"LEAVIN' ALL OUR TROUBLES FAR BEHIND" (Back-story, Lyrics, and Link to Song on YouTube)

 

LEAVIN’ ALL OUR TROUBLES FAR BEHIND (Back-story, Lyrics, and Link to song on YouTube)

Back-story:

Folks, is there anything better than a road trip?  It has to be one of the top ten great experiences.  In addition to letting us let go of our anxieties and responsibilities, it gives us time to relax, reflect, and renew our commitment to whatever personal goals we have set.  It lets us live in the moment, the most satisfying place we can be.  Most everyone I know has been on a road trip, but if you haven’t, you owe it to yourself to get out there and try it!

Siobhan and I have been going on road trips for the past Thirty-nine years.  As with much of what we do, we keep it simple.  We take very little with us: favorite audio books, favorite music, and just the essentials regarding clothing.  In the 1990s, after Siobhan started playing bass, we began taking the music along with us so that we could practice and play some impromptu gigs if the opportunity arose.  The focus of our trips has been, and will probably continue to be, visiting family and friends.  So far, our destinations have been New England, Ohio, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, West Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Florida.  Unlike many travelers, we do not rush to these destinations.  Instead, we take our time, staying in little interesting towns we find along the way.  We love to meet new people and listen to the stories they have to tell.

In the mid 1990s, we traveled to Alexander, North Carolina, a little town just north of Asheville.  Our friends, Marianne and Raymond Jacque, retired there, and built a beautiful home up in the hills outside of Alexander.  “Leavin’ All Our Troubles Far Behind” was born on this trip.

 We were on highway 81, an interstate that starts in upstate New York and ends in Alabama.  When it passes through western Virginia, it travels along the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.  Somewhere between Winchester and Christiansburg, with the music blaring, the details of the first verse of the song came together.  The imagery is nothing special.  I merely put the sights, sounds, feels, smells, and tastes of the road into a simple meter and rhyme scheme.  I felt good about this first verse, but I did not immediately know where to go with it.  Here is what happened.

 When we arrived at Marianne and Raymond’s house, the awesome setting of their home inspired me and gave me an excellent opportunity to complete the song.  I am an early riser, and usually have at least two to three hours of alone time before everyone else gets up.  Sitting in the sunroom located on the deck in the front of the Jacque’s home, I composed the second and third verses of the song as the dissipating fog dawned another beautiful Carolina morning.

 When it came to creating the chorus, it was simple.  Road trips allow us to detach from our past and future, and, if we let it happen, they let us get into the now and enjoy the moment.  I have been working at living this philosophy for most of my life, and as I get better and better at it, I find life becoming more and more rewarding.  Many folks who listen to my songs wonder if I am a Buddhist.  I’m not, but I sure think they have some cool ideas!

 The song is a fast moving somewhat folk, country, Americana  song.  With a guitar, a fiddle, a mandolin, a banjo, a harmonica, a bass, drums, and backup harmonies, John and Joe Dady (now members of the Rochester Music Hall of Fame) and Tim Chaapel (owner of Mobile Music in Canandaigua, NY), all quintessential musicians, help Siobhan and me create one of those hard-driving road tunes.  Big thanks to these guys!  The song is  far from being anything like the classic road trip song “Take It Easy” by the Eagles, but it has that feel to it.  I like it, and I hope you do, too.

 

Lyrics:

Verse 1

It's August and the summer's nearly over

Here we are on Highway 81

The Blue Ridge, the Smokies, and you right by my side

It's time to take a break and have some fun

As we roll along and sip our cups of coffee

The sun is rising in the eastern sky

The leaves upon the trees blow so gently from the breeze

The truckers nod and wave as they go by

 

Chorus

And here we are without a past or future

Suspended once again in space and time

Enjoying each and every precious moment

Leavin’ all our troubles far behind

 

Verse 2

Way back up in those woods outside of Asheville

Off the beaten path, out of the way

All alone sits a little home from where no one would want to roam

A place where time just seems to fade away

It's here we sit and play our good time music

Bluegrass, country, folk, and rock-n-roll

And as we sing, the hills soon ring, and suddenly everything

Harmonizes to become one soul

 

Chorus

 

Verse 3

And sometimes on those Carolina mornings

The fog is like a lazy hazy dream

So we reflect, select, reject, and finally connect

With that sun that carves a bright and vivid scene

And often on those Carolina evenings

The thunder rolls and rumbles through the hills

We watch each flash, feel each crash, listen to that water splash

'Til the moon returns serene and still.

