What
the songs are all about:
1. Just a Little Crazy For You
An ode to the delightful insanity that overtakes reason at
the beginning of a new love affair…the break is me whistling
past the graveyard of past relationships
2.
Lose or Win
This song is indebted in equal parts to the Eagles and
Teddy Roosevelt, as well as the fine vocal harmonies supplied
by Kathy Camille…I particularly like the way the twin guitar
break came out through the miracle of serendipitous harmony!
3.
Shady Grove
For reasons I can't explain, I heard this traditional ballad
as a pseudo-reggae song…Mike Stroffolino's banjo helps make
it work
4.
Sweet Georgia Brown
This was originally a demo for a trio I was playing in a few
years ago with electric guitar wizard Warren Henry…we ripped
through this old swing chestnut and our on-the-fly arrangement
turned out surprisingly well…Warren supplied the wonderful
walking bass too
5.
Just One Dream
I wrote this song during a particularly painful period, and
it shows…it does have a hopeful center, though, so I think
of it as kind of a musical Tootsie-Pop, and Samuel Salsbury's
gorgeous violin work takes the edge off the melancholy
6.
Playin the Blues
A story song…people frequently ask me if the stories in
my songs are true, and I can honestly answer that they are…especially
the ones I make up!
7.
Blackberry Blossom
A venerable and lively fiddle tune as played on several instruments
- as much as I enjoy playing with other musicians, sometimes it's
fun to multi-track everything and play alongside myself (have
to be careful how I say that…)
8.
Mother Bear
I'm not sure what to say about this song, but I suggest you
listen to it more than once before deciding what you think about
it
9.
Some Days Are Like That
Another story song…this one was just fun to write, and
fun to perform...the audience reaction is part of the song, so
we took this recording from a live show at the Fiddler's Dream
in Phoenix…watch out for that bowl of cherries!
10.
For You
Another song about the trials and tribulations of love…I
like the jazzy feel and the way the bridge builds with the interplay
of the guitars and harmonies, plus the title brings the album
nicely to a close…these songs are for you, so thank you for
listening!
Who did what:
Kerry
Kean - guitars, bass, violin, banjo and vocals on all tracks
except:
Brad Bolton - bass on Blackberry Blossom, Playin' the Blues
and For You
Kathy Camille - harmony vocals on Lose or Win
Warren Henry - bass and electric guitar on Sweet Georgia
Brown
Bobby Patetta - harmonica on Playin' the Blues
Samuel Salsbury - violin on Just One Dream
Mike Stroffolino - banjo on Shady Grove
All
songs written by Kerry Kean except Blackberry Blossom and Shady
Grove (Public Domain) and Sweet Georgia Brown (Bernie, Pinkard,
Casey). Some Days are Like That recorded live at Fiddler's Dream
in Phoenix AZ. Mixed and mastered by Brad Bolton; produced by
Kerry Kean. Design and cover photo by Kerry Kean, tray photo by
Doug Garmon.
Lyrics:
Just
a Little Crazy For You
You know you've got the most beautiful eyes
I think I've ever seen
Your nose, your lips, your hair
I guess you know what I mean
I want to tell you how sweet you are
But something makes me hesitate
I never dreamed love could be like this
I guess it must be fate
You know if you told me to leave I would
But that's something I hope you won't do
You don't have to worry, I'm not big and furry
I'm just a little crazy for you
Crazy, it's crazy what love'll do to you
Crazy, I'm just a little crazy for you
I caught a glimpse of you on the street
Lord, you looked so fine
And when I sniffed at the evening breeze
I nearly lost my mind
I haunted every wall in town
Until I found your name
And now I'm just like a great big old moth
Drawn into your flame
I want you so badly I can't even talk
I umm, uh, aw shoot
Well my message may be garbled
But I've still got all my marbles
I'm just a little crazy for you
Crazy, it's crazy what love'll do to you
Crazy, I'm just a little crazy for you, oh yeah
I'm just a little crazy for you, you, just you
Lose
or Win
Lose or win, you can never go back again
But there's a part of you still living in all the places you have
been
Bad or good, all the deeds that you have done,
All the songs that you have sung
They will all come round again
For bad or good, lose or win
Life's
a game, and we're just here to play
It's all the same, if you look at it that way
You can hold yourself above it and never feel the pain
But the sunshine don't mean nothin' if it never rains
Lose or win, you can never go back again
But there's a part of you still living in the places you have
been
Bad or good, all the deeds that you have done,
All the songs that you have sung
They will all come round again
For bad or good, lose or win
Behold
the man, bloodied, bowed and beaten
But he took a stand, so he will never be defeated
His place will never be with those who fear to risk it all
Who only stand and watch and criticize the ones who fall
You
and I had our chance in this life
You and I, we never got it right
