Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Lyrics - "Needle's Eye"



©2014 Jack Nielsen
 

Christian Junior was three or four
When the Navy called his daddy off to war.
When it ended they made their way
To the Ghost Creek Ranch
Up in the North
He found his place in the mountains
Their glory shone all around him
He found a lady, they married,
He brought her home and they
Touched the bluest sky
Through the Needle's Eye

Little Christie was only two
When tragedy ran her parents through
Christian and his wife were broken
And Christie would never
Leave the Mountain's view
Their anguish rang through the mountains
The joy, the love and the promise lost
He struck an arc on the cold stone
Hot slag rained down on him
And the bead he ran on high
Shut the Needle's Eye

No happy ending--that's just how the story goes
Find your silver lining in some other thick, black cloud
He thought he'd leave it all behind
If the Needle's Eye was blind
Or at least that's how the story goes . . .

Christian Junior and his wife moved on and left
The Ghost Creek Ranch behind
He thought there were no landmarks watching him
Because the Needle's Eye was blind
But the Mountain stalks its children,
Knows when everything is wrong,
And so it was the younger Christian
Came home.
He touched the face of the Mountain
He swung his hammer with all his might
And broke the bead of his sorrow
The sun shone down on him
And he saw the bluest skies again . . .

No happy ending--that's just how the story goes
But there's a silver lining once the storm has passed
It was with him all the years--
The Mountain washed away his tears:
'Cause the Needle's Eye
Knows the story doesn't end.

Yes, the mountains are a story . . . .

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Friends in the Industry

I managed to make contact again one of the best singer-songwriters in the business.  I remembered her from the Guitar Center Singer-Songwriter III contest. We talk in music about "leaving it all on the floor".  If you aren't sure what that means exactly, I'm sorry to say that there is no textbook for this, much less textbook examples.  Fortunately, however, I can show you what it looks and sounds like:


If your mouth is still open when you start reading this, it's because you've just witnessed an honest-to-Christ, visceral performance of passion and conviction meeting cultivated talent. It's okay, you can play it again. We'll still be here when you get back.

I got to know Lauren Adelle after the contest, mostly only through a few short exchanges that passed between us on SoundCloud. She is currently at work within the music industry, still writing songs, still singing and still performing. I am competing in this year's contest, but Lauren, despite her magnificent talent, will not be returning. While I can understand her reasons, I will miss having her in this event: there's no one else in the business like her. Last night I posted a link to the above video on twