Seven Bridges, Seven Tales

Originally posted June 26, 2009; I thought this was perfect way to remember the fallen soldiers, and the ones that came home and lived with the war a little bit longs. This is likely my most researched piece, down to knowing that Albert is buried in a cemetary just a mile from my house. The Richie Havens story is a little embellished, but it could have happened.


In seven minutes, seven miles breeze by
To my right, the old road beckons
Seven bridges, and seven stories
For my delight, if I just listen.

Lizzy,
Lizzy paid no attention to crickets
But that gun shot made her jump.
Crazy Bill McGilvary shouted
“Dem swamp rattlers!
Liz listen up next time
They sound just like crickets!”







7 minutes, 7 miles
7 bridges, 7 tales.






Davey,
Davey just had an itch to fish
But he had chores galore.
Ma’s fresh pie served as a bribe
And little Jim, he won’t mind
He’ll do the chores just fine
While he finds time to fish.






7 minutes, 7 miles
7 bridges, 7 tales.





Joanie
Joanie had a hankerin for fun
Like a red shouldered hawk
She swooped in on Henry
“Kee Year” she mimicked.
In the bottomland grass,
She rolled with her new hun.





7 minutes, 7 miles
7 bridges, 7 tales.




Billy,
Billy cursed that bridge from hell.
Clinton embossed the back of his neck
As he hung motionless from the A frame.
Damn riverboat gamblers
Took his life savings
So he hung there a spell.








7 minutes, 7 miles
7 bridges, 7 tales.







Tommy,
Tommy never really came back
So he made these swamps his home.
Nam killed more than his hearing
He lost trust in people
They say the lost site of him
As waded out in the river named Black.








7 minutes, 7 miles
7 bridges, 7 tales.



Ritchie
Ritchie mumbled “How did this happen?
Rental piece of shit,” but he hated flying.
Aw a strawberry stand, and a latin beauty.
“Two bits for sweet carazon.”
“Precious what’s your name”
“Oh they call me Donna”






7 minutes, 7 miles
7 bridges, 7 tales.




Albert,
Albert was nineteen in 1865
At the Spanish Fort battle in ‘Bama.
He was 90 when they laid him down
Four miles from the bridge
He and Rynert used to fish
Sure wished he would have survived.












In seven minute, seven miles breezed by
To my right, the old road beckoned
Seven bridges, and seven stories
For your delight, if you listened.





by Dave Zeman (c) 2009 Rose Riversongs





Story behind the song can be read at http://songwriting202.blogspot.com

Photo Credits

Swamp Rattler -massasauga, Red Shouldered Hawk, Historical Marker, Ritchie Valens, Green Mound Cemetary, Bridges & Swamp, Riverboat Gambler

Lady in Blue

I revisited a song that I wrote a while back based on a little inspiration from Hope Waits. She had posted a picture of herself in blue sepiatones, and was recently lamenting loneliness in the city of Hollywood. A few other tidbits may have a tie into reality, but the song flows as a fictional story. This lady I don't know if I want to meet, but Hope Waits... anytime.

Funny thing happens when you revisit a song after three years, you re-write a line or two, change a few chords, and maybe make it better. Song writing isn't a science, and it isn't a contest; it's a passion to tell a short story in 3-4 minutes. Why stick your head in a book for days... here you go... here's atleast a chapeter with pictures no less of the beautiful Hope Waits


She fixated on a venomous moment
Surrounded by a harried world.
Just sits alone with her personal torment.
A bottle of Jack numbs the senses
Maybe she’ll go dress up with pearls tonight
Hit the bars and take some chances.


The lady in blue has a life to choose.
The lady in blue stuck in Hollywood.
The lady in blue turns to look away
The lady in blue will find a way.

Her tall and slender frame turns heads
She’s learned to ignore them easily
But with this she’s added a hard edge.
An armor of cold disdain for true love
She can crush those who come weakly
Leaving her left with the just the stuff.


The lady in blue has a life to choose.
The lady in blue stuck in Hollywood.
The lady in blue turns to look away
The lady in blue will find a way.

A trickle of hope is never really gone
She was raised with grace and joy
But left it behind to write her song
The lady bumps into life in the dark
Will she choose to notice or be coy?
And in the end she’s just make a choice.

Lady in Blue by Dave Schipper © 2007/10 Rose Riversongs Photos from myspace.com/hopewaits

a quick video for me to remember it...

Larry Heagle....

Lori and I went to the Big River last night with a few of our friends (Ha.. 9 of us ultimately from Holmen)... and I didn't get the connection that Larry was the writer of a The Vasectomy Rag. It was a song I knew along time ago from Clay, and when he added it to his recent house concert, it brought such a smile.



This worse Country song by Larry was done last night, and I wonder if it isn't absolutely intentional that the sound doesn't match the video below. You get a chance, stop and see Larry sometime.

I believe in you... Tyler and Kina

I happened into this video tonight... what a great song, and great harmonies... these two should do more than a video together...

Funny I had Kina Grannis as a MySpace friend, and this is her second time on the Zemmy Show... And Tyler Hilton... don't know much but he seems like a talent.

Introducing Seth Horan

Well last night I was introduced to this great voice and talented bass player.... Seth Horan, by a friend of my son... yes a 20 year old can talk to me anytime about good music, and this is good music... so much so that I've reached out to a solo bass player to play at our house concert... crazy... you'll agree not after you watch this video.

