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…
Bret McCormick Many years ago, after you handed me a Texas Water cassette, I listened to it and this song was the first one that totally grabbed my attention.
CHAMELEON
She's a chameleon. "Been there. Done that."
She's a chameleon, if you know my Ilene
She's a chameleon
At first I thot that we were twins in spirit
Everything I'd touched, she'd been near it
Shaking her head, "Yes, I know…
The guitar is great on that song James...is it a vocoder or a phaser or wah or something like that..stereo vocoder maybe....makes it sound like an synthetic organ type sound...matches the theme...disguised...unreal..very clever.. Matthew
It’s a small town. Woodlake, California. East side of the San Joaquin Valley. 14 miles from where all those “Lindsey” olives you see on your grocery store shelves come from. The Woodlake Echo, says, “In the foothills of the Sequoias”.
FOOTHILLS…
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…
I have always loved this poem by Robert Frost.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
BY ROBERT FROST
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods…
If you don't like me, I understand
If you are tired of me, I understand
This won't be the first time
It won't be the last
Yes, you are sorry, I understand
Yes, you feel guilty. I understand
But don't say, "I love you,"
as you walk out…
I have always loved this poem by Robert Frost.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
BY ROBERT FROST
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods…
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…
I have always loved this poem by Robert Frost.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
BY ROBERT FROST
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods…
LANCASTER STREET - Em
James Michael Taylor
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…
I have always loved this poem by Robert Frost.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
BY ROBERT FROST
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods…
BETWEEN - 11-27/28-12
I step out of the car
I don't know where we are
Somewhere between a planet
A planet and a star
I never dreamed I'd end up
in a place like this
The Multnomah Falls is up the Columbia Gorge
Somewhere between Portland…
And ALL of that... I remember when my boys first came to CA. They were late teens, and early 20s. I took them to see Sunset cliffs. If you don't know it, it's easy to imagine: a sweeping vista of sky, sea and pelicans on a postcard. We got out, walked around... they said nothing, somber faces, withdrawn. "I step out of my car/ I don't know where we are..." It seemed the oddest thing at the time, but I knew this is what they were feeling. This song carries the magnificence of arrival in a beautiful new world. Or when my mother drove my sister & I from OK to CA to join my dad during the Korean War. Somewhere in New Mexico along Rt 66 we pulled over to sleep for a few hours. I woke up at dawn before anyone else, to discover the windshield of the car was filled with an enormous glowing ball. At age 6, I had never seen anything like this sun. I hardly knew what it was. This song was written for such moments. A beautiful, beautiful song. And those guitars in the middle are liquid light. Thank you for thinking of me in relation to this. I will always feel a tiny bit it belongs to me.
She danced in my eyes and to my surprise
Her intentions were clearly defined
She danced with the band and the pen in my hand
Danced with her as she danced in my eyes
Portland, Oregon. She was drunk. She thot I was James Taylor.
Flower…
...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…
LOVE this! Love all that's going on dramaticaly in the sound track. Love the use of text from the book. Love the driving rat-a-tat rhythm. Very creative. Almost like a movie! :)
HOME ON THE RANGE
Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam
Where the deer and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day
Home, home on the range
Where the deer and the antelope play…
I HATE GOODBYES September 8, 2017 Capo 2 IN D
I go in the back door. Never in the front
All of that attention is the last thing that I want
You know what I’m talking ‘bout the kisses and the hugs
Climbing on the furniture, tripping…
GEEZUS, Jim, you keep freaking me out w these amazing songs!! So many styles, and this is my very favorite... until the next fav comes along!! Great lyrics, love the back up vocals, guitar solo, and hope you don't mind me sayin' a bit of a JJ Cale/ Tulsa Sound vibe by my ear. Mesmerizing. Gwyn Henry
Dad wanted me to write him some funeral music. This is it. He's still alive at 91 and sings this song to himself and tears come to his eyes. I have a video of Dad and me singing a duet of this song.
EULOGY
He grew up in Clinton, Oklahoma…
Love it that he lived (has lived?) so long, long enought to enjoy this song as much has he seems to have, and sing it in duets with you. What a joy. And I love to song, too. Our shared roots and Red Dirt!
LANCASTER STREET - Em
James Michael Taylor
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…
COLORS - A song for Donna...
Roses are red. Violets are blue
I could name a bunch of flowers and colors too
Roses are red. Tulips are too
But I could never name all the colors that look good on you
CHORUS
There was a time my world…
WRONG AS I COULD BE - Key of G
Never was a night in Tennessee
Like this Texas night to me
I feel free
Thought I was the writer of a song
But I was wrong
Wrong as I could be
She wouldn't leave with me
Said she believed in me
Even if…
Naad Kaur Khalsa
James Michael Taylor love your recordings...this one has me feeling very much like I'm ok...just keep going...write and post anyway...just keep being somehow..
