Thankyou for bringing this to light Rick, oh what lyrics, and just magic delivery of vocals,guitar and harp! Enjoyed reading description too

Super harp. Great rendition your voice really suits this!

Wonderful back story Rick, and it's the first time I'm hearing about him...a beautiful song - I love your voice on this, man!

Marvelous song & cover!! (and thanks for the detailed backstory) The performance here is fantastic!!

A terrific song, as Utah was so often capable. You did him justice here i think Rick. Durge

i like a guy who knows his instruments ...good job Rick!

don't go anywhere

I used a Seagull 12 string to play this song, done in the key of G. I'm using 12-52 strings which give it a little better resonance and stronger base tones. The shift to the Em or later to the F are much richer in my mind with this setup.

As for the song, interestingly enough Utah Phillips really only sang the song once and only to another person: he never actually recorded it himself.

Bruce (U. Utah) Phillips fought in the Korean War and was returning to the US on a troop ship when he wrote this song. He sang this song to Rosalie Sorrels when he returned to the US and she taped the session and later sang and recorded this song. According to a taped interview, Utah said that he never sang it again after his meeting with Rosalie. In his words: "it was a hard, angry love song and I no longer feel that way anymore."  It was based on his love of a woman he would have met before the war and apparently she did not feel the same way about him. Possibly she made it clear in wartime correspondence, as referenced in the song: "The letter you wrote me".  There are many beautiful images in the song but he saved his deepest thoughts for the last line.  Now rock salt was normally using in the making of ice cream but removing lead pellets and replacing with rock salt in a shotgun shell is meant to leave a sting and is not meant to seriously harm.  Unfortunately, I could not find any reference to adding nails to the mix.  Certainly this is on the darker side of revenge but it does fit the lyrical rhyming.

I truly fell in love with the chord pattern, especially the G down to the Em and then on the last line of each verse, from the G to the F. It's fun to add some extra notes between the G and C chord changes. All in all, it is a beautiful tune and I enjoy playing it.

Rock Salt and Nails
-------------------
[INTRO]

On the banks of the river where the willows hang down
And the wild birds all warble with a low moaning sound
Down in the hollow where the water runs cold
It was there I first listened to the lies that you told

Now I lie on my bed and I see your sweet face
The past I remember time cannot erase
The letter you wrote me, it was written in shame
And I know that your conscience still echoes my name

[SOLO]

Now the nights are so long Lord sorrow runs deep
And nothing is worse than a night without sleep
I'll walk out alone and look at the sky
Too empty to sing to lonesome to cry

If the ladies were blackbirds and the ladies were thrushes
I'd lie there for hours in the chilly, cold marshes
If the ladies were squirrels with high bushy tails
I'd load up my shotgun with rock salt and nails.  

[OUTRO]: I'd load up my shotgun with rock salt and nails.

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Rock Salt And Nails (Utah Phillips cover)

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These are songs that I developed in a very lo-fi fashion to show what they sound like in my head. They could still go in many different directions - more acoustic, more produced - I'm open to ideas. But what you're hearing here are my unabashed concepts for these little tunes. 
ENJOY- and thanks for connecting with me & my music!
Mark

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Somewhere I read that SoundCloud is the DIY of the music world.  Very true for most of us wannabe (famous) musicians.  For those who were lucky enough to spend years in an actual sound studio, maybe this is a slam dunk. For the rest of us, it's like being the Wright brothers before they fully understood the science behind aerodynamics much less get a machine to fly.

I have learned a lot in 2018 thru 2019 while playing at small, local venues.  It's a lot easier to sit back in a "recording studio".  I do put that in quotes since, for me, this is just a couple of microphones connected to a DAW which is connected to a computer with some multi-track software and some free plugins to enhance the finished product.  I believe there are about 5 unique disciplines to learn which include: playing an instrument, singing, doing both together, using a microphone, connecting with the audience.  I have much more respect for stage performers now, especially solo artists. Now, if one adds the discipline of recording engineer, well then, you have a well rounded musical background. 

I do hope that you enjoy some of my tunes.  I'm always happy to hear from listeners who have something meaningful to share, even when it is not particularly flattering or in someway odd.  I'll even try to answer any questions you may have.  Remember that you are never too old nor too young to create and share your music and/or share your knowledge.

Rock Salt And Nails (Utah Phillips cover)

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