Dear SC friends, sorry I've been unresponsive to your kind support but I've been away from SC for some time now dealing with lots of "life issues".  I don't have much time to spend recording things, but I have been able to squeeze in a good bit of writing. I'll toss this one up first, nothing fancy these days....just me and my brother's D-18 and a story about someone we probably all know.

Sins Of Yesterday

My wife recently suffered serious injuries to her left arm in a fall.  She's been working tirelessly in physical therapy without an ounce of complaint. Her mobility continues to improve; she even picked up a guitar today to work on regaining strength in her left hand. She is the strongest, most positive person I've ever known...why she's stuck it out with this moody singer-songwriter for decades is a mystery to me. This song is dedicated to her and her endlessly positive spirit.  Again, no time for fancy production folks....sorry.

Take This From You

Having a spell where I can catch up on recording some of this nonsense I've been doing in the last few weeks. Thanks for putting up with me....I mean that.

Happy to Be Here

I saw you in the airport, you said catch you on the fly
Then you gave me a call sayin' come on by
We can play a little music, drink a little beer
Thanks for the invite, I'm happy to be here

Happy to be here, here where I belong
Pickin' on my guitar, singing you a song
Shout it from the rooftop, whisper in your ear
No matter how I say it, I'm happy to be here

A storm is a'raging no reason to complain
Just sitting by the window strummin' rhythm to rain
Content in my daydream till clouds disappear
No other destination, I'm happy to be here

Never went to college, can't make the claim
Can't put bunch of letters following my name
Ain't searchin' for answers beyond the exosphere
Just livin' in the moment, I'm happy to be here

Happy To Be Here

Been away from SC a long time...life. Lots of writing, little inclination to record until today. Louisa is my wife Charlottie's middle name...always loved the name like I love her. She was born in a postage stamp town in Southwest Texas.  I've met countless carbon copies of this poor guy I sing about.

Louisa's Arms

Don't ask...I have no idea how or why this goofy song came to me. After months of not being able to play music together, my wife actually wanted to join me on this one.  Love her for it.  "Is it rolling Bob?"  Yep, it's rolling alright!

Mr & Mrs OCD

Even with all of the turmoil past and present, my experiences with the people and politics of South Africa enriched my life beyond words.

Message from Soweto

Got a message from Soweto about someone I once knew
She took her own life they said, now for her struggle's finally through
We hadn't talked in decades, I quietly retrace
How I came to meet her, how I still can see her face

I was cornered by young lions, she was keen to use her claws
Said i was a hostage  'til I proved I joined the cause
Told me I should come with her, the journey would be long
It's just a revolution what could possibly go wrong

She dressed in such bright colors, more or less it's her disguise
To try and draw attention from what's carried in her eyes

She drove and said we're living on the brink of history
I noticed the revolver on the car seat next to me
It's just a way of life down here, especially at night
Pulled into the shadows, her place was on the right

A single light suspended in the center of the room
She place the gun beside her bed, it sparkled through the gloom
We shared a drink I turned to see her clothes fall to the floor
She laughed and said her modesty was a casualty of war

She dressed in such bright colors, more or less it's her disguise
To try and draw attention from what's carried in her eyes

She told me she was married, her husband was in jail
For trying to smuggle something, guaranteed to fail
Seemed someone betrayed him, could very well be her
I heard a noise outside the door, she didn't even stir

Had a child when she was young, traded it at birth
For what she thought was freedom and all that it was worth
Just beneath the surface of her artificial skin
Regret was percolating with darkness rolling in

She dressed in such bright colors, more or less it's her disguise
To try and draw attention from what's carried in her eyes

She said the eyes are mirrors, mirrors to your soul
So limit your exposure here, maintain control
She dropped me at a safer place just before the dawn 
Gently kissed me on the cheek, in an instant she was gone

