As Luck Would Have Us

© July 2011 Fort Creek Songs

The intro to this one has 4 part harmony (when Rachelle isn't too shy to sing it) 

sort of sounding like a Gregorian chat hymnal.  I'm not really sure what the 

words mean but I particularly like the last two sections.  The song builds starting 

with just vocals and electric guitar.  Then Rachelle comes in on bass, the 

drums enter very sparsely, Carl's pedal steel comes in nicely on "snowflakes 

carried away" and lastly Jay plays a great riff on acoustic guitar.  It's sort of

in the style of the band Palace. 

Jul 18 '11
 
B           .   E
Oh-uh-oh oh (with long rests b/t)
Oh-uh-oh oh
Oh-uh-oh oh
  F#
Oh-uh oh   x2
 
B                  E
Fate breeds a cover
A lie to your brother. 

                                    F#
Fate leads a good man astray
And fate is a sinner that knows of the winter, 

the season of penance awaits.

Sort of a Chorus: 

 E.                        F#.               B                       E
But luck seems to find you and cleans up behind you
And puts all the pieces away
Luck has a secret and begs you to keep it.
Luck will lead the way.

Sleep will release you like birds in the rear view. 

Like snowflakes carried away.
And dreams piece together a life from the nether. 

A spark that lights up the way 

Oh-uh-oh oh section with cool walking bass
 
Hate seems to gather in white hot lather 

there in the corners of your lips.
And hate burning brightly visits you nightly 

to flame on in righteousness. 

Sort of a Chorus: 

But love will flow outward and never exhaust
And folly's a blunder who knows not the cost
Of living for each other in rhyming history
The monumental life in present company
Our life as an art work complete.
 
Oh-uh-Oh section with long rests x 3

Madam Nula Mae

© August 2011 Fort Creek Songs

Here's one I had fun writing. Not sure if it's going to see the light of day with Porter but it made me laugh when I wrote it.  It's a simple song in the Country & Western tradition of the spoken-word-story-telling-type typified in "A Boy Named Sue". 

Madam Nula Mae's
 
Aug. 19 '11
C 
She shut the door and her skirt fell to the floor.

                                                                      G
"For your first time I got something special in store."
F                                                    C 

In her eyes was a connection to the past

          G                                                         C
The oldest profession, "Tonight won't be your last."
 
Before Daddy worked the madam in the foyer,
I had settled on the one that they called Glory.
She smelled of lilacs and wore Chantilly lace
I smelled of fear moving up that curved staircase.
 
Chorus

F
The night my daddy took me to Nula
C
May's
F
My life was changed in oh so many
Am
ways
F                                                C    b Am
The stars up on high were shining big and bright
F                            G
And that 'ole Glory fixed me up just
C
right.

 
In stormed her man Duke, three sheets to the wind.
"Goddammit woman,  I told you never again
leave our place without cookin' me no
C b Am
dinner."
Then Duke proceeded to try to do her in
 
 
Duke saw me trembling and let out a loud guffaw
"This sorry boy ain't man enough to stick in your craw."
I saw red and charged his drunken ass, 

Tripped on her bra and knocked him out the glass.
 
Chorus:
The night my daddy took me to Nula May's
My life was changed in oh so many ways
The stars up on high were shining big and bright
And that 'ole Glory fixed me up just right.

The fall broke his neck and Glory flew into a rage
Now my neck is next as I sit here in this cage
Jailer please send a message to my ma.
Tell her "I'm sorry I ended up on the wrong side of the law."
 
Chorus:

The night my daddy took me to Nula May's
My life was changed in oh so many ways
The stars up on high were shining big and bright
And that 'ole Glory fixed me up just right.

And that 'ole bitch she fixed me up just right. 

Ode to Northern Ontario

© March 2011 Fort Creek Songs

Here's a song with no home.  I'm not going to push to play it in Porter because 

it's out of my vocal range (I do that a lot - write vocal parts that have notes I can't 

reach - high and low. - It doesn't help that my singing range is very limited and 

my melody ambitions can be too large) .

