The passing of Guy Clark has stuck with me.

I have traveled, found comfort, cried, wished and wandered inside his songs.

He ain't going nowhere, he's just leaving.

*****************************************************************

Thanks Marty for the simple truth!

5 Things That Make A Song Great
Marty Dodson

If you asked 100 people what makes a song great, you’d probably get 100 different kinds of answers, but I believe most of those answers would fall into these categories:

1)It makes me feel something. Great songs make you feel the feeling that the writer(s) had in mind when they wrote it. In fact, they generally make you feel the feeling they felt in the room that day. If it makes you laugh, it probably made them laugh. If it makes you cry, they probably cried while writing it.

2)It communicates a message that is clear. Very few great songs are nonsensical. I would bet that more than 99% of songs that are considered great communicate clearly.

3)It calls me to action. Great songs make you want to laugh, cry, dance, sing along, or even purchase the song. Great songs get us moving in some way.

4)Great songs tend to stand the test of time. Generally, they are not about trendy topics or fads. Instead, they talk about love, life, loss, etc. Those things never go away.

5)They touch on a universal truth or emotion. “Yesterday” by the Beatles touches on the universal emotion of longing for better days from the past. “I Can’t Make You Love Me” touches the universal emotion of being in love with someone who doesn’t love you back. “Dust In The Wind” deals with the universal question of “Why am I here?” and “What is the point of life?” Most great songs hit on big universal truths.

When you write, stay conscious of those 5 concepts and see if they improve your songs and get you closer to that “great” song that is inside of you!

*****************************************************************

My friend John has a new album ready to roll out. I can't wait!

Folks, send him $15 and get your signed copy via USPS.

Help a fellow songwriter.

https://www.gofundme.com/22ce3upw

You will not be disappointed!

*****************************************************************
I think I am in the million mile club.

Sitin' the last seat and smokein' Winston cigarettes and sippin' from my wrinkled brown paper bag guarding a pint of 100 proof Heaven Hill bourbon.

Just watchin' the world go by.

I Ride Greyhound

Ellie Schoenfeld


because it’s like being
in a John Steinbeck novel.
Next best thing is the laundromat.
That’s where all people
who would be on the bus if they had the money
hang out. This is my crowd.
Tonight there are cleaning people appalled
at the stupidity of anyone
who would put powder detergent
into the clearly marked LIQUID ONLY slot.
The couple by the vending machine
are fondling each other.
You’d think the orange walls
and fluorescent lights
would dampen that energy
but it doesn’t seem to.
It’s a singles scene here on Saturday nights.
I confide to the fellow next to me
that I suspect I am being taken
in by the triple loader,
maybe it doesn’t hold any more
than the regular machines
but I’m paying an extra fifty cents.
I tell him this meaningfully
holding handfuls of underwear.
He claims the triple loader
gives a better wash.
I don't ask why,
just cruise over to the pop machine,
aware that my selection
may provide a subtle clue.
I choose Wild Berry,
head back to my clothes.


But Walt, the poem was really about Duds & Suds.

I have a million wash belt buckle..................

Same as riding the Greyhound except I had a white dress shirt on with grey trousers and a six pack of Gobel in a wrinkled bag.

Watchin' my everyday stuff spin round and round. Had to wear my good clothes cause my favorites were dirty.

*****************************************************************
The Legend of the Cedar Tree

Cherokee

A long time ago when the Cherokee people were new upon the earth, they thought that life would be much better if there was never any night. They beseeched the Ouga (Creator) that it might be day all the time and that there would be no darkness.

The Creator heard their voices and made the night cease and it was day all the time. Soon, the forest was thick with heavy growth. It became difficult to walk and to find the path. The people toiled in the gardens many long hours trying to keep the weeds pulled from among the corn and other food plants. It got hot, very hot, and continued that way day after long day. The people began to find it difficult to sleep and became short tempered and argued among themselves.

Not many days had passed before the people realized they had made a mistake and, once again, they beseeched the Creator. "Please," they said, "we have made a mistake in asking that it be day all the time. Now we think that it should be night all the time." The Creator paused at this new request and thought that perhaps the people may be right even though all things were created in twos... representing to us day and night, life and death, good and evil, times of plenty and those times of famine. The Creator loved the people and decided to make it night all the time as they had asked.

The day ceased and night fell upon the earth. Soon, the crops stopped growing and it became very cold. The people spent much of their time gathering wood for the fires. They could not see to hunt meat and with no crops growing it was not long before the people were cold, weak, and very hungry. Many of the people died.

Those that remained still living gathered once again to beseech the Creator. "Help us Creator," they cried! "We have made a terrible mistake. You had made the day and the night perfect, and as it should be, from the beginning. We ask that you forgive us and make the day and night as it was before."

Once again the Creator listened to the request of the people. The day and the night became, as the people had asked, as it had been in the beginning. Each day was divided between light and darkness. The weather became more pleasant, and the crops began to grow again. Game was plentiful and the hunting was good. The people had plenty to eat and there was not much sickness. The people treated each other with compassion and respect. It was good to be alive. The people thanked the Creator for their life and for the food they had to eat. The Creator accepted the gratitude of the people and was glad to see them smiling again. However, during the time of the long days of night, many of the people had died, and the Creator was sorry that they had perished because of the night. The Creator placed their spirits in a newly created tree. This tree was named a-tsi-na tlu-gv {ah-see-na loo-guh} cedar tree.

When you smell the aroma of the cedar tree or gaze upon it standing in the forest, remember that if you are Tsalagi {Cherokee}, you are looking upon your ancestor.

Tradition holds that the wood of the cedar tree holds powerful protective spirits for the Cherokee. Many carry a small piece of cedar wood in their medicine bags worn around the neck. It is also placed above the entrances to the house to protect against the entry of evil spirits. A traditional drum would be made from cedar wood.