SLAUGHTER MOUNTAIN
My mom’s dad was a coal miner. Her mother died of TB when she was a kid. When she was twelve, her dad, dying of black lung, slit his throat with a butcher knife. That left her with a cripple little brother to take care of…
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…
So sweet.. and I relate sooo well. I only had three, but birthing them in 4 yrs, they seemed double that in number at times. And we were a share the bed family too. I played my guitar and sang for them to put them to sleep. I still have memories of the peace that held for me, and I think for them. Gwyn Henry
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…
You look out the window and the creek is swelling. Slowly crossing the lawn and heading up the driveway.... Time to get the lawnmower to higher ground.
TODAY IT’S GONNA RAIN - Key C
G
Today it’s gonna…
For years, now... I am quite familiar with Jimmy's body of work. I have labeled many of his songs as "masterpieces." This morning... I realized this JMT song transcends the term "masterpiece." Is it Jimmy's "Somewhere" or is it his "You"? No, it is "simply" a great example of Great Americana Art. Just think of how many aspiring songwriters (such as myself) would gladly go down to the crossroads and talk with Beelzebub... just for a chance to be able to claim they wrote... and then produced... such a song. Bravo, Maestro! Bravo!
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…
The 1st time I sang this song in public was at a Nashville Songwriters Association meeting, Fort Worth chapter, and a woman burst out when it hit her. I can hardly sing this song without crying. I really know how to push my buttons.
"...ha! Push your own buttons… I know hat you mean. I listened to the song again to refresh my memory…omg it is so pretty! And yes! I remember well, I did get it that the watermelon man was his father. In fact it brought to my mind another disappearing father, that of my daughter Lisa. He passed several yrs ago. So too late for him now. But your song has beauty and meaning for a lot of folks, I am sure." Gwyn Henry
BUTTER MOON
I heard this kid say the moon looked like a tortilla
Some people say they can see a man in the moon
But I know, if you look just right, you can see the face of Marylin Monroe
Yeah, when the moon first comes up it looks like a…
I saw him live in Dallas about a year before he died. He was sooo good.
His sweet wife sat stage right and frequently he would go over and kiss her. His playing and showmanship were tops and he was like in my living room sharing the things…
LOVE THIS!! Just listened. I'll bet Dale would love it too, He passed in 2019, I just read in wiki, at the age of 85. Your comparison to his doctore may have been apt: He beat colon cancer twice and lived on another eleven years. And he left us his amazing music! - Gwyn Henry
A friend asked me,
"Don't you have any happy songs?"
So I wrote one!
IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY capo @ 3
C F C
If it makes you happy I will tie your shoe
C…
Tim Tandy
James Michael Taylor , have loved this song from the first time I heard it. Like so many of your compositions, it's refreshingly straightforward, simple and playful- characteristics all too rare in many relationships.
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.
This is my adaptation of a poem by Rosemarie Kempton.
"I always felt that it was fitting that you turned the poem I wrote into a poignant hymn that captured the feeling of loss of a loved one. My words sprang from my attempts to understand…
THE INAPPROPRIATE QUESTION - Capo @ 2 (6) 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…
THE INAPPROPRIATE QUESTION - Capo @ 2 (6) 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…
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…
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…
The story our song that night (Songwriter night, Tuesday, at The Post, where we would divide up into groups and have a new song ready to perform in one hour) was about railroads and a girl from San Antone. When I got home I had the Tejas/Chaos…
The story our song that night (Songwriter night, Tuesday, at The Post)
was about railroads and a girl from San Antone. I had the Tejas/Chaos rhyme and when I rhymed "confetti" with Texas City, I had the local. Once I saw her on that shrimp boat it wrote itself.
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…
Connie Pittman Ramsey
Jesus, James! Brilliant. Powerful. Heart-wrenching. Thank you. I had not heard this album!!! I will have to listen later, but thank you, thank you for sharing this one! We should be ashamed. I know I am.
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…
One day as I was turning into my driveway I saw Rita on her porch. She's a lot like me.
AL & RITA Capo @2 in C
C stepping down to F
Al was a smoker. He's dead now, of course
Al has Alzheimer's. Alcohol made it worse
D stepping down…
Randy Brown and I did a little co-write this evening and this is what we came up with...
I MISTOOK IT FOR THE MOON Capo @ 2 Key D (Play in C positions)
I was coasting across West Texas/Had my top down, it was late at night
I caught a coyote…
As for the song, you did a nice job of imagery and I wasn't sure what was really happening. I'm used to the stories being biographical and the "and then he died" threw me a little. I don't think it flows off the tongue like some of your others, but I like it. - Lee Snaples
Randy Brown and I did a little co-write this evening and this is what we came up with...