When I tried to get people together to record it last summer with Julia on vocals and 

Anthony on drums, it just didn't get off the ground.  Maybe I'll try again this summer.

It's written in the style of a Joel Plaskett song (The Day You Walked Away) with 

some similar falsetto parts.

Bizarre footnote to this one:  The first verse is about being protected from earthquakes

by the Canadian Sheild.  I wrote this 8 days before the 9.0 earthquake that caused 

the Fukushima nuclear disaster.  Dun dun DUN! 

March 3rd
E               C#m          G#m.           B
Canadian shield protect us with your rock
E.                       C#m
When other lands tremble and shake
G#m.                   F#m
you will hold still stock
E.              C#m.                     G#m
Your bones exposed are sliced to bring
A
our veins forth
E.                C#m.             G#m
And take us back to our home in the
E
familiar north

Chorus:
E
All the voices call from all around
G#m      C#m        B
bringing peace to this our native
F#m
ground
Reaching higher to become our dreams

                                                            E 

And standing up for those without the means

 
Red Sugar maples feed us with your stock
While other trees soft and frail your branches, strength aloft
Your limbs are stripped and carved
into the neck that plays
the songs of our country
throughout our salad days

Chorus

All the voices call from all around
bringing peace to this our native ground
Reaching higher to become our dreams
And standing up for those without the means

 
Great Lakes waters slake our
  thirst upon your shores
Mishibeshu's home in ancient peoples lore
While other bodies dry
  your face shines brilliantly

Fortune's children spend summer nights cooling in its breeze
 
Chorus
All the voices call from all around
bringing peace to this our native ground
Reaching higher to become our dreams
And standing up for those without the means

Katy Bar The Door

© June 2011 Fort Creek Songs

Welcome back to my continued attempt to keep this blog going 

with my "These Are The Songs I've Written In The Past Few 

Years" series. I gotta get a better title for this series. 

When I looked at the the "written on" date for this one I 

was mildly surprised to see this song is a year old already. 

The reason for that surprise being that Porter has just played 

this song live for the first time at our last gig on June 2nd 

so it still feels like a new song. 

"Katy bar the door" is a phrase meaning "get ready! Shit is about

to go down!"  I took it and wrote a song about a woman name Katy.

Here's the suspected origin from Wikipedia: 

Catherine Douglas, later Catherine "Kate" Barlass, was a historical figure who tried to prevent the assassination of King James I of Scotland on February 20, 1437. She was a lady-in-waiting to his queen, Joan Beaufort.
She was a member of the powerful Clan Douglas. Her mother was a daughter of David Lindsay, 1st Earl of Crawford and his wife Elizabeth Stewart daughter of Robert II, making her a first cousin once removed of the King.
Legend has it that during the King's stay at a Dominican chapterhouse in Perth, a group of men led by Sir Robert Graham came to the door searching for the King in order to kill him. The King's Chamberlain, Robert Stewart, Master of Atholl, aware of the plot against his life, had taken the precaution of removing the bolt from the door of the room in which James and his queen were staying.
James fled into a sewer tunnel as the queen and her ladies quickly replaced the floorboards to hide his location.^[1] Catherine sprang to the door and placed her arm through the staples to bar the assassins' entrance.^[2] However, they forced the door open anyway, breaking Catherine's arm, and discovered and killed the King. From that point on, according to the story, Catherine took the surname of "Barlass".

The chords are based on an Irish Jig (they're pretty much "Irish 

Washerwoman"). This one is played on the banjo.  I really 

like the lyrics to this tune.  Greek Mythology, sailing jargon 

and fire policies of the ancient Romans (they wouldn't put out

your house fire till you paid them) are all woven in there. 

June 02 '11

G                                                  Am              D

Katy bar the door.  There's trouble rising up.

