1. |
Today, I Bought A Guitar
01:51
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Today, I bought a guitar
From a nice man named Steve
It's got a faint aroma of wine
I didn't notice until after leaving
And it's in great condition
Oh it's got real nice action
Oh yea, it plays like a dream
And Steve said he was glad
It'd be in good hands with me
He said he plays in a church band
And volunteers with the elderly
I said, "Steve, you're a better man than I could ever hope to be."
And we laughed and I went on my merry way
And then I came home to find
The styrofoam container
From my lo-mein last night
Chewed up and strewn
About the living room
And I had to laugh at the sight
'Cuz I knew that puppy dog couldn't help himself
It smelled good and he just had to have a bite
So I said, "hey, little guy, I'm not mad. No, it's alright."
And he wagged his tail and licked my face
And went on his merry way
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2. |
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I met Rodney in Chesterfield Valley
At St. Louis Bread Company
He informed me that he and Casey
Were considering touring
And it filled my heart
With oh so much pride
To have them invite me
Along for the ride
But I told him I can't commit to that
Because of my own aspirations I have
Playing for children in hospital wards
Performing in homes
With no amps and no cords
Finding the willpower, time, and money
To earn a music therapy degree
But outside my window
Sweet, chipper melodies
White-throated sparrow
Singing from her tree
But now with winter's
Cold fast approaching
Won't be much longer
'Til she is leaving
Monday I got a cortisone shot in my ass
To ease this inflammatory aching I have
Radiating from my lower back
Into my legs, man, makes driving a drag
Nurse gave me prednisone and Tramadol
And Methocarbamol to help me to fall
Asleep when I'm lying in my bed at night
Fitfully tossing myself side to side
My student's dad, Eric, was in a car wreck
Decades ago, chronic pain in his back
He recommended I see his PT
And I know I'm too sedentary
December 18th I go under the knife
Laryngoplasty performed by Eisenbeis
Read an essay he wrote about doctors' neckties
And whether they promote HAIs
I'll be sedated at Mercy round noon
Get an incision to hopefully improve
Timbre and volume whenever I speak
Which he said I shouldn't do for a week
After the surgery, I must, consciously
Concert to cease these compensatory
Habits I've formed quite instinctually
The incessant throat clearing
But then all of those
Sweet, chipper melodies
Will they still so
Far out of my reach?
Oh, now with winter’s
Cold fast approaching
These are the questions
I find myself asking
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3. |
Oh, Cherokee
01:31
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I saw the drummer from Sleepy Kitty
At the premiere screening I was attending
Last evening at Foam Coffee & Beer
He looked busy, probably writing a piece for his magazine
Hope he prints one about me this year
Oh, Cherokee!
God, what a scene...
It's a bit too hipster for me
So bourgeoise and faux artsy
But I wouldn't mind playing here regularly
I spend most my time out in Maryland Heights and the burbs
And I rarely journey out here
But my music's in All The Bosses
And Casey had asked me to play with her
At Earth Alchemy's
Grand Opening
Halloween Costume Party
And my girlfriend made these
Super tiny
Superman capes we're wearing
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4. |
Places I've Been
03:11
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Illinois and Florida Indiana South Dakota
Maryland I've been there twice
One time with my sister
She went with me when Taryn died
Oh, and also West Virginia
'Cuz my friend Phil was a member of
A church called Beautiful Savior
And I went with him on a mission trip
To an impoverished mountain town there
Michigan I should go again
To visit with my godparents
And when I was a kid my family went
Vacationing in Wisconsin
I went to Pennsylvania
With my high school girlfriend's father
To bring her back from ballet camp
Where she'd been felt up by some dancer
My friend got a farming internship
Afew years ago in New Mexico
And I rode with him while he drove
So he wouldn’t have to go so many miles alone
We stayed overnight in Amarillo
But the most I saw of Texas were the hotel pillows
Then I rode the train home through Colorado
Watching snow capped trees roll by the windows
While the guy next to me evangelically spoke of Warren Haynes’ solos
He had me listen to Whipping Post
From an Allman Brothers show
I found it awfully boring
Though I tried not to let my indifference show
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5. |
Mark, You're My Hero
02:02
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You have a way of doing what we do
I do truly admire
So it's no doubt true
My admiration for you
Has had no small influence over
The way I play guitar and sing my songs
Oh yes, your work informs them most
And I swear I do not mean to rip you off
I hope it doesn't get your goat
Because Mark
Oh, Mark
Oh yes, Mark
Mark, you're my hero
You're my guitar hero
You're not the type of guy to lay back
Resting on your laurels
You've written tunes
That are surely to prove
Themselves to be immortal
And oh how I listen to them
Time and time again
Ålesund, Track Number 8
Young Love, and Ben's My Friend
And Sunshine In Chicago
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6. |
When My Father Went
01:53
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My father died in 2002
It was my junior year of high school
He had a flute he kept on the sideboard
He always wanted to play but never learned
He had cassettes of Herbie Mann & Hubert Laws
He'd play on the tape decks of vans that belonged
To Tom McCullen, and to Richard Portner
A couple of men who my father worked for
Rolling and bagging, delivering newspapers
But always swung home to record Ghostbusters
Saturday mornings mid his longest route
I'm sure that he loved me
Of that, I've no doubt
But I was living at my aunt and uncle's house at the time
When my father died and
Autumn's friends came by
To tell me
And I ran up the stairs crying
Cuz I'd been blocking
The phone line with the Internet
When my father went
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7. |
Nowhere To Be Found
01:51
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The autumn leaves
Blow in the breeze
And suddenly
You are nowhere to be found
I wait for you
All afternoon
But when evening comes
You’re nowhere to be found
Fickle and fair-weather
Friend that you’ve been
Why should I care
When you reach out again?
You’re busy, I know
But then again
I could be the one to phone
Or send a message
The summer breeze
Blows through the trees
But suddenly
You are nowhere to be found
Searched up and down
The whole world round
No matter where I go
You’re nowhere to be found
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Isaiah Matthew Harris Saint Louis, Missouri
Isaiah is a teacher, songwriter, and composer in St. Louis, MO.
He enjoys cooking & baking, frequenting antique malls, sleeping on the couch with his dog, Davey, and spending far too much time on the internet.
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