Charley Pride, the C&W star who will be here for Black Heritage Night in Sugar Land this coming Thursday night, also played some minor league baseball before his singing career took off like a rocket.
Just doing a little background research on Charley Pride led me back into the fun regions of my own earlier dabbling with writing a few unpublished country and western songs and even way more titles and song lines. In my younger days, most of the ideas I got came from bars, but I am now four decades removed from that scene. Now I still get them from things I hear people say on TV or in conversation snippets at the ballpark – or anyplace else where people are willing to engage in speech without a lot of thought about what they are saying and who is listening.
I heard a snippet on the streets of Philadelphia a couple of weeks ago I could have used for today’s exercise, but I forgot it until now. This young man was saying to his apparent girl friend as he stopped her on the street to look her straight in the eyes and say: “They don’t need him. – They’ve got us.”
Wrap your mind around that one. There’s a song title and song in there somewhere for sure. It’s just waiting for someone to hear it and write it.
As a change of pace subject this morning, here are ten titles and/or first line lyrics as ideas that are brand new to me this morning. They all floated in on the whispers of the muses that are always with us, if we are but open to hearing them.
At the end of the list making, I’ve chosen one to develop into a one-stanza song. If you would like to take any of the others and develop it into a song too, all I ask is that you post your work here as a comment upon this column. The one I did also has a melody that I just developed for it. I just don’t know how to present that part of the produce without going to You Tube and I’ve never done that on any previous occasion. Maybe someday.
Anyway, it’s just for fun. Here’s my list, followed by the development work I did on entry # (9):
My 10 Best C&W Song Titles or First Line Lyrics (that haven’t had a song written about ’em yet):
10) “Please Drop That Stiff, and Come Over Here – I Think We’ll Find Love in a Cool Glass of Beer”
9} “You Shoulda’ Knowed – She Was No Good For You – No How”
8) “Life’s Real Good, But It Pulls Where It Should, When You’re Sittin’ in Your Truck, So All Alone”
7) “Kiss Me on the Lips, Darlin’ – Kiss Me on the Neck – But Please Git Rid of that Dry Old Chicken Peck”
6) “I Can’t Give You – The Keys to the Car – ‘Cause I lost It Shootin’ Pool at the Shoot-Em-Up Bar”
5) “Don’t Blame Me – I Didn’t Know You Were Comin’ Home Early – Don’t Blame Me – And Please Be Nice to Shirley”
4) “Cows and Bulls – And Blue Bluebonnets – Are Takin’ Me Back – To The Land That I Love”
3) “My Cheatin’ Eyes – Won’t Let My Heart – Be Hopeful – ‘Cause I Seen – Everything – You Done Last Night”
2) “I Ain’t Got Much – And I Ain’t Good Lookin’ – But I Sure Love – My Big Girl’s Cookin'”
1) “Left Out – On the Range – Were the Beer – And the Cantaloupe – Today”
And here’s my development of # (9) above:
“You Shoulda’ Knowed” (music and lyrics by Bill McCurdy)
You shoulda’ knowed – she was no good for you – no how
She fired that shot – that left that scar – upon your brow
And every time – that you came in – just stinkin’ drunk – of too much gin
She banged you hard – for every sin – and that is how
You shoulda’ knowed – she was no good for you – no how
Houston, Baseball, & Other Musings.
The Pecan Park Eagle 