YOU HAD TO ASK ME
I'd like to draw your attention to a fine, thoughtful article by John Carvill that has just appeared online. 'You Had To Ask Me Where It Was At: Dylan & the Media' (Part 1) is here on Oomska.
posted by Michael Gray | 3:18 pm
1 Comments:
personal note for Mr. Gray...
www.marqdesouza.tumblr.com
Hey Michael, big fan of your books. Please check out my studio recorded pseudo-cover with a twist of YOU'RE A BIG GIRL NOW at the address above. A bit of backstory:
A friend gave me the idea of using songs from a specific classic album as a grid, & writing new words, using the original lyrics as a jumping off point. If a record has a performance history, then musically, alternate arrangements through the years could be touched upon somehow. Some themes and images remain, but spring into new territory; the folk process refined, but still at work.
So with that idea in mind I decided to tackle a tune from my 2nd favorite album of all time, Bob Dylan's 'Blood On The Tracks' to see how just one song went. My new lyrics are at the bottom of the post here.
For those in the know, there are several Dylan references in my words. The 'little red notebook' of legend that supposedly contains all the original drafts of the albums lyrics while he was writing them. The 'made you swear' lyric slip from the Hard Rain live album version is inserted here on purpose. Just a few sly
winks to the song/Artist's history.
Musically, I tried to touch on a few of the arrangements that he's used over the years. It begins with an acoustic/electric folk rock mix. It then moves to a more stripped down, garage vibe. Then segues into the mid-seventies Rolling Thunder Review feel, complete with piano & slide (I even switched from drum sticks to 'hot rods' mid take to change it up). Finally, the last verse is the solo, open-tuning of the original 1974 studio session.
I played all the instruments on here with my buddy Marty coming in to do bass. All done in about a day, mixed on a different day. Special thanks to Amber, Renata, & Peter for the studio time, & Marty for learning the bass on the spot.
listen: www.marqdesouza.tumblr.com
YOU'RE A BIG GIRL NOW
(music by Bob Dylan, lyrics by Marq DeSouza, Bob Dylan)
1974/2010
Our conversation, rings like a bell
Through caverns in my head, shocking the shell
& the audience weeps,
As the curtain split the room,
& I take the final bow,
You're a big girl now
I kept a journal, & wrote a lot
A little red notebook, filled with every thought
Oh, and it's filled to the brim,
With words too raw to read
& the warnings I didn't heed
All about you being with him
Faith and desire, constantly at odds
It's like walking the wire, of a lightning rod
Well you sure grew up fast,
Learning tricks of unfair trade
All the promises you made
Sliced apart upon the blade
I could hear it sinking into me, hitting every nerve
Like a brutal symphony, that I didn't deserve
Well I made you swear,
Turning clouds into hard rain
Now we'll never be the same
You're a big girl, take the blame
Like a seasick sailor, searching for land
Another helpless failure, with blood on his hands
I come to you now,
With my pockets inside out
And a shadow made of doubt
Trying to figure this thing out
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