Since I retired…all I seem to have is time, although I often worry that I’m not using it wisely. What a strange thing to think, though! It seems to me to come from an evolutional need for ‘betterment’ – the search and expectation that ‘things’ should always be getting better. The problem, I think, are the ‘things’ that we focus on with this expectation, are not always sensible. The ‘Economy’ is a good example of where the expectation is always to have ‘growth’, but is that it? Really? Is economic growth the true marker of things being ‘better’? Hmm? Does someone else’s increase in wealth make things better for you?
BUT… business is business! And business must grow regardless of crummies in tummies, you know. I meant no harm. I most truly did not. But I had to grow bigger. So bigger I got. I biggered my factory. I biggered my roads. I biggered my wagons. I biggered the loads of the Thneeds I shipped out. I was shipping them forth to the South! To the East! To the West! To the North! I went right on biggering… selling more Thneeds. And I biggered by money, which everyone needs. (from “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss)
So now, whenever I find myself worrying about ‘wasting time’..I laugh…in a pantomime, Rik Mayal, head-back and thigh-slapping sort-of-a-way!
Maybe you have a goal, a ‘dream’ , a wish or a burning desire – the top-most bucket in your list of buckets – Then, I can understand your drive or your worry. I’ve had a few such ‘desires’ in my life although they were never ‘burning’ or could be measured in buckets. When I was around 15/16 yrs old, I thought I would be an Artist (a painter) and at around 19/21 yrs old I fancied being a ‘Folkie’. By the time I had reached 25 yrs old, I thought I would like to be a Journalist and then a Writer / Poet. A few years later and the the focus had changed to a ‘Songwriter’ (I even had a ‘Manager’ 🙂 ) but I never felt satisfied I had reached any level of attainment. What is that famous quote? “Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.” (John Lennon)
Anyhoo…I know a song about that…and I plan on working on it today / soon. It’s called “Life gets in the way”. I have tried to complete it, lots of times, but it’s never good enough. (oops…there’s that ‘betterment’ again)
I used to work on an IT Helpdesk in Glasgow and would travel in from Busby by train. And…one day…on my way to work…someone got on the train and sat down opposite and I recognised her as someone from my past (that’s all you get!) Of course, I didn’t speak to her, she didn’t notice me and I dutifully stared out of the window until the train arrived in Central Station. So, obviously, that brief un-encounter got me thinking…replaying past experiences…wondering how she has been, her life, any children, etc. (Yep…maybe I should have said hello, I hear you say.) Ultimately, it led to a tune and some words, which led to an initial version on the collection – “I don’t want to be famous…I just want to make some cash“. But now it’s time to make a ‘betterer’ version.
Time passes….
Okay…some hours later and there’s a reason it’s taken so long to complete this song. What happens is…I pick up my acoustic and play all 4 main parts along with all the flourishes that have built up over the years. However, when I try to record the tune, I award the parts to other instruments: Drums, Bass, Acoustic and Electric Guitars. Plus…I start getting ‘fancy’ with timing, backing vocals and chord progressions. So, it’s still not right! However, I’ve uploaded the latest, ‘live-ish’ version, which has some of the jazzy/punchy qualities I think the tune needs and you can hear it on the “Jazz Heid” collection.
*** UPDATE – It was finished the next day and uploaded here! ***
Jackson Greenhorn 