Maia was from Georgia. The Georgia that was part of the the USSR. She drew pictures of her sisters. She lived on orange juice and tea. (Horns by my brother, John.)
MEETING MAIA
Where the tram stops in front of the Van Gough Museum, I waited…
MAN THAT I AM - Key Dm
Dm
Train pulls out the station and the shades are all drawn
Cold steel bites my ankles and I am on my way home
G
I would jump out of that window. Risk a bullet in my back
Dm
But I'm shackled to a bunk…
BEDROOM AND A BATH
At the end of the hall
is a bedroom and a bath
A place he never goes
Way back there,
buried in the past
but she'll never know
When the kids moved out
he took one of their rooms
He made the bed
Closed the shade…
James Michael Taylor
Roland Brown Thank you for listening and commenting, Roland. Especially, Room @ the end of the hall. You are the 1st to mention that one. I debated putting that one on the list.
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Roland Brown
James Michael Taylor That is , IMHO, a powerful mind journey. I was enthralled by it.
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BEDROOM AND A BATH
At the end of the hall
is a bedroom and a bath
A place he never goes
Way back there,
buried in the past
but she'll never know
When the kids moved out
he took one of their rooms
He made the bed
Closed the shade…
Roland Brown
I sort of slowed down a bit weekend before last and listened to and enjoyed “My New Shorts”. On first listen I was particularly struck by Room at the End of the Hall (love that one!), Fireflies (thoughtful), Cattails and Butterflies, Broken Cookies and Day Old Bread, and Everyone I Need to Talk To. Well done!
This one explains itself...for Eric.
WORLD OF HURT Capo @ 3 Key G
G
A friend of mine called yesterday
Em
To try to cheer me up
C
He said I should be happy
D
Things could be much worse
He told me he was…
MOTHER'S EYES
I used to chide my mother
She saw the loss in every face
The cemetery. The old folks home
along the way
I used to laugh at Mother
She saw the pain in every eye
Now time has passed
and Mom is gone and here am I
And…
VIDEO - https://www.facebook.com/100001468692811/videos/1120270078888215/
https://www.facebook.com/true.taylor.3/videos/397153049918748
GHOST TOWN capo @ 2 in C
C Em F G C
I…
Naad Kaur Khalsa
Well that was just gorgeous...beautiful poetry in its own right...all the way through, lovley lyric, lovley playing polished and easy tonkick bk to despite the ghostly disappearing act...which actually I quite enjoyed
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James Michael Taylor
Naad Kaur Khalsa Thank you for listening and commenting...
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Naad Kaur Khalsa
James Michael Taylor my absolute pleasure...was really fun...you're in TX right? What town? Your whole vibe is so there...it just has me grinning from ear to ear ....so much of the American I love...from my uniquely un-American vantage point
MOTHER'S EYES
I used to chide my mother
She saw the loss in every face
The cemetery. The old folks home
along the way
I used to laugh at Mother
She saw the pain in every eye
Now time has passed
and Mom is gone and here am I
And…
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…
SOMERTHING TO BELIEVE capo @ 2 in C
C
They’re rounding up the roosters down in Florida
F
Drowning all the snakes in New Orleans
G
The fires are chasing antelopes in Chyanne…
David Young
This one is really nice! I downloaded it so I can listen a lot more. The guitar part fits perfectly. Your voice is so distinctive -- Leslie was playing the song on her phone and I recognized your voice instantly. (I think it was the first note you sang that gave it away!) You are amazingly talented and I continue to be impressed by your knack for writing thoughtful lyrics and for your incredible output of great songs.
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…
Robert White
Hey James Michael Taylor! Excellent Song and a beautiful Story! "There She Was" That is probably one of the longest songs and the story was so sad! You are a Singer and a Poet! Beautiful Voice! Thanks for Sharing! 🤗
Still struggling with this one...
Maybe not possible to make this work in a country song...MY DICK DON'T KNOW SHE'S GONE
1. She's been gone for three years now. Three years since she walked out
Friends and folks I work with ask me what it…
key - C
I’m clinging to the memories as the world falls apart
The falling leaves, dead Everleys are pulling at my heart.
My quest for rationality, I can’t even start.
So, I’m clinging to the memories as the world falls apart
I’m clinging…
VIDEO - https://www.facebook.com/100001468692811/videos/1120270078888215/
https://www.facebook.com/true.taylor.3/videos/397153049918748
GHOST TOWN capo @ 2 in C
C Em F G C
I…
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 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…
Peggy taught me an Eagles song toward the end off our life together. I think it was NEW BOY IN TOWN. (I had no idea what she was telling me.) I took the chord progression from that song and wrote this. Peggy said that was cheating.