We talked right past each other and the words just fell apart
We never learned to listen with our hearts
Lose or win, we can never go back again
But there's a part of us still living in the places we have been
Bad or good, all the deeds that we have done,
All the songs that we have sung
They will all come round again
For bad or good, lose or win
Shady
Grove
Shady Grove my true love
Shady Grove my darling
Shady Grove my true love
I'm going back to Harlan
Cheeks as red as a blooming rose
And eyes are the prettiest brown
She's the darling of my heart
Sweetest girl in town
I wish I had a big fine horse
And corn to feed him on
And Shady Grove to stay at home
And feed him while I'm gone
Went to see my Shady Grove
She was standing in the door
Her shoes and stockin's in her hand
And her little bare feet on the floor
When I was a little boy
I wanted a Barlow knife
And now I want little Shady Grove
To say she'll be my wife
A kiss from pretty little Shady Grove
Is sweet as brandy wine
And there ain't no girl in this old world
That's prettier than mine
When I was in shady grove
Heard them pretty birds sing
The next time I go to shady grove
Take along a diamond ring
Just
One Dream
Feelin down, feelin so low
Got some feelings you'll never know
Nothing to hold, nothing to show
Got no money, I got no car
Had to pawn my best guitar
I'm a long way down with a long way to go
There's just one thing I can be sure of
There's just one dream that never ends
The only thing I ever had was your love
I wish that I could see you again
Sometimes I think I'm livin' a lie
Feeding my soul on alibis
Tellin' myself that I don't care
Sometimes I'll turn and say
Hey, guess what I did today
But you know there's no one there
(chorus)
Rain water runs into streams
All my thoughts run into dreams
Rivers of wisdom, passing me by
Like the water returns to the sea
Maybe she'll come back to me
It's only water when I cry
(chorus)
Mother
Bear
Some guys were huntin' out deep in the woods
Tradin' stories around the campfire at night
One old hunter said, "There's only one thing
That ever really gave me a fright,
One time I walked right up on a bear cub
It scared us both, and he let out a cry
I took off like a shot, headed straight back to town
Running like my pants were on fire."
This young hunter said, "Old man you really blew it,
I can't believe you run
If that'd been me, I'd a shot that cub,
And then I'd have waited for mama to come"
There was a moment of silence then the old hunter said
"You know, I never figured you for smart
But boy, you're dumber than a sack of hammers
If you don't take this advice to heart",
Don't mess around with a mother bear
Don't come between her and her cub
There's nothing as tender and nothing so deadly
As a mother bear's love
Don't test her limits, don't push too far, don't make her choose
If it comes down to her baby or the rest of the world
The world's gonna lose
The
young hunter came home late one night
And he didn't like the looks of the house
He yelled at his wife, she gave him a look
So he punched her in the mouth
Well, it made him feel real good, and he was ready to do it again
When his 12 year-old son stepped between
And said "If you hit her again, Dad, I'll call the police
And I'll tell them all the things that I've seen."
He said, "Don't sass me boy", and raised up his hand
But as he started to bring it down
His woman roared and pushed him hard
And he found himself on the ground
And the last thing he saw was the fire in her eyes
As she stepped between him and the boy
And the last thing he heard was the sound in his mind
Of the old hunter's voice, sayin'
Don't mess around with a mother bear
Don't come between her and her cub
There's nothing as tender and nothing so deadly
As a mother bear's love
Don't test her limits, don't push too far, don't make her choose
If it comes down to her baby or the rest of the world
The world's gonna lose
Yeah if it comes down to her baby or you
You're gonna lose
Playin' the Blues
I
was rollin' home tight one Saturday night, kinda bouncin' from
wall to wall
I ducked into an alleyway to answer nature's call
I heard a sound, a guitar sound, kinda dirty and fat and sweet
So I followed it down the alleyway to a doorway off the street
It was dark and dim but I went on in, I was caught in something
strong
I looked around until I found the source of that siren song
There were two old men sittin' up on the stage, and they made
a magical sound
One played guitar, the other one sang and the music went round
and round
I started to bop, I just had to stop, and wipe away a little tear
'Cause they were playin' the blues like it ain't been played in
years
I
must've made a sound and they turned around and saw me standin'
there
In my grungy clothes I was nobody's rose as I shook back my long
stringy hair
But they kept on playin' and I kept on stayin', I was totally
mesmerized
And after a while I saw the singer smile, there was a twinkle
in his eyes
It wasn't too long, they finished the song and the man put his
guitar down,
He said "Boy you seem like you lost in a dream, what you
doin' in this part of town?"