.still...I would so much love to have some lovin
WRONG AS I COULD BE - Key of G
Never was a night in Tennessee
Like this Texas night to me
I feel free
Thought I was the writer of a song
But I was wrong
Wrong as I could be
She wouldn't leave with me
Said she believed in me
Even if…
POTTER'S FIELD KEY Em Capo @ 3
Em……..(hold) Figure 1 is C G Am Em, Figure 2 is A A Em Em
F 1 - You might as well take me out and stand me up against the wall
F 1 - I don't want no bandanna, no cigarettes to ease the fall
F 2 - No…
unWANTED - Capo @ 2
(Dm) A Dm
There'll be no poster of me looking ragged
There'll be no pictures of me strung around
Gm Dm
There'll be no subpoena. There'll be no warrant…
unWANTED - Capo @ 2
(Dm) A Dm
There'll be no poster of me looking ragged
There'll be no pictures of me strung around
Gm Dm
There'll be no subpoena. There'll be no warrant…
unWANTED - Capo @ 2
(Dm) A Dm
There'll be no poster of me looking ragged
There'll be no pictures of me strung around
Gm Dm
There'll be no subpoena. There'll be no warrant…
The MN coffee table is back!!!! We have a new member too - Joel Schaubert, who joined Mark Lofgren and Greg Connor - veterans of the coffee table. Once again we wrote this song and recorded it in my backyard coffee table (hence some of the wind…
Inspired by a gift from my Cousin Danita, a bird whistle.
___________________________________
I open my eyes to the first morning’s light
The Birds sing outside my window
And the stars are all gone from the previous night
They…
SAWTOOTH REQUIEM
Sawtooth Mountain. Working minimum wage
Clearing slash for a trail for the lift to the edge
Snow starts to falling the wind blowing sharp
Freezing my breath and breakin' heart
Some men's got to hunt. Some men's gotta ski…
ANNETTE
The creek's a risin' and my line is set
Gonna cash in on my catfish bet
My bobber's a bouncin' and I'm gonna get wet
She said she'd fix me dinner if I caught a fish
She might suspect that's my favorite wish
So, I got myself…
ANNETTE
The creek's a risin' and my line is set
Gonna cash in on my catfish bet
My bobber's a bouncin' and I'm gonna get wet
She said she'd fix me dinner if I caught a fish
She might suspect that's my favorite wish
So, I got myself…
This is the title song from my first LP.
FEATHERS IN THE WIND by SNOWGEESE.
Snowgeese was my first wife, BarbaraAnne and me. Michael was a new friend we met when we moved to Texas that liked my songs enough to produce and arrange and record…
This is the title song from my first LP.
FEATHERS IN THE WIND by SNOWGEESE.
Snowgeese was my first wife, BarbaraAnne and me. Michael was a new friend we met when we moved to Texas that liked my songs enough to produce and arrange and record…
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…
Candy Davis
Your song made me feel as if I were walking past this sad man's broken, tattered life. I don't think I've ever listened to one of your songs without feeling deeply moved.
When I wrote this, 50 years ago,
I was afraid it would seem like nothing happened.
BALI HI
Bali Hi, at 6th and Broadway
Just a little place where people go
To have a quiet drink,
Listen to the band and think.
Maybe meet a friend…
When I wrote this, 50 years ago,
I was afraid it would seem like nothing happened.
BALI HI
Bali Hi, at 6th and Broadway
Just a little place where people go
To have a quiet drink,
Listen to the band and think.
Maybe meet a friend…
When I wrote this, 50 years ago,
I was afraid it would seem like nothing happened.
BALI HI
Bali Hi, at 6th and Broadway
Just a little place where people go
To have a quiet drink,
Listen to the band and think.
Maybe meet a friend…
When I wrote this, 50 years ago,
I was afraid it would seem like nothing happened.
BALI HI
Bali Hi, at 6th and Broadway
Just a little place where people go
To have a quiet drink,
Listen to the band and think.
Maybe meet a friend…
Candy Davis
James Michael Taylor A true classic. Deceptively simple, yet so many feelings in there: angst, loneliness, and hope, all rolled into one. Davis When I wrote this, 50 years ago, I was afraid it would seem like nothing happened. Thank you for being able to read between the lines.
When I wrote this, 50 years ago,
I was afraid it would seem like nothing happened.
BALI HI
Bali Hi, at 6th and Broadway
Just a little place where people go
To have a quiet drink,
Listen to the band and think.
Maybe meet a friend…
Comments on James Michael Taylor's stuff
Bret McCormick Many years ago, after you handed me a Texas Water cassette, I listened to it and this song was the first one that totally grabbed my attention.
The guitar is great on that song James...is it a vocoder or a phaser or wah or something like that..stereo vocoder maybe....makes it sound like an synthetic organ type sound...matches the theme...disguised...unreal..very clever.. Matthew
OMG - you bring tears to my eyes and joy to my heart...I understand and identify with all the words you have written.