WATERMELON…
One of my favorites of yours of all I've heard, Jim. Melody is so pretty and chord changes unusual. Guitar intro, so pretty, as is the whole song. Sweet story, and sweet song. I can relate to the adult child who wonders at her/his mother's girlhood love.
THE INAPPROPRIATE QUESTION - Capo @ 2 to sing
G C/G bass
She said, “I can see that you’re hurting,
And I can see that you are wearing a ring.
Perhaps an inappropriate question,
but I’d like to ask you something.
Soon I will be a grand…
Her real name isn't Luanne and she was so drunk when this all happened (tho she has a cd with this song on it) she has no idea it's about her.
Singing this song always makes me cry...
ABOUT LUANNE capo @ 2 in Am
Am G F E repeats
Luanne…
Capo @ 2 in D (E) Dropped D tuning
Actually, it was almost two years. 1965-67.
Leavenworth, Kansas U S Army prison. I played the organ at the daily Protestant chapel. Took dictation and typed letters for the Protestant chaplain. Wrote 2-page…
Jere Reiser
I can't imagine. I spent 3 days in the Federal prison in Brownsville for attempting to smuggle 100 biphetamines into the US. They made me shower by myself and when I stepped out there were 8 guys standing about 10 ft away observing and making comments. It went down hill from there. I was threatened and hassled for two nights but stayed awake as advised and was discharged without incident. Childsplay.
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…
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…
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…
Tim Tandy
Wow, it's still as powerful as the very first time I met you and heard it, at a Concert in the Attic, sitting next to Barbara, who was silently mouthing occasional lyrics with tears on her cheeks.
...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…
Born with my left arm over my head, a big blood blister covered my left elbow. I was extracted from my mother's body with forceps. Seems that caused a tumor on my right temple which was surgically removed when I was about three. The purple elbow…
But the Sun
I close the curtains
To shut out the darkness
I shut the window
To keep out the cold
But the Sun is shining
Somewhere, I know.
(C) 2020 Royal T Music
THE BURDEN OF SANITY - capo @ 5 in An
Am F
As I turned on to Calhoun I could hear the music from the street
Dm E
A dog pissed on a speaker as I found myself a seat
Now, Buster is a caveman all hunched over his bones
Hair matted like a…
The Interstate Highway system was started in the mid-50s at the height of the Baby Boom era. It was a virgin ribbon of highway stretching out in all directions. We couldn't wait to explore it.
(C) 2011 Royal T Music.
LET IT GO 032011 Key - G
I do a lot of walkin' so I find a lot of stuff
I fill my pockets up with bolts and nuts
Once upon a while I find a diamond in the ruff
But mostly dimes and nickels in the ruts…
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…
Greg West
James Michael Taylor , even though his political views were the exact opposite of mine, he played me a few songs on a cd that a guy in Tarrant Co. wrote. He said “this is what it’s all about.” The songs were Help, and Hickory Sticks. So, he occasionally made sense. (John DeFoore)
LANCASTER STREET
Midnight in Cowtown. 90 degrees
Too hot for a blanket. Too hot for a sheet
The trash on the sidewalk is trying to sleep
Breathing the bus fumes on Lancaster Street
Sunshine brings tacos. Sunshine brings beans.
Sunshine…
Lauryl Blossom
James, oh, I know. Walk those woods after dark, careful not to wake the sleeping souls. I lived in West Meadowbrook. I'm not sure if you remember, but you and I met through Sunshine.
I love your song.
Another song for the 2021 National Solo Album Month.
What do we think of this cat? I have an urge to get proggy right now and generally that requires a level of talent that I don't posses. I'm not putting myself down when I say that, it's…
Buddy Holly said he made songs out of things he'd heard his mother say all his life...
A E A D A
I'll always remember what mama said
I'll never forget what my mama said…
Comments on James Michael Taylor's stuff
Maia...not really… but partly..
"I listened to that song and loved it." Scott Grace
James Michael Taylor Roland Brown Thank you for listening and commenting, Roland. Especially, Room @ the end of the hall. You are the 1st to mention that one. I debated putting that one on the list. Like Reply3h Roland Brown James Michael Taylor That is , IMHO, a powerful mind journey. I was enthralled by it. Like
Roland Brown I sort of slowed down a bit weekend before last and listened to and enjoyed “My New Shorts”. On first listen I was particularly struck by Room at the End of the Hall (love that one!), Fireflies (thoughtful), Cattails and Butterflies, Broken Cookies and Day Old Bread, and Everyone I Need to Talk To. Well done!
