Something I enjoyed doing last year was contributing to a group effort in writing lyrics for a song.
With that in mind, I thought it would try that with this week's assignment . . . and see if anyone else would like to join in on this . . . ummhh . . . endeavor.
Here are some guidelines . . .
- Contribute a verse to the song . . . when someone else contributes a verse, you can then contribute again.
- Try to keep a consistent syllabic count throughout the song for the verses
- Add a chorus or bridge wherever you feel appropriate
- Make comments/suggestions
- Feel free to record the song
I'll start . . .
First time I saw her
Was at the Cadillac Bar
Swiggin' drinks with the fellas
And smokin' a cigar
With a mouth like a trucker
And a laugh like a hyena
This rowdy wild woman
Known as Tattoo Tina
Jump in if and when your muse moves you.
It's the rock that gives the stream its music . . . and the stream that gives the rock its roll.
First time I saw her
Was at the Cadillac Bar
Swiggin' drinks with the fellas
And smokin' a cigar
With a mouth like a trucker
And a laugh like a hyena
This rowdy wild woman
Known as Tattoo Tina
From the skull on her neck
To the chain around her ankles
She was covered in body art
That for now hid all the wrinkles
"All battles are first won or lost in the mind." - Joan of Arc
"It took me about 20 years to figure out how to write without inspiration. Thankfully, I got there." - Leon Russell
High five, Ernie
My turn . . .
First time I saw her
Was at the Cadillac Bar
Swigging drinks with the fellas
And smokin' a cigar
With a mouth like a trucker
And a laugh like a hyena
This rowdy wild woman
Known as Tattoo Tina
From the skull on her neck
To the chain ‘round her ankles
She was covered in art
That hid all the wrinkles
She walked up to my table
And drank my mug of beer
Then loudly proclaimed,
“I can out drink any man hereâ€
She slammed the mug down
Sat backwards in a chair
And stared while waiting
For my response to her dare
Oops, two verses . . . got carried away with Tina :mrgreen:
It's the rock that gives the stream its music . . . and the stream that gives the rock its roll.
Ken,
Here's a link to a picture to go with your Soundclick page of Tatoo Tina :lol:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/coolnewspics/26375477/
James
It's the rock that gives the stream its music . . . and the stream that gives the rock its roll.
My turn . . .
First time I saw her
Was at the Cadillac Bar
Swigging drinks with the fellas
And smokin' a cigar
With a mouth like a trucker
And a laugh like a hyena
This rowdy wild woman
Known as Tattoo Tina
From the skull on her neck
To the chain ‘round her ankles
She was covered in art
That hid all the wrinkles
She walked up to my table
And drank my mug of beer
Then loudly proclaimed,
“I can out drink any man hereâ€
She slammed the mug down
Sat backwards in a chair
And stared while waiting
For my response to her dare
I ordered twelve pitchers
And looked in her eyes
I could swear I heard hissin'
From the snakes on her thighs
Rock on!
D 8)
I'm nowhere near Chicago. I've got six string, 8 fingers, two thumbs, it's dark 'cos I'm wearing sunglasses - Hit it!
Cheers, DB
I drank and then she drank
My head began buzzin'
But when we finished those
I ordered another dozen
My stomach was bloated
And my speech was slurred
The room started spinning
And my vision was blurred
I woke the next morning
To the laugh of a hyena
And tattooed on my arm
Was “I lost to Tinaâ€
All the men were laughing
And I was laughing too
When they all showed me
They wore the same tattoo
:mrgreen:
It's the rock that gives the stream its music . . . and the stream that gives the rock its roll.
I think it needs a chorus in a couple of places . . . .to break up the narrative.
How about,
Beware, beware of women with tattoos
They'll drink to you drop
And leave you the bill for the booze
It's the rock that gives the stream its music . . . and the stream that gives the rock its roll.
I'd say you should try to get "Tatto Tina" in the chorus.
OK, then how about
Beware, beware of Tina with tattoos
She'll drink til you drop
And leave you the bill for the booze
I can change the title to Tina With Tattoos
It's the rock that gives the stream its music . . . and the stream that gives the rock its roll.
How about rhyming Tina with cantina?
....something like.....
If anyone can out drink you it's Tattoo Tina
she's the hardest working gal in any cantina
Ya know . . . I was thinkin' about calling her Tattoo Latina . . . hmmm (thinkin', thinkin', thinkin')
. . . and The Cadillac bar IS in Nuevo Laredo (been there) . . . right across the border from Laredo, Texas.
It's the rock that gives the stream its music . . . and the stream that gives the rock its roll.
Here is some more research data you can read through regarding the possible location:
http://www.travellady.com/Issues/Issue65/65-spirits.htm
Travellady MagazineTM
Cadillac Bar, Nuevo Laredo, Mexico
By Darryl Beeson
The Cadillac Bar has held dining and adult beverage court in the South of the border town of Nuevo Laredo since the 1920's. Moving to a new location (Victoria at Matamoras) about three years ago, what once could have been politely referred to as a nice dive is now a slick, appealing restaurant. Though Tex-Mex selections appear on the menu, Cadillac Bar is a destination for non-Cajun, Louisiana fare (as in fairly mild), maybe a steak or sandwich on French bread, but not cutting edge Mexican cuisine (i.e. on the menu are Enchiladas "Con queso Wisconsin", $94.5). The pricing, in pesos, converts at approximately 9 pesos to the dollar. Otherwise, just imagine that the pricing is that of a trendy Manhattan restaurant.
