THE
GOOD HOUSE IS BUILT UPON A ROCK (Back-story, Lyrics, and Links to the song on
Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon)
Back-story:
Since
1974, I have lived in Canandaigua, a beautiful little town in the Finger Lakes
region of New York. However, my good
fortune did not start when I came to Canandaigua. It started long ago in another little New
York town nestled in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains along the Hudson
River shore. Saugerties, the place where
I spent my childhood and teenage years, needs no description for anyone who has
grown up in small-town America. Like all
small towns, it has its memorable characters, great stories, wonderful events,
and genuine friends, those people who are always there when you really need
them. “The Good House Is Built Upon a
Rock” is a tribute to those people who were there when I needed them.
You
see, when I was sixteen, a junior in high school, I went blind after sustaining
a fall during a cross-country race. Most
of you know the details of the event because I think I have told it at least
two or three thousand times, usually while sitting on some bar stool in some
local watering hole. It’s amazing how
much people need beer to ask you what they want to know, isn’t it? Anyway, if you don’t know the details, and
you want to know them, e-mail me, and I will give you the scoop.
Following
my accident, the people of Saugerties rallied to give me an unbelievable amount
of support. The obstacles I faced were
difficult, but these people made mountains seem like rolling hills. I could never come close to repaying them for
all the wonderful things they did for me, so I wrote this little tune as an
expression of my deep appreciation for the outpouring of their love for me.
Now
that you know what motivated me to develop the song, it’s time to get into the
nature of its construction. Prior to the
deaths of my parents, Siobhan and I regularly went to Saugerties about three or
four times a year to visit them at their home on quiet little Elm Street. When we were there, we often went out walking
to burn off the millions of calories we absorb from my mother’s cooking. One night we were walking up by Cantine
field, the local park where just about every sport is played. If you are from Canandaigua, just visualize
Jefferson or Baker Park, and if you are from somewhere else, put yourself in
your local park, and you’ll be with me.
As
we walked across Cantine field, we were each engaged in our own thoughts. Mine reflected on when I used to watch the
Babe Ruth League baseball games. When I
stood in the grandstand’s years ago, I would often look to the west and look at
the sun setting on the beautiful, majestic Catskill Mountain range. As Siobhan and I walked, I thought about
Saugerties being nestled between these mountains and the Hudson River, and the
first line of the song was born. I love
internal rhyme, so when I stumbled across the phrase, “foothills of the
Catskill’s,” I knew the line was a keeper.
Although I am not proud of this, the first verse emerged like the
introduction to a five-paragraph essay.
I’m afraid when you teach something day in and day out for thirty-two
years, it stays with you on a subconscious level forever.
The
first verse concludes with the lyric “those good things that small town gave to
me,” and this becomes the driving force for the rest of the song. While driving back from Saugerties to
Canandaigua, approximately 250 miles, my mind kept identifying just what those
“good things” were. When a song won’t
leave you alone, it’s like having popcorn in your teeth; you don’t feel right
until you get it out. Upon returning to
Canandaigua, I took all those “good things” and carved out a meter and rhyme
scheme for them. Once again, I fell into
that five-paragraph trap. Oh well, I am
too old and comfortable to try to be something I am not.
After
the verses of the song were in place, I worked at developing a chorus that
would unite them. During the forty-six
years I have been in Canandaigua, life for me has gone very well, and in
reflection, I see that much of that success can be attributed to what I
absorbed while growing up in Saugerties.
The seeds that were planted in me in Saugerties blossomed when I got to
Canandaigua. This is also true for many
of my friends and acquaintances from Saugerties who are now spread throughout
the country and the rest of the world.
We are all ambassadors of this little town and its wonderful
values. To represent these ambassadors,
I developed a chorus with a series of metaphorical clichés concluding with “the
good house is built upon a rock.”
Following
the completion of the song, Siobhan and I tossed around some options for
arranging it. We settled on a hard-driving,
upbeat sound with somewhat of a bluegrass flare. We chose This high-energy tempo to reflect
the positive nature of the Saugerties community, an optimism that truly helped
me to recover.
We
recorded this song in 1998 at The Garage, a little studio in Rochester, New
York. The Garage, no longer in
existence, was owned and operated by
John and Joe Dady, two quintessential musicians, who are now members of the
Rochester Music Hall of Fame. When we
recorded with them, we always could count on great coffee, good stories, and an
aching stomach from laughing.
John,
Joe, and Tim Chaapel, another fine musician, truly enhanced the sound Siobhan
and I brought to the studio. With just a
banjo, guitar, and snare drum, they captured the positive feeling we wanted the
listener to experience. I am no Doc
Watson. So, John Dady backed me up with some hot licks on the guitar. Joe Dady, who unfortunately succumbed to
leukemia in 2019, a tremendous loss to our music community, picked a mean banjo
on this one. Joe and Siobhan drove the
song with just the right touch on the snare drum and the acoustic bass. Tim Chaapel, who occasionally played with
Siobhan and me back then, sang back-up harmony.
Tim developed a nice idea for the start of the song. It opens with him
and John Dady and me singing an a cappella version of the chorus. I like it, and I hope you do too. When I hear the song start, I, once again,
begin to see those foothills of the Catskills.
Lyrics:
Verse 1:
In the foothills of the Catskill's
On that Hudson River shore
There's a little country village
I don't see much any more
At times when I go back there
To see friends and family
I remember all those good things
That small town gave to me
Chorus:
You know, the apple, it doesn't fall far from the tree
And all of us are chips off the old block
The good things are the small ones that we often do not see
And the good house is built upon a rock
Verse 2:
I was guided by my family
Received kindness from my friends
And all my patient teachers
They stayed with me to the end
The love that came from everyone
Was worth much more than gold
I take it with me where I go
And I give it back two-fold
Chorus:
Verse 3:
Everyone encouraged me
When there was a chance to take
And everyone forgave me
When I made my mistakes
The understanding I was shown
As I fought to find my way
Is given back to those I meet
As I greet this world each day
Chorus:
Verse 4:
It's here I learned to persevere
When reaching for my goals
With each goal came a confidence
From deep down in my soul
This confidence brought a wisdom
So simple and so clear
Embrace each precious moment
'Cause it quickly disappears
Chorus:
Repeat Verse 1:
Chorus: (two times)
Here is a link to the song on
Spotify. It is song #7 on our CAUGHT IN
THE MIDDLE album, which is what will appear if you click on the link. Provide a username and password, and you’ll
be good to go with a free account.
https://open.spotify.com/album/612vyh3RDKhKPE9ypBWbKJ
Here is a link to listen to the song on Apple Music. Again, it is song #7 on our CAUGHT IN THE
MIDDLE album.
https://music.apple.com/au/album/caught-in-the-middle/id253874969
Here is a link to listen to the song on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Good-House-Built-Upon-Rock/dp/B001OC36WW