I MISTOOK IT FOR THE MOON Capo @ 2 Key D (Play in C positions)
I was coasting across West Texas/Had my top down, it was late at night
I caught a coyote…
I just listened to your ' I mistook it for the moon' I wanted to comment and lost the post so I'm commenting g here. You are such an amazing writer. Karen Lee
Randy Brown and I did a little co-write this evening and this is what we came up with...
I MISTOOK IT FOR THE MOON Capo @ 2 Key D (Play in C positions)
I was coasting across West Texas/Had my top down, it was late at night
I caught a coyote…
Randy Brown and I did a little co-write this evening and this is what we came up with...
I MISTOOK IT FOR THE MOON Capo @ 2 Key D (Play in C positions)
I was coasting across West Texas/Had my top down, it was late at night
I caught a coyote…
Just in time for St Patrick's Day . . . . And with any luck we might have a bonus "LIVE" Leprechaun track coming soon. The Minnesota Coffee table met and recorded a fun version last night.
________________________________________
I was…
We have a great bunch of singer/songwriters and their beloved here in Cowtown. You would love being here and you would be loved. Your little creative contingency feels like a more intimate group and more involved in projects together. It gives me the sense of warmth on a winter day in an old log cabin, too cold to go out so you all just make the best of it. I wonder what kind of treats you all bring. What kind of liquids you share... How far you travel to get together. We had what we call a house concert night before last at one of "our" houses. Levi Ray and his dad and husband/wife duo. We all put some money in the kitty and each played for about an hour. After, we always do a little song circle for the rest of us. Tamales, chips and salsa, ice water and wine, cheese cubes and cookies. I would guess many of us drive 15/20 miles. Starts about 7 and we get home about midnight. We also have a weekly, Wednesday evening song circle around a fire pit in the patio at a biker bar called Dirty Water. Everyone plays along. Girls and guys. Some of us go back many years.
If Texas Water had heard this when we were in our hayday (sic) we would have done this one up in three-part harmony. I'm sitting here singing along. Great song for a Fort Worth Saloon.
In 1984 George Sluizer, a Dutch director filmed RED DESERT PENITENTIARY in and around Sweetwater, Texas. This is the theme song of the lead character, Danny McMann. I played that role in the movie and wrote the music to the film.
Video at:https…
IF I WAS A LUTHERAN - capo @ 2 in C
If I was a Lutheran I might have married Dodie Harris
Learned hill-side irrigation and I'd have learned to weld
And all the city fathers would have slapped me on the shoulder
And all the city mothers wished…
I wrote this song after planting and fertalizing a crop of sudan grass just to have the sun shine down with no relief on it for 100 days and no rain. We, Texas Water, were heading home one night AFTER A GIG at Gringo's in Grapevine when the…
I wrote this song after planting and fertalizing a crop of sudan grass just to have the sun shine down with no relief on it for 100 days and no rain. We, Texas Water, were heading home one night AFTER A GIG at Gringo's in Grapevine when the…
Barabara's voice was perfect for your song, " Sweet Rain". Her voice reminds me of a cross between Linda Rondstat and an old friendgiel of mine.... Lazarus
I wrote this song after planting and fertalizing a crop of sudan grass just to have the sun shine down with no relief on it for 100 days and no rain. We, Texas Water, were heading home one night AFTER A GIG at Gringo's in Grapevine when the…
I wrote this song after planting and fertalizing a crop of sudan grass just to have the sun shine down with no relief on it for 100 days and no rain. We, Texas Water, were heading home one night AFTER A GIG at Gringo's in Grapevine when the…
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…
That's the date I recorded it. My prison number was 41515. My army number was RA 19845014.
Enter
You sent
RA stood for Regular Army.
Enter
You sent
It interested me from the 1st that it started with 1984.
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…
Hauntingly True
Prison is exactly like that.
Fantastic Song
Another #1 Hit
Enter
Kat
Love love love It!
Enter
Kat
Kat Angel
112814 .. was that ur of number?
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…
As If It Really Matters - A A J Russe
Written 16th January 1999
Recorded 12th March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1
****
Crumbs, even this is 23 years old!
We used it as a set-opener in the last band I was in.
I've been trying to make…
Comments on James Michael Taylor's stuff
Wow! I sampled all the songs, it’s a great album and I will listen to it more tomorrow. Thank you! Ken Mcintyre
So sweet.. and I relate sooo well. I only had three, but birthing them in 4 yrs, they seemed double that in number at times. And we were a share the bed family too. I played my guitar and sang for them to put them to sleep. I still have memories of the peace that held for me, and I think for them. Gwyn Henry
Seems ea song I hear of yours for the first time is my new favorite song of yours! Gwyn Henry
For years, now... I am quite familiar with Jimmy's body of work. I have labeled many of his songs as "masterpieces." This morning... I realized this JMT song transcends the term "masterpiece." Is it Jimmy's "Somewhere" or is it his "You"? No, it is "simply" a great example of Great Americana Art. Just think of how many aspiring songwriters (such as myself) would gladly go down to the crossroads and talk with Beelzebub... just for a chance to be able to claim they wrote... and then produced... such a song. Bravo, Maestro! Bravo!