G                                                                    C     D 

The bills have all come due and your fathers in his cups. 

G                                           Am                  D 

Take your silver coin and bury it in the field.

G                                      D                               G               C      G 

Your thread of life has not been cut. The Fates have yet to yield. 

Chorus:

G                              D

Katy bar the door Katy bar the door 

C                   G       D             G              C         D      G 

Take your silver coin my dear and hide it in the field.
Katy bar the door
Katy bar the door
If you want to get to heaven you'll just have to wait in line.
 
 
Jonah reef the sail.  Be ready.  Deploy the drogue.
The wind is howling wild and there's water in the hold.
The captain's overboard and above the din he cries:
"Who goes to sea for pleasure would go to hell to pass the time."
 
 
Jonah reef the sail
Jonah reef the sail
Who goes to sea for pleasure'd go to hell to pass the time.
Jonah reef the sail
Jonah reef the sail
If you want to get to heaven you'll just have to wait in line.

Bridge:

Sing a bunch of Oooohs over

Am Em F G x 2

Em Bm C D

Opening Riff 

 
Katy bar the door
There's trouble on it's way
The fire licks the trees and devours bales of hay.
Fire brigade is here but have yet to form a line.
Pay the chief his asking price.  You're running out of time.
 
Katy bar the door
Katy bar the door
Pay the chief his price because you're running out of time.
Jonah reef the sail
Jonah reef the sail
Who goes to sea for pleasure'd go to hell to pass the time.
Katy bar the door
Katy bar the door
Take your silver coin my dear and hide it in the field.
Katy bar the door
Katy bar the door
If you want to get to heaven you'll just have to wait in line.
 
 

A Prayer For The Traveler

© Apr 2012 Fort Creek Songs

Here's my latest complete song.  (I do have some newer lyrics but haven't

put them to music yet.)  Porter hasn't tried this one.

Received the melody for this one while falling asleep about to

take a nap. Laura said it sounded like a traveling song so I wrote the lyrics

around that theme.  I don't know what key I'm going to put it in so once I figure

that out I'll come back and put the chords in here. 

A Prayer for the Traveler
Apr. 22 2012

Whistling intro
 
Head out of town
Head in the clouds
Headlights on the road
The gift of grace bestowed
 

Chorus:
Lead me with true navigation
Under moon or sun
Take me to my destination
Get me there on time
Keep me between the lines.
 
Keep a steady hand
With watchful eye on the land
When danger is near
A warning sign send to appear.
 

Chorus:
Keep me free of complications
Under moon and sun
Saying prayers and incantations
To get me there on time
Keep me between the lines
 
Not on any map
Folded hands in my lap
The journey is the reward
Carry me safely to you, O Lord
 

Chorus:
Give me strength for complications
Following true navigation
Planets line in exaltation
To get me there on time
Keep me between the lines
The road I take is mine
My soul to be refined

Tomorrow Can't Wait

© Oct 2010 Fort Creek Songs

I think this song is the first one where I "discovered" my present 

dominant technique of song writing. I don't write all my songs using 

this method but many of them follow this way. 

So here it is:  Sometimes when I am in that transition phase of 

awake and sleep, (I believe the term for that is the hypnagogic 

state), a melody begins to play in my head.  I will rouse myself 

(the most difficult part - missed some melodies 'cause I didn't 

wake), grab my digital camera on my nightstand 

(placed there for just such an occasion), set the camera for video 

and hum the melody into the camera microphone.  Good thing

Laura is a very sound sleeper! The next day I go back and listen 

to what I've been given. It's usually a strong enough melody to 

build a song around.  

As for lyrics, I remember more than one musician (Mick Jagger 

and Tom Waits are two I can specifically remember) mentioning in 

interviews that the best songs they write are ones where they just 

flow out of them and take very little time to write.  I also take 

inspiration from the fact that Neil Young has something like 400 

songs - many great ones but plenty of stinkers.  When I used to 

try and write songs I would be paralyzed with fear that my song 

would suck.  I wanted to write the BEST SONG EVER and with that 

looming over me it's no wonder I would never even start. 

