My buddy Lu Mitchell went the way of a song yesterday...
Sad.
MISSING LU
I will miss you, now that you’re gone
I will miss you, as I carry on
I held your hand up a step or two
Now I will miss you. I will miss you
There are those who…
YOU
There's a place in my mind
Where your face had a home
Long before you walked into my life
Before you were a known
There's a note in my song
That I knew fit somewhere
Tho the journey was long
I hoped i wouldn't be wrong
You would…
This is one of the VERY best songs I have EVER heard. And I do NOT mean it is one of the very best JMT songs I have ever heard... I MEAN it is one of the very best songs I have heard... EVER... period! And this is one of the VERY best albums that I have EVER owned! And I am 64 damn years old! So I have owned a lot of very damn good albums! As a 64 year old Baby boomer, I have heard a lot of very very good songs and a lot of very good albums... and still... this song still makes me cry. Thank you, so very very much, James Michael Taylor, for your music! Your music has meant a lot to me in my Life!
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…
Jackie Kelly sat next to me in 7th grade. She was great at diagramming sentences. I would catch up with her on the way to school and we would walk silently. She was buck-toothed and brash. I really liked her. I carved "JK" with a safety pin in…
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…
Hey, James Michael Taylor, after I listened to your song, and wrote my praise of it, I couldn't get back on Facebook.....couldn't get it to open my page. It's that mass shooting in New Zealand has them freaked out, double checking every post. That murderer just killed all those people in our homes on Facebook. If we don't stop them, we probably won't survive in more ways than we can count.
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…
This is authentic, deep Texas traditional, story telling song writing. Damned hard to do this well.
Good critique by: Estra (Estrella) Berosini, aka: "Estrella, Circus Girl."
IZZY
She had a Martin guitar and an old Ghost pedal
I could tell by the way she banged that thing
she’d been brought up on metal
She was finding her sound. All ninety five pounds
With an attitude that said, “Dude!
You’ll be seeing me…
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…
THAT CLOSE TO CRYING - a Waltz in G
I'm THAT CLOSE TO CRYING all the time.
Just the mention of TOGETHER AGAIN
and I cross that line
But lately I'm learning to act/look like I'm fine
But, I'm THAT CLOSE TO CRYING all the time
I'm THAT…
THAT CLOSE TO CRYING - a Waltz in G
I'm THAT CLOSE TO CRYING all the time.
Just the mention of TOGETHER AGAIN
and I cross that line
But lately I'm learning to act/look like I'm fine
But, I'm THAT CLOSE TO CRYING all the time
I'm THAT…
THAT CLOSE TO CRYING - a Waltz in G
I'm THAT CLOSE TO CRYING all the time.
Just the mention of TOGETHER AGAIN
and I cross that line
But lately I'm learning to act/look like I'm fine
But, I'm THAT CLOSE TO CRYING all the time
I'm THAT…
THAT CLOSE TO CRYING - a Waltz in G
I'm THAT CLOSE TO CRYING all the time.
Just the mention of TOGETHER AGAIN
and I cross that line
But lately I'm learning to act/look like I'm fine
But, I'm THAT CLOSE TO CRYING all the time
I'm THAT…
THAT CLOSE TO CRYING - a Waltz in G
I'm THAT CLOSE TO CRYING all the time.
Just the mention of TOGETHER AGAIN
and I cross that line
But lately I'm learning to act/look like I'm fine
But, I'm THAT CLOSE TO CRYING all the time
I'm THAT…
FOR A PENNY
From the moment Toy saw the light
he was the center of attention.
In a room full of sunlight and 'Welcome,"
he was a new dimension.
Tiny traveler, arriving wet
Peggy hardly breaking a sweat
Toy was born in the middle of the…
FOR A PENNY
From the moment Toy saw the light
he was the center of attention.
In a room full of sunlight and 'Welcome,"
he was a new dimension.
Tiny traveler, arriving wet
Peggy hardly breaking a sweat
Toy was born in the middle of the…
It was early in November
I'd been doing some Time Out
Some little thing I was doing
Made my mom and daddy shout
I could see that they were angry
And I knew without a doubt
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…
Some people have someone to hold them when they are lonely
Some people have someone to call their one and only
Some folks miss the boat, or get a boat that won’t float
Or get a goat that eats their grass
Some people have someone to call their…
C w Capo @ 5
C G C G
Thirty one years in this city.