 

Chorus

 

Instrumental Break

 

Repeat first half of Verse 1, and then the chorus 2 times.

 

Here is a link to the song on YouTube.  It’s an auto generated video created by CD Baby, our distributor.  If an ad appears when the link opens, click to dismiss it, and the song will start.  Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvMmUbPQBgU&list=PLmaM3h4AoHN_cKb13jMDd4mDim-mU_khW&index=13

If you Prefer, you can stream this song on all the major platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Prime, etc.

"YOUR LOCAL STAR" (Back-story, Lyrics, and Link to Song on YouTube)

 

“Your Local Star” (Back-Story, Lyrics, and Link to song on YouTube)

Back-story:

When you play music, as with most ventures, there are many important decisions you need to make.  Just to name a few, you need to decide what style of music appeals to you, what kind of audience you want to attract, what venues work for you, the number of shows you want to play, and how far you are willing to travel.  Regarding such decisions, I have followed my heart over the years, and it has brought me to an extremely comfortable place with music.

With an acoustic guitar, acoustic bass, a harmonica, and vocals, Siobhan and I deliver a considerably basic presentation of folk, country, bluegrass, rock, blues, Caribbean, Irish, and original music.  We do not try to target any specific audience.  If you enjoy listening, we enjoy playing for you.  For us, the music is merely a mechanism we use to have fun with people.  While we enjoy playing a variety of venues, we are the most comfortable performing in a small bar, winery, restaurant, coffeehouse, back yard, or small concert.  It is in these settings that we have our best results at establishing an intimacy with our audience.  Singing and bantering with the patrons of any local neighborhood pub is something we live for.  In our earlier years, we played two or three times a week, but “Father Time” has forced us to slow it down a bit now.  Most of our gigs have been and are within an hour of our home. We have appeared in venues from Maine to Florida, but most of those shows resulted from being in areas where we were visiting family or friends.  Keeping it simple, playing for mostly the locals, and staying close to home has always been the Meyer and McGuire philosophy, and this should help explain how “Your Local Star” developed.

In the late 1980s I started playing music for Bill and Robin Mallwitz at The Trolley, a little restaurant/bar in Shortsville, New York.  At the time Siobhan ran my sound (eventually joining me on stage with her bass in 1992).  We had many great nights with the patrons at this awesome little pub.  In 1990, Bill and Robin needed to expand because their dinners were getting too popular.  They left The Trolley and moved across the street to a bigger restaurant, The Whipple Tree, which they renamed Buffalo Bill’s Family Restaurant and Tap Room (now known as Sidetrack Bar and Grill).  All the regulars followed them, and soon many new patrons were appearing at their door.

 Buffalo Bill’s had a great little stage area for its musicians.  It was a raised area in front of the windows at the front of the bar.  It faced both the bar and the dining area and placed the musicians about ten feet from the patrons, making it quite easy to interact with them.  It was on this stage that “Your Local Star” was born.

One night, after an incredible time of having fun with the regulars, Siobhan and I were packing up our equipment, and I started thinking about the satisfaction I received from playing music for people.  I speculated that my music heroes must feel a similar contentment when they play their big shows.  While they were national and international stars, I was just a local one.  From here, my mind started playing around with the words guitar, bar, and star, and in a short time, I completed the chorus of the song.

When I got home, I tried to figure out where I could go with this chorus.  After analyzing my feelings, I identified three things that brought me pleasure from playing music for people.  Hearing people sing with me, bringing smiles to their faces, and shaking their hands or hugging them at the end of the night were the events that contributed to my great sense of fulfillment.  From these events, I carved out the verses of the song.

The song is a slow country waltz.  With a guitar, fiddle, harmonica, bass, drums, and backup harmonies, John and Joe Dady, now Rochester Music Hall of Famers, help me create one of those good old country songs from yesterday.  It is far from being a Hank Williams or George Jones tune, and my voice is a younger one, not the more seasoned voice you hear when we perform now.  Hope you enjoy it.

