowed cross the field
There were cat tails in the summer time
And monarch butterflies
And tadpoles sprouting wings
E…
"Somewhere between the stumbling and the falling..."
SOMEWHERE
G capo @ 2 - live @ 4
Somewhere between the summer and the winter
The leaves between the tree tops and the fall
Somewhere between my heart and circled letters
Somewhere…
"Somewhere between the stumbling and the falling..."
SOMEWHERE
G capo @ 2 - live @ 4
Somewhere between the summer and the winter
The leaves between the tree tops and the fall
Somewhere between my heart and circled letters
Somewhere…
"Somewhere between the stumbling and the falling..."
SOMEWHERE
G capo @ 2 - live @ 4
Somewhere between the summer and the winter
The leaves between the tree tops and the fall
Somewhere between my heart and circled letters
Somewhere…
"Somewhere between the stumbling and the falling..."
SOMEWHERE
G capo @ 2 - live @ 4
Somewhere between the summer and the winter
The leaves between the tree tops and the fall
Somewhere between my heart and circled letters
Somewhere…
OH JIMMY
capo @ 4 or 5 live
C Am F G
On page thirty of the yearbook he found a picture sweet
A girl named Marie Angel, in school right down the street
Dm walk down G
He didn’t notice…
I was trying to figure out the backstory here, at first I thought the girl might be the mom. But she doesn't seem to be even though she's standing beside the boy's father great with child. So the mind can come up with all sorts of interesting scenarios. You're probably right not to explain it, let the listener create their own story.
One night after three month of no rain, as we were driving home from singing at Gringos in Grapevine a splash of water hit the windshield.
I said to myself, "Sweet Rain."
I went home and wrote the song. It's on the soundtrack of a movie called…
I sent that link to my bff Misty. Remember her?
This was her response: I love the juxtaposition of the absurdity of the subject to the poignancy of the underlying message. Spoken like an English teacher. Michael Soto
Capo @ 5 in C
Back in 2008 I was the recording secretary for the Fort Worth Singer/Songwriter Association. I submitted this song at our annual contests and was awarded a plaque
for BEST COMEDY SONG, which I consider a serious misunderstanding…
A fun song you could play for the right crowds and really do well, and they say you don't write happy songs. :) This is a good change of pace song for you, if you feel a set getting too serious, throw this one in as palette cleanser.
One night after our gigs, Chris Zeller at the Hilton Hotel and me at Shananagans in Midland we met in his hotel room and decided we would both write a song called THE CHANGING OF THE WAYS. I wonder what ever happened to him.
THE CHANGING OF…
This is another upbeat, happyish song that you should think about doing a little more. It carries a message people can understand and had a nice beat that works well.
Yeah, there's an "Indian" graveyard somewhere out there at the Stock Yards.
COWTOWN Key Em
Em C D Em
In a courtyard down the alley there’s a graveyard…
A song about taking the time to raise our kids instead of letting them do what ever they want. I know, I know...shut up old man. Go ahead, you can say it. It's a rocker that we had a ton of fun producing. It's the only track that Matt says anything…
Great guitar sound. Nice mixture of keys and guitar. Nice when the low keys come in. I like the way you change the pace at points. Very the tempo.
Echos of some of my favorite Chopin passages. Just a lovely winding trail. Close my eyes and just drift along. Wonderful combining of guitar and keys...I'm repeating myself. Great change/refresh at 5:30.
Baby can you here the thunder tonite?
Baby can you here the rain coming down, down?
Lately Ive been dreaming of you lying next to me and I realise your gone
And I cant seem to find
A way to stop these tears, from bleeding out this heart of…
An instrumental based on the Arabian-major scale, which I got from Mike Chlasciak's "Exotic Blood" column in the Holiday 2013 issue of Guitar World magazine. Hope you like it.
Asthma is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. In other words, they don't know what's causing it. And haven't been able to come up with a cure either.
- to princess...
This is one of the many songs going round my head from when I was young. No idea whose version I heard and used to sing along to back then, but it was written by Larry Collins and Alex Harvey.
(EDIT: Done some research. It was Dottie West's…
Nice version of a great old song...
Alex Harvey is regarded as the writer around here. Saw him at the Rubaiyat in Dallas back in 1975. More recently , at the Blue Bird in Nashville. He just came in unannounced with his buddies and sort of took over the place. Tanya Tucker was 13 when she recorded this song and it was what made her famous until she got too into her Elvis thing. Then Married Glen Campbell and that went real bad.
Found this old track while backing up my hard drive. It is an alternate tracked played at a slower tempo. I added a quick drum track and ruff remix this morning.
What a funky track. Love it. Really summons Hendrix...
