I mentioned in a recent post that I wanted to buy a spiral notebook. Well, Friday Cliff and I had occasion to visit the Walmarts (ha) and I went to the school supplies section.
Boy, did I have a surprise coming. Do you have any idea the price they put on a simple, one-subject spiral notebook these days?
One like this?
Sit down, and I'll tell you.
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Are you sitting down?
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OK, brace yourself. The cost of this notebook, which I'm sure used to be well over a dollar, is now fifteen cents. I couldn't believe it!
So I bought two. Yeah, I'm the last of the big-time spenders.
And now I think I'm about ready to write some songs and take my show on the road.
I forgot what sloppy handwriting I had, and I'm pretty sure it's gotten worse since I discovered computers and starting typing everything.
This evening was my first time alone with the notebook; I laid it beside my chair and watched TV and waited for inspiration. Indeed, the inspiration came, but it wasn't on any of the subjects I had already written down. Dang it, I guess I have a lot of things to get off my chest.
You know, all those things I just can't talk about to anybody but Cliff. But I can sing them to anybody who will listen.
I'm going to buy a spiral notebook on my next shopping trip; I've already added it to my list.
I used to write the occasional song, and even had a few of them recorded on an unknown label by some unknown artists.
I've written hundreds of poems, too; most of them mediocre, but I'm proud of a few of them.
Lately I've been getting an itch to write some songs again. I have lots of them in me, I've just been too lazy to do anything about it. Seriously, I have things to say. Things that, if I said them directly to people, would either make them laugh at me, or make them mad.
The only way to get people to listen is to put these thoughts into a song. And if they don't listen, at least I feel better for getting it off my chest. In fact, maybe I won't even sing them for anybody but Cliff. Either way, I'll feel better.
So I got to thinking back to the time when I wrote a few songs, and realized I never, EVER, sat at a word processor or computer to make up a song. That's works for rhymes, but not for songs.
I wrote my songs by laying a pen and a spiral notebook on the kitchen table, strumming my guitar and putting words to a tune as I chorded along.
I have things to say that nobody wants to hear; but if I word them right, it'll be OK.
I already have titles and ideas for my "old people's songs".
"Oh Mother, now I understand what you were going through When you saw us doing stupid things you knew we shouldn't do"; "When Kids Knew How to Play"; "What's to Become of the Old"; "Bigoted Christians and Arrogant Atheists Get The Same Ratings From Me"; and "Politics Makes Me Sick".
I might take the old folk song, "Greenback Dollar", and put my own words to it, words more appropriate for today than the old version.
I've had this urge, and these ideas, for a couple of weeks. Maybe it's just a flash in the pan of an old lady's mind, but I'm buying that spiral notebook, just to find out.
Hehe, the more I look back on what I've posted here, the more I wonder just how much I've stirred up. Bring it on.