Message From Soweto

A silly image popped into my goofy brain...out popped this song. Had a little fun with my brand new Resonator guitar (have to say thanks to my sweet wife for getting it). Lots to learn on that thing.  P.S. I think I hate this song!  Just sayin'

She Gave Me The Finger

If love is blind, then tell me how'd it find
Its way on out my door, like it did one time before
She said we're through,  I'm now "O for two"
Leaving little doubt, I'm sitting the next one out

She gave me the finger, I gave a band of gold
Lock, stock and barrel, bought the bill of goods they sold
Love floats like a butterfly, heartbreak packs a sting
No way am I ever gettin' back into a ring

Somewhere somehow, I've got to find a towel
So I can throw it in, can't take it on the chin
Way down in a funk, more than a little punch drunk
Lasting side-effects, courtesy of the fairer sex

It's just my luck, I never learned to duck
So my romantic hopes, end up on the ropes
Until I've learned, until the tide has turned
Stickin' to the plan, stayin' a single man

She Gave Me The Finger

It had to happen, I wanted to use the reso on another song. This is the result. As depressing as I can be, this one hits an all-time low I think.

The Bluer Strings

Now for something....well, different. I wrote these lyrics months ago and had ZERO ideas of what I wanted to do with them. Enter my brother Vincent who is the most incredible musician I know.  I told him. "produce me!".  I wrote the lyrics and sing it, Vincent wrote the music, played all instruments and sang a little backing vocals. When he's not creating great music THIS way, he's recognized throughout Europe and North America for his electronic creations...check him out
here https://soundcloud.com/vincent_eoppolo   Thanks for listening.

What Kind of Love Is This?

What kind of love is this                         
That the moon stays just out of reach right above her shoulder          
So guarded in his speech
Won't confirm or deny any storybook ending they sold her
It's a question she cannot dismiss, 
What kind of love, what kind of love is this?

There are days when comfort's found in the little seeds she's sewn
Won't consider cut and run 'cause it's better than being alone

Uneven give and take
Her dreams still tied with a bow of expectation
Not that he'd even know
He goes through life, no sense of obligation
Is contentment wrapped in a kiss?
What kind of love, what kind of love is this?

A game of beat the clock
She places her bet on hope of a tomorrow
Such a slippery slope
He's playing for all the time he can beg, steal or borrow
Who's the winner, it's hit or miss
What kind of love, what kind of love is this?

What Kind Of Love Is This (collab w/Vincent Eoppolo

A little 'round the kitchen table pickin' this time friends.  My 135 year old pocket watch prompted this one. Pulled out my John Hartford wood rim tone-ring banjo, dropped down into E,  played my brother's D-18 and even pulled out the fiddle for some added noise.   Like the watch, it's in my genes.

Ebb & Flow (copyright 2021-James Eoppolo

Pull an old watch on a silver chain from the pocket of my jeans
It tells me tales of hours long since past
These strangers on the platform just don't know what it means
The next hour brings me home at last 

Ebb and flow, ebb and flow
Sometimes it's worth holding on, others letting go
Questions all come easy, it's the answers we don't know
Ebb and flow, ebb and flow

The warm glow from a wood stove dances on the wall
You can see it through the windows from the road
Inside a storm is brewing got the makings of a squall
The world stops or maybe it's just slowed 

An eager dawn is waiting to paint the sleeping sky
It's colors set the mood for the day
The night was spent debating a million reasons why
We might choose to leave or maybe choose to stay

Spread the map out on the table let your dreams head where they choose 
Whether in the sunshine or the shade
Our hearts are prone to picking up a little scrape or bruise
We end up lying in the beds we made

Ebb And Flow

My wife's Froggy Bottom H-12 and my English concertina. Not much else to say about this one...just my jumbled thought process at work.

