Shot on iPhone 8
Song: Pickup Truck
Hello and welcome back to my regular song blog. 2020 will be a year dedicated to sharing new music, culminating in a brand new album. Ideas for my new songs came from an interview I heard. The man being interviewed said, ”Now I don't want to sound like the county moralist, but..." Of course he went on to sound like the county moralist, whatever that is.
Anyway, this got me thinking about writing some new theme-based songs, which is not how I usually do it. I normally sit and wait for words and melodies to enter my brain and say, “Hey, why don’t you make me into a song?” Recently, I made an agreement with myself to turn this wait-and-see approach upside down. I’m now putting the idea first and crafting the melody, harmony, and production second. So far the results have been varied and I’ve abandoned a lot. It’s part of the new process.
Writing this way is helping me stay engaged in the world more and walk in some shoes I’ve never tried on before. I’m also falling in love with a few vintage Casio keyboards, learning to play a cocktail drum kit, and discovering a lot more about harmony on the piano. I’m embracing the old 4-Track cassette recorder and I know in my heart that all this is making me a better songwriter.
I’ve also been in touch with some old and new friends about collaborating. So far, these partnerships have been fun and I will be sharing a few alternate versions as a result. Stay tuned…
"Now, I don't want to sound like the county moralist or anything" But I will sing in first-person as a Priest. I will sing in first-person as a mass shooter. And I will sing in first-person as a woman with dementia or the warming world. You can decide which.
My first song for you is narrated by a man impacted by natural disaster. He sees “a pick-up truck, a barbecue, and a little girl's shoe” floating down a flood plain. And, as he watches, he wonders about faith.
Lyrics:
Oh I walked
Oh I sat
Down on the riverbank and I watched it all float by
I saw a pickup truck
A BBQ
A little girls’ shoe
And a whole lot of luck
And all this time I’ve been walking around through the wind and the rain X2
If you believe me I will make you whole
I will make you whole again
So I stood
Where I stand
Grabbed a rock
And by the time it left my hand
I joined right in
I sang real loud
I sank real low
And floated down again
And all this time I’ve been walking around through the wind and the rain X2
I will make you whole again
(God’s not about what happens when you die
God's not about what happens when it all turns black)
And I walked through the fire
And I walked through the flood
And I walked through the wind and the rain
And the tears and the blood
Technical Specs:
UA Apollo Twin
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017) 3.4 GHz Intel Core i5
AT 4033 Microphone
Cascade M39 Stereo Pair Microphones
1970s Univox “Beatle” Bass
La Patrie Collection classical guitar
Generic cocktail kit
1991 Gibson Les Paul Standard w/ Ebow
Casio Casiotone MT-68
1970s Yamaha Console Piano
Written, recorded, and mixed at home. 2019 (BMI) Warship Songs.
Mastered by Warren Gardiner at Gardiner Audio in Melbourne, AUS