Hometown
http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=7318657
This town never quite fit in
Dressed in tom boy clothes
Shy to share a secret
That they'd already known
On parade day once a year
Dressed with too much pomp and flare
Head held just a little too high
But never seemed to care
chorus
This town, my hometown
It's different; yeah it's changed
Misunderstood but loved just the same
This town never quite lived up
To the dreams of these town folk
Eager tongues and hungry ears
Were quick to share town jokes
Pumps and sneakers; graffiti on bus stops
Stiletto high heels and bubble gum lip gloss
Bands and bleachers; Hail Mary passes
School girl dreams; homecoming dances
chorus
This town, my hometown
It's different; yeah it's changed
Misunderstood but loved just the same
This town, my hometown
It's difficult but plain
Change is the cold hard fact
but you learn; yeah you learn
and come back again
This town never did me wrong
But somewhere along the way
I kind of kept my distance
Said I'll see you 'round some day
This town went under the knife
The streets lit neon pink
Today children still in the park
And it made me stop and think
chorus
This town, my hometown
It's different; yeah it's changed
Misunderstood but loved just the same
This town, my hometown
It's difficult but plain
Change is the cold hard fact
but you learn; yeah you learn
and come back again
I surfed and found my hometown
Reunion scheduled for July
I remember her like yesterday
But back then she was a guy
Hey James
Not sure what's going on here . . . a town goes transgender?
An identity crisis? San Francisco?
Anyway, Soundclick was down so all I have is the lyrics.
Not sure this is any better . . . . but for,
This town never did me wrong
But somewhere along the way
I kind of kept my distance
Just said I was from LA
. . . I thought of this . . .
This town never did me wrong
But for reason's not clear
I could never admit (I could never tell anyone)
That I was from here (My hometown is here)
KR2
It's the rock that gives the stream its music . . . and the stream that gives the rock its roll.
You are fast James! :shock: Nice!
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
You are fast James! :shock: Nice!
Yeh, our little talk didn't work . . .
. . . so as soon as I find out where he lives, I'm sending some of my boyz over there . . . to "talk" to him. :mrgreen:
KR2
It's the rock that gives the stream its music . . . and the stream that gives the rock its roll.
Not sure what's going on here . . . a town goes transgender?
An identity crisis? San Francisco?
Well...well....uh...well...Let's just say I didn't think a traditional approach would have worked for me :?
...and I am not really sure how many will relate to this "feeling" :roll:
#1
I've been living overseas for almost 13 years (Bangkok). The times I visited home (LA or more specific Glendale) it feels like meeting an old friend who has gone transgender...you can talk to people from your past about the past you shared together, but that's not who they are now or you either...they are different you are different...same, same but different... Also, you know your just visiting, so there is no time to really develop any/many new experiences together...so there's just this kind of social awkwardness...
#2
Over the years as I have visited Glendale, it seems like a city gone through a beauty treatment...it's never looked as beautiful as it does now. In the past many years ago, Glendale had become popular because of an airport and there was an abandoned train station both long since gone and now it seems like a shopping mall boutique extravaganza! Planes and trains being boy toys...shopping being a girl thing....
....it was a lot easier to write a song about it than to try to explain the song :lol:
I will rethink that verse about cutting the LA reference...it's a matter of cutting a heart string, but maybe it needs to be cut so those San Franciscan types can relate better :lol:
Thanks
James
Glad you explained that James, I was a bit confused. Interesting concept on the change of the hometown though definatley. Haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but look forward to it.
In Space, no one can hear me sing!
Well James I think the extra days you put into this one have paid off. :D
I wish I could critique lyrics better. These lyrics sound good. Not much help am I. :? I'll work on it.
Not sure what is meant by:
It's difficult but plain
Life is the cold hard fact
but you learn; yeah you learn
and come back again
I like the guitar playing. Especially the ascending chords in the chorus and the squanky chord under the line "Life is the cold hard fact". The music after that reminds me of Elliot Smith.