So taking the two points above what I do now is: 

1) try to write the lyrics as fast as possible without editing anything 

that comes into my head and 

2) don't beat myself up if the lyrics aren't great. 

"It's just a song" is my songwriting motto now and it has allowed 

me to produce a whole bunch of material (good quality and 

not-so-good quality).

So on to "just" this song.  I'm not a big fan of the lyrics on this 

one but que sera sera.  It's just a song.

John said the melody to this one sounds like a commercial jingle 

and Jay compared it to a Leon Redbone-type song. It is very 

catchy and gets a very good crowd response when we play it 

live (which we don't do very often). This one gets neglected 

in Porter for some reason but I can't figure out why. It has a 

freakin' Kazoo solo people! Jay also solos on the mandolin too. 

I alternate between playing guitar and banjo on this song 

depending on mood (but I think the banjo suits it better). 

Wow - what a pre-amble!  Anyway, here's the song:

Bb          Cm

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha 

F                Bb

Ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha ha ha ha  

I ain't gonna wait for tomorrow
It's already late

Awoke from a dream I was having
It was half past 8
Hit the shower, shoes and the sidewalk
And I'm off on my way
There's a bright sun shining in the sky today

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

ha ha ha ha ha 

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha ha ha ha  

The longer I wait for tomorrow

The shorter it gets
Mechanical lines in the alley

Feed into the jest.
Walkin' back and forth on the pavement
setting shoes alight
Man I wish the stars were out tonight

Bb Cm F Bb

Kazoo solo

Mandolin solo

 
         D#   Dm  Cm  Bb   Cm 
Cause I've had all this time

       D# Dm Cm   Bb   F

And I made up my mind
I ain't waisting no more time

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha ha ha ha

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha ha ha ha  

 
Cause I've had all this time
And I made up my mind
I ain't waisting no more time

 

Fads (The Way The Money Goes)

© Sept 2011 Fort Creek Songs

Here's a new-ish one. 

The intro to this song started as a riff for The Octoberists that was never

fully fleshed out. With Amber's cello soloing over top, it gave the song 

a haunting, plaintive feel.  I actually based the riff on 4 notes from the 

Aria from Bach's Goldberg Variations. When I brought it to Porter, Jay took 

it into an entirely different direction with a sinister line he played under it. 

Rachelle and Carl both have pretty intense solos in this one with Rachelle 

really going off at the bottom end and Carl screaming out some high notes. 

After the intro it slows right down into a Neil Young (Cortez the Killer) type song.

The Way the Money Goes
Sept. 30, '11
 

Em                       Bm7
Daylight broke in gently.

Am7                              G
Roused her up out of her bed.
With delicate fingers waking
Passing through the hair on her head
 
The silence of the morning lay across 

the house like a blanket of wool
She wrapped those fingers around a cup of tea
And sidled to the windowsill.
 
Chorus:

(Some D chord)           Cmaj7
All              the          people

D-ish chord                         Cmaj7
Chasing the fads like they're hungry ghosts

D-ish chord                        G
That's the way the money goes.
 
Pacing across the apartment at night
He had a lot of words stuck in his head
Questioning the pieces of his little life
To be of use before he was dead
 
She hid some coins in the cushions of the couch
So he could get a bite to eat
Streetlights go out one by one
As she passes underneath.

Chorus:

All the people

Chasing the fads like they're hungry ghosts

That's the way the money goes 

Close Your Eyes Dear

© Dec 2010 Fort Creek Songs

The chorus of this one started out as a lullaby I made up for 

my daughter.  I didn't think bar-goers wanted to be lulled to 

sleep so I picked up the pace and wrote the verses closer to 

the experiences of a young bar go-er. 

