Lyrics as Poetry
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The Boxer – a Bluegrass Cover
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I Am A Rock
In this category of Lyrics as Poetry, I am attempting to show some of my favorite storytelling in music. My favorite music artists have the ability to express my heart better than I, bitch in music and word. These are a few examples. The first here is a Simon and a Garfunkel’s, “I Am a Rock”. “A rock feels no pain, and an island never cries.”
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Tiny Dancer – Elton John
My piano inspiration in the 70s. This is his classic song Tiny Dancer. He sang this live when my sister Alice and I saw him in Berkeley, CA, October 1972. I became a big fan of his that year. I played a lot of his music in the 70s and continued to train my ear to play by ear as I did. I suppose I have him to thank for that. After years of practice, I was able to sit down and play any song by just hearing. At any rate, Tiny Dancer was one of his first hits when he and Bernie wrote very poetic music. His first music…
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John Denver, a poet and balladeer and an inspiration
In my Sacramento years (1975 on), my musical taste became a bit less rock and a bit more folk and country. I fell in love with John Denver’s music. I think at this time I started taking more of an interest in the lyrics of songs. Up until now, my interest in music was melody, harmony and beat. I never paid much attention to lyrics. Denver’s music was two things to me; beautiful acoustic guitar duets and lyrics about nature. No one could sing about nature like Denver. Here is a good example. I’ve often wondered why I love this song about a misunderstood nature zealot. That is not really…
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Goodbye in Her Eyes – Bittersweet California Memories
When I was young, you might have called me a nerd if the word had been in use at that time. I was a quiet person who kept to himself. In high school, I hung out with the nerdy guys, discussing the universe, our origins and the latest electronics invention. I was into ham radio and electronics. I built my own music radio station as a hobby. I was actually afraid of girls. Though I had 3 sisters, I did not know how to act around girls, though I had a number of crushes. In 1967, we moved to California in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is where I…