Use Back to Return to the last page
 | |  |
Above High Tide
6-13-06
Use Back Button To Return
To The Previous Page.
To The Previous Page.
$10 + sh
| CD Tracks (Click Track for sample) |
|
Above High Tide Liner Notes:
1. Writing on the Wall (3:29)
I wrote this song in 2002 while visiting the Meher Spiritual Center. After a morning of quiet mind meditation it suddenly
occurred to me that there are many signs that show us how civilization is off on a tangent. I wanted to say that there are
things to watch out for but I wanted to let the listener determine for his or her self what the signs are.
2. The Reunion (3:10)
Around 1991 I went to a high school reunion. I had been to others but this one seemed bizarre beyond belief. It was fun
to see some of my old pals posturing and preening like old warn out peacocks. Maybe you will remember some of your
old pals through this song.
3. Swing Low Sweet Chariot (3:09)
This old spiritual is one that I sing every time I play over at the hospital for the patients. It seems to help them feel a little
better. I hope that it does that for you.
4. Wo! (2:48)
I have a few friends who are into alternative medical treatments. Some do yoga, reikie or acupuncture. I, in fact, have
studied reflexology and practiced it on myself for several years. The people who practice these alternative methods are
full of hope that they can relieve the suffering of their patients. Ann has often said that when I die she is going to give
me an enema and bury me in a shoe box. This song is just a song to smile at.
5. Ode To Isco (4:30)
Several years ago I worked as a mate for Hanover Towing. Binky Day was one of the captains I worked with. One day
as we passed by an old rotting tugboat in the marsh at Eagles Island Binky told me about the old boat. He had worked
the old Isco after returning from the Korean war. I wrote a poem to honor the old boat, Capt. Binky, and the power of
nature.
6. Grandpa Johnny (3:19)
I often wondered what it would be like to have a grandfather who was a cowboy. We would ride the range all day and
sleep under the stars at night. If it rained we would just be wet. This might not be your idea of a good time but it seems
like a joy to me.
7. Precious Lord (2:27)
This is another one of the public domain songs that I sing for the patients at the hospital. I hope that it brings back fond
memories for you and that you like it.
8. Chesapeake Remembrance (3:44)
I have worked tugs and tows on the Chesapeake Bay off and on for many years. One night as I was heading back up to
Havre de Grace from Norfolk the moon was shining full on the water. It suddenly occurred to me that there must have
been billions upon billions of waves that have rolled through the old bay. It has changed a lot and continues to change.
It is the children of the bay who will live or die by the waves that roll upon the shores.
9. Plow’n (6:17)
This song is a celebration of the love two people can share. In the middle of a forty acre field the pilot of this old John
Deere lets his mind wonder back to the farm house. He knows she is there and he knows how her apron comes undone.
10. Today is the Tomorrow You Dreamed of Yesterday (3:32)
Once when I finished a truly unproductive meditation in which I attempted to identify an event in the present, I realized
that the present was infinitesimally small. I was filled with the simple reality that the future and the past are illusions while
the present can only be realized as a series of infinitesimally small units.
11. Alma (2:57)
Many of my songs are about real people who had an important influence on my life. Alma is one of those special
people. When times got tough she never cast blame or dwelled on “woe is me.” She would always look at the recourses
available to her then plan for the best uses of them. She knew how to pick herself up by the bootstraps and she often
did. Even in death she realistically considered all her options and chose the path that was right for her. The thing she
always said to me was, “boy ya got’a try.”
12. Clinton Road (3:33)
I wrote “Clinton Road” in 1993 to remember Smith Pridgen from Atkinson, NC. Smith was 90 years young when his life
moved in the direction of its rebirth in 1986. I remember thinking about the things he had known in his life.
The birth of flight, the telephone, radio, TV and many other events that we take for granted today. When Smith was
born there were no paved roads in Pender County and most farmers still plowed their fields with a mule team. Wow!
What a life.
While I was working on this song I had the great fortune to meet Parks Todd, one of the finest dobro players I’ve ever
heard. I asked him to put down a track on a recording that I was working on. He said, “if you’ll write a song about the
death of family farming, I’ll do the track for free.” I immediately gave “Clinton Road” to Parks. Parks passed away in
2002. This song appears here in memory of him and Smith. Both attached to the land in their own way.
13. Stay With Me (4:33)
This CD began with a song that tried to draw attention to the path of civilization. I think it is only fitting that the last song
makes a statement about that too. How might modern society look today if we had uplifted the role of motherhood and
honored the women who chose that path. Is it too late for modern civilization? Why is the ideal, loving father / mother,
family shunned by television? Why can’t religious institutions motivate their followers toward the higher path? The trend
is not toward the high moral ground. The trend is toward earlier socialization of the children by the “state.” Didn’t they
do that in the old Soviet Union?
In the US today there is a growing trend toward the lowest common denominator and sameness. This trend is fueled by
the mistaken belief that personal fulfillment can only be achieved through material gain. As more and more children are
dropped off at daycare, civilization will first stagnate then decline. Finally it will wither on the vine like a beautiful melon
left in the field simply because the market place wouldn’t pay the cost of picking it.
For the good of the family and civilization love and raise your own children. They don’t need a village, a huge house
and high dollar cars. They need a strong, morel mother and father. Then, they need shelter from the elements, food,
love, and a chance for self-fulfillment, peer acceptance, and freedom to live as independent individuals.