It's There (copyright 2022-James Eoppolo)

It's the tiny bit of spinach stuck in someone's teeth
The toilet paper dragging from a heel
Find a way to tell 'em or leave them unaware
Can't escape the simple fact it's there
Can't escape the simple fact it's there

The wheel's set in motion,  hand put to the plow
All in this fractured piece of time
I confess that I've been guilty and forget to show I care
Can't escape the simple fact it's there, it's there
Can't escape the simple fact it's there

It's the price tag still hangin' from an unsuspecting sleeve
Shave cream beneath the waiter's chin
Have a quiet word or two or only smile and stare
Can't escape the simple fact it's there, it's there
Can't escape the simple fact it's there

A ragged line of homeless men shufflin' toward a meal
Their faces blur the faster I drive by
I can't see myself among them, so how's it my affair
Can't escape the simple fact it's there
Can't escape the simple fact it's there

It's There

Thanks to my wife Charlottie for the inspiration and the finger-picking on my Martin while I played her Froggy H-12.

No Fear of Shadows 

She never sheds a hint of doubt unfolding plans she lays out to lore you
Confident in every step she always seems to get there long before you
That’s just the way it goes, she has no fear of shadows (2x)

 Reality born in a dream, seeing things that can’t be seen define her
Cloudy days never last moving forward leaves the past behind her
There are secrets that she knows, she has no fear of shadows (2x)

The darkness doesn’t own her, she’d be the first to say she can’t explain
How her eyes saw only sunlight whenever shadows came

Colors riding on the breeze touching down where they please discreetly
Walking softly on the earth living life for all its worth completely
Momentum never slows, she has no fear of shadows (2x)

Always safe in the unknown a gift that’s hers and hers alone unspoken
Follow of your own free will you’ve loved and your love is still unbroken
It’s the path her spirit chose, she has no fear of shadows (2x)

No Fear Of Shadows

Hardly ever happy with my finished products (if you can call it that) Took this one down to do a little remix. Am I happy?  Am I ever happy? I'm pleased if you like it, no hurt feelings if you don't. Peace!

Closer Than They Appear

More than a little worried about a lifelong friend.

Dry Paints

Pulls away slowly from the liquor store
3rd time this week, but who's keepin' score
He cradles the bottle between his legs
A twist of the wrist and he's flyin'

He'll hide among tourists with snow burned skin
To avoid "why so much?" and "where have you been?"
That button at home is stuck on repeat
Strangers have no cause to judge him

Let all the paints on the pallet run dry
Blind to the colors, he's lost the eye
At this rate of speed can't stop on a dime
Check back tomorrow or some other time

Slips on the dark shades to begin today's ride
They accessorize this downward slide
All strapped in on his favorite bench
The parade can be so amusing

He's forgotten much more than they’ll ever learn
Now flat footed lets the whole world turn
Trashcan swallows his empty pride
This season looks just like the others

Dry Paints

Sadly, even the oldest, seemingly strongest relationships can crumble.

I played this song for my brilliant musician/producer brother Vincent on my acoustic guitar and said "wanna do something with this?"  He NEVER ceases to amaze me. All the instruments and production in rapid fire turn-around. Thank you brother! 

Check out his awarding winning Electronic Music here. https://soundcloud.com/vincent_eoppolo/tracks

That's The Way The Cookie Crumbles

I sent letters and got no answer
A silent end inferred
Sang songs like some romancer
Not sure they're even heard

Looks like it's done and dusted
It's time for movin' on
The strongest links get busted
The conclusion seems foregone

Hearts will fall in pieces
True love often tumbles
It's a hard, hard lesson learning
That's the way the cookie crumbles

In a glass of retrospection
Floats a tasteless should have done
The source of disconnection
Can't lay the blame on one

A slow but steady darkness
Trades pain for pain in turn
A landscape draped in starkness
Watch as bridges burn

That's The Way The Cookie Crumbles

If I have to explain....then you don't understand.

Just a little bit blues-based fun. Got a new Martin CEO-7 and loving it.  The harp is actually 51 years old!  Can't beat Hohner Blues Harps!!!!

Enjoy The Ride

Got to thinking about a friend and those like her who never seem to be able to take that chance.

