A MICHAEL MANNING SING-A-LONG!...

Okay, here's how this BLOG Post came about. I told my guitar teacher that between work and PT, I am just worn out by the time I get home at night and I needed a break. Also, over the past couple of weeks, I have been enjoying playing my acoustic guitar to relax. Recently, a friend of mine asked me how I spent part of my weekend. I told her that I strummed along on about 40 songs at home. She paused and said (with genuine concern...you had to be there) "Do you think that was healthy?" I almost busted out laughing because she was serious!...The point being that 40 songs sounded a bit "over the top" to her. I managed to keep a straight face (something that is almost impossible for me when I find something funny) and I told her the truth. And truth be told, I took a long coffee break after the first set of 20 songs, then sat down and polished off 20 more; Hey, I was having fun! Moving right along...

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Have you ever had a song just get stuck in your head? Of course you have! Well, the song featured in this video (with Lyrics) constitutes a "First" for me: A Sing-A-Long of the song that became stuck in my head this week! This is Guy Clark's beloved hit "L.A. Freeway". I heard him perform it in concert almost three years ago with John Hiatt, Joe Ely and Lyle Lovett. As I opined earlier, even if you don't really like country music, you'll have a Blast attending a concert by these four guys. Each has a unique personality. What I love is that they never use a Set List. Now THAT's hysterical to me! Each takes turns one after the other, and each show is different from the one the night before...a showcase of four distinctively different styles of songwriting.

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Years ago, (and I know this sounds strange but...) on my daily 88-mile round-trip commutes to Lunken Airport in Ohio (working split-shifts) to meet my broadcast helicopter pilot at 4 AM in 6 degree winter weather to take off and report news and traffic for an NBC television station, I would have Kris Kristofferson's song "To Beat the Devil" playing on the in-dash CD player on many of those days. And it was reassuring somehow to me as I drove my Mustang GT through some rough neighborhoods along the Ohio River. This song similarly stuck with me and I get tickled singing and playing it, so I wanted to share some fun. It's worth a couple of listens to get the melody down. And don't worry if you sing in key or not. Chances are some of you are reading this in a hotel room or a bedroom where you won't disturb anyone...Just try it! By the way, it was nice to get caught up with all of you who wrote to me here during my computer down time. Again, it's nice to be back. Ready? Here we go...

LYRICS TO "L.A. FREEWAY" (SING ALONG):

by: Guy Clark

Pack up all your dishes/ make note of all good wishes
Say goodbye to the landlord for me/ that son of a bitch has always bored me
Throw out them LA papers/ and that moldy box of Vanilla Wafers
Adios to all this concrete/ gonna get me some dirt road back street

{CHO}: If I can just get off of this LA freeway without gettin' killed or caught/
down that road in a cloud of smoke/
To some land that I ain't bought- bought- bought/

Here's to you old skinny Dennis/ only one I think I will miss
I can hear that old bass singing/ sweet and low like a gift you're bringin'
Play it for me one more time now/ got to give it all we can now
I believe everything you're saying/ just you keep on keep on playing

(Repeat Chorus)

And you put the pink card in the mailbox/ leave the key in the old front door lock
They'll find it likely as not/ I'm sure there's somethin' we have forgot
Oh Susanna don't you cry babe/ love's a gift that's surely hand made
We've got something to believe in/ don'tcha think it's time we're leavin'?

(Repeat Chorus Twice)

So pack up all your dishes/ make note of all good wishes
Say goodbye to the landlord for me/ that son of a bitch has always bored me
[ ac.guitar - fiddle - upright bass]