Blues references needed....

  • Thread starter Thread starter Aaron Cheney
  • Start date Start date
Aaron,

How about:

Route 61
Beale Street in Memphis
Red Beans and Rice
Cornbread
The Apollo Theater
Prison
 
Aaron Cheney said:
Yes, I suppose the fact that I even had to ask if anyone would get those references was answering my own question. And your Led Zep point is sadly funny and true.

However, phrases like "If you aint lived them they dont sound authentic!", or "If you need others to tell you what the blues feel like, you should most likely be writing a pop song." are just cliche.

I wasn't asking what the blues feels like anyway. I was simply asking for a list of blues lore references for a lyric I'm working on; similar to looking through a rhyming dictionary for possible rhyme ideas. I'm sure even Robert Johnson himself had to sit and think out his lyrics, gather ideas, work out rhymes and such. I mean, c'mon.... no one believes all that crossroads stuff is real.... do they....??


A
www.aaroncheney.com
Aaron,I wasnt trying to be confrontational,but rather make a point.(after reading over my post I do see why it was taken that way though,and I apologize)
It is good that you mention Robert J.Take a listen to the original
version of sweet home Chicago.It is a perfect example of some-
one writing a song about something they know nothing about.
R.J. thought that Chicago was in the land of "Californu".He was
singing about a place he had never been(yet)and it is pain -
fully obvious in the lyrics.His contemporaries were aware that he was a geographical illiterate and changed "the land of californu" to "that same old place".
Point being:sing about your own experience and your tune will
be better because of it.Sing about someone elses and it will be
obvious.
 
Yeah, I get where you're coming from. I'm sure my being so vague isn't helping either. I'll go ahead and show you guys the lyric. Like I said, I've just had a real bad experience w/ someone stealing my lyrics, and I'm very gun-shy right now. I'm sure you are all honorable people, and damn it (sob) I've got to learn to trust again! baby steps....baby steps.....


Blues Found Me
by Aaron Cheney
copyright 2004 Lucky Seven Songs

Ain't never seen the Mississippi
Ain't never been to New Orleans
Ain't never picked me no cotton
Ain't never eaten collared greens.

Ain't never been down to no crossroads
Ain't never owed the devil pay
Ain't never heard his Hell-hounds howl
Blues found me anyway

(Chorus)
And it's heavy like a hammer in my heart
I can feel it in my blood and sweat and bones
Gonna make me wail and cry
Haunt me 'til the day I die
I tried to run
I tried to hide
I tried to pray
Blues found me anyway


Ain't never been a voodoo chile
Ain't never seen a Texas flood
Ain't never met no alligator
Or walked in Delta mud

(Chorus)


So that's what I'm working on. There are a couple lines in there that are weak, and I'm looking for some ideas.

A
www.aaroncheney.com
 
I always wanted to use " Fo-Do Roadmaster" or , to be more authentic, "Fo-Do Mode-raster"


This is real blues conversational language, straight from "chicken-bone alley"

How 'bout

"Ain't never drove a Fo-Do-Mode-Raster
"Down Chicken-bone alley.

FYI..."Chicken-bone alley" is the road (whichever one you take)that goes from Memphis to Chicago and vice-versa.
Been logging a lot of miles up and down with "Spam-n-Velveeta"in a Fo-Do ModeRaster.
The 'chicken-bone " part refers to the practice of buying a bucket of KFC to eat on the road, and throwing the bones out the window as you travel on.. This has been going on as long as musicians have been shuttling back and forth between these historic venues, way before KFC..

writeon...chazba
 
I like your idea!

This may not fit your form, but maybe it will give you an idea or two (best I could whip out in a couple of minutes).

Never pawned my guitar for whiskey
Or robbed the store to pay the band.
Never had to slink across the state line
After a one-night stand.

Never had two wives show up in the same town
And shoot at me on the stand.
Never promised to marry the sheriff’s daughter
Then have to live on the lam.

Ain't never ate fatback swimmin' in beans
Ain't never been near the Mason-Dixon line.
Ain't never ate cornbread off a wooden plate
Ain't never drank dandelion wine.

Ain't never known sweet bayou love
Ain't never drank shine from a pail.
Ain't never blew my harp on the river
Ain't never been run outta town on a rail.
 
Anything to do with 'Woke up this morning'
Theyre lying! Buggers dont get up till noon.

Actually, check out early Charley Patton tunes about plantation life (Stony Pony Blues/Boll Weevil blues) and of course Robert Johnson encompasses the blues completely. From trying to seduce a woman (Come on in my Kitchen) to Escaping inner demons (hellhound on my trail). He's great!

Check out Skip James 'Devil got my woman' for a fantastic haunting song (and check that minor key tuning!)
 
aint never been the eagle that flies on Friday.
aint never made enough that Saturday couldn't take away.:eek:


Ozlee
 
Hey Aaron,

Can't get either song to play. I can get to the page o.k. but when I try to play the song it just times out and says it can't find the specified file.

Tried at home and at work.
 
Weird...
I've tried them at home and work on several different machines and had no problem on any of them.

I'll see what I can figure out...

Anybody else having problems?

A
www.aaroncheney.com
 
Hey me again. I was able to get the lo fi link to work. It interested me enough to login and download the MP3 to hear it better.

Sounds awesome. Nice playing Aaron. It's cool to hear how it all came together from the lyrics that you posted..
 
This is good but it echoes the song from "A Mighty Wind" (Christopher Guest and other alumni from "Spinal Tap") called

Never Did No Wandering

You might want to check it out....
 
I'll check it out, but honestly I don't pay much attention to that anymore. It's nearly impossible to create anything anymore that doesnt' echo something...



echo something...



echo something...




A
www.aaroncheney.com
 
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