EVERYTHING
Everything you know or think you know
Everything you know is wrong
Life ain't no hootenanny
and you don't have to sing along
You can laugh and you can mumble
You can hold your breath
Take a little piece of my heart now honey…
THE LESSON
I saw her in a music store in Fort Worth, Texas
I'd driven in to buy some strings
It was like getting hit by a little fist in my solar plexis
when she said, “Can you help me tune this thing?”
She had a smile. A thin disguise…
TESLA
Who invented remote control? TESLA
Who invented the fluorescent light? TESLA
Who invented the radio? TESLA
And who died alone and forgotten in 1943? TESLA
So, you say now, “Don’t be angry.”
And you say, “Just tell the story…
THE LESSON
I saw her in a music store in Fort Worth, Texas
I'd driven in to buy some strings
It was like getting hit by a little fist in my solar plexis
when she said, “Can you help me tune this thing?”
She had a smile. A thin disguise…
A PICTURE I CAN'T THROW AWAY Key C
Capo @ 4
(Yes. It's a true story. I changed it to 1st person. It was a friend of my brother, Joe's.)
This audio is missing. I will have to find it in the archives or re-record it some day…
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…
STEPPIN' ON SOME TOES Key - Em and E
Em
Well, some folks got big noses
Some folks got big hats
Some folks stand out in the aisle
Make it hard to pass
Am
Some folks they got money
Em
They…
WHERE
Where will I spend the rest of our life?
Where will I live our tomorrow
Our only hope springs from within your sorrow
And if I thot your pain could be bought
I'd start saving today for tomorrow
Where, where
Our only hope springs…
" ...and if I thought, your pain could be bought, I'd start saving today, for tomorrow." My Gawd, My Gawd! Who else but JMT could write such a great line!
This song is akin to REMEMBERING BABE. Another night to Keren's. Almost got caught by the cops. Saw 'em coming so Babe and I hid in the olive orchard until they turned off the spot light and left. THEN, I did what came to be called my Night Ride…
My favorite song by Jane Bowers
She was still alive back when I 1st learned
this song from the Kingston Trio.
I didn't know, back then, that I could have met her.
WHEN I WAS YOUNG by Jane Bowers
When I was young and dreams were new…
Sadly, Annie and Allan are now divorced...
The games are over...
Annie & Allan
Annie and Allan were having a problem
Made a decision to go their own ways
Annie and Allan made an announcement
Not even knowing how it saddened…
I was in Spain, in the Pyrenees, working on THE STONE RAFT. I was the only American, read, "English speaker." I was feeling very alone.
SOLITARY WALK Am
INTRO Am F Am F
Am (walking down) G F G
Tho I follow in the footprints of my friends…
Dear James, thanks for sharing this song that remains me the days we spent together in Pirineos, Spain. Congrats and big hugs from the Summertime at Madrid
The Fading Yellow Ribbon
There’s a fading yellow ribbon
around the oak tree in the yard
Each day they walk out to the mail box
but even walking’s getting hard
And they’re looking for a letter
that they fear will not arrive
It’s a letter…
Well you've made my eyes leak again. I keep listening to your songs and I keep leaking. I might have developed an allergy of some kind but I'll keep listening. Really touching.
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…
Returned today to listen, and so glad I did! It is a wonderful song. I like the timber of your vocals, too. There is a soft edge that serves the song so well because of its subject. I respond too, as an Okie, having lived for 40 years in Sapulpa and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Fav lines might be, "Red dirt back yard, Gramma’s place
Honey suckle in a dust bowl
Life as hard as limestone lace
Remembering the red dirt...
Know these accents and sounds like the back of my hand... thanks for posting! --Gwyn Henry
Way, way back I read an article in the newspaper about a little old lady who embezzled money from the bank and wound up in Brazi, living the good life with her boyfriend. Fans seem to like this song.
So I dropped the guitar into DADGAD tuning for the first time, threw a capo on the third fret, rifled off something nice, and sent it to Movement to Contact for his contribution, got it back, did some mixing...
Here is the result.
YOU NEED…
A true story about getting screwed at the car dealership when I took my car as a trade-in
on a new car. It was a learning experience
that I never forgot.
The lyrics for this song were inscribed on the headstone when the legendary character Tom Thumb died. Inge did the vocals for this song and did a wonderful job. The harmonies, along with the a capella intro and coda, are hers, and take the song…
My contribution to the "Spring Time" songs posted on the Forum.
http://alonetone.com/forums/making-music/topics/spring-time
Lyrics:
Spring time comes, the Robins sing
And love is in the air
Rain falls down, the flowers bloom
Romance…
Including the following sample from Freesound.com:
http://www.freesound.org/people/sleep/sounds/1375/
deep
it can be stowed away
it can be remembered
it can't be thrown away
when it's deep
hurt
it can be cherished
it can be channelled…
Lyrics:
Everyone is Irish on St Patrick’s Day
C Everyone is Irish on St Patrick’s Day
Cause F it’s the only Irish thing to C do
A F twinkle in the eye of every C I Em rish Am man
Will D leave you with a better point of G view
C Everyone is…
Another Live performance with former band mates in Scartaglen back in 1988 on the NPR show Mountain Stage. This time a piece of Gaelic mouth music followed by 3 reels. Maybe the most complex arrangement of a set of tunes that we ever did.
This song is about the RPM Challenge; having 28 days (yes, I cheated, this year we get 29) to write and record a 10 song album. The illustrious Ghost Tea (http://soundcloud.com/ghosttea) added some rhymes to make it extra special!
Comments on James Michael Taylor's stuff
Love the melody and harmonies on this one! Good toe tapping this morning
Love your voice. What a great story.
LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE!!!!!!!!!
Enjoyed this story and the song. Thank you for uploading it!
Wow!
Great lyrics and imagery. Love this. Feels like an anthem!!
Love it Jim!
" ...and if I thought, your pain could be bought, I'd start saving today, for tomorrow." My Gawd, My Gawd! Who else but JMT could write such a great line!
Great song!
lovely....
very very nice !
Dear James, thanks for sharing this song that remains me the days we spent together in Pirineos, Spain. Congrats and big hugs from the Summertime at Madrid
Well that makes me happy.
Besides you that is.
Russ Emerick wondered, who is singing?
Well you've made my eyes leak again. I keep listening to your songs and I keep leaking. I might have developed an allergy of some kind but I'll keep listening. Really touching.
A great day-starter!
Full of drama, sounds like a movie track
That's the way it happened.
Returned today to listen, and so glad I did! It is a wonderful song. I like the timber of your vocals, too. There is a soft edge that serves the song so well because of its subject. I respond too, as an Okie, having lived for 40 years in Sapulpa and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Fav lines might be, "Red dirt back yard, Gramma’s place Honey suckle in a dust bowl Life as hard as limestone lace Remembering the red dirt... Know these accents and sounds like the back of my hand... thanks for posting! --Gwyn Henry
Comments made by James Michael Taylor
One of my favorites.
Just as with DES(diethylstilbestrol. The song is funny but the reality: NOT SO MUCH. Well sang.
Really full sound. Very nice sentiment.
This one, I have not heard before. Very clever. Lu doing Little Richard! Great harp player too.
Very nice.
Like it.
Like this...
Love that change on "not to see"... So pretty. So sad.
Beautiful.
Heavy!
Like it.
Love your voice in this one.
I want to see the video of this one...gotta be something moving right along.
I was wondering and now I understand...nice song. Especially like the Banjo.
This is very impressive. I'm going to have to write something like this.
Love the docudrama feel.
Love the 60's sound.
Radical!
Groovy!
Love the beat!