Dry Spell

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chris Shaeffer
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Chris Shaeffer

Chris Shaeffer

Peavey ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Howdy, everyone.

Sorry I haven't been around more the past couple weeks. Its funny how being a summer camp director has my weeks filling up in Feb! Oh, well. Such is life. And the new lady interest certainly isn't taking up any of my free time. :)

Here's an old tune that I finally finished the lyrics for this past week. Its a hard bluesy jam kinda tune, even though I'm not really a blues player. Any comments on the lyrics greatly appreciated. As usual, I've got my pet metaphor in there and wondering what others will see in the words. :)

Thanks!
Chris

Dry Spell

Going down to the river now
To draw some water
Going down to the river to draw some water and drink
Cause I know when my lips are dry as bone
Man can't live on bread alone
Gotta get to the river
Draw some water and drink

Its been a long time
Since the sweet rain fell from the sky
Its been so llong that the river has nearly run dry
Got no food to fill our empty stores
Swollen tounges can't sing any more
Cause the rain won't fall and the river has nearly run dry.

It been a long time
Since our life giving river ran clear
And when the water's gone there will be nothing living left here
On the dusty ground where my fathers lay
Not a sound to break the day
When the water is gone my people will just disappear.

Grandmother said we could make rain fall from the sky.
But no one believed her till it rained on the day that she died.
Now there's no one alive who can open the sky
It sure ain't me but I'll give it a try
Cause the children are crying
But no tears fall from their eyes

Yeah, the children are crying but no tears fall from their eyes.
 
Hi Chris, Nice lyric..Good imagery!As to the metophore..HUMMMM..I think that this one is really open to the reader/listeners interp. ..which to me is a good thing!But I gotta guess LOL...Looks like money whoes?Good stuff!


Don
 
I guess we can always use another "river" song. Are the children cryin', because there's no water, and are there no tears fallin' cause there's no water to drink to fluid their bodies?

And just to ask, don't most people who drink from the land get it from wells? Unless, of course, you're Indian...

Sorry for the questions, but that what it evokes from me....

Bodhisan
 
Chris, My guess is that the song is about something more existential in nature.....Not that money isn't directly related to existence cuz these days it surely is :D But:

Symolic meanings of Water?

1)water is obviously fundamental for life......So it could be a life force type symbol or metaphor.......When there is no water, metaphorically there is something essential missing and there is a psychic(soul related) or emotional need for something....

2)water is the traditional, classic symbol of the unconscious mind primarily because of it used this way by Carl Jung and Frued and as well as in the work of the anthropologist/mythologist Joseph Cambell.......In the work of the latter person, water is shown to be consistently used as THE symbol of the subconcious in myths throughout the world, dating back to paleological times.......Characters in myths often voyage into the water, or underwater on their journey's where they meet themselves.....



My guess?: I will go with something along the lines of number 1, I would like to think that since there is a "metaphor" that it's not just that water is missing......Cause that's how it reads literally and not metaphorically.....But yet....I really can't formulate a more specific guess with what you gave us...


BTW, I like it.......The last line is compelling...


-nave


-nave
 
I really enjoyed this one Chris. I would agree with Nave, It seems like something is missing from everyone's lives...I caught the biblical Line "Man can not live on bread alone" So maybe you are talking about some spiritual energy or life missing from the lives of the people in which they can't sing or emote the kind of life they were destined too with out this life source....I could be totally reading into something that isn't there, But that is the life I live with my rampant imagination...;)

Matt
 
It brings to my mind parts of John 4 and John 7. Here are verses 37 and 38 of the latter:

"On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"

I'm not trying to stir up an argument; I'm just saying that's what I thought of when I read the lyrics. For that reason if no other I like them :).
 
If you have a new lady why are you going through a dry spell ;)
 
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Oy, has it been a week. Sorry to post a thread then not get back to it for so long.

Tex: I did say an new lady interest, so the "dry spell" continues on... :)

Don: Well, I guess the rest of the thread has proven that you are correct- the metaphor is indeed open to interpretation. ;) Thanks.

Bohdisan: You caught the hint of native thought that runs through just about everything I write. Cool. :D

Nave: You rock. That's pretty darn close to what I think of when I sing this song- there is something missing that we have more control over than we think we do.

Matt: This is so cool! I was hoping that little reference wasn't too subtle. Yeah, my intent in this song is that there is something deep that is missing from most people's experience. I chose water to symbolize it because:

a) the dehydration symptoms make great imagery.
b) US folks are typically in the early stages of dehydration as a matter of lifestyle.
c) We are 80% water even if we don't think about it
d) One native american elder told me that "Water is the essence of Love in physical form."

Beaverbiscuit: I am honored that my song brings these thoughts to your mind. You won't find any arguements from me. We might chose different words and sources, but we are saying the same thing.

Thanks you guys. I really appreciate you taking the time to read,react, and respond. I hereby declare this song OK. :)

Take care,
Chris
 
DUDE, I think I need to start drinking more water.....Haven't been getting my eight glasses a day lately........it's no good.....Thanks for reminding me that I'm in the early stages of dehydration Chris! ;)


-nave
 
"Grandmother said we could make rain fall from the sky.
But no one believed her till it rained on the day that she died. "

That rocks right there.
This whole song rocks man...

Its one of those songs, I wish I wrote.
 
Thanks, Demensia. :)

You picked a line that is the turning point of the song for me. Its the place in the song where the idea that there is something that you can DO to change things comes in.

I'm glad you liked the song. I should record this one soon, eh? (sigh) This is one of my oldest favorites and I'm glad its done... I just don't have any time to record right now.

Thanks again!
Chris
 
The emotions that moved you to instantiate these words are,
1. You are unhappy in your relationships
2. you find it sad to accept that you are growing up.

Also at the end From a lyrical stand point, should have kept with the river going dry thought.


But then again, heariiiing a thought merged with music can change all interpretations.

Good job on the words!
 
Hi Jim,

Sorry to take so long to reply- I didn't think this thread would surface again and I've been galivanting around the Nortwest a lot in the last few weeks.

Wow! I'd love to hear how you read the relationships and growing up themes in there! There are some veeeerrry subtle undertones of some of that in there for me, but I'd be flabberghasted if someone other than myself or a close friend would pick them up in the same way that I mean them. They aren't even in the words- just my thoughts about the inspiration for the song.

Thanks for the read and comments, Jim.
 
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