C G C G
Thirty one years on this street
Fighting in the morning. Fighting at night.
This place has the smell of defeat…
After Brook drowned.
Ra Byn did everything but rhythm guitar.
He must have been about 12.
Open 9th tuning...
Well, you say that you're lonely
I see that you are
Tell me, where have you been
Life ain't no lay pen
Yeah, you call it a…
Gwyn Henry
Meet Me at the Club-- darker than its exterior. I love it. Barbara and Peggy sound great! What a lot of pain must have been wrapped in those sassy harmonies. This song has a Bopcat feel,. musically--- apples that fell from the same tree, and didn't roll too far from ea other. Your vocals especially good in this.
BEAVERS AND WILLOWS
Capo @ 5 in C
FCG FC FCFG
F C G F C
Like beavers and willows
Bats and mosquitos
F) Toad C) frogs and F) flies (G
DA DA - E Am G C
Algae and oil spills
Shovels and coal hills
Black holes…
TWO POUNDS - (Diethylstilbestrol Daughters)
"DES, which was once prescribed to prevent miscarriages, caused obesity, rare vaginal tumors, infertility, and testicular growths among those exposed in utero." http://www.motherjones.com/environment…
I wrote this after I sang with a friend
at his mother's funeral.
He had always wondered
why he looked nothing like his brothers...
DOOR MAT
Key - A
A) My daddy treated Mama like a door mat
D) Me and little brother didn't like that…
I wrote this after I sang with a friend
at his mother's funeral.
He had always wondered
why he looked nothing like his brothers...
DOOR MAT
Key - A
A) My daddy treated Mama like a door mat
D) Me and little brother didn't like that…
I dreamed this song a while ago. Sort of a music circle in a pub. Lots of instruments and percussion and what not. I quite like it :)
(Bass, lyre, bodhran, bongos, shaker, 2 mandolin tracks, multiple clap tracks)
Here's an instrumental folk Celtic sort of tune I made today. Guitar, bass, pennywhistle, mandolin, bodhran.
Took about 4 hours to record all the parts properly. The result is a delightful minute and a half, I think!
A cover of Great Big Sea's cover of Ron Angel's song. I love both versions. I used guitar, bodhran, vocals.
Edit: reuploaded; fixed up the vocals a bit.
Messing around, playing a classic. Recorded on my phone. Lots of fun!
(Merle Travis, Tennesse Ernie Ford, Johnny Cash all did popular versions; probably a million others have played it at some point.)
It's a long-distance love song
Yes, a long-distance love song
I'll sing it just for you
I'll sing a long distance love song
When the night is long
And you've been gone from home
Sing a long-distance love song
Yeah a long-distance love…
When I was a kid, my dad was the preacher at the Church of Christ in Tehachapi, California. We lived in Palmdale, so we'd get up early on Sunday mornings, pile the 5 of us into our 1950 Chevy coupe and head up thru Lancaster and Mojave, over the…
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…
ADOBE & BLOOD
Thanks to David Kneller
for bringing up the subject
and creating that phrase:
ADOBE & BLOOD
I read a lotta stories about a lotta stuff
But I tell ya folks, I'll never read enough
To block out the memories what…
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…
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…
It’s an exceptional piece... I like pieces that “bother” and flip a phrase to a point... this one intrigues me....
You must keep writing James!!! Hope to cross paths again soon...
Blu (Sharon Walker)
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…
what awesome lyrics mate!
Reminds me of good old Robert Zimmerman... but it also doubles as metaphorical mastery!
The boy represents an issue within your community... one for which you are there, and MUST help... but which the community just sits back on, not really seeing the "problem" you are attempting to fix...
Powerful stuff, mate.
Love it. Mark Brookman
GHOST TOWN
Key C Capo @ 2 or whatever works for you...
C Em F G C
I live in a Ghost Town somewhere on the edge of space
C Em F G
Everything is dusty and everything is in it's place
Am Em F G C
All the doors hang open and when it rains…
...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…
Gwyn Henry
The Stienbeck excerpt: Especially the 2nd paragraph. My Gawd! I had forgotten how that man could write!!! I had forgotten why he is an icon among American writers,. Touched by the gods. As is your song, In Dubious Battle. It is an opus. imhop. If you had never written another song, just leaving this one would earn you a place in the echelons!! (OK, I'll calm down now.) These two pieces in combination have moved me greatly for their Truth. And so totally relevant today.
