Meyer & McGuire
Songwriter Notes
Song
of the Month #12 - “Ridin’ Down the Back Roads”
(Track #4 on the Caught
in the Middle CD)
Lyrics: If your web browser does not support
the Flash Player* included with the
Lyrics, or you are uncomfortable allowing/downloading the plug-in/add-on,
you can still listen to this song while you read. Just go to our Downloads
Page and click on the
link, “Buy Caught in the Middle Songs from
Napster”. Then, click on "Ridin’ Down the Back Roads." You can listen to it for free (not
available outside the USA).
*Not being a
techie, I use the term “Flash Player” loosely.
“Reflective thinking” is one of my favorite pastimes. For me, there is nothing like taking a little
time out to assess where I’ve been, where I am, and where I am going. While most of my musing is done while I am
engaged in a mindless activity such as doing the dishes, walking, or riding in
the car, some of my greatest cogitations occur when I am sipping a cup of coffee
on our front porch or back deck.
I don’t know what “reflective thinking” does for you, but
here is what it does for me. It gives me
the “juice” to keep going, and here is how it works. When I reflect on my past, I assess my
successes and failures. Since I can
always identify some victories and defeats, I have come to the obvious
conclusion this win/loss issue is constant.
Embracing the simple fact that winning and losing are an ongoing process
is important for me because it gives me the ability to either appreciate or
cope with my current life, and it gives me the desire to continue to visualize
new dreams. It also prevents me from
getting too absorbed in any one accomplishment, or too destroyed by any misfortune,
a balance that keeps me moving forward.
OK, OK, what is the connection between “reflective thinking”
and “Ridin’ Down the Back Roads?” Well,
the song got its start while I was musing in our van on the way to a gig. It was the mid 90s, and Siobhan and I were on
I-79 between Ithaca and Whitney Point in New York. We were headed to Oxford, New York, to do a
show at the well-known Night Eagle Café.
Our music business dictates that we spend a lot of time on the road, and
when we are in the car, we either listen to music or an audio book, or we
gossip like a couple of officious old ladies.
Just outside of Ithaca, our chitchat gave way to a needed silence
because I-79 is not a very familiar road to Siobhan, and she had to look for a
somewhat obscure turn that would take us towards Oxford.
As we drove along with only the sound of a CD invading the
silence, I began to reflect on some of the major issues that often absorbed my
thinking at that time. In the ‘90s, I
taught high school English, and so consequently I spent a lot of time sorting
out the problems that often result from being in education. Working with kids is rewarding and fun, but
those of us who do it know it is not easy.
For me, it was important to reflect on my little victories so I could
maintain the stamina to keep going. Along
with teaching, I thought about our music business. It, too, was very satisfying, but like
education, it also had its highs and lows.
Finally, my pondering brought me to my relationship with Siobhan. At the time, we had been together for fifteen
years, and it seemed like we just met yesterday at George Cullen’s. Although our relationship is far more
gratifying than anything else I have ever experienced, it also does not escape
the cyclical nature of the ups and downs of living. Fortunately, we have been able to figure out
how to help each other grow as we move through the circle of life.
In the midst of all these thoughts, the first verse of the
song came out of nowhere. Its imagery
merely reflects the details of riding along a country road in a car with my
best friend. I sang it over and over in
my head, but I did not know where to go with it. It stayed with me all the time we were in
Oxford, and it wasn’t until we returned to Canandaigua that the rest of the
song took shape.
I always wake up a few hours before Siobhan does; so this
gives me some good quality time for writing.
When I started playing with the first verse again, it brought me back to
what I was thinking about when the lyrics first invaded my mind, teaching,
music, and my life with Siobhan. These
became the topics for the subsequent verses, and the words came out of me as if
a dam had burst.
When I finished the verses, I looked at the common thread
that connected them to each other. They all
contained a reflection on the past, an appreciation of the present, and a
wondering about the future. Since my
“reflective thinking” approach came through for me in the development of the
verses, I decided the chorus should reinforce this strategy, and thus “Ridin’
Down the Back Roads” came to fruition.
Ridin’ Down the Back Roads” is a sensitive folk song that
invites you to daydream along with its melody and lyrics. Its pace easily mirrors the meandering of a
car slowly winding along some back country road during the twilight of day or
early evening. The lively sound of Tim
Chaapel’s guitar picking blended with the lonely resonance of Joe Dady’s violin
deftly enhances the cyclical theme portrayed in the song. These two guys, along with John Dady, help
Siobhan and me in creating one of those songs that was made for
contemplation. It is something Jim Croce
may possibly have written if he were still alive. Although it doesn’t even come close to being
anything like Croce’s “Hey Tomorrow” or “The Hard Way Every Time,” I like it,
and I hope you do, too.
I dedicated this song to all those people who, like us, have
been fortunate enough to find love and share dreams. I do not know what causes some of us to be
lucky, but I do have a sense of how loving and dreaming can keep going. Remember, when times are tough, nothing is
permanent; consequently, when times are good, nothing is permanent. So, if you can truly flow with this simple
little concept, I believe loving and dreaming will never die for you because
you will always maintain an innate curiosity to find out what lies around the
next bend.
We
recorded this song in 1998 at The Garage, a little studio in Rochester, New
York. The Garage, as I have told you
before, is owned and operated by John and Joe Dady, two quintessential
musicians. When you record with them,
you can always count on great coffee, good stories, and an aching stomach from
laughing. I highly recommend John and
Joe if you are interested in recording.
Also, The Dady Brothers, John and Joe’s group, have many recordings of
their own, and they tour the United States and Ireland. Check them out on the web at www.dadybros.com.
Tim
Chaapel owns Mobile Music, a great music store in Canandaigua, New York. If you think you might be interested in
playing an instrument, stop in. Tim will
get you off to a great start! He has
guitars that make you look really sexy!
Also, if your instrument has fallen on hard times, Tim will get it
sounding like new in no time. Check him
out on the web at http://www.mobilemusic.downtowncanandaigua.com.
Well,
there you have it. I’ll have another
song of the month for you next month. If
you have any comments or suggestions, please pass them on to me. This is a work in progress, and I am always
looking for new ways to improve it.
(E-Mailed 3/18/08)
E-mail us at McRiley@Frontiernet.net