Missed Chances (2022-James Eoppolo)

Curled on her sofa, dog curled up beside
Hands curled 'round a cup tea
That last cookie they'll probably divide
While surfing through reruns on TV

Stares at her number but still he doesn't call
Certain her answer would be "No"
Roll of the dice, luck of the draw
Gotta risk it if you wanna pass "GO"

Missed chances, awkward dances
With steps so hard to define
Romances, circumstances 
Laying it all on the line

Another wedding, another birth
Another day she plays third wheel
She's lost count of times she smiled
When friends ask how you feel

Deep conversation with his chess board
The Queen reminds him he's alone
How much heartache can he afford
Stops himself from reaching for his phone

Missed Chances

11/11/21 Veteran's Day 2021 

Dedicated to my older brother Tony and the brave Vets who are forgotten all too often.

Forever and Ever Amen

They baptized him in Army green, this tall, skinny kid of nineteen
Creases sharp, boots squeaky clean
Forever and ever amen

Locked and loaded his weapon filled, the order of the day kill or be killed
Scared as hell about blood being spilled
Forever and ever amen

Purple hearts are never bestowed on those with wounds that don’t show
Suffer in silence letting no one know
Forever and ever amen

Buddies are the only ones you trust, in a place like this do what you must
To get through the heat, the fear and dust
Forever and ever amen

Tried to save a friend when the shit hit the fan, amid the blood and screams do what you can
On that day he became a changed man
Forever and ever amen

Every night this patriotic son, wrapped his mouth around the barrel of his gun
Thought it was god’s will thy will be done
Forever and ever amen

Somehow he made it home alive, consumed with guilt ‘cause he had survived
Punished by the faith on which he relied
Forever and ever amen

Forever And Ever Amen

I wrote and produced this 5 years ago. I am not surprised that it is as relevant today as then...even more so.

Touch and Go (copyright 2017 James Eoppolo)

Look at them circle, could be the end, maybe it’s been comin’ for a long while
Veil is lifted, can’t pretend, truth can be hard to reconcile
Check the pulse, it’s running slow, all they’re sayin’ is it’s touch and go

The dream was real and well designed, seems like it happened only yesterday
When and how did things unwind, sad to see it slip away
Who’s to blame, don’t really know, all that they’re sayin’ is it’s touch and go

Hold your breath, feign concern, ignore the flames as castles burn
Sit and stare, just let it be, no need to worry ‘til they come for me

Take a stand, not giving in, the flags in tatters on both sides
Going down, a tailspin, and pulled under by riptides
What’s that ya’ hear, the death throes, all that they’re saying is it’s touch and go

Backs are turned, no words can reach, wounds being traded like currency
Building walls no-one can breech, holding ground quite fervently
If there is hope, it doesn’t show, all that they’re sayin’ is it’s touch and go.

Touch And Go

A song about how hesitation almost cost me the love of my life.


The Fog’s Gotten Heavy

I came to state intentions loud and clear the outcome far less than expected
All that was imagined seemed to disappear communication somehow disconnected

Did I get it wrong, miss the mark, lose the thread, read too much into what was said
Will there be a second chance, no guarantee, the fog’s gotten heavy, the road hard to see

Cloaked in colors born of regal earth and sky, your failed attempt to somehow stay concealed
I found you on the verge of a long goodbye, I'm forced to wait and see what time will yield

Will it stop the pain, close the wound, hide the scar, carry thoughts and feelings to where you are
Take my captive heart and set it free, the fog’s gotten heavy, the road hard to see

Are you dancing in the sun on your sacred hill, some counterfeit companion by your side
I curse the thought of swallowing this bitter pill, the side effect are sure to hurt my pride

Do I run the risk, staying in this passion play, scribble down the words only poets say
Hope they strike a nerve to some degree, the fog’s gotten heavy, the road hard to see

I can't suppress the flame so I let it burn, if I have sinned I willingly confess
For a moment stand in silence when you return, you'll hear the truth beating in my chest

Will your eyes concede a subtle clue of what you feel, 
Will your smile display a hint of what is false or real
Do I dare to step into the realm of what could be 
The fog’s gotten heavy, the road hard to see

Fog's Gotten Heavy

Years ago our oldest and dearest friend Edwin Cooke gave my wife Charlottie a painting he did of her playing guitar along with his wife Allison on mandolin. I sort of "edited" the painting to make it fit here. It inspired this song. I recruited Charlottie on guitar and vocals and we just rolled tape as it were (in this digital age).

