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
(I Almost Washed the ) DISHES
I almost washed the dishes
I almost ran the water
Maybe tomorrow
Maybe Saturday
What does it matter to me
I almost washed the dishes..
(C) 2020 Royal T Music
NO NEW LOVE
Ain't no new love like an old love in this town
Ain't no new love like an old love to take and turn my heart around
Stop it on a dime when you said that you'd be mine
Ain't no new love like an old love in my heart
Ain't no…
I had forgotten what a damn fine album this is! But... ??? 2005? Really? OMG... has it really been that long? Kinda makes the line... "Ain't no fool like an old fool" fit me even better than it did... sigh
FIREFLIES. capo @ 2
F walk down
We (C) spoke of them as (C/B) sweethearts
There (Am) in the Southern (F) sky
(C) Saturn, just a (G) twinkle, bold (F) Jupiter near (G) by
I (Am) guess we didn't (Am/G) notice
as they (Am/F)drifted a…
Pete Thompson on percussion and Angie Thompson on bass. Produced with Pete 123112
HAIRCUT
They sent me a letter. A ticket to ride
Portland to Frisco on that Big Overnight
Brand new clothes. New pants and new shirt
Brand new boots to kick…
Sweet, sweet, sweet, (except for the war and killing part). My fav lines: "...with those sulfurous clicks/
Little red rolls with black spots of bang" Never described better! That's exactly what they were. Gwyn Henry
capo @ 3
Am walk down...
When I was a child we'd drive 200 miles
to Grandma's in the Spring
I'd hop out of the car, run to the back yard.
Grandma had a swing
But the times have changed...
When I became a dad I took all the rope I had…
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…
DIRTY LAUNDRY Key C
I got a call from Russell. He had to move his junk
He’d filled his car. He’d filled his trunk
Big black bags of something. I said, “What’s with these?”
He said, “It’s dirty laundry.” I said, “That’s crazy.”
So, he…
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…
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…
DIRTY LAUNDRY Key C
I got a call from Russell. He had to move his junk
He’d filled his car. He’d filled his trunk
Big black bags of something. I said, “What’s with these?”
He said, “It’s dirty laundry.” I said, “That’s crazy.”
So, he…
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…
"Mending the web that the horsefly tore..." .what a line..what an image... I love that...really love that image...delicate and hopefull....and magical... Matthew
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…
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…
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EDIT:
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I finally was able to remix the song. Please listen to "Fide On The Broom Stick (Version 2012)" in my track list to compare…
Listening to this I see icicles melting as the sun comes up and the melted water flows into the gutter and then into the storm drain.....cars pass by and people run to the bus stop. Watch the passing storefronts as the town wakes up. Very evocative.
This is a page from my "sketchbook". I regularly sit with a guitar and just let the flow of thoughts drift up in words and progressions. I will rather "surf" an idea that arises on some set of words, but I don't "control" much of this. So it's…
Another page from my "sketchbook". This is typical. Not much detail. But a real feeling or two emerges. Like a potters perfectly turned shard or the poet's beautiful line that she's never found more words to join with...
It's not unusual to chase your girl around with a dull axe, is it? Just kidding - This was 60 tracks and almost a year to finish. I had some help:
Guitars: Tony W
Fadeout Solo: Gnasty
Acoustic/Rhythm Guitars: Me
Phone Message: Tony W &…
Sam was a very articulate and kind friend; he spend way too much of his life in a wheel chair and yet demonstrated a lot of grace.
We lost him just over a year ago.
Among many other unexpected, Christ-like kindnesses, he realized at one point…
I had some lyrics describing a late nite cake baking experience kicking around. If I have a lot on my mind, dirtying every dish in the house seems like the right thing to do.
I stole some cool percussion from Norm and went to work. I also…
Deadlines, freeways, appointments, things to do lists, expectations, getting older, not enough hours in the day to get everything done? ..... make each day and moment count! Thanks to Dave Matthews for a lick I threw in there. Enjoy!
Several years ago I had a short lived duo with an oboe and English horn player named Nat. This is a demo from that period. It's an old old chord progression of mine that never really had a melody and Nat improvised this melody in the studio to…
This is big open prairie music. Out between Dodge City and Denver. I can see the buffalo grazing and the hawks slowly circling
somewhere between the bent grasses and a wisp of cloud.
Sunday aftnoon (11/09/08) took the reso down to the Fort Worth Modern Art Museum and recorded some doodling inside the Serra sculpture Vortex. No effects added, all natural reverb inside the structure.
It's cool for PLACE to be so "real" in a piece.
Funny I do a piece today called SUNDAY AFTERNOON and you post this with Sunday Afternoon as the first two words.
We must be following the same ChemTrails...
This is the finished version of Trance-Indental. the second half has come out very different to what I thought it would, but I like it. Give it time to build as it progresses.
Comments on James Michael Taylor's stuff
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
Love it. Always enjoy your work. Thank you.
I had forgotten what a damn fine album this is! But... ??? 2005? Really? OMG... has it really been that long? Kinda makes the line... "Ain't no fool like an old fool" fit me even better than it did... sigh
Beautiful - Laurie Calinan
Sweet, sweet, sweet, (except for the war and killing part). My fav lines: "...with those sulfurous clicks/ Little red rolls with black spots of bang" Never described better! That's exactly what they were. Gwyn Henry
beautiful, james
Yeah, cool track.
Beautiful - Laurie Callinan
Yep :)
I'll comment on this one :) ... mighty fine song.
Short and sweet!
Colleen Dillon (73.94.253.184) Love this entirely!
The harmonies on this are so awesome!
"Mending the web that the horsefly tore..." .what a line..what an image... I love that...really love that image...delicate and hopefull....and magical... Matthew
Beautiful beautiful song!! Kat Landrove
i like it, but i'd like to visualize a little more of this place. thanks, james for sharing these!!!
Comments made by James Michael Taylor
Listening to this I see icicles melting as the sun comes up and the melted water flows into the gutter and then into the storm drain.....cars pass by and people run to the bus stop. Watch the passing storefronts as the town wakes up. Very evocative.
Like the use of the metaphor.
What a sweet song. I bet your grand daughter loves this.
Love your imagery and harmonies...
Thanks for your comments. I like the way this bulds. Sort of Beatley. Sort of Pink Floyd.
Nice music for a rainy day....
Sounds like a musical rocking chair....or porch swing...has me swaying in my seat.
Sounds like something from Goldfinger...great movie music!
This is pretty wild. Like something from the 007 movies.
So glad you kept it simple...a touching tribute.
Very cool...
Good, chunky guitar sound. Groove.
That good old Beach Boys sound. Cool!
I can see the cows out there by that cactus stand. Nice twangy guitar.
That is a very cool groove. The sort of thing that keeps me going until I have a very cool new song.
This is big open prairie music. Out between Dodge City and Denver. I can see the buffalo grazing and the hawks slowly circling somewhere between the bent grasses and a wisp of cloud.
Hey, Kavin.! I figured I'd put up the songs from my new CD. Cool, doing a Doors song... j mt
It's cool for PLACE to be so "real" in a piece. Funny I do a piece today called SUNDAY AFTERNOON and you post this with Sunday Afternoon as the first two words. We must be following the same ChemTrails...
Nice left to right on the car pass.... Really makes pictures in my mind....