Oh, and while I'm here, what did you mean by, "Nice response to what Adelson is calling for," on FORESTS OF IRAN?
Asthma is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. In other words, they don't know what's causing it. And haven't been able to come up with a cure either.
- to princess...
They discovered a planet that has no star
Maybe they'll let me name it whoever they are
I know all about a planet without a star
Oh, please let me name it.
I know all about it.
A planet. No orbit. Just lost out in space
No hope or habit…
~For whom who far away~
Also:
"The Red Cow tried to stop dancing but it was no good. "' I can't. It is the seventh day of dancing. And I can't eat. I can't sleep.'
"Hm - very strange." said the King. What does it feel like?"
"Funny…
Perpetual motion of things that will not stop even when we're no longer here. Strange feeling.
---
"Are we human because we gaze at the stars, or do we gaze at them because we are human?" Pointless, really... "Do the stars gaze back?" Now…
Comments on James Michael Taylor's stuff
Cory Michael -I listened to the song and think you should definitely sing it next week. You're a hell of a story teller, James!
Cindy Grayson James Michael Taylor beautiful song
Pamela Steuber Anderson James Michael Taylor I love this song. Thank you.
Like most or all of your songs, there is always something really stands out and pays off big time. That last verse (or is it the last two) is absolutely, powefully emotion packed. And it is somewhat Vonnegut like in that so much is conveyed so precisely and with elegant simplicity. "... in the dream we left behind" - my God man, it's pure genius. Not the first two times I heard the song, but the first time I "listened" to it, I thought WHAT WAS THAT! And the it sunk in.
heartfelt, sincere. i dig the banjo and mouthharp
That is beautiful, James. Thank you. Rachel Eastman
Honking horn was exactly how I thought you would end this song
504 Hathaway, San Luis Obispo, California. 1954
Absolutely beautiful!
Lazarus Knight Absolutely one of your best.
Kat Angel Absolutely beautiful!
Roberta Hargrove Bitter sweet! I love this!
I was trying to figure out the backstory here, at first I thought the girl might be the mom. But she doesn't seem to be even though she's standing beside the boy's father great with child. So the mind can come up with all sorts of interesting scenarios. You're probably right not to explain it, let the listener create their own story.
Such a fantastic song, and timely for many of us right now.
I sent that link to my bff Misty. Remember her? This was her response: I love the juxtaposition of the absurdity of the subject to the poignancy of the underlying message. Spoken like an English teacher. Michael Soto
A fun song you could play for the right crowds and really do well, and they say you don't write happy songs. :) This is a good change of pace song for you, if you feel a set getting too serious, throw this one in as palette cleanser.
This is another upbeat, happyish song that you should think about doing a little more. It carries a message people can understand and had a nice beat that works well.
you got a beutiful voice...u should finish writing this one.
Terry Rasor James Michael Taylor btw love that tune my friend!
Linder Bassy Wow I love the song
Comments made by James Michael Taylor
You guys really have that ZZ tightness... My son is too good to play with me.
What a happy tune with just one little cloud. A great little sing along, "blue sky, clouds go by..."
Owie! No beating around the bush here.
Great guitar sound. Nice mixture of keys and guitar. Nice when the low keys come in. I like the way you change the pace at points. Very the tempo. Echos of some of my favorite Chopin passages. Just a lovely winding trail. Close my eyes and just drift along. Wonderful combining of guitar and keys...I'm repeating myself. Great change/refresh at 5:30.
I really like this. Wish you would mix the voice up in the mix. Really engaging groove. Great blend of sounds.
Love it. Immaculate.
I hear this with a cool bass line and choir. Maybe I download it and show you what I mean.
Nice version of a great old song... Alex Harvey is regarded as the writer around here. Saw him at the Rubaiyat in Dallas back in 1975. More recently , at the Blue Bird in Nashville. He just came in unannounced with his buddies and sort of took over the place. Tanya Tucker was 13 when she recorded this song and it was what made her famous until she got too into her Elvis thing. Then Married Glen Campbell and that went real bad.
What a funky track. Love it. Really summons Hendrix... Oh, and while I'm here, what did you mean by, "Nice response to what Adelson is calling for," on FORESTS OF IRAN?
Sweet. "We'll go on and on..." Like that...
Reading your preface and then listening to this piece has me much more aware of my breathing. Slow and deep. Grateful for health.
Cool song and some very impressive moves.
Love the laughter. The funky rawness.
Listening again. This really touches something, with the obvious undertones of the dark side of the moon...
That sound was me clicking my finger nail on one of my guitar strings with added reverb.
...the dark side of Venus.
I'd like to see video with this...
This suggests to me that the universe is a big merry-go-round...
Regarding THE BOOK: You nailed it. Siddhartha, indeed.
Cool song.