hey :)
i wrote the accordion song for vic (couldn't resist bringing a blonde little book thief along again.. :D hope you don't mind). i hope it feels at least a little like your song. and i wanted a happier ending for you, but the song felt pretty complete. well, anyway, rest assured, the pawnshop resurfaces in my mind :) hm.. and maybe replace the cats with neighbours or something else.
the tree song is for pbee, that is paul :wink: now i am not so sure anymore that it feels like something you would do. but i still hope you like it! and i really did think of the feeling your songs give me as i was writing this.. thought a bit jack johnson light-heartedness, too. it really is supposed to be a happy song :lol:
She still plays the accordion
I left my friend in a pawnshop
With a word stuck in my throat
And a loose telephone cord in my coat
At night I wander this city
I wander this city like a book thief
Turning corners and treading water
To find that shop window
Or a door that's not closed
I think the pawnshop is moving
And this is a labyrinth
This is a gamble
I cannot win
I sit on the stairs of my daughter's
And she still plays the accordion
The cats hear the notes, I hear the song
It's a beautiful little tune
I wish I could strum along
i'll be a tree
i'll be a tree
on a field dyed
poppy-red
i'll be a tree
on a hillside
in winter
i'll be a tree
on a landslide
or a dumpsite
oh, i'll be a tree
if laughter deserts me
i'll slow down my heartbeat
clamber the next hillside
raise my arms to the sky
and be a tree
the larks will speak to me
for my arms will not hold
they'll only sustain
the larks will speak to me
for they don't sing when
they are captive
oh, i'll be a tree
my troubles'll fall with my leaves
and, oh, though i like the grass under my feet now
and, oh, though i like to outrun the clouds
when my breath escapes me
i'll take to being a tree
i'll be a tree
hope you like it! and i hope both of you feel at least a little at home in your songs :D
cheers,
straycat.
[EDIT: now that i've seen all the other songs for vic.. i feel like my piece, definitely in terms of style, is much less vic than i hoped. but i really saw you walking along those streets. so.. let's say i wrote a vic-content song for you :wink: ]
"oh, eventually it will break your heart" - anders wendin
Hi Straycat,
I love "Ill be a Tree" but it will have to wait a few days before I can really look at it. As I type we are packing the car for trip up country to go to a Jack Johnson concert this evening :D , interesting that you should mention his name. When we return we are going to Split Enz concert the next night. The following night me and a friend of mine have our own little gig at a local pub so things are a little hectic at the moment.
cheers
Paul
okay, between you and Vic, I'm gonna have to read that book now, if only to find out what the accordian is about!
seriously though, its a v. v. kewl tune, and I'm lovin' the dylanesque telephone cord. :wink:
the tree song is GREAT! the other song is good too, but the tree song is great!
Closer than you think, Straycat - like Scrybe, I thought this was a little Dylanesque, and he's the songwriter I'd most like to be compared to....
Got some chords for this already - just tried them out, sound vaguely Dylany and I'll try and have a go at recording it tomorrow. I don't have an accordion, unfortunately - although I do have several harmonicas (harmonicae?) but that'd alter the sense of the song......I do have a keyboard, which DOES have an "accordion" setting - unfortunately it sounds as much like an accordion as Yoko sounds like John. However, there's a setting for an instrument called a "bandoneon" - anyone know what one of those is? - which DOES sound a little like an accordion.............
Busy old week - still working on Chefie's song as well - having a bit of trouble with that; because he's already put music to it, I've sort of got it in my head that that's the way it HAS to be done, even though I want LOUDER and Electric Guitar with distortion....
As for the Tree song, I think that's a lovely piece of writing, sort of wistful and slightly melancholy - now that would be easier to put music to!
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
hey..
take your time, paul :wink: i'm glad jack johnson wasn't too far off :lol:
skrybe, if you got a bit of spare time, do read it. i'm on the last 100 pages and it's been a marvellous walk so far. :D
thank you, pearl :D
i am happy you found yourself somewhere in there, vic :D and very curious to hear what you come up with! so great that you are giving it a shot! i am as much at a loss with the bandoneon as you are, sorry :wink:
i am also sorry if i made your song difficult to put to music ... if you're liking the tree song better, well, you're free to sing whichever song you want :lol:
thank you very much for your comments, everyone!
cheers,
straycat.
"oh, eventually it will break your heart" - anders wendin
Hi Straycat,
I had a chance to look a bit harder a your song and I really like what I see. In fact I would like to make some additional edits and change its structure a little bit whilst still remaining true to the intention (well my interpretation) of the song, so that I can record it, if that's ok by you.
Paul
of course, like i said to vic: the song is yours. feel free to change things around. very curious to hear what it sounds like!
cheers,
straycat.
"oh, eventually it will break your heart" - anders wendin
I really like this song and here is my attempt to put it to music. I have written around the original song and believe that I haven't changed its intention too much. Anyway here it is, mp3 can be found here:
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6409557
Anne, I hope you like it.
I'll be a tree
© 2008 Copyright straycat / pbee
I'll be a tree
on a field dyed poppy-red
I'll be a tree
on a hillside where the sun don't shine
Anytime you feel your on that slope
Just look to me to give you hope
I'll be a tree
I'll be a tree
On a landslide when it's raining hard
I'll be a tree
On a dumpsite or a boulevard
Any time you see the world all dull and grey
I'll give some colour along the way
I'll be a tree
And if the laughter deserts me
And my heart starts loosing time
I'll dig my feet into the ground
And raise my arms toward the sky
I'll be a tree
I'll be a tree
and the birds will speak to me
I'll be a tree
Where they can fly away cos they are free
Anytime you need to retreat
to come and go just as you please
I'll be your tree
I'll be a tree
wow, paul, this is beautiful! and it does have exactly the feel to it that i hoped for :D
and you did stay true to the intention. actually, your version feels more cohesive, more in one piece than mine. like the boulevard!
thank you!
straycat.
"oh, eventually it will break your heart" - anders wendin
straycat, thanks for the feedback, Im glad you liked it.
cheers
Paul