Capo on the 2nd fret - the chords indicated are not the 

actual chords played but the chord shapes:

G a Bm        D
Close your eyes dear,
Bm a G
Close your eyes
b d Em G
Sleep will be here
e d C
Don't you cry
c e d D
In the morning we'll be fine

              Bm     D
So close your eyes dear

              G
Close your eyes
 
G
Remember nights out in the city
We were young and we were pretty
Bm     D
Voices shouting out
 

G 
Where were you when we were singing
Laughter at the histories given
Bm    D 

Kept on ringing out
Em G
They were missing out
G  D
Made us scream and shout
 
Chorus 

G

Close your eyes dear close your eyes

C

Sleep will be here don't you cry

D

In the morning, we'll be fine

G

So close your eyes dear. Close your eyes.

Walk down to Em C D G
Em C G
 
Bellied on up to the bar
Our money didn't get too far
Buying the next round
 
Made it to the basement door

I missed a step and I hit the floor
Face down on the ground
 
Teeth were missin' out
Made me scream and shout
 
Chorus

Uh oh uh oh uh oh

Uh oh uh oh oh

Uh oh uh oh uh oh 

Walk down to Em C D G
Em C G 

Morning light, not in the mood
The dogs are lookin' for some food
Need to be let out
My clothes were slept in, my mouth is dry

A pledge to keep away from rye
Right back to the start
 
Feel like bustin' out
Please don't scream and shout

Chorus

Uh oh uh oh uh oh

Uh oh uh oh 

oh uh oh uh oh 
Walk down to Em C D G
Em C G   X 2

All The Bottles Downed (Come Whiskey, Come Wine)

© Oct 2010 Fort Creek Songs

Hi. Me again.  Two kids under two.  Lack of time, too tired, 

blah blah blah and all those other excuses. 

My main outlet for writing is now in the form of song and 

performing them with Porter, my alt-country/classic country band. 

(We're playing Loplops tomorrow, June 2, 2012) 

With that in mind and an eye towards posterity, I'll be publishing 

all the songs I've written here. 

This is one of my early contributions to Porter. 

It's in the style of that one/two, train-style country song similar 

to Johnny Cash and June Carter's "Jackson".  There is a version 

of it on our ReverbNation page HERE 

It was a little bland for our tastes so Jay (I think it was) suggested 

to change keys twice (for a total of 3 keys in the song) which 

resulted in good effect. 

C  

If wishes were horses then beggars would ride. 

                                   G 

If I could be home right now. 

F 

I'd tip back a few 

              C 

And I'd wander the town  

G                                       C

Finding a ditch for me to drown
 
It's 200 miles till I rest my head 

and it seems the night has no end.   
It's hot and it's humid and I don't have a lead on 

where I can find myself a bed. 

Chorus: 

F                          C 

Come whiskey, come wine, come beer and gin 

F                          C 

Through all of the bottles I have downed 

F                                          C 

I won't tell you twice. You've had your last chance. 

G                                         C 

Next time I put you in the ground.

D

Sew his footprints to your dress 

                                    A 

and walk to the market alone.

G                                            D 

You've thrown in your lot with a helluva man. 

A                                          D 

Time to reap what you have sown.

Chorus: 

 G                                       D 

Come whiskey, come wine, come beer and gin 

G                                       D 

Through all of the bottles I have downed
G                                       D 

I won't tell you twice. You've had your last chance.
A                                       D 

Next time I put you in the ground. 

A  
If the queen had balls then she'd be the king. 

                                             E 

If I could read the writing on the wall. 

D                             A 

If I get my gun, and I bring you down 

A                                       A 

would I get satisfaction after all? 

Chorus: 

D                            A  
Come whiskey, come wine, come beer and gin 

D                                             A 

Through all of the bottles I have downed

D                                             A 
I won't tell you twice. You've had your last chance.
E                                    A 

Next time I put you in the ground.

E                       A    E  A 

Next time I put you in the ground.