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SSG2 week 44 - Gringo Joe w/mp3

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(@scratchmonkey)
Honorable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 603
Topic starter  

Wow. This week was harder than it looked. For me. You guys always make it look easy. Anyways, here ya go... have at it.

week 44 - Gringo Joe

[v1]
Gringo Joe lives in Mexico,
he walks the shore every morn',
picking up shells
left by the swells
off a land where he wasn't born.

[v2]
A refugee from the land of plenty,
he couldn't take the pace anymore,
so he headed for Baja,
below Ensenada,
and decided to quit keeping score.

[chorus]
Gringo Joe likes living slow,
he's knocking them back every noon.
With a new persona
and a cold Corona,
ain't going back any time soon.

[v3]
As Gringo Joe makes his rounds, you know,
some people call him a bore,
he isn't local,
and he isn't loco,
he just doesn't care anymore.

[v4]
At evening he goes to the end of the pier,
watches the ocean swallow the sun,
plays his guitar
at the old oyster bar,
smiles at everyone having such fun

[chorus]
Gringo Joe likes living slow,
he's knocking them back every noon.
With a new persona
and a cold Corona,
ain't going back any time soon.

-- Scratch 8)

-- Scratch 8)


"...if heartaches were commercials, we'd all be on TV" -- John Prine
42


   
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 Celt
(@celt)
Famed Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 2649
 

Scracth,

This is great. It Really flows nicely. A friend of mine wrote a song called Goodbye Guitar Joe. Now I konw what Happened to him. Very nice imargy
shades of Buffet with Mexico, Corona, and all. The second verse really strikes me:

"A refugee from the land of plenty,
he couldn't take the pace anymore,
so he headed for Baja,
below Ensenada,
and decided to quit keeping score. "

The" decided to quit keeping score" part reflects where I'm at in my own life but that's another story. Every assignment seems hard to me . Sometimes it seems like "oh yeah the beach didn't Brian Wilson cover that what am I suppose to do rewrite Walking in the Sand or something" :lol: Anyway keep up the good work.

Celt

My SoundClick Page

Collaborations

" It's easier than waiting around to die" Townes Van Zandt


   
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(@sunsetncnja)
Trusted Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 40
 

Cool little song there. Reminds me of Roger Clyne with a coastal rather than desert flavor. (If you don't know Roger Clyne, his old band was the Refreshments, and now he heads up Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers.)

Also calls to mind this song I just heard that I think was Uncle Kracker and some country singer, "Sun Goes Down" I think. These lyrics create that same kind of relaxing vibe that listeners can let take them to another place. The connection between setting and character is really tight.

The verse that ends with the keeping score line seems like the money verse to me. The one that actually says what this thing is really about.


   
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(@beren)
Estimable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 72
 

Scratch
I love this song. That rhythm is really infectious. I know nothing about Mexico but this song really takes you there.
The second verse is my favourite - especially the way you throw in the place names.
I would give anything to be able to write an up beat little number like this.
Cool stuff
Beren

I'm one too many mornings and a thousand miles behind


   
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(@marvelousoptimist)
Reputable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 176
 

Scratch! Love it!!! Hooked me at the title and didn't disappoint. You've got catchy lines and a good hook to come back to. The chorus and verse three are my favorites of the bunch. Great flow. Great rhythm. Absolutely nothing I can see to change. One of your better songs I think. Even seems a bit *gasp* commercial.... but that's a good thing to me...

-marv

Andrew Delaney & The Horse You Rode In On ---> http://www.myspace.com/andrewdelaney

You can and should buy my album "Scoundrels!" in mp3 format on amazon.com or iTunes etc...


   
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(@straycat)
Noble Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 1282
 

man scratch, this has a great vibe:)

really enjoyed reading, kinda swayed back and forth while doing it:))

love the rhyme scheme and the 'persona' in the chorus is cool :wink:
kinda reminds me of 'pistola' by incubus:)

greets
bluenightangel

"oh, eventually it will break your heart" - anders wendin


   
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 Olav
(@olav)
Estimable Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 150
 

Scratch
Absolutely amazing.
How do you come up with this stuff?
Who in the world but you could come up with
“with a new persona and a cold Corona”?
That is just incredible.
Enjoyed reading it from start to finish.
Blessings. Olav


   
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(@cheapthrill)
Estimable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 224
 

hey scratch,

ok for once i have to say that the first time i read this song it didn't grab me. it might be because when i was reading it this morning i was talking online with a friend. but i have reread it and i like it. it is a nice break from the over emotional cryey stuff you usually write.

i love the rhyme sceam of rhyming the two short lines in the middle of each verse. that is also a great little thing, is that two short lines in the middle of each verse. makes the rhythem enjoyable with the laid back attitude.

the song that came to my mind when i read this was "that's why god made mexico" by tim mcgraw. the lines in this song are sung very slow.

great job scratch. i like it, everything is working perfectly here, the rhyme, rhythem, flow, imagery.

since marv mentioned it, i can see how this song could be thought of as being kinda commercial but there is nothing wrong with that. it is still a great read regardless.

keep up the wonderful work. like you could post anything bad. :D

still your biggest fan.
-CheapThrill


   
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(@sozay)
Estimable Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 173
 

Nice stuff scratch
Great story... makes me feel like going on holidays again and just watching the world go by... *sigh*

great stuff
sozay

currently number 60 in total posts... and shooting for number 1!!


   
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(@scratchmonkey)
Honorable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 603
Topic starter  

Hey! scads of thanks and gushing appreciation to MarvelousOptimist. And more thanks to Ja'mir for her relentless tag-lines "...can't wait to hear this..." "...will we get to hear this one..." etc...

It was enough to finally drive me to download audacity, and pick up a cheap-o mic at Radio Shack, and have a go at recording something. Which in turn actually forced me to consider a very basic chord progression for this song. Thing is, I'm a rookie at the guitar, and by no means ready for prime time. But I worked out the framework of a melody, recorded it, and sent it to Marv, who somehow managed to listen to that rough recording, and from it extract the very essence of what I was trying to convey. So,... if you're curious, have a listen.

For the first time in my life, I woke up this morning with a song running through my head, and it was mine! Very cool. Thanks to everyone in this forum for your guidance, feedback, encouragement, etc...

Marv's rendition of Gringo Joe

-- Scratch 8)

-- Scratch 8)


"...if heartaches were commercials, we'd all be on TV" -- John Prine
42


   
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