 

Lyrics:

Chorus

I go out on the weekends to play my guitar

You see I'm driven to play all these small country bars

And I know that you know that I won't go far

'Cause I'm so content to be your local star

 

Verse 1

Well it brings me great pleasure when I hear you sing

It confirms a truth money don't mean a thing

And when this bar fills up with your harmony

We all become one with my melody

 

Chorus

 

Verse 2

The smiles on your faces make it so clear

Why the Old Boy up there done sent me down here

He said, "Hey, Buddy, for you I've got one simple goal

"Go out there on the weekends and ignite their souls."

 

Chorus

 

Verse 3

The handshakes and kisses and the hugs mean so much

Ain't it funny how our stress disappears when we touch

And of all the things in life that I've learned to do

The best one of all is to share songs with you

 

Chorus Twice

 

Here is a link to the song on YouTube.  It’s an auto generated video created by CD Baby, our distributor.  If an ad appears when the link opens, click to dismiss it, and the song will start.  Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9SoTpNrXuo

 

If you Prefer, you can stream this song on all the major platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Prime, etc.

 

 

 

"FERRIS WHEEL" (Back-story, Lyrics, and Link to Song on YouTube)

 

Ferris Wheel (Back-Story, Lyrics, and Link to song on YouTube)

Back-story:

I am a big fan of Stephen King.  To be clear, I am not an expert or a fanatic.  I have not read everything he has written, and I have no intention to try.  Here’s why I like the guy.  He’s dedicated to his craft, being prolific as ever,writing 2000 words every day and still going strong in his’70s.  He’s a former teacher, a good one who had a stronger call to be a writer.  Jake Epping, the terrific teacher in King’s work, 11/22/63, truly reflects King’s life as a teacher, and the book gives us a good look at the qualities a good educator should possess.  King was a guitar player in the now defunct Rock Bottom Remainders, a rock group composed of well-known writers including Greg Isle and David Berry, two of my favorites.  He has great taste in music.  When he writes, He listens to guys like John Prine, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan, favorites of mine, too.  However, of all of his traits that attract me to him, it’s his sincerity that grabs me the most.  His genuine nature best comes through in his book, ON WRITING, a nonfiction work including his biography and tips for those who wish to be writers.  To sum it up quickly, because this guy has been such a great inspiration to me, I am so grateful his book HEARTS IN ATLANTIS, my all-time favorite of his works, triggered the writing of “Ferris Wheel.”  Now, here is how it happened.

HEARTS IN ATLANTIS is a series of novellas that follows the lives of Bobby Garfield, Carol Gerber,and John (Sully) Sullivan from 1960 to around 2000.  The opening novella focusses on these three enjoying the summerafter finishing the sixth grade.  While the summer has its problems and complications, it contains the fun, joy, and innocence experienced by many kids at that age.  When the summer comes to an end,  Bobby and his mother move away to another town, and Carol and John eventually lose track of each other after high school.  The subsequent novellas contain a common thread. They connect back to the problematic events these three experienced during that memorable summer in Harwich, Connecticut.

During that summer Bobby and Carol have crushes on each other, and like most kids that age, they keep their feelings to themselves.  However, when they are at a seaside amusement park, with some adults and other kids, they get on a Ferris Wheel and sit with each other.  The Ferris Wheel gets stuck while they are sitting at the top, and while they are just waiting, out of nowhere, Bobby quickly kisses Carol.  Carol, because she is so caught off guard, tells Bobby to do it again, so that she can savor the kiss. The moment is a heart-warming one and the epitome of innocence. Oddly enough, it never occurs for them again during the rest of the summer.  The next time they kiss is when they meet up many years later in the final novella.  Between these two kisses, the book is filled with stories connected to Bobby, Carol, and Sully and the difficult issues of the 1960s, events probably most appealing to Baby Boomers.