Nice job.
Ernie
"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
Yeh, our little talk didn't work . . .
. . . so as soon as I find out where he lives, I'm sending some of my boyz over there . . . to "talk" to him.
I've been living overseas for almost 13 years (Bangkok)
Oh no, James, they know where you live now!!! I don't know how you'll hide in a population of only 12 million! :(
Yeah, the transgender think cracks me up... I wanna sing that song too even though your song makes me think of my hometown as incredibly normal. You know you've been in BKK too long when you start to think of innanimate things as being "ladyboys" (to use the BKK jargon).
I kind of kept my distance
Just said I was from LA
maybe "And said I was from LA" to more clearly connect to line about keeping distance from somewhere... I felt like "Just" implied that you were from LA but didn't want to elaborate.
Pumps and sneakers; graffiti on bus stops
Stiletto high heels and bubble gum lip gloss
Bands and bleachers; Hail Mary passes
School girl dreams; homecoming dances
I think the "bands and bleachers; hail mary passes" is a little out of place in this verse - good 'hometown feel', but definitely leaning towards the masculine of football - maybe focus on cheerleading or find other metaphors - perhaps about cheering to the crowd but not caring about the game?
Good stuff! Keep it up.
jeremy
And my Soundclick Page to listen to my song submissions: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=903876
You know you've been in BKK too long when you start to think of innanimate things as being "ladyboys" (to use the BKK jargon).
Jeremy,
Yeah, we just got back from Dream World...the ladyboys were out in packs and no one raises an eyebrow.
maybe "And said I was from LA" to more clearly connect to line about keeping distance from somewhere... I felt like "Just" implied that you were from LA but didn't want to elaborate.
You got the meaning of the line perfectly....so I would be changing it because.....lose the LA thing so it's a "generic town"? :?
I think the "bands and bleachers; hail mary passes" is a little out of place in this verse - good 'hometown feel', but definitely leaning towards the masculine of football -
Actually, that was what I was going for...the idea that someone is doing overly masculine things to cover up a femine side...that whole verse is a mix of masculine vs feminine...gender identity confusion
masculine
sneakers; graffiti on bus stops
Bands and bleachers; Hail Mary passes [Friday Night Football Games] Go Dynamiters!
feminine
Pumps
Stiletto high heels and bubble gum lip gloss
School girl dreams; homecoming dances
Well James I think the extra days you put into this one have paid off. :D
Ernie,
You know when you get THAT BUSY and life seems to go by in dog years, cause you're working like a dog :D ...so yeah, I guess extra days...minutes... :lol:
Not sure what is meant by:
It's difficult but plain
Life is the cold hard fact
but you learn; yeah you learn
and come back again
I think I am supposed to respond, "So what does it mean to you?" :lol: ....Yeah, that one is a bit open to add your own interpretation...for me, in the context of the song [although you can't really pick it up in the song] it's a matter of realizing that life changes even when you're away for the people back home..."Hey, Joe, What happened to your black sports car?" "James, I sold that like 5 years ago." "Oh ok...and you got married last summer right?" "No, it's been 2 years now" "Oh yeah sorry I forgot :oops: "
....it's about accepting change for what it is and moving on....
Thanks for the feedback, guys.
James
To me it means that life is difficult but the facts are plain for everyone to see. Things are always changing and moving on but we learn how to move along with it and deal with the difficulties and keep trying.
I guess I was trown by the cold hard fact line.
Ernie
"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
Was able to listen to it finally, I like the sound of the song, it was different from what I had in my mind, but it's pleasant to listen to, lyrics are still kind of strange to me, but who am I to talk about lyrics? :lol:
Nice recording!
In Space, no one can hear me sing!
Actually, I thought it presented a typical set of memories most of us have of where we grew up as where we went to school is an integral part of that. I looked up a load of my old school friends on Friends Reunited the other year and so many of them had done absolutely zilch with their lives, so the girl who used to be a guy in the final verse is making a massive "somebody did SOMETHING" statement and I think it works well.
