With Halloween fast approaching...

There are many spooky songs to choose from but my brain was on REPEAT after hearing gem today. My apologies to those around me.

Chuck Cannon's "This Old Guitar"

Heard this today for the first time:

This old guitar
seen dusty roads and smokey bars,
back seats of all my old cars,
city lights and southern stars
This old guitar
it's told the truth it's told some lies
Sometimes it sings, sometimes it cries
It's who I am, it's my disguise

This old guitar
it's just wood and strings and steel
This old guitar
always knows just how I feel
This old guitar
it's seen it's share of broken hearts,
it's got cracks and broken parts
it's a symphony of scars

This old guitar...
hell, I have even gone and named it,
I have cursed and blessed and blamed it
Still my fingers have not tamed it

This old guitar
guess you could say we show our ages
from all the songs and whiskey rages,
crazy stages final pages.

This old guitar
it's just wood and strings and steel
This old guitar
always knows just how I feel
This old guitar
it's seen it's share of broken hearts,
it's got cracks and broken parts,
it's a symphony of scars.

This old guitar
has played for kings and played for paupers
It's all the gold that's in my coffers
Still I can't give it all it offers

This old guitar
it's just wood and strings and steel
This old guitar
always knows just how I feel
This old guitar
it's seen it's share of broken hearts,
it's got cracks and broken parts,
it's a symphony of scars

Here's another offering in the perfect song grouping (again, not greatest song -- that's a different category.)



"I Came to a Western Island" - Archie Fisher

I came to a western island as far as a man can walk is my land
I cleared ten acres and a house I built, into the side of the hill

The roof leaks, the windows rattle and the grass in the high ground won't feed cattle
The west wind blowin' off the sea makes it hard to grow a tree

One cow in a lean-to bier, a spring close by and a driftwood fire
A clear view of the settin' sun and 12 gauge hammer gun

I keep sheep, I fish deep water in a high bowed boat called the Neptune's daughter
She will ride any western gale and can carry a stack of sails

Some nights when the bright lights flicker I sail to the mainland for my liquor
I haven't got a woman to call my own but I never wake up alone

A man needs to feel the ground and wind to tell him that the world spins round
To watch the stars and taste the sea, and woman to keep him free

I came to a western island, as far as a man can walk is my land
I cleared ten acres and a house I built, into the side of the hill

It's that time of year - Cheryl Wheeler's "When Fall Comes to New England"

This is a perfect song, different from a great song. The melody sweetly purrs and the lyrics vividly portray the subject matter with not a single word forced.

When fall comes to New England
The sun slants in so fine
And the air's so clear
You can almost hear the grapes grow on the vine

The nights are sharp with starlight
And the days are cool and clean
And in the blue sky overhead
The northern geese fly south instead
And leaves are Irish Setter red
When fall comes to New England

When fall comes to New England
And the wind blows off the sea
Swallows fly in a perfect sky
And the world was meant to be

When the acorns line the walkways
Then winter can't be far
From yellow leaves a blue jay calls
Grandmothers Walk Out In Their Shawl
And Chipmunks Run The Old Stone Walls
When fall comes to New England

The frost is on the pumpkin
The squash is off the vine
And winter warnings race across the sky
The squirrels are on to something
And they're working overtime
The foxes blink and stare and so do I

'Cause when fall comes to New England
Oh I can't turn away
From fading light on flying wings
And late good-byes a robin sings
And then another thousand things
When fall comes to New England

When fall comes to New England

Protest music didn't begin in the 60's

"A History of American Protest Music: This Is the Hammer That Killed John Henry" -- Tom Maxwell

and

"A History of American Protest Music: ‘We Have Got Tools and We Are Going to Succeed’" -- Tom Maxwell

The enigma of Joni Mitchell

"Joni Mitchell’s Openhearted Heroism" -- Dan Chiasson

A talent who couldn't be captured and presented.

"Stoking the star-maker machinery
Behind the popular song..."

Mike Regenstreif's review of the Rosalie Sorrels tribute release

"Various Artists – Tribute to the Travelin’ Lady Rosalie Sorrels"