Just Another Old Outlaw

I am working on another song, kind of a bio I guess… It’s called “Just Another Old Outlaw”, and you can hear the teaser here: http://www.reverbnation.com/davidcschupbach 

 

 

Emotion

“I have found, in songwriting, that the best songs come from the heart.”

This is a sentiment heard over and over from just about every songwriter on the planet.  Probably because it’s true…!

When I wrote “She was His Life”, (a song that always seems to bring a tear to someone) I decided it was time to let go of some of the sad old “tear-jerkers” I had been writing, and write something from a place of deep emotion.  I wanted to write about something I had witnessed that inspired me, And I did!

My Mother and Father had the kind of relationship that most of us only dream about.  It was first love for both of them, and they remained true to one another for 46 years until Mom’s passing in 2000.  After she was gone, Dad said to me, “We only had 46 years, doesn’t hardly seem like it was enough.”

The true love they shared, spilled over into everything they did, and was lavished on us children also, no doubt spoiling us rotten…  But if nothing else, it taught us how to love!

So when I began to write “She Was His Life” it really only took about 30 minutes to get the lyrics, and maybe another hour to work out the tune in my head.  I know at the time I was traveling US 54 between it’s junction with US 61 and Mexico Missouri, a distance of 44.6 miles, about 57 minutes driving time.  (see map)  

To date, this has been one of my better efforts, most popular with 45 to 85 year olds, probably because of the increasing numbers of us who have lost a loved one…

My point is, for a songwriter to be successful, he or she must have that well of emotion to draw on.  As I was first writing this song, I could hardly continue, for visualizing my Mother and how much I missed her.  Then it became even harder as I realized that for Dad, in many respects she had been his whole reason for living!

So if you ever think you want to write songs, remember to write about what you know and care about.  Anything else may just be a waste of paper!  …er, hard drive!  Whatever!  :-D

 

 

Lyrics to New Song?

Spent most of my driving time yesterday working on the lyrics to a new song…

For those of you curious about how the writing process goes… well, it’s probably different for everyone… but for me I search my thoughts for a subject I have a lot of strong emotion about.  Every one of my songs, (40 something) have arisen from an experience that had a lot of meaning for me.

“She  Was His Life” of course was about the wonderful, loving relationship my parents had, the one that was my subconscious model for relationships, and what happens after it’s over…

“Bayou Girl” was a little ramble back into the days of my youth to an experience we’ve probably all had — someone who loved us but we were too full of ourselves to realize it at the time, and missed an opportunity…

So… the last few days I have been thinking about my youth, growing up on “The Farm”, and how I didn’t appreciate it at the time because of all the big dreams I had…

Here’s what I have, feel free to critique, Your input is valued!!

A Massey-Harris tractor, a hay baler and a plow,
The barefoot days of summer, Oh how I miss them now.
Fifteen years and counting, the days until I’d be a man,
But now that I have everything,
I thought I wanted then….
What I wouldn’t give,
For that teen-age farmers tan.

The sweat was pouring down my face, as we gathered in the hay,
That barn loft was an oven, as we stacked it all away.
I was sure I was mistreated, on that hot, hot summer day,
But now that I have everything,
I thought I wanted then….
What I wouldn’t give,
For that teen-age farmers tan.

My Mother was an angel, in her dresas of snowy white,
My Daddy he was Superman and they were always right.
The simple life that they enjoyed, just wasn’t in my plan,
But now that I have everything,
I thought I wanted then….
What I wouldn’t give,
For that teen-age farmers tan.

Let me know what you think of the lyrics, I’m still working on the tune!

 

 

 

 

It has been a long time since I posted here, so I guess the Title of this blog is a little misleading… it sounds like everything that happens in my life will be chronicled here, immediately, as it happens, but actually it’s more like my latest spasm!  Occasionally I have a brain spasm and dump something here!  :-D

Right now I am working on my music.  Those that love me have requested it several times over the years, so I guess it’s about time!