Meyer & McGuire
Songwriter Notes
Song
of the Month #6 - “Leavin’ All Our Troubles Far Behind”
(Track #1 on the Caught in the Middle CD)
Lyrics: If you want to listen to this song while you
read, go to the following link: http://free.napster.com/view/artist/index.html?id=12355412. Click on "Leavin’ All Our Troubles Far
Behind." You can listen to it for free.
Folks, is there anything better than a road trip? It has to be one of the top ten great
experiences. In addition to letting us
let go of our anxieties and responsibilities, it gives us time to relax,
reflect, and renew our commitment to whatever personal goals we have set. It lets us live in the moment, the most
satisfying place we can be. Most
everyone I know has been on a road trip, but if you haven’t, you owe it to
yourself to get out there and try it!
Siobhan and I have been going on road trips for the past
twenty-five years. As with much of what
we do, we keep it simple. We take very
little with us: favorite books, favorite CDs, and just the essentials regarding
clothing. In the 1990’s, after Siobhan
started playing bass, we began taking the music along with us so that we could
practice and play some impromptu gigs if the opportunity arose. The focus of our trips has been, and will
probably continue to be, visiting family and friends. So far, our destinations have been New
England, Ohio, Washington DC, and the Carolinas. Unlike many travelers, we do not rush to
these destinations. Instead, we take our
time, staying in little interesting towns we find along the way. We love to meet new people and listen to the
stories they have to tell.
In the mid 1990’s, we traveled to Alexander, North Carolina,
a little town just north of Asheville.
Our friends, Marianne and Raymond Jacque, retired there, and built a
beautiful home up in the hills outside of Alexander. “Leaving All Our Troubles Far Behind” was
born on this trip.
We were on highway 81, an interstate that starts in upstate
New York and ends in Alabama. When it
passes through western Virginia, it travels along the beautiful Blue Ridge
Mountains. Somewhere between Winchester
and Christiansburg, with our CDs blaring, the details of the first verse of the
song came together. The imagery is
nothing special. I merely put the
sights, sounds, feels, smells, and tastes of the road into a simple meter and
rhyme scheme. As I have mentioned
before, when a song won’t leave you alone, you have to finish it.
When we arrived at Marianne and Raymond’s house, the awesome
setting of their home gave me an excellent opportunity to complete the
song. I am an early riser, and usually
have at least two to three hours of alone time before everyone else gets
up. Sitting in the sunroom located on
the deck in the front of the Jacque’s home, I composed the second and third
verses of the song as the dissipating fog dawned another beautiful Carolina
morning.
When it came to creating the chorus, it was simple. Road trips allow us to detach from our past
and future, and, if we let it happen, they let
us get into the now and enjoy the moment.
I have been working at living this philosophy for the past thirty-five
years, and as I get better and better at it, I find life becoming more and more
rewarding. Many folks who listen to my
songs wonder if I am a Buddhist. I’m
not, but I sure think they have some cool ideas!
The song is a fast moving somewhat bluegrass-like country
song. With a guitar, a fiddle, a
mandolin, a banjo, a harmonica, a bass, drums, and backup harmonies, John and
Joe Dady and Tim Chaapel help Siobhan and me create one of those hard-driving
road tunes. It is far from being
anything like “Take It Easy,” by the Eagles, but I like it, and I hope you do,
too.
I dedicated this song to Marianne and Raymond Jacque, the
king and queen of simple living. They
left the Rochester, New York, area in the mid 1980’s, and embarked on a voyage
to fulfill their dream of living out their days in the western mountains of
North Carolina. Their trip was not easy
at first, but their steadfast nature made their dream come true. Throughout the 90’s, Siobhan and I frequently
visited them, and we learned a lot while sipping good bourbon and listening to
their stories and philosophies. They
dared to be different, and this inspired us to stay focused on our own
dream. Now, we are living out our own
dream, and we thank Marianne and Raymond for the part they played in helping us
to achieve it.
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. 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 9/18/07)
E-mail us at McRiley@Frontiernet.net