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…
THE COUCH - key - C
https://fb.watch/lIEUn31mBZ/
https://www.facebook.com/100054814402634/videos/2856132984527543/
1-C 4-F
Today we put the couch out by the road
5-G…
THE COUCH - key - C
https://fb.watch/lIEUn31mBZ/
https://www.facebook.com/100054814402634/videos/2856132984527543/
1-C 4-F
Today we put the couch out by the road
5-G…
THE COUCH - key - C
https://fb.watch/lIEUn31mBZ/
https://www.facebook.com/100054814402634/videos/2856132984527543/
1-C 4-F
Today we put the couch out by the road
5-G…
Shirley Crawford
Hello…old friend. This one hits me in the heart. When we moved here to NM back in June… we left behind in the house, our old couch that we’d used for 22 years. It had been my parents before that. It was probably close to 40 yrs old. And yes, it made into a bed.
THE COUCH - key - C
https://fb.watch/lIEUn31mBZ/
https://www.facebook.com/100054814402634/videos/2856132984527543/
1-C 4-F
Today we put the couch out by the road
5-G…
THE COUCH - key - C
https://fb.watch/lIEUn31mBZ/
https://www.facebook.com/100054814402634/videos/2856132984527543/
1-C 4-F
Today we put the couch out by the road
5-G…
THE COUCH - key - C
https://fb.watch/lIEUn31mBZ/
https://www.facebook.com/100054814402634/videos/2856132984527543/
1-C 4-F
Today we put the couch out by the road
5-G…
THE COUCH - key - C
https://fb.watch/lIEUn31mBZ/
https://www.facebook.com/100054814402634/videos/2856132984527543/
1-C 4-F
Today we put the couch out by the road
5-G…
THE COUCH - key - C
https://fb.watch/lIEUn31mBZ/
https://www.facebook.com/100054814402634/videos/2856132984527543/
1-C 4-F
Today we put the couch out by the road
5-G…
THE COUCH - key - C
https://fb.watch/lIEUn31mBZ/
https://www.facebook.com/100054814402634/videos/2856132984527543/
1-C 4-F
Today we put the couch out by the road
5-G…
THE COUCH - key - C
https://fb.watch/lIEUn31mBZ/
https://www.facebook.com/100054814402634/videos/2856132984527543/
1-C 4-F
Today we put the couch out by the road
5-G…
Daniel Payne
This one hits. Heavy reflections on all the stuff that served me faithfully, and all the leaving was my doing. To reward all that loyalty, I do to my stuff what I always hate other people to do to me.
america is a state of micro-managed fascism.
its many laws are the product of overpaid lawyer, judges, politicians, police, and pundits.
compulsory schooling streamlines personality traits,
departmentalized careers collapse cognition.
CIAFBIDHSNSALPD…
i see a path,
it's a trail.
i see a road,
thru these woods.
And on that road,
we move so fast.
we move so fast,
it changes us.
and we make the changes
we move so fast,
wheels sprout under us,
then they become wings.
and it changes us.
and not…
After reading the book: The Immortal Life of Henryetta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Google HeLa cells and you'll get the whole story. The most famous cell line EVER.
RUN HeLa RUN
Her name was Henryetta Lacks but she never knew
Her family finally…
When it becomes apparent that the poor inheriting the earth means they become dirt when they die,
The Rich Man's Prayer - Em to D
I kneel down on a calloused knee
Hold my children close to me
And I pray The Rich Man's Prayer
It's…
How old is that song? Was rhatvwritten from a personal stance if I may?
LeAnna
LeAnna M Christian
Overall good song; performance and production
JMT - I wrote/recorded this in 2011. Just looking at the poor man's perspective, (which I have knowledge of) noticing no matter how much he prays he's still poor. "Must be the wrong prayer."
When it becomes apparent that the poor inheriting the earth means they become dirt when they die,
The Rich Man's Prayer - Em to D
I kneel down on a calloused knee
Hold my children close to me
And I pray The Rich Man's Prayer
It's…
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…
Rosemarie Kempton wrote:
Just finished listening to your memories of your horse Babe. Your words painted such a vivid portrait of your night rides that I felt like I was riding Babe, too. Beautifully done!
There was a movie Peggy and I were doing the location sound over in east Dallas: THE HOLDINGS OF THE HEART. If I remember right they put this song in the movie.
THE HOLDINGS OF THE HEART - in C
The heart can hold a lot of things: the sunshine…
The heart can hold a lot of things: the sunshine and the flowers
The chill that springs the falling leaves. Winter's darkest hours
The rains that quench the thirsty earth. The buds that sprout and bloom
Sometimes it tries to hold too much and there isn't enough room
Sometimes it tries to hold too much
The heart can hold a multitude. Family and Friends.