I read HEARTS IN ATLANTIS several times, and every time I read it the scene on the Ferris Wheel always triggered a time of innocence for me. It took me back to when I was in the 5^th Grade in Saugerties, NY.  Three weeks into the school year a new girl moved into town, and she joined our class.  The moment I saw her the magic hit me, and I was in love for the first time.  For the next few years, I walked or rode my bike by her house, hoping she would be on her porch or in her yard.  When she was, we talked, and oh,  those moments were grand for me.  Unlike Bobby and Carol, we never kissed, and eventually, I stopped going by her house.  In King’s book, Bobby and Carol run into each other in their old neighborhood park many years later, and they share another  magical kiss.  In my home town, my fifth-grade crush and I ran into each other at a party when we were in our mid-fifties, and memories of those  pristine days of elementary school came back to me instantly.  It was great to talk with her, and it was good to see life had gone well for the both of us.   Even now, whenever I am going through trying times, I sometimes find myself thinking about those innocent talks at her house, and the sweet memories of those days comfort me. 

My experience with my first love and the power it still has today got me thinking about Bobby and Carol and their first kiss.  Did they ever return to that moment when they were confronting difficult issues?  The novellas never addressed this moment, but I would like to think Bobby and Carol, like me, returned to it when they needed solace.  Realizing these beautiful moments of innocence were not unique to Bobby, Carol, and me, started the wheels rolling for a new song. I wanted a song that would illustrate how reflecting on beautiful, innocent moments transcended time and held it together for us when we were going through difficult periods in our lives.  The chorus came to me first, and after it developed, I simply reinforced it with Bobby and Carol’s story.

After Siobhan and I created the basic tracks with her bass and my guitar and vocals, we turned to our SAMMY Award winning, ace studio musician, Perry Cleaveland,  for some filler and lead work.  Most people in our area know Perry for his incredible mandolin and fiddle playing, but they do not know he is an awesome piano player, too.  Coincidentally, we were storing Siobhan’s sister’s keyboard in our basement.  We set it up and turned Perry loose.  The touch he added to the song with this instrument was simply beautiful; so, even if you are not taken by the back-story and lyrics, please check out the recording.  After Perry also added some great fiddle and harmony to the  song, our long-time friend, Maria Gillard, stopped by the basement and enhanced the song with a sensational harmony.  We finished up with me adding some harmonica and electric guitar filler.  Siobhan then went to work doing what she does best, tirelessly mixing and mastering the recording until she got it to where we all liked it.  I hope it appeals to you, too.

 

Lyrics:

Verse 1:

Bobby and Carol grew up living on the same street

Whenever they were together, life couldn’t be more complete

They fell in love for the first time in the summer after sixth grade

Everyone thought their romance was one that heaven had made

Their story simply started with neither having a plan

They were just on a Ferris Wheel looking out over the land

As they took in the scenery, the Ferris Wheel came to a stop

They glanced at the sky and the ocean from sitting way up at the top

While they sat there just glazing, they caught each other’s eyes

Bobby quickly kissed Carol, taking her by surprise

Carol, she got all flustered, not knowing what to do then

But it didn’t take her too long to tell Bobby to do it again

 

Chorus:

And that kiss went on forever, transcending space and time

Its beauty and its magic so simple and sublime

The two felt as we all feel, and they did what we all do

They returned to that sweet moment when they needed to get through

 

Verse 2:

Bobby and Carol’s romance sadly came to an end

Bobby had to move away; they swore they would stay friends

For some time they wrote letters to keep what they had alive

But pen and paper were not enough for their love to survive

Carol went on to high school, her courses all advanced

She was the perfect student, Cheerleader, queen of the dance

Bobby, on the other hand, he took another path

Cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol were more exciting than math

Despite their different directions, each of them carved out a life

Carol became a professor; Bobby had three kids with his wife

For the most part, their lives went well, no drama or major ordeals

But at times when things got rough, they returned to that Ferris Wheel

 

Chorus:

 

Verse 3:

Forty years flew by ‘til Bobby saw Carol again

They returned to the home town for a funeral of an old friend

At the church and the grave site, neither saw the other there

The ceremony ended, final condolences shared

Before Bobby headed back home, he went to the old neighborhood

To the park where he played baseball, and rode his bike through the woods

As he sat on that park bench, these words came to his mind

“If you swear, I won’t walk with you.” something Carol said all the time

Bobby’s thoughts were not imagined; they came from a voice that was real

From the girl standing behind him, the one from the Ferris Wheel

Not a word was spoken, when they caught each other’s eyes

But this time it was Carol who came through with the stunning surprise

 