It sounds good too. Keep 'em coming dude.
A :-)
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
masculine
sneakers; graffiti on bus stopsok, I got you. I guess I interpretted the graffiti as a make-up thing - sort of girlish, but that makes more sense... oh, i see why, you said "pumps and sneakers" in your lyrics - pumps definitely make me think "girl" - maybe something guy here instead.
masculine
sneakers; graffiti on bus stops
Bands and bleachers; Hail Mary passes [Friday Night Football Games] Go Dynamiters!
feminine
Pumps
Stiletto high heels and bubble gum lip gloss
School girl dreams; homecoming dances
Pumps and sneakers; graffiti on bus stops
Stiletto high heels and bubble gum lip gloss
Bands and bleachers; Hail Mary passes
School girl dreams; homecoming dances
ok, I'm thinking this - i understand now the distinction you are trying to make, but i didn't think it was clear in the lyrics - maybe switch back and forth clearly from masculine to feminine to masculine to feminine... line to line. And maybe even 'bands and bleachers' isn't masculine enough (if you want to be severe) - put them on the field in a huddle or something
:idea:
Guns and sneakers, graffiti on bus stops
stiletto high heels and bubble gum lip gloss
death and destruction, hail mary passes
School girl queens; homecoming dances
ok, that's a bit severe... I don't expect you to use my substitutions, but I maybe you get my point.
jeremy
And my Soundclick Page to listen to my song submissions: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=903876
Jeremy,
Thanks for the suggestions. I think for now I will leave it as is...I just wanted subtle hints and save the punch line for the last line...but again this was about a city becoming more feminine or beautiful over the years, more than an actual character I was trying to develop, so I didn't want to lean too far one way or the other...like you said I chose the football game type things because they are easy to associate with hometown pride...but if I was wanting to push it more strongly, you have a clear line of thought with good descriptive imagery. Thanks....Now that you mentioned that graffiti as makeup, I remember makeup being called "war paint" before...it should be a nice nugget into a song down the line. :D
Alan,
Thanks for your comments. I looked up something similar about old school mates called classmates.com....as I was recognizing some pics I was thinking...that guy was a jerk...nope I didn't like him...etc and I thought you know I should just let the past stay buried in the past :lol: The weirdest thing is the one friend I have from high school is someone I never would have imagined we would stay in touch, but music was a passion for both of us so we kept looking each other up to help out on projects...We didn't even like the same type of music, but we were both willing to help out and also have someone to call 911 [police emergency] if one of those music equipment purchases from private owners went wrong...I definitely would not trot around LA like we did back then...oh to be naive and young... :roll:
lyrics are still kind of strange to me,
Joe,
Thanks for the listen and comments. It's a fair comment, I feel I am pushing my boundaries a bit to see how vague I can be but still have some meaning to myself...I see this type of songwriting more like painting with words versus story telling or maybe a hybrid of both...my hat still tips to straycat...she really has a niche for it...and Dylan has been coming up with some clever lines that I can't shake down his muse to share with me :lol: so far this story telling idea seems to help me get the flow going, so I am riding that wave....musically, I am singing bits and pieces of singers I like, but I don't seem to be sounding like them so I guess it's working...i am still trying make sure i am not just singing the same song with different words each week...that's where you all come in to help :mrgreen: bust me if you hear...hey that was the same as 2 weeks ago! :roll: or something like that.
To me it means that life is difficult but the facts are plain for everyone to see. Things are always changing and moving on but we learn how to move along with it and deal with the difficulties and keep trying. I guess I was thrown by the cold hard fact line.
Ernie,
I went ahead and changed "life" to the word "change"...I am not sure if it makes anything much clearer....Thanks for the feedback. :D
Thanks to all for the listen and posts! :D
James