Comments on James Michael Taylor's stuff
A beautiful tribute, James. We miss you too!! Jerry Lobdill
This is one of the VERY best songs I have EVER heard. And I do NOT mean it is one of the very best JMT songs I have ever heard... I MEAN it is one of the very best songs I have heard... EVER... period! And this is one of the VERY best albums that I have EVER owned! And I am 64 damn years old! So I have owned a lot of very damn good albums! As a 64 year old Baby boomer, I have heard a lot of very very good songs and a lot of very good albums... and still... this song still makes me cry. Thank you, so very very much, James Michael Taylor, for your music! Your music has meant a lot to me in my Life!
Yes, It made me stop and think.
You have a great style, very distinctive. A complete story in less than 3 minutes.
Hey, James Michael Taylor, after I listened to your song, and wrote my praise of it, I couldn't get back on Facebook.....couldn't get it to open my page. It's that mass shooting in New Zealand has them freaked out, double checking every post. That murderer just killed all those people in our homes on Facebook. If we don't stop them, we probably won't survive in more ways than we can count.
This is authentic, deep Texas traditional, story telling song writing. Damned hard to do this well. Good critique by: Estra (Estrella) Berosini, aka: "Estrella, Circus Girl."
Brilliant,JT - swafo
Sad content
now I am crying, haven't worked out how not to do it
No reason to cry but for the happiness lost. Think of the happiness again.....
Lovely
Me too, I do.
Really nice. I'm that close to crying myself. Hang in there!
Outstanding! kc
Always a little deeper. Thanks!
It was early in November I'd been doing some Time Out Some little thing I was doing Made my mom and daddy shout I could see that they were angry And I knew without a doubt
wonderful vocal work.
heck yeah
HAHAHAHAHAHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!
This is a song written by a friend.
Comments made by James Michael Taylor
Gwyn Henry Meet Me at the Club-- darker than its exterior. I love it. Barbara and Peggy sound great! What a lot of pain must have been wrapped in those sassy harmonies. This song has a Bopcat feel,. musically--- apples that fell from the same tree, and didn't roll too far from ea other. Your vocals especially good in this.
Rocking the loops?
Bruce Balmer I listened to “My New Shorts.” Brilliant use of time. Like mini-oreos or something. Interesting production, nice vocals.
Holy cow. What a song. Michael Rehahn
Gwyn Henry Thanks for writing this, Jim.
"Powerful stuff." Ray Russell
Great "slap-back" feel.
Cool. I had to look up bodhran.
Love it when men sing these songs in unison. Well done.
Great old song, well done.
Very sweet. Nice solo.
That's some sweet guitar playing. Ray Russell
'Very good capture." Gwyn Henry
Visions and emotions that I haven't felt in a long time. Thank you so much. Jere Reiser
"EXCELLENT POINTED SONG RIGHT TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER!" -Don Law
That may be the most beautiful thing I ever heard. Breathtaking. Thanks for sharing. - Janet Fawcett
It’s an exceptional piece... I like pieces that “bother” and flip a phrase to a point... this one intrigues me.... You must keep writing James!!! Hope to cross paths again soon... Blu (Sharon Walker)
what awesome lyrics mate! Reminds me of good old Robert Zimmerman... but it also doubles as metaphorical mastery! The boy represents an issue within your community... one for which you are there, and MUST help... but which the community just sits back on, not really seeing the "problem" you are attempting to fix... Powerful stuff, mate. Love it. Mark Brookman
I ❤️ that song...Kavin Me too. One of his many good ones. JS Savage
Gwyn Henry The Stienbeck excerpt: Especially the 2nd paragraph. My Gawd! I had forgotten how that man could write!!! I had forgotten why he is an icon among American writers,. Touched by the gods. As is your song, In Dubious Battle. It is an opus. imhop. If you had never written another song, just leaving this one would earn you a place in the echelons!! (OK, I'll calm down now.) These two pieces in combination have moved me greatly for their Truth. And so totally relevant today.