I looked around, it was an older crowd and none of 'em looked
like me
But it felt so right, standin' there that night, it was where
I needed to be
I said "Sir, you don't know me, but I'm hopin' you'll show
me, how to play the things I hear
'Cause you were playin' the blues like it ain't been played in
years"
Well
he smiled again and just about then, the singer disappeared,
Then he came back again and in his hands he held three bottles
of beer
The three of us sat and talked about all that, about Lightnin'
and the Wolf and the Kings,
How the music borrows from a deep well of sorrows, and how it
eases the pain when you sing
We talked about words, and we talked about chords, and we talked
about how it should feel
And they listened to me as I made my plea, how can I keep it real?
But mostly I listened to what I'd been missin', and I learned
a lot that night,
'Bout how the blues, like an old pair of shoes, fits better if
it ain't too tight
And it felt so right, it was almost like I had a brand new set
of ears
And we were playin' the blues like it ain't been played in years
Yeah, playin' the blues like it ain't been played in years
Some
Days Are Like That
Well I double-parked my car just the other day
I was gone about a minute-and-a-half I'd say,
But when I got back there was a lady-cop there
She was writing me a ticket, it just didn't seem fair
I figured my best bet was to be disarming
Suave and debonair and totally charming
I said, "Hey good-lookin' what's goin' on"
She said "When I turn around you'd better be gone
Cause I know what you want, you're all the same
But you're paying the fine and that's the end of the game"
Well the situation went downhill from there
She'd made up her mind and she just didn't care
She threatened to write me another ticket
And I threatened to tell her where she could stick it
And I pointed my finger at her to make my case
Just as she stepped forward to get in my face
And my finger went someplace it shouldn't have been
And I just couldn't help it, I gave her a grin
The next thing I knew I was down on the ground
Handcuffed, busted and taken downtown
Some days are like that, yes they are
You get your hand stuck deep in the cookie jar
You go for the gold and come up with brass
You try to fly and you fall on your ass
Some days you eat that bowl of cherries, some days it eats you
Some days are like that, we've all had a few
Just last week a friend of mine
Got a brand new job, he was doin fine
He was drivin' nails but he did something dumb
He got distracted and he whacked his thumb
He was cussin and fussin and givin it what for
And he stepped on a nail in a two-by-four
He jumped back quick to get off that board
And forgot he was on a scaffold on the second floor
He fell into a great big tub of cement
That thing was on wheels and away it went
So he's covered with cement and he's yellin' and screamin'
And rolling downhill like a concrete demon
Well that tub hit a block and my friend went flyin
And he spattered his boss as he flew by and
He figured he was fired as he fell in a pile
But his boss shook his head and said with a smile,
Some days are like that, yes they are
You get your hand stuck deep in the cookie jar
You go for the gold and come up with brass
You try to fly and you fall on your ass
Some days you eat that bowl of cherries, some days it eats you
Some days are like that, I bet you've had 'em too
My friend Sally had a red hot date
With a real nice guy, she just couldn't wait
But that afternoon she got a bad case of gas
It made her eyes water when she let one pass
Well her date arrived and walked her to the car
She felt one coming on, the worst by far
He opened the door and she got in
Then he closed it and went around to his side again
Well she let 'er rip and she rolled the window down
And she waved her arms and blew it all out
Well he opened his door and he got in
She was feelin' much better and she gave him a grin
She said, "I think we're gonna have a good time tonight
He smiled and said, "You know, I think you're right"
But before we do we gotta make one stop
Just down the street, at the beauty shop
We have to drop someone off, so I'd like you to meet
My mom, that's her, in the back seat
Some days are like that, yes they are
You get your hand stuck deep in the cookie jar
You go for the gold and come up with brass
You try to fly and you fall on your ass
Some days you eat that bowl of cherries, some days it eats you
Some days are like that, we've all had a few
Some days are like that, I bet you've had 'em too
Some days are like that, but somehow we make it through
For
You
The morning weaves a velvet halo
All around your head
You're telling me that it's time to go
But I'd rather stay with you instead
I'd rather stay here with you today
I'd rather stay if that's ok with you
I love you
Oh my lady can you tell me
Why do I keep coming back to you
When every time I try to tell you how I feel
I can't get through to you
Can you give me a reason why
Can you give me an alibi
Can you tell me why I play the fool for you
Why do I love you
I know I'm not the only one who loves you
I'm not the only one at your door
I know I'm not the only one who's left
His heart lying there on your floor
I try to tell myself it's alright
We've all been there before
But you know sometimes I think I just
I can't take anymore
But I love you God knows I do
Oh my lady can you tell me
Why do I keep coming back to you
When every time I try to tell you how I feel
I can't get through to you
Can you give me a reason why
Can you give me an alibi
Can you tell me why I play the fool for you
Why do I love you
God help me I do
I love you
©
2015 Kerry Kean All Rights Reserved