Chorus: (two times)

 

Here is a link to the song on YouTube.  It’s an auto generated video created by CD Baby, our distributor.  If an ad appears when the link opens, click to dismiss it, and the song will start.  Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWbvauDgV5c&list=OLAK5uy_lKQ6DKjn_qKvAdU5tCD42gWuNb0g_MVW0

 

 

"CRYSTALS" (Back-story, Lyrics, and Music)

CRYSTALS (Back-story, Lyrics, and Links to the Song on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon)

Back-story:

Although I can’t pinpoint the exact day I threw my hat into the songwriting arena, I know it occurred sometime during my graduate studies stint at Colgate.  After I received my BA in English, I didn’t know where to go or what to do.  So, my advisor at Colgate encouraged me to stay on for one more year and get my Master of Arts degree in teaching English.  His reason for sending me in this direction centered on my sense of humor.  He felt mine was good enough to allow me to sustain a lifetime of exposure to adolescent behavior.  Well, I guess he was right.  After I finished my graduate studies, I spent the next thirty-two years in the classroom at Canandaigua Academy in Canandaigua, NY, and it truly turned out to be the place for me to be.

 During my graduate year, I lived in what was once a fraternity house.  After the fraternity closed, the house became a residence for a bunch of random characters whose only connection to each other was the university.  In fact, Colgate even called the place Random House.  Throughout the year I was there, life was somewhat uneventful.  My friends from college had moved on after graduation, and since I was taking graduate courses and student teaching, except for connecting with a few residents at Random House, I remained somewhat of a loner.  I lived in a little room on the third floor.  It had a slanted ceiling, and I felt like I was living in an attic.  There was nothing extraordinary about the room, but it has a special place in my heart.  It is here I wrote “Crystals,” my first song.

 I have read a lot of articles and books about songwriting and songwriters.  Willie Nelson, one of my heroes, once said that songs are in the air, and they are waiting for us to bring them into our souls and release them.  Well, “Crystals” certainly complied with Willie’s philosophy.  It came out of nowhere, and there were three elements that contributed to its development.  It came from analyzing my vision, reflecting on the literature of Ralph Waldo Emerson, and reminiscing about a summer I spent in Mansfield Depot, Connecticut, working at an institution for the mentally disabled.

Although I do not see anything, I do not live in total darkness.  What I see constantly resembles the stars people see when they are sharply hit in the head.  These little stars are in perpetual motion, and they look like little crystals dancing around in my eyes.  What is interesting is the crystals change their color according to the nature of the day.  For example, on a clear sunny day, the crystals take on a shade of blue, and on a cloudy day, they take on a gray hue.  After much contemplation, I concluded that my vision was merely reduced to a simple level.  When I had my vision, what I saw in life consisted of good and bad images.  After I went blind, the crystals merely became a symbol for those good and bad pictures.  Now, sometime during my reflection on these crystals, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s philosophy of acquiescence entered my mind.

Most people who experience a sudden loss in their lives tend to rehabilitate themselves with counseling.  I think this is a good thing to do, but unfortunately, I did not know this when I went blind in my teenage years.  Back then, my counselors became the great writers of literature, and for some reason, I became attracted to the great transcendental writers like Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman.  These guys excited me with many great ideas, and some of my favorites were simplifying life, living in the present, realizing one’s individuality, and acquiescing to the outcomes of life.  Well, when I was daydreaming about my crystals, the seminar I was taking about Emerson entered my mind, and I started musing about his thoughts on acceptance.  According to Emerson, we move through life experiencing a series of good and bad events.  We can’t control the events, but we can control our response to them.  We can either struggle with the ups and downs of life, or as Emerson recommends, we can flow with them.  So, as my crystals and Emerson’s philosophy of acquiescence merged, my stream-of-consciousness thinking drifted to a summer I spent working with the mentally disabled.