Gerald Ray Lovely my friend
I really like this song. I don't remember it if have heard it. Maybe just now I understand it. Time presents new perspectives and lessons.
Naad Kaur Khalsa Well that was just gorgeous...beautiful poetry in its own right...all the way through, lovley lyric, lovley playing polished and easy tonkick bk to despite the ghostly disappearing act...which actually I quite enjoyed Like ReplyHide2h Active James Michael Taylor Naad Kaur Khalsa Thank you for listening and commenting... Like Reply1h Active Naad Kaur Khalsa James Michael Taylor my absolute pleasure...was really fun...you're in TX right? What town? Your whole vibe is so there...it just has me grinning from ear to ear ....so much of the American I love...from my uniquely un-American vantage point
thank you James for sharing that with me. Hope you don't mind if I share it further. Judith
Lane Beauvais Caught me by surprise!
Laurie L. Ward James, loved it…interesting where you chose to end it…but somehow…just perfect.
Brian Gagnon You do a great job blending stories and music. People should listen.
Kat Angel I love the last line... 🤣
David Young This one is really nice! I downloaded it so I can listen a lot more. The guitar part fits perfectly. Your voice is so distinctive -- Leslie was playing the song on her phone and I recognized your voice instantly. (I think it was the first note you sang that gave it away!) You are amazingly talented and I continue to be impressed by your knack for writing thoughtful lyrics and for your incredible output of great songs.
Robert White Hey James Michael Taylor! Excellent Song and a beautiful Story! "There She Was" That is probably one of the longest songs and the story was so sad! You are a Singer and a Poet! Beautiful Voice! Thanks for Sharing! 🤗
"...you're such a Master Craftsman ." Kelly Cutler
Me - Is this a country song? Johnny Delbert Mcloud - By all means.
That's awesome, James. - John Delbert McLoud
Lazarus Knight The last verse says it all.
https://stefanprigmore.bandcamp.com/track/i-play-c?fbclid=IwAR3UQXa1yThdHIBGgFLgedUn0O6sY4YgOK1fL-IDPore_VP_DZIMCB9J6Vo
Violet Lea James Michael Taylor you really are one of the best songwriters alive.
Comments made by James Michael Taylor
One of my favorites of yours of all I've heard, Jim. Melody is so pretty and chord changes unusual. Guitar intro, so pretty, as is the whole song. Sweet story, and sweet song. I can relate to the adult child who wonders at her/his mother's girlhood love.
Marcie Brooks James Michael Taylor another profound poem/song.
Marcie Brooks Lovingly sad yet hauntingly beautiful
Jere Reiser I can't imagine. I spent 3 days in the Federal prison in Brownsville for attempting to smuggle 100 biphetamines into the US. They made me shower by myself and when I stepped out there were 8 guys standing about 10 ft away observing and making comments. It went down hill from there. I was threatened and hassled for two nights but stayed awake as advised and was discharged without incident. Childsplay.
Marcie Brooks Whew! What a powerful song. Thank you for sharing James. Love you man
Lazarus Knight That will always be my favorite. No doubt the history plays a part.
Tim Tandy Wow, it's still as powerful as the very first time I met you and heard it, at a Concert in the Attic, sitting next to Barbara, who was silently mouthing occasional lyrics with tears on her cheeks.
very cool. I like the production. Ed Rogers
Candy Davis, "Another beautiful song, Jim."
Your tracks aren't working for me.
Love it, BUT THE SUN... is where my love for your sounds began. Freddy Molina
hey I love the track BURDEN OF SANITY, one you can hear over and over, so amazing! Heath Wolf
Sweet.
Yep! Me too. And don't forget that place that sold Pecan candy.
Great. Perfect for this week in Cowtown.
Ha! I like it Terry Kuntz
Greg West James Michael Taylor , even though his political views were the exact opposite of mine, he played me a few songs on a cd that a guy in Tarrant Co. wrote. He said “this is what it’s all about.” The songs were Help, and Hickory Sticks. So, he occasionally made sense. (John DeFoore)
Lauryl Blossom James, oh, I know. Walk those woods after dark, careful not to wake the sleeping souls. I lived in West Meadowbrook. I'm not sure if you remember, but you and I met through Sunshine. I love your song.
I really like this. It's got a lot going on but the voice is clear and there is a sense of space.
Kat Angel Most excellent, James.