Can't Ask For More

I love the way you cross your legs to cradle your guitar
As gentle fingers fall on waiting strings
I'll toss another log upon the February fire
Find comfort in the songs you chose to sing

Dazzled by the sparks of blue that blaze across the room
Reflections off the sapphire on your hand
No doubt a poet long ago once laid his pen to page
To speak of such contentment in a man

Can't ask for more than this
Can't ask for a sweeter kiss
The perfect moment caught in time
The perfect chord the perfect rhyme
For no-one else  it's yours and mine

You share a vision of the world that's more than monochrome
And live a life bathed in full color
Never one to follow or take a straight way home
You'd much prefer to travel down the other

Chilly walks on cobblestones beneath a quarter moon
Held fast for ransom deep within your eyes
The river calls us closer so we alone can hear 
The secrets that are carried on the tide

How quickly your embrace will fill my heart up to the brim
As we're dancing with candles burning low
The warmth I feel surround me like none I've felt before
Could easily melt all the winter's snow 

Lying here together softened voices in the night
Tucked safely in the memories we've earned
We cherish each new sunrise and all it has to give
And look forward to the lessons to be learned

Can't Ask For More

Who knows why certain paintings strike right to the heart. Decades ago my friend, painter, potter, iron-smithy Dennis Gosnell created a painting he called Calendar Girl. It captivated me. He told me that the nude model seemed removed from her environment, empty, lost even. The painting has long since been lost, but the story became a song...and the song became THIS new painting by Dennis named Calendar Girl Revisited.

Calendar Girl

She lies hidden in the canvas, waiting for her story to be told
Sympathetic sunlight through the window, dances on the brushes that he holds
Emotions on the palette slowly blending, she wonders if he saw her from the start
Each stroke a beginning and an ending, each color a reflection from the heart

Calendar Girl marks the future, Calendar Girl is the past
There’s no way to escape what she’s revealing
There’s no way to explain the spell she’s cast

Her eyes are fixed in silent contemplation, shades of crimson flowing from his hand
Capturing the subtle empty feeling, hoping someday others understand
Her face is turned away as if believing, her body not her spirit’s being seen
The boldness of her pose is so deceiving, as flames of red and yellow mix with green

Is it sadness or indifference you’re seeing, did she feel that she had nothing left to lose
Dreams unrealized and forgotten, the answer’s there for each of us to choose
Is each blue day just like the one before it, is she held there like a prisoner in time
If faith was lost did this help to restore it, is the image on the canvas hers or mine

Calendar Girl

It's been over a year since first posting this song. I have finally come to realize that loss is loss. I've been touched by the number of messages on this page and elsewhere of how people relate to this song in their own way.  Duh! It took me a year to figure that out.

(original notes)
A song about the loss of my best friend Sydney (Aussie Terrier).  We said goodbye on April 5th age 15. We shared a more interesting life than many people I've met.

There’s A Big Old Hole

Focus on tomorrow, easier said than done
With memories gaining, hard to outrun
Legs growing heavy, heavy as the day
Try to move forward, something’s in my way

There's a big old hole, I can't get around
Big as this house, big as this town
Careful where I tread, much to my chagrin
No matter what I try, can't help fallin' in

It swallows up the kitchen as I drink my morning tea
Swallows up the love seat, while watching the TV
It's deeper than a canyon wider than the sky
I call down for an answer, there's never a reply

I teeter round the edges, my footing insecure
Friends say there's a bottom I'm really not so sure
No way I can measure, no ruler is that long
 Deep and empty silence echoes through this song

There's A Big Old Hole

Amid the cotton and the poverty in the delta of late 1800s Mississippi, Wyatt "Hopsie" Mahon, a sharecropper/fiddler met, courted and married Lillis Hallman. I woke up one morning thinking perhaps this is how my grandparents met.

