Kris and Me

I decided that I want to write a song lyric. I know that I can. Writing good music requires sensitivity, a unique perspective, a point of view that others can identify with, and some twisted logic or evil intentions. I own all of this.

I'm working on a chorus that includes - "Drinking whiskey with no justification, and wasting your life with no explanation." I think the next line will be "You say that you're doing the best that you can"...... and of course the rhyme lines are infinite from there. The story will have things like "You keep your mistress on a bar stool beside you" and something about "your wife waits at home broken hearted and crying"

My inspiration is the writing of Kris Kristofferson and others like him who write powerful lyrics in a seemingly simple way. I love Dylan - worship the man - would fall on my knees before him if he were to randomly show up in Henniker - but his lyrics sometimes can be obscure. I don't mind this - I like a challenge - like to study the words and wrestle the meaning out of them - like to investigate the literary references - they always teach me things.

But Kristofferson makes me cry - blows me away with wonder - says powerful things simply. It is an absolute art, a talent, a divine ability to be able to blow you away with seemingly simple imagery. I will give you one example out of hundreds of Kristofferson gems.
It's a story about a man who loved his wife deeply and labored to give her material possessions, and as a result never gave her the love she desired. She turned to the arms of another man and her husband was caught completely off-guard and destroyed.

Darby's Castle: (Excerpts)

Oh, it took three hundred days, for the timbers to be raised,
and the silhouette was seen for miles around.
And the gables reached as high as the eagles in the sky,
But it only took one night to bring it down,
When Darby's castle tumbled to the ground.

Thought they shared a common bed , there was precious little said,
In the moments that were set aside for sleepin'.
For his busy dreams were filled with the rooms he'd yet to build,
And he never heard young Helen Darby weeping.

Then one night he heard a sound, as he laid his pencil down,
And he traced it to her door and turned the handle.
And the pale light of the moon through the window of the room,
Split the shadows where two bodies were entangled.

Oh, it took three hundred days for the timbers to be raised,
and the silhouette was seen for miles around.
And the gables reached as high as the eagles in the sky,
But it only took one night to bring it down,
When Darby's castle tumbled to the ground.

If those words don't blow your mind with directness and power, then you are either an idiot or dead or both. Hopefully dead - if you can't feel anything from that story I don't want you anywhere within 13 million miles of me.

One more perfect example - Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down. Look up the lyrics - better still - listen to the song. It will rip your heart out of your chest.

I ain't no Kris Kristofferson. Not even close. But I worship the way the man writes. I can't always just explode in a blog. I need in my soul to aspire to more. I got something cooking in my brain and I think it has potential. Imitating Kris and others like him. Just discovered Jamey Johnson. Love his lyrics. George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and on and on and on.

But Kris is king. Maybe I can get him to read my words and come to Henniker to meet me. I'm a dreamer. But dreams are my food in 2011.

Dig it, baby.