A Seasonista Wrote This...stuff

I wrote this song when I was 16 years old (1970!) and remembered it when I found the sheet while rummaging through old papers. It's very basic, just a 50s-style 4-chord progression, with a couple of minor keys thrown in - which no doubt impressed myself at the time with my sophistication.

 
There is a youtube podcast called The Canuck and the Brit
It stars Bret and Kasey who live in Chang Mai Thailand.
This is the Brett & Kasey tango. It might mean something
to those who have ever listened to their show, but to anyone else
it will be like hearing punchlines without telling the joke.
 
I woke up this morning with the chorus to this song running through my head. I fleshed it out today.

 
This is a work in progress. There will probably be many lyrical changes before I think about melody.

My brothers an alcoholic, he brings the family shame
He goes to AA but doesn’t say his last name.
He has to stay sober every single day
I don’t understand how he got this way

He drank like a car, that didn’t have brakes.
When he lost his jobs, it was always a mistake.
His third wife left him, just like the other two
Now he’s an alcoholic, and he says that’s all true

So he goes to meetings, and collects those little chips
He call up his sponsor and reads books and s**.
He says that since he’s sober he’s feeling brand new
He’s an alcoholic, poor fellow, who knew?

He got himself a Martin but doesn’t play real good
I do like the sound of that Brazilian Rosewood
Me, I play like Stevie Ray, you know I have mad skills
But I had to pawn my dreadnaught to pay the lawyer bill.

I got caught with a DUI, I tell you, I was framed.
Now my brother drives me around and I’m real ashamed
To be seen with a bum like him, it really makes me sad
He’s an alcoholic, poor fellow, and you know that’s bad

He’s so mean and selfish, he won’t give me any cash
So I’m living in my car that doesn’t have gas.
It’s that old rusty Plymouth, my clothes are in the trunk
My brothers an alcoholic, thank God I’m just a drunk.
 
Whenever I write a song, I go through several edits. This morning I'm getting closer to putting it to music. I wrote the first draft a few nights after playing in a jam in Luckenbach, TX.

The morning revision:

My brothers an alcoholic, he brings the family shame
He goes to AA but doesn’t say his last name.
He has to stay sober every single day
I don’t understand how he got this way

He drank like a car, that didn’t have any brakes.
When he lost his jobs, it was always their mistake.
His third wife left him, just like the other two
Now he’s an alcoholic, and he says that’s all true

Chorus
So he goes to meetings, and collects those little chips
He call up his sponsor and reads books and s**.
He says that since he’s sober he’s feeling brand new
He’s an alcoholic, poor fellow, who knew?

I got caught with a DUI, I tell you, I was framed.
Now my brother drives me around and I’m real ashamed
To be seen with a bum like him, it really makes me sad
He’s an alcoholic, and you know that’s really bad

Chorus
So he goes to meetings, and collects those little chips
He call up his sponsor and reads books and s**.
He says that since he’s sober he’s feeling brand new
He’s an alcoholic, poor fellow, who knew?

Talking
He’s so mean and selfish, he won’t give me any cash
So I’m living in my car that’s completely out of gas.
It’s that old rusty Plymouth, my clothes are in the trunk
My brothers an alcoholic, thank God I’m just a drunk.

Chorus
So he goes to meetings, and collects those little chips
He call up his sponsor and reads books and s**.
He says that since he’s sober he’s feeling brand new
He’s an alcoholic, poor fellow, who knew?
 
I think this'll have guitar and maybe percussion (also maybe a uke trading licks with the piano?) down the line, just trying to get the basic song set now. I wrote this for my 4-year-old daughter.

 
Pa, I've just spent the morning listening to your "Originals" YT playlist. Got about 1/10th of the way through. Time well spent.
 
I've been trying to write some new "motion" songs for my story times. This is my first one titled, "Ants on the Ground." E and H helped me with the motions.

 
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