The 1st time I sang this song in public was at a Nashville Songwriters Association meeting, Fort Worth chapter, and a woman burst out when it hit her. I can hardly sing this song without crying. I really know how to push my buttons. "...ha! Push your own buttons… I know hat you mean. I listened to the song again to refresh my memory…omg it is so pretty! And yes! I remember well, I did get it that the watermelon man was his father. In fact it brought to my mind another disappearing father, that of my daughter Lisa. He passed several yrs ago. So too late for him now. But your song has beauty and meaning for a lot of folks, I am sure." Gwyn Henry
I can't seem to get it to download or play dude.
LOVE THIS!! Just listened. I'll bet Dale would love it too, He passed in 2019, I just read in wiki, at the age of 85. Your comparison to his doctore may have been apt: He beat colon cancer twice and lived on another eleven years. And he left us his amazing music! - Gwyn Henry
I love this! What a beautiful piece.
Tim Tandy James Michael Taylor , have loved this song from the first time I heard it. Like so many of your compositions, it's refreshingly straightforward, simple and playful- characteristics all too rare in many relationships.
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.
I worked with Rosemarie when it was first published. She gave me a copy of the sheet music. I’ve had all these years. So happy I did.
Marcie Brooks James Michael Taylor another profound poem/song.
Thought provoking and full with our human fraility.. The presentation was moving.
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
Jimmy, this whole album is the work of genius. Thank, you.
Comments made by James Michael Taylor
The story our song that night (Songwriter night, Tuesday, at The Post) was about railroads and a girl from San Antone. I had the Tejas/Chaos rhyme and when I rhymed "confetti" with Texas City, I had the local. Once I saw her on that shrimp boat it wrote itself.
Connie Pittman Ramsey Jesus, James! Brilliant. Powerful. Heart-wrenching. Thank you. I had not heard this album!!! I will have to listen later, but thank you, thank you for sharing this one! We should be ashamed. I know I am.
Stefan Prigmore James Michael Taylor thank YOU for writing such a powerful song and for letting me sing it
https://www.facebook.com/richard.vannoy.77/videos/1278352819609892/ Violet's Al & Rita live...
As for the song, you did a nice job of imagery and I wasn't sure what was really happening. I'm used to the stories being biographical and the "and then he died" threw me a little. I don't think it flows off the tongue like some of your others, but I like it. - Lee Snaples
I just listened to your ' I mistook it for the moon' I wanted to comment and lost the post so I'm commenting g here. You are such an amazing writer. Karen Lee
Steve Satterwhite this. is. great.
Lazarus Knight I don't quite understand what happened, but that doesn't diminish my appreciation of this song.
We have a great bunch of singer/songwriters and their beloved here in Cowtown. You would love being here and you would be loved. Your little creative contingency feels like a more intimate group and more involved in projects together. It gives me the sense of warmth on a winter day in an old log cabin, too cold to go out so you all just make the best of it. I wonder what kind of treats you all bring. What kind of liquids you share... How far you travel to get together. We had what we call a house concert night before last at one of "our" houses. Levi Ray and his dad and husband/wife duo. We all put some money in the kitty and each played for about an hour. After, we always do a little song circle for the rest of us. Tamales, chips and salsa, ice water and wine, cheese cubes and cookies. I would guess many of us drive 15/20 miles. Starts about 7 and we get home about midnight. We also have a weekly, Wednesday evening song circle around a fire pit in the patio at a biker bar called Dirty Water. Everyone plays along. Girls and guys. Some of us go back many years.
If Texas Water had heard this when we were in our hayday (sic) we would have done this one up in three-part harmony. I'm sitting here singing along. Great song for a Fort Worth Saloon.
Em LeFever Comedy so dry, you might forget to laugh.
Markolapogous Saurus I really like this.
Barbara White Lane Oh how I miss her voice.
Barabara's voice was perfect for your song, " Sweet Rain". Her voice reminds me of a cross between Linda Rondstat and an old friendgiel of mine.... Lazarus
Very rich and beautiful - Kat Angel
Tim Tandy Wonderful song on so many levels - the lyrics, melody, harmonies, instrumentals. Mighty fine.............and timely!
That's the date I recorded it. My prison number was 41515. My army number was RA 19845014. Enter You sent RA stood for Regular Army. Enter You sent It interested me from the 1st that it started with 1984.
Hauntingly True Prison is exactly like that. Fantastic Song Another #1 Hit Enter Kat Love love love It! Enter Kat Kat Angel 112814 .. was that ur of number?
Kat Angel James Michael Taylor please make your song shareable. It gave me chills....so good!
Love it. Not used to you and that acoustic guitar. Sounds solid with your voice. If it’s really like you say it is, there’s no need to worry..."