During the summer between my junior and senior years in college, I worked in Mansfield Depot, Connecticut, at an institution for the mentally disabled.  One of my fraternity brothers from Colgate got me the job, and I worked in a ward with “idiot savants” who were blind.  While most of these clients could not tie their shoes, they were geniuses when it came to music.  It was uncanny, and it was a terrific experience working with them.  As I reflected on the summer I spent there, I thought about some of the interesting experiences I encountered outside of work.  In a few cases, I got myself into some difficulties while I traveled around New England on my own.  Fortunately for me, all these problems had a way of working themselves out, and my life always returned to being stable.

Well, here it is in a nutshell.  The little blue and gray crystals I see each day, Emerson’s philosophy of acquiescence, and my adventures in New England aligned themselves with each other, and “Crystals” came to fruition.  It came out of nowhere, and I wrote the song in about an hour.  The only changes I ever make in the song occur in the last verse.  I can’t remember what the last verse originally was before the recording, and the last verse I currently sing is different than the one we recorded.  Nevertheless, my crystals continue to come up blue and gray, and I am still working at flowing with them.

“Crystals” is pure Americana.  It is a sensitive folk ballad depicting a philosophy you can follow as you move through the stages of your life.  The philosophy is simple.  Whether you are eighteen or eighty, your life will always bring you good and bad experiences.  You can either fight or flow with this cycle, and I, like my good friend Emerson, recommend flowing with it.

John and Joe Dady, Who are now members of the Rochester Music Hall of Fame,  back me up superbly on this one.  The sensitivity of this song is enhanced with the soft sounds of an acoustic guitar, a banjo, a bass, and drums.  If you decide to give this one a listen, pay special attention to when Joe introduces the banjo in the third verse.  It’s exquisite!  The soft sounds of the banjo-picking will give you a good feel for what those crystals are like when they are dancing around in my eyes.  Hope you have time to check it out!  I like it, and I hope you do, too.

 

Lyrics:

Verse 1

Hopped on a bus one day leavin’ my home town

We were crossin’ the Berkshires when the big old bus broke down

Well, there I sat with my guitar as quiet as can be

When the driver tapped my shoulder and said, “Kid, you gotta help me.”

He said we’d be awhile; he didn’t know what was wrong

And I could help him if I’d sing some simple little song

 

Chorus

So, I sing out about my crystals the kind I see each day

I say sometimes the crystals they come up blue; sometimes they come up gray.

 

Verse 2

Another time I was hitchin’ out of Springvale, Maine

I got picked up by a pretty girl her name was Mary Jane

She drove me down to Boston in time for my next show

Well, I thanked her nice and kindly, but she didn’t want to go

She said before she’d met me, things had been goin’ wrong.

So, I took out this old six string and sang this simple song.

 

Chorus

 

Verse 3

I was on my way to Concord on a bright and sunny day

When a nice old guy informed me, I was headin’ the wrong way

We stopped and talked awhile; he asked me if I’d mind

To answer several questions about this thing called being blind

So, I told him my life story, but I didn’t make it long

And as I left, I left him with this simple little song.

 

Chorus

 

Verse 4

So, the story goes on about my crazy life

And everyone keeps telling me that I should have a wife

Well, I got myself a partner who shares my highs and lows

She’s a sweet little gentle lady whose laughter makes me glow

And we got ourselves a sidekick who keeps us on our toes

And when he wants to go out, he just nibbles at my nose

And we spend our time together nearly every single day

And sometimes the crystals they come up blue; sometimes they come up gray

And sometimes the crystals they come up blue; sometimes they come up gray

 

Here is a link to the song on Spotify.  It is song #12 on Frank’s HOME TOWN 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/artist/03perFwSJxNrwGCkT8SMN0

 

If you would like to listen to some of our other songs and playlists, Here’s a link to Meyer and McGuire’s page on Spotify. 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1GOC4kV59Y5eVgIeuZjbJ8

 

Here is a link to listen to the song on Apple Music.  Again, it is song #12 on Frank’s HOME TOWN album.

https://music.apple.com/ng/album/home-town/253897216

 

Here is a link to listen to the song on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001O3OD64/ref=dm_ws_tlw_trk12

 

 

"The Good House Is Built upon a Rock (Back-story, Lyrics, and Music)

 

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