1. Writing on the Wall (3:29)
I wrote this song in 2002 while visiting the Meher Spiritual Center. After a morning of quiet mind meditation it suddenly
occurred to me that there are many signs that show us how civilization is off on a tangent. I wanted to say that there are
things to watch out for but I wanted to let the listener determine for his or her self what the signs are.
2. The Reunion (3:10)
Around 1991 I went to a high school reunion. I had been to others but this one seemed bizarre beyond belief. It was fun
to see some of my old pals posturing and preening like old warn out peacocks. Maybe you will remember some of your
old pals through this song.
3. Swing Low Sweet Chariot (3:09)
This old spiritual is one that I sing every time I play over at the hospital for the patients. It seems to help them feel a little
better. I hope that it does that for you.
4. Wo! (2:48)
I have a few friends who are into alternative medical treatments. Some do yoga, reikie or acupuncture. I, in fact, have
studied reflexology and practiced it on myself for several years. The people who practice these alternative methods are
full of hope that they can relieve the suffering of their patients. Ann has often said that when I die she is going to give
me an enema and bury me in a shoe box. This song is just a song to smile at.
5. Ode To Isco (4:30)
Several years ago I worked as a mate for Hanover Towing. Binky Day was one of the captains I worked with. One day
as we passed by an old rotting tugboat in the marsh at Eagles Island Binky told me about the old boat. He had worked
the old Isco after returning from the Korean war. I wrote a poem to honor the old boat, Capt. Binky, and the power of
nature.
6. Grandpa Johnny (3:19)
I often wondered what it would be like to have a grandfather who was a cowboy. We would ride the range all day and
sleep under the stars at night. If it rained we would just be wet. This might not be your idea of a good time but it seems
like a joy to me.
7. Precious Lord (2:27)
This is another one of the public domain songs that I sing for the patients at the hospital. I hope that it brings back fond
memories for you and that you like it.
8. Chesapeake Remembrance (3:44)
I have worked tugs and tows on the Chesapeake Bay off and on for many years. One night as I was heading back up to
Havre de Grace from Norfolk the moon was shining full on the water. It suddenly occurred to me that there must have
been billions upon billions of waves that have rolled through the old bay. It has changed a lot and continues to change.
It is the children of the bay who will live or die by the waves that roll upon the shores.
9. Plow’n (6:17)
This song is a celebration of the love two people can share. In the middle of a forty acre field the pilot of this old John
Deere lets his mind wonder back to the farm house. He knows she is there and he knows how her apron comes undone.
10. Today is the Tomorrow You Dreamed of Yesterday (3:32)
Once when I finished a truly unproductive meditation in which I attempted to identify an event in the present, I realized
that the present was infinitesimally small. I was filled with the simple reality that the future and the past are illusions while
the present can only be realized as a series of infinitesimally small units.
11. Alma (2:57)
Many of my songs are about real people who had an important influence on my life. Alma is one of those special
people. When times got tough she never cast blame or dwelled on “woe is me.” She would always look at the recourses
available to her then plan for the best uses of them. She knew how to pick herself up by the bootstraps and she often
did. Even in death she realistically considered all her options and chose the path that was right for her. The thing she
always said to me was, “boy ya got’a try.”
12. Clinton Road (3:33)
I wrote “Clinton Road” in 1993 to remember Smith Pridgen from Atkinson, NC. Smith was 90 years young when his life
moved in the direction of its rebirth in 1986. I remember thinking about the things he had known in his life.
The birth of flight, the telephone, radio, TV and many other events that we take for granted today. When Smith was
born there were no paved roads in Pender County and most farmers still plowed their fields with a mule team. Wow!
What a life.
While I was working on this song I had the great fortune to meet Parks Todd, one of the finest dobro players I’ve ever
heard. I asked him to put down a track on a recording that I was working on. He said, “if you’ll write a song about the
death of family farming, I’ll do the track for free.” I immediately gave “Clinton Road” to Parks. Parks passed away in
2002. This song appears here in memory of him and Smith. Both attached to the land in their own way.
13. Stay With Me (4:33)
This CD began with a song that tried to draw attention to the path of civilization. I think it is only fitting that the last song
makes a statement about that too. How might modern society look today if we had uplifted the role of motherhood and
honored the women who chose that path. Is it too late for modern civilization? Why is the ideal, loving father / mother,
family shunned by television? Why can’t religious institutions motivate their followers toward the higher path? The trend
is not toward the high moral ground. The trend is toward earlier socialization of the children by the “state.” Didn’t they
do that in the old Soviet Union?
In the US today there is a growing trend toward the lowest common denominator and sameness. This trend is fueled by
the mistaken belief that personal fulfillment can only be achieved through material gain. As more and more children are
dropped off at daycare, civilization will first stagnate then decline. Finally it will wither on the vine like a beautiful melon
left in the field simply because the market place wouldn’t pay the cost of picking it.
For the good of the family and civilization love and raise your own children. They don’t need a village, a huge house
and high dollar cars. They need a strong, morel mother and father. Then, they need shelter from the elements, food,
love, and a chance for self-fulfillment, peer acceptance, and freedom to live as independent individuals.
Purchase digital CD for iPod now at
free