Improvisations in A minor

Foggy Mountain Breakdown

Sketch of "Streets of London" by Ralph McTell

Streets Of London (Ralph McTell)

Been hooked on this John Prine song lately.

Blue Umbrella (John Prine)

"Clay Pigeons"  - Blaze Foley


I’m going down to the greyhound station
Gonna get a ticket to ride
Gonna find that lady with 2 or 3 kids
And sit down by her side
And ride until the sun comes up and down around me about 2 or 3 times
smoking cigarettes in the last seat trying
to hide my sorrow from the people I meet
And get along with it all
Go down where people say ya'll
Sing a song with a friend
Change the shape that I’m in
And get back in the game
And start playing again

I’d like to stay but I might have to go to start over again
Might go back down to Texas I might go to somewhere that I’ve never been

And get up in the morning and go out at night
And I won’t have to go home
Get used to living alone
Change the words to this song
And start singing again

I’m tired of running round looking for answers to questions that I
already know
I could build me a castle of memories just to have somewhere to go
Count the days and the nights that it takes to get back in the saddle
again
Feed the pigeons some clay
Turn the night into day
Start talking again when I know what to say

I’m going down to the greyhound station
Gonna get a ticket to ride
Gonna find that lady with 2 or 3 kids
And sit down by her side
And Ride until the sun comes up and down around about 2 or 3 times
smoking cigarettes in the last seat
trying to hide my sorrow from the people I meet

And get along with it all
Go down where people say ya'll
Feed the pigeons some clay
Turn the night into day
Start talking again when I know what to say

Clay Pigeons (Blaze Foley)

If you love somebody enough
You'll follow wherever they go
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis

If you love somebody enough
You'll go where your heart wants to go
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis

I know if you'd seen her you'd tell me 'cause you are my friend
I've got to find her and find out the trouble she's in

If you tell me that she's not here
I'll follow the trail of her tears
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis

She used to get mad and she used to say
That she'd come back to Memphis someday
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis

I haven't eaten a bite
Or slept for three days and nights
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis

I've got to find her and tell her that I love her so
I'll never rest 'til I find out why she had to go

Thank you for your precious time
Forgive me if I start to cry

That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis

That's How I Got To Memphis (Tom T. Hall)

A cover version of Blaze Foley's "If I Could Only Fly" (popularized by Merle Haggard), recorded in my home studio.  Lyrics below:

"If I Could Only Fly" 

I almost felt you touching me just now
I wish I knew which way to turn and go
I feel so good but then I feel so bad
I wonder what I ought to do

If I could only fly
If I could only fly
I'd bid this place goodbye 
To come and be with you
But I can hardly stand
And I got nowhere to run
Another sinking sun
And one more lonely night

The wind keeps blowing somewhere everyday
Tell me things get better somewhere up the way
Just dismal thinking on a dismal day
Sad songs for us to bare

You know sometimes I write happy songs
But then sometimes little things are wrong
I wish they all could make you smile
Tomorrow maybe we can get away
I'm coming home soon and I wanna stay
I wish you could come with me when I go again

If I could only fly
If I could only fly
I'd bid this place goodbye 
To come and be with you
But I can hardly stand
And I got nowhere to run
Another sinking sun
And one more lonely night

If I could only fly
If you could only fly
If we could only fly
There'd be no more lonely nights.

If I Could Only Fly (Blaze Foley)

A cover of Guy Clark's "LA Freeway", recorded in my home studio.  Lyrics below:

"LA Freeway"

Pack up all your dishes. 
Make note of all good wishes. 
Say goodbye to the landlord for me. 
That son of a bitch has always bored me. 