"In the early years of the Cadillac Bar, many people from Louisiana came across Texas to visit Nuevo Laredo," explains manager Francisco Jimenez, "so the menu is influenced by New Orleans."
Under Ensaladas (salads) on the menu, we find the "Dago, Combinacion de lechuga, tomate and camaron" $66.5 pesos. When was the last time that you saw a reference to Dago salad on a menu? Maintain your agitation, ignore your sensibilities, and just dine. Why, you ask? Because the food is tasty enough, but the drinks are sacrosanct.
If there is a rather big guy behind the bar, shall we say Gleason-esk, that is Poncho Dias, a Cadillac veteran for 35 years. What is that constant chipping noise? The barback is hacking away at a large block of ice with an ice pick. These are drinks made in the fashion that your Grand Daddy enjoyed. Crafted with love and shaken within a millimeter of pure frenzy.
Remembering the Louisiana connection, first order a Ramos Gin Fizz at the long bar. The sleek intemperance is frothy, ice cold, with a chalkiness within, served with the stainless steel shaker and a strainer, a bit extra ready to pour. Behave yourself, considering that a bartender, in a bar that shakes most drinks for a minute or more, might easily heft you by the collar and then again through the front door, closer upon your way back to the Texas border. You will behave yourself because you want another one of those fine drinks. Try a Margarita if you wish. They are delicate, lacking the acid bite of sufficient lime juice.
Pace your alcohol intake with a little soup, at first. Sopa de Tortga (turtle) en Farsa, La receta original de New Orleans $45.50 pesos or Gombo (seafood gumbo) de Mariscos, Lo clasico en Louisiana con almeja y camaron $64.50 pesos. Maybe move to a table and craft a dinner selection. Maybe not. Poncho Dias is looking better every minute.
In back of the long dining room is a glassed-in lounge with twelve television monitors tracking all manner of sport and race, with current odds on this visit for baseball, basketball, and World Cup written upon dry erase boards on the wall. You discover that the gin in the multiple Ramos Gin Fizzes does two things. It improves your unknown ability to speak Spanish. It provides insightful privity into certain knowledge of future sports outcomes. Do not enter this rear room, but instead turn right and visit the restroom where the outcome is much more predictable.
To get to the Cadillac Bar, go to Des Moines, Iowa and turn South on Interstate 35, traveling approximately 1,160 miles. Just before the border to Mexico, in Laredo, Texas, you may park your car (the parking above the Greyhound station is convenient and very secure) and walk maybe ten blocks to the border bridge. Upon crossing, it will be another ten blocks, or so, meandering to your right to reach the quadrant of Victoria at Matamoras.
Should you choose to take a car over into Mexico, you must secure special auto insurance before crossing, at approximately $30-$40 US per day, paid in advance (numerous vendors with large signage are in Laredo, Texas). As this is a town of many narrow one-way streets and difficult street parking, there luckily is a large, secure, multi-level parking garage adjacent to the Cadillac Bar (3020 Victoria, Nuevo Laredo, TAM, Mexico 867-713-30-20, www.laredorestaurants.com , 11am to 11pm Sunday through Thursday, 11am -1am Friday and Saturday with live music).
Darryl Beeson travels the world looking for great wine values. In the past, he has been wine steward or cellar master for The Mansion on Turtle Creek, Voltaire, and The Adolphus Hotel. Not one for stuffiness or secret handshakes relative to wine, this Texan might now be described as a "ki-yi-yippee sommelier, sommelier." Beeson reports on wine, spirits, food and travel for numerous publications.
Editors Note: We received this comment from a reader and wanted to pass it on.
Dear Travel Lady, One comment on the Cadillac Bar in Nuevo Laredo. You forgot to mention the goat. They have the absolute best spring goat in the world! Presentation is golden like a turkey, with crispy skin and delicious tender meat. And it doesn't' t have that wild goaty taste. sorta like roasted Lamb or dark meat Turkey. Lovely, simply lovely. I hope that this suggestion is considered for an upgrade of the web site. Unless, that is, your target market wont eat goat.
best regards,
Denis Alan de Shon
[email protected]
Copyright 1995-2008 TravelLady Magazine
OK, I think I hurt myself thinkin' . . . and reading about the Cadillac bar.
One quick anecdote about the Cadillac bar . . .
My wife and I were visiting her brother, Craig, who lived in Corpus Christi, TX at that time.
We drove down to Laredo and crossed over into Mexico. We went to the famous (or infamous) Cadillac Bar. Now, my wife's brother had a son, Jessie, who was a teenager. And there is no age limit for drinking alcohol in Mexico. So when the waiter came to take our order for dinner, starting with drinks, Craig allowed his son, Jessie, to order a drink (rites of passage and all). Jesse was stunned but quickly recovered and after a very awkward long pause, ordered a martini. We all looked at each other and suggested other possibilities but he had his mind made up and . . . a martini it was.
When the waiter brought all our drinks and we toasted, Jessie made the most gawdawful face when he took a sip of his martini. We all laughed and asked him why he ordered a martini. He said because he watched 'Mash' on TV (this was back in the 80s) and that's what they drank.
It's the rock that gives the stream its music . . . and the stream that gives the rock its roll.
Well, you can make Jessie the wild card and some how get him to out drink Tina....it might take some creative writing....but that's what this is all about....isn't it? :wink: .....another idea....maybe Tina is the devil and she tattoos the names of the souls she out drinks.....upon closer inspection of her tattoos, Jessie starts to make out some of the names.....Cletus, Pedro, Darrell and his other brother Darrell.... :roll:
