Tag Archives: andrewfrancis

Listen, Rewritten Song

Rewritten Song: If you won’t be mine this time (don’t think you’ll get another try) (version 2)

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Here’s the newly re-recorded version of the song I wrote this week back in 2011. It’s quite different than the original (which you can listen to here), but there’s something I really like about this one.

I’m not so sure what, though.

This is a tune that I’ve sung out so many times I can barely remember what it’s all about. It also made it on to an officially released record. That version is slightly different than the original, but still pretty close. Check it out here.

So maybe that’s why I like this new version. The old one just kinda seems boring to me now. It’s probably why I basically rewrote the entire song too. But maybe also because the original is a very close relative of the Bob Dylan song “If You Gotta Go, Go Now (Or Else You Gotta Stay All Night). I almost admitted that in the original write up of this song. I alluded to “Lifting ideas from different places.” That’s what I meant by that. I didn’t use to tell anyone those type of things, but it’s how folk music works. Bob Dylan did it to Woody Guthrie, who did it to the Carter Family, who did it to the nameless and on and on in all different areas of music.

It happens. I’m okay with it.

Anyway…next up for this week is last week’s new song…which I have not written yet. But the snow and ice and slush have fallen and I’m not going anywhere for the night.

Listen, New Song

New Song: Of all the things that frustrate me

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Here’s a song I wrote last night really late. Kept me up when I shoulda been fast asleep. Maybe I shoulda tried harder to shut my eyes. Oh well. This is what you get.

It’s in drop-d tuning and it’s vaguely like the old time song “Handsome Molly.” I even lifted some elements from that song and rewrote them a bit. I’ve done that about a million times. To Handsome Molly, and to so many other tunes too. It’s what I do. It’s just folk music. Pretty simple stuff.

Now I am going to bed tonight. This tune was the new song make up for the new song that I didn’t write the week of February 11, which means I’m almost all caught up. Just need to write a new tune for last week…and then, of course, one for this week and re-recorded the song I wrote this week in 2011.

So, in reality…no rest for me. Which is a good thing when you’re trying to write songs. The more you do it, the more songs you write, and the more songs you write, the more good songs you write.

Now, of course, it’s a lot of work, and not a whole lot of rest. The easiest thing to do is sit back and eat a whole bag of Cheetos. Or spend time looking up exactly how to spell Cheetos.

Either way you wake up the next morning with a full stomach, right?

Listen, New Song

New Song: The train I ride

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Clapping is hard work.

But no hands were harmed in the recording of this tune. My vocal chords were, though. I just haven’t played mouth harp for, oh, about 4 months and it’s not a good thing to jump back into. Especially the reckless way that I play. But it’s my favorite instrument to play, so I don’t give a damn.

Now…how about this song? I think you should listen to it with headphones. Or, at the very least, something other than your laptop speakers. If you must, though, turn it up loud.

It’s a simple tune. I used a bunch of other train songs to write this one. They are, in no particular order:

  • 900 miles (from my home)
  • Wabash Cannonball
  • The Cannonball Blues
  • Hobo’s Lullaby
  • Little Black Train
  • T is for Texas (that’s not a train song, necessarily, but it’s part of this one)

So there you have it. This new song is a make up for the week of February 4th, in which I did not write a single word. I think this is a good way to fill that void.

I’ve got another tune working too. Don’t know if I’ll get to it for tomorrow or not. It’s something I need to think about a lot. Something I’ve been thinking about a lot. But something I don’t want to have to think about at all. Something that hopefully I’ll just be able to pull right out of the air.

Anyway…good night.

Listen, New Song

New Song: It’s clear to you

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Well, here’s the new song for the week of January 28, which I did not post that week. I did write it on January 30th, though. Or, started it then. I finished it off last night after I did the re-recorded song for this week. It came together pretty quick once I gave it a chance.

That’s all. It’s kind of one of those type of songs that I write in my sleep and then just completely forget about.

Now on to the other three songs I gotta write this week. Let’s see if I can come up with something a little different than usual.

Listen, Rewritten Song

Rewritten Song: I wouldn’t have to keep you on my mind (version 2)

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Well, geez…for someone who just can’t stand himself, I sure do write a whole lot of songs about myself. I think I know why that is, but I’m not going to get into that here or now. I’ll just start to try really hard to write a different type of song. I’ve got four chances the rest of this week while I play catch up for not posting new songs the past month.

We’ll see where I get to.

Now, this is the song I wrote this week way back in 2011. I sure had a lot to say about that one (read and listen here), even though the original version just doesn’t really say anything at all about anything at all.

It’s kinda about saying nothing.

This version isn’t a whole lot better, but at least it’s about saying something.

It’s probably much better to live saying what’s on your mind than holding that all in, right? That’s what this song is about I guess. I sure didn’t know that back in 2011, I guess. I’m not sure if I totally know it now either.

Anyway, it’s just a song and it doesn’t really mean anything at all.

I can tell you, though, that I heard Ramblin’ Jack Elliott singing “Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms” this afternoon and that’s what I used as the basic melody for this re-recording. Ramblin’ Jack’s version of that tune is my favorite. It’s what got me seriously started playing guitar and singing. Ramblin’ Jack Elliott does that to a whole lot of people.

Now…I’ve got four new songs to write. Enough of talking about old songs.