Throw out them LA papers 
And that moldy box of vanilla wafers. 
Adios to all this concrete. 
Gonna get me some dirt road back street 

If I can just get off of this LA freeway 
Without getting killed or caught 
I'd be down that road in a cloud of smoke 
To some land that I ain't bought bought bought 

Here's to you old skinny Dennis 
The only one I think I will miss 
I can hear that old bass singing 
Sweet and low like a gift you're bringin' 

Play it for me one more time now 
Got to give it all you can now 
I believe everything your saying 
Just you keep on, keep on playing 

If I can just get off of this LA freeway 
Without getting killed or caught 
I'd be down that road in a cloud of smoke 
To some land that I ain't bought bought bought 

And you put the pink card in the mailbox 
Leave the key in the old front door lock 
They will find it likely as not 
I'm sure there's somethin' we have forgot 

Oh Susanna, don't you cry, babe 
Love's a gift that's surely handmade 
We've got something to believe in 
Don't ya' think it's time we're leavin' 

If I can just get off of this LA freeway 
Without getting killed or caught 
I'd be down that road in a cloud of smoke 
For some land that I ain't bought bought bought 

So pack up all your dishes. 
Make note of all good wishes. 
Say goodbye to the landlord for me. 
That son of a bitch has always bored me.

LA Freeway (Guy Clark)

A Cover of Tom Waits' song "Hold On".  Recorded in my Home Studio.  Lyrics Below:

"Hold On" - Tom Waits

They hung a sign up in our town
"If you live it up, you won't live it down"
So she left Monte Rio, son
Just like a bullet leaves a gun
With her charcoal eyes and Monroe hips
She went and took that California trip
Oh, the moon was gold, her hair like wind
She said, "don't look back, just come on, Jim"

Oh, you got to hold on, hold on
You gotta hold on
Take my hand, I'm standing right here, you gotta hold on

Well, he gave her a dimestore watch
And a ring made from a spoon
Everyone's looking for someone to blame
When you share my bed, you share my name
Well, go ahead and call the cops
You don't meet nice girls in coffee shops
She said, "baby, I still love you"
Sometimes there's nothin' left to do

Oh, but you got to hold on, hold on
Babe, you gotta hold on and take my hand
I'm standing right here, you gotta hold on

Well, God bless your crooked little heart
St. Louis got the best of me
I miss your broken China voice
How I wish you were still here with me
Oh, you build it up, you wreck it down
Then you burn your mansion to the ground
Oh, there's nothing left to keep you here
But when you're falling behind in this big blue world

Oh, you've got to hold on, hold on
Babe, you gotta hold on
Take my hand, I'm standing right here, you gotta hold on

Down by the Riverside motel
It's ten below and falling
By a ninety-nine cent store
She closed her eyes and started swaying
But it's so hard to dance that way
When it's cold and there's no music
Oh, your old hometown's so far away
But inside your head there's a record that's playing

A song called "Hold On", hold on
Babe, you gotta hold on
Take my hand, I'm standing right there, you gotta hold on

You gotta hold on, hold on
Babe, you gotta hold on
Take my hand, I'm standing right there, you gotta hold on

Hold On (Tom Waits)

Cover of Buck Owen's "Mental Cruelty", featuring Kathleen Riordan on vocals. Recorded in my Home Studio.

Mental Cruelty (Buck Owens) - ft. Kathleen Riordan

Cover of "Atoms For Peace" by Thom Yorke, from The Eraser.  Recorded in my home studio.

"Atoms For Peace" - Thom Yorke

No more going to the dark side with your flying saucer eyes
No more falling down a wormhole that I have to pull you out

The wriggling twiggling worm inside, devours from the inside out
No more talk about the old days, it's time for something great

I want you to get out
And make it work

So many allies, so many allies
So many allies, so many allies
So feel the love come off of them
And take me in your arms

Peel all of your layers off, I want to eat your artichoke heart
No more leaky holes in your brain, and no false starts

I wanna get out
And make it work

So many allies, so many allies
So many allies, so many allies
So feel the love come off of them
And take me in your arms

I wanna get out
And make it work

I wanna get out
And make it work

I'll be ok

Atoms For Peace (Thom Yorke)

Hello!  I am a Chicago area fiddle player, guitarist, songwriter, and composer.  I put select music up here, from any of the projects I may be working on. Check it out and let me know what you think!

brandonreisdorf

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