"Landslide" by Stevie Nicks / Dixie Chicks

Every so often my better half says, "Hey -- there's this song I want to sing." And then I say, "But my guitar only plays (played) one country song, and so ..." But since "Landslide" lyrics isn't originally a country song, it seemed like the right choice for this week's upload.

It's always a pleasure to do things with Jena -- work, play, you name it. And performing "Landslide" wasn't any different. She sings around the house more than I do, and now that such singing is on YouTube, it will last forever.

"Issues with Time"

This weekend's tune is "Issues with Time." I don't recall the origins of the song at all. There is a lyric, however, that reminds me of an old college girlfriend, and "Issues" may or may not have anything to do with her. Hard to say. The lyric is "I've bent down crippled / trying to raise a sun..." and my girlfriend's last name was Sunner. So, there may be a connection; they're may not be.

Chord-wise, like too many of my originals, this one is probably unnecessarily complicated. I have no idea what the two chords are over the verse--probably some kind of B and A, but of a jazz nature. The rest isn't a secret although the timing might be. It usually is. If I recall, during the breakdown my old drummer used to play in 4, knowing the guitars were not in 4, and somehow when the music returned to the lyrics, we were all back where we needed to be. Polyrhythms, baby.


ISSUES WITH TIME

i’m lost—all in your eyes

they’re  such—sweet disguise

i’m lost—all in your mind

you see only color blind

when i look at you—something strange over my body

another body left behind

i turn around to find you—sitting on a park bench right there

with the cigarettes and wine

chorus

in time—i will see your eyes, see through your lies

in time—should I forget your name…

each time—that i forget your name…

in time—should I forget your name

each time—that i forget your name

i’ve bent down crippled—trying to raise a sun

she’s been a bloody yellow one

and she says—that she don’t want to shine

she would rather be left to dry

but i can’t carry her—i am but a man

i have no reality but what i see

and i can see the faces of people come and gone

every face has something gone

chorus

"Pray Your Gods" - Toad the Wet Sprocket

I've been a big fan of Toad the Wet Sprocket for years. They write good songs that are pretty easy to play, that have pleasing melodies and what not. And their lead singer has a nice voice and can really sing in the pocket.

As for "Pray Your Gods," I take a few creative liberties with it, but they're minor--really just to make the tune congeal for me as a one-man-and-a-guitar thing. (Plus, when you don't look up the tab and let your ear do the playing, there's bound to be some ... creative differences ...) My finger picking isn't the best, but I don't let that get in the way. Each time, whether my fingers are fat or not, I enjoy playing the song.