Paradise — SONG OF BOB

I wrote this song while procrastinating bottling honey this past week. The original two-chord progression was for something completely different, but then the "fifths" happened and before I knew it I was making something new.

The feeling and then the lyrics came from a recent conversation in Ashland, Oregon with some farmers: they were debating the issue of homeless people pooping in the Rogue River which is creating an E. coli situation for the farmers and everyone else. The brutal fire season in California has been on my mind as well.

Artistic debts: Bruce Springsteen for the hopeful/delusional narrator from "Across the River;" Jackson Browne for placeholder lyrics and melody ("These Days") before I came up with my own; Joni Mitchell for the chord at the very end ("Two Grey Rooms"); and Bill Evans (I wish!) for the block chord fifths or 11ths or something beyond me in the middle section. There’s also an unintentional hint of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” which discerning listeners will pick up.

Tech: recorded live with a Zoom H1 portable recorder above a Roland RD-700GX using KRK 5" studio monitors. No effects or edits.

Photo credit: Adobe stock.

Paradise

Flames burned down the mountain
All it took was a little spark
Goodbye to our Paradise
Bye bye to our little Eden
It's just an ember in the dark

Jenny took off for North Dakota
The heart of winter is 40 below
She said "I'm taking the kids
"I'm taking our best shot too
"Do you think you can let it go?"

Some days I'm in a wasteland
Another day I think I'm saved
And you look how far you’ve come
And you see how far you’ve got to go
I'm gonna cross that river some day

They say these are prosperous times
I can’t seem to strike two dimes
I’m just down on my luck
Can you spare a buck mister?
And I'll get rid of this cardboard sign