There are things that life will give and things it only lends
A wife becomes a mother, a son becomes a man
There are things the heart can't hold
And still it thinks it can
There are things the heart can't hold
The holdings of the bank are cold, but holding hands are warm
The holdings of the mind are thoughts that in the moment form
The hands that hold the tools that build the brushes for our art
None are as enduring as the holdings of the heart
The holdings of the heart are self-renewing
On holdings of the heart, high interest, paid
Holdings sometimes best be liquidated, yet we stay
The heart can hold the music. The voices of the Time.
The heart collects the little things. The pennies and the dimes
The heart can try to measure the stature of a dream
Pounding like the waters on the stones that block the streams
Pounding like the waters
The holdings of the bank are cold, but holding hands are warm
The holdings of the mind are thoughts that in the moment form
The hands that hold the tools that build the brushes for our art
None are as enduring as the holdings of the heart
None are self-renewing like the holdings of the heart
Well, Rosie's like a lot of folks
She's just trying to stay afloat
But she's got a broken boat
She's a going down
And Rosie's got her problems, friends
She just tries to do her best
Who's gonna do the rest
She's a going down
If god had longer arms, you know
He'd reach on down to Rosie
Reach on down to Rosie
Reach on down (2)
Etc...
JONAH LIVES UNDER THE BRIDGE
Jonah lives under the bridge
He's there, up off the ground
His world is looking down
Bicycles pass him by
Children ask parents why
Jonah lives under the bridge
Jonah lives under the bridge
No insurance…
This came out of a story in the Star Telegram about a guy that lived under one of the bridges near Trinity Park. I was angry at a reporter who did a story about him and it got him removed.
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
Kat Angel PRICELESS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love the song, love you singing it just to me (in my imagination)
Bruce Balmer Beautiful.
Shirley Crawford Hello…old friend. This one hits me in the heart. When we moved here to NM back in June… we left behind in the house, our old couch that we’d used for 22 years. It had been my parents before that. It was probably close to 40 yrs old. And yes, it made into a bed.
Candy Davis Beautiful, poignant memory song. I could just picture that old couch and what it meant to you.
Perrin Gardner Beautiful song, James Michael Taylor!
Carolyn Wade Sending love ❤️. Love it and remember the memories of us. Button your shirt.(Gladys Burcham).
Becky Byrd Spicer Wiping a tear for all the relics I have kept, and those discarded.
Scarlett Maneikis So beautiful, n heart felt. I love it.
Doreen Peri Wonderful. Thank you for sharing this!
Daniel Payne This one hits. Heavy reflections on all the stuff that served me faithfully, and all the leaving was my doing. To reward all that loyalty, I do to my stuff what I always hate other people to do to me.
...as Buddy holly said, "RAVE ON!"
...really gets the feeling of that path!
I don't understand being criticized for a track being TOO LOUD. Doesn't everybody have a "volume" knob?
That is fun...
How old is that song? Was rhatvwritten from a personal stance if I may? LeAnna LeAnna M Christian Overall good song; performance and production JMT - I wrote/recorded this in 2011. Just looking at the poor man's perspective, (which I have knowledge of) noticing no matter how much he prays he's still poor. "Must be the wrong prayer."
How old is that song? Was rhatvwritten from a personal stance if I may? LeAnna LeAnna M Christian Overall good song; performance and production
Rosemarie Kempton wrote: Just finished listening to your memories of your horse Babe. Your words painted such a vivid portrait of your night rides that I felt like I was riding Babe, too. Beautifully done!
The heart can hold a lot of things: the sunshine and the flowers The chill that springs the falling leaves. Winter's darkest hours The rains that quench the thirsty earth. The buds that sprout and bloom Sometimes it tries to hold too much and there isn't enough room Sometimes it tries to hold too much The heart can hold a multitude. Family and Friends. There are things that life will give and things it only lends A wife becomes a mother, a son becomes a man There are things the heart can't hold And still it thinks it can There are things the heart can't hold The holdings of the bank are cold, but holding hands are warm The holdings of the mind are thoughts that in the moment form The hands that hold the tools that build the brushes for our art None are as enduring as the holdings of the heart The holdings of the heart are self-renewing On holdings of the heart, high interest, paid Holdings sometimes best be liquidated, yet we stay The heart can hold the music. The voices of the Time. The heart collects the little things. The pennies and the dimes The heart can try to measure the stature of a dream Pounding like the waters on the stones that block the streams Pounding like the waters The holdings of the bank are cold, but holding hands are warm The holdings of the mind are thoughts that in the moment form The hands that hold the tools that build the brushes for our art None are as enduring as the holdings of the heart None are self-renewing like the holdings of the heart
Well, Rosie's like a lot of folks She's just trying to stay afloat But she's got a broken boat She's a going down And Rosie's got her problems, friends She just tries to do her best Who's gonna do the rest She's a going down If god had longer arms, you know He'd reach on down to Rosie Reach on down to Rosie Reach on down (2) Etc...
This came out of a story in the Star Telegram about a guy that lived under one of the bridges near Trinity Park. I was angry at a reporter who did a story about him and it got him removed.