Cotton Girl

The sun burned like fire across fields of pure white, 
She was there at the end of the row just within sight
A length of red ribbon held back hair of deep brown 
When she saw I was staring I cast my gaze down

Held fast by her beauty though 10 feet apart
Not a sound in the fields except my own heart
Her gleaming green eyes how they did shine
 If wishes came true they would look in to mine

I cannot imagine a face in this world
Could ever rival my sweet cotton girl

I beg you young lady, I beg hear me now 
Answer one question, one question allow
Is there some precious sweetheart, some precious beau
 I pray to the lord, your answer is no

One boy held my heart, she softly replied
 He marched with the drummer and in battle he died
I am as you see me, poor and alone 
Tell me your feelings please make them known

To status and riches, I cannot lay claim
Our fortunes they seem to be one in the same
Love and devotion is all I can give 
I'll stand by your side as long as we live

If I had the wealth, I would dress you in lace
We'd live out our dreams, far from this place
Your fingers would no longer bare blister or scar
Just a band of bright gold, bright as a star

Cotton Girl

I am hardly the most "positive" person you'll ever meet, but I do have my moments. I enlisted my wife Charlottie along with her Froggy Bottom H-12 to join me on this one.  The people I sing about are real, no made up characters in this one folks.

                                         One Foot In Front Of The Other

There’s a sign on a chain hanging just down the road saying “keep out and beware”
All the folks up here on the mountain know a crazy man’s livin’ there
He has a buckshot smile and a twitch to his finger and a face that just screams fear
And you know damn well you take your life in your hands if you get just a little too near

Put one foot in front of the other let nothin’ slow you down
One foot in front of the other and don’t look back around
One foot in front of the other you simply can’t go wrong
One foot in front of the other you’ll get there before long

I met a man on his walk to freedom with victory in his stride
Raging storms lay in his path, still he would not be denied
He walked for those who died while trying and for those who follow still
His nation singing songs of praise of his unbroken will

At last she sees a face in the mirror with whom she can agree
Her husband’s lying drunk and snoring in front of their TV
It’s been too long since she’s been loved like a man should love his wife
Pulls the door closed behind her, starting her new life

One Foot In Front Of The Other

Feeling slightly goofy...why not record it? Thanks to my wife for sitting in with her Froggy Bottom 12-fret.

Dental Damnation

In a weird mood these days....sorry. Just having some word fun thanks to that expression.

Lightning In A Bottle

For someone who usually finds himself writing from the negative side of the moon, every so often the positive side rises in me.

Swimming Through The Tears

Having some fun. Charlottie on her late brother's nylon 12-fret and vocals, me picking her Froggy Bottom H12 and some harp and Quincy on guest vocals.

A Better Time Than Now

There may never be a better time than now
Planets are aligning our fate redefining
We've got everything true love will allow
There may never be a better time than now

Come sit yourself beside we'll gaze up at the stars
Where destiny is written plain and clear
Even if it's cloudy don't pay it any mind
It's a great excuse to hold each other near

My future wasn't spelled out on that spooky Ouija board
The Magic 8 ball wouldn’t give a clue
But something grabbed my boot heels, spun me right around
And sent me in a bee-line straight to you

A Better Time Than Now

ALL SONGS ARE ORIGINAL AND COPYRIGHT PROTECTED.  
I write and play songs that I would play sitting in your living room or even better, your kitchen.  For a selection of older material click the link to my Cut Out Bin. It's a work in progress.

James Eoppolo

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