Jolene by Ray LaMontagne

This song is fairly new to me but it is already tied to some stories that will be with me for a long time. During the interview I had with Briana with Second Supper... Hope Waits came up in conversation, so I started the 4 track demo ep she sent me and continued talking. As her song Jolene came on, Briana stopped the conversation and said isn't that a Ray... and she stammered out the last name kind of like I did. I said maybe, Hope didn't pass me the credits. After she left, I quickly became immersed in Ray's music. Incredible that I had missed him. Later I shared the story with Hope, and she told me of an incredible personal family tie to the song because her dad's first wife's name was Jolene, and she helped the healing of her huge family when her mother, (her Dad's second wife) died. Top it off with an intensely powerful song, and it'll be with me forever.

My cut... and stick with it toward the end to see the outtakes...



and I wasn't kidding about that talented Hope Waits ...

News article on Bluff View Concerts

Briana did an outstanding job capturing the feel of the concert series.... Read on...

Holmen concert series brings music out of bars, into garage
By: briana.rupel@secondsupper.com
People who call the Coulee Region home are no strangers to live music. In fact, throw a dart at a map of local bars on any given day of the week, and it's a near-guarantee that you'll find something aurally pleasing: a groovy blues show at Nighthawk's, a foot-stompin' jam session at The Popcorn, or a smooth jazz set at Bodega. Since January 2009, a new venue has been added to this proverbial map; a charming house snuggled up against the bluffs in northern Holmen, where Dave Schipper and his wife, Lori, invite nationally touring musicians to play a handful of house concerts a year, right in their living room.

Pull into the driveway, and you're likely to find Dave kicked back on his porch, strumming on an acoustic guitar and occasionally taking a sip out of a glass of wine. A longtime music-lover (the guy has over 3,000 albums on vinyl) and musician himself, Dave stumbled into the house concert scene almost unintentionally through social networking sites.

"I got on MySpace mainly to connect with other musicians because my hope and desire was to someday be covered as a songwriter," he explains. Meanwhile, a folk-singing friend of the Schippers was trying to raise money for a church trip to South America. When asked if they would be up for hosting a concert at their house as a fundraiser, the couple was enthusiastic to help. .... Finish the article here... and leave a tasty thank you to Bri.

A friends recommendation

You are the best thing... or could be

God I love connections. Recently I have been digging into the connections of personality types and I am an ENTP if are keeping score at home. So totally unrelated, but connected in my mind, a beautiful soul came to interview me tonight on the House Concerts, and while I played a demo song from Hope Waits for her, she mentioned it was a Ray LaMontage song. Undaunted to discover, this seems to be a hit by him, and I'm determined to add it the Rose River set... yes... I'm always looking for a little smoky blues song I can cover..

Morning song to Sally

Tonight I was bouncing around listening to both Jerry Jeff and Nanci on YouTube... what a wonderful time... here's one where Nanci adds such a beautiful harmony.

Matt Harlan on Music Fog

MusicFog.com is starting to post a lot of their videos from SXSW 2010 at Threadgills... wow, I wish I could make it there some year. Matt is not a person I know much about..... YET

This is good..

Would I lie to you?

Allison my Yvonne Stahovski

Matt Coleman & Allison Sattinger.. God knows I love these two but for you let's just say that you would be special to run into them live because of all of life's demands and the great 40 hour a week job. Let's not ever dismay either but relish how when you can catch it live like Jeremy did in the video below....relish it... maybe buy them a wine or beer afterward, and ultimately just befriend them.



the title of the blog... hell I've met Allison and got a hug... if this blog helps me meet Yvonne, oh that would be so sad. '-)

Any old kind of day...

Yes it was just any old kind of day, bought doughnuts for my birthday treat, handled some stressed out employees, attended a meeting, did some data queries, tried to promote the house concert, caught lunch at McD's and smiled at the young girls, sold some stuff on ebay, listened to How Lucky 22 times to learn it, ate a great supper made by a loving wife, watched House & Chuck (thank you DVR), and now I'm think something is left behind.



This guy loves to cover Harry and does just a wonderful job.

When the Angels come out

Our Rose River band has a few friends that seem to follow us around, and even to church. One of them is Justin Bodin, and to meet Justin is to instantly know you've met a friend with overflowing love for everyone. He penned a poem and passed it to Tim to see if we could play it at Church. I didn't have to change it much at all to make it the following song. Justin's dad works with Tim, and is related to the original owners of the Bodin fishing outfit out of Bayfield Wisconsin. If you have ever tasted Lake Superior Whitefish, you know that it is something else. That preciousness is the same that Justin lives his life... Sweet! Enjoy some dancin angels... I'll get you a tape of some better singers of the song someday.

Dave



Chorus
When the Angels come out
In the moonlight they sing
To the Heaven’s above
And they praise the Lord

When the Angels get together
Around the stars
They dance on the moon
All night long


When you opened the kingdom of heaven to me
For everyone to see
You gave us a new life and happiness
For others to see you.

Chorus

When we walk hand in hand with Angels on earth
All people created by God
We sing with the power of heavens above
For others to see you.

By Justin Bodin

Bluff View House concert treat

Number #19 on the Americana Charts in Europe to playing at my house concert in little old Holmen WI just north of LaCrosse WI...

Can I say that I'm excited?