Listening to your songs evokes imagery of being a lonely and mysterious character stuck in an old dusty town.
Man this is beautiful!
Cool Song !
nicely done,james.the music suits the lyric perfectly
Cool feel to this one. Haunting
Beautiful song James!
fuckin awesome song but why didn't you sing the last 2 lines?
Lovely James. What a blessing to cheer up my down morning.
And ALL of that... I remember when my boys first came to CA. They were late teens, and early 20s. I took them to see Sunset cliffs. If you don't know it, it's easy to imagine: a sweeping vista of sky, sea and pelicans on a postcard. We got out, walked around... they said nothing, somber faces, withdrawn. "I step out of my car/ I don't know where we are..." It seemed the oddest thing at the time, but I knew this is what they were feeling. This song carries the magnificence of arrival in a beautiful new world. Or when my mother drove my sister & I from OK to CA to join my dad during the Korean War. Somewhere in New Mexico along Rt 66 we pulled over to sleep for a few hours. I woke up at dawn before anyone else, to discover the windshield of the car was filled with an enormous glowing ball. At age 6, I had never seen anything like this sun. I hardly knew what it was. This song was written for such moments. A beautiful, beautiful song. And those guitars in the middle are liquid light. Thank you for thinking of me in relation to this. I will always feel a tiny bit it belongs to me.
Delightul! Notes of honey on that guitar solo! Lyrics are a poem. The pipes coming back at the end, haunting. Something very Irish about this.
LOVE this! Love all that's going on dramaticaly in the sound track. Love the use of text from the book. Love the driving rat-a-tat rhythm. Very creative. Almost like a movie! :)
Good rendition I am sure Teddy Roosevelt would be proud. I sang this song every day at elementary school for 6 years.
GEEZUS, Jim, you keep freaking me out w these amazing songs!! So many styles, and this is my very favorite... until the next fav comes along!! Great lyrics, love the back up vocals, guitar solo, and hope you don't mind me sayin' a bit of a JJ Cale/ Tulsa Sound vibe by my ear. Mesmerizing. Gwyn Henry
everything is right on here. vox and mood. would love to hear more of this
Love it that he lived (has lived?) so long, long enought to enjoy this song as much has he seems to have, and sing it in duets with you. What a joy. And I love to song, too. Our shared roots and Red Dirt!
This brings tears to my eyes. The imagery couldn't be better for spreading empathy.
❤️i love this!
Comments made by James Michael Taylor
Naad Kaur Khalsa James Michael Taylor love your recordings...this one has me feeling very much like I'm ok...just keep going...write and post anyway...just keep being somehow.. .still...I would so much love to have some lovin
Bobby Huskins I like this a lot. Peace!
Lazarus Knight It's working now. YOU AND jEFF SOUNDED GREAT TOGAETHER! That is, is sounds like Jeff Prince with you.
Cheri Chandler Lovely sad song
Robert Hayden Amazing collection of like minded thoughts. Very well structured & synched to a Havana like beat. Well done sir
Cheri Chandler Lovely sad song
Good to hear the gang...after so long.
So, bright and clear...and, here in Cowtown, chilly. Good hearing your voice again.
Cheri Chandler James Michael Taylor that's so very sadly moving. A beautiful heart like yours to have remained locked away for so many years....
James Buchanan Sounds kinda Jimmy Dean or Tennessee Ernie.
Jess Edwards Great tune - catchy, upbeat, happy… Thank you
Terry Colquitt Love it! Bravo!
Sherra Leh Interestingly, I think if you were to re-release that album, it would do really well.
https://www.facebook.com/sherra.leh?comment_id=Y29tbWVudDo4ODc2NzQ2Mzk3MzYzNDFfMzA5MTExMzc4NjA3ODc0&__cft__[0]=AZVy7xwfH1ARwxjek9t_VigegEwUCokeUrOOguv2RfELhXANw4eYEOBzVAp3hIkrubJoIVOZ1P0Nx5poo6Dx_vpP0EfZeZ2u0mEP4z44PDtmiLnitkZDEhY8ecdLrvcTqZQtiJdHuO1iWkFVP7olzKUl&__tn__=R]-R
Candy Davis Your song made me feel as if I were walking past this sad man's broken, tattered life. I don't think I've ever listened to one of your songs without feeling deeply moved.
Damien Carroll Recorded in 1976? Sounds so fresh. Love the sentiment. I hear touches of Willie Nelson.
Keith Haas That was a cheap wine was it not? I think they were sipping 7 Up.
James Buchanan Almost Jim Croce
Candy Davis James Michael Taylor A true classic. Deceptively simple, yet so many feelings in there: angst, loneliness, and hope, all rolled into one. Davis When I wrote this, 50 years ago, I was afraid it would seem like nothing happened. Thank you for being able to read between the lines.
A true classic. Deceptively simple, yet so many feelings in there: angst, loneliness, and hope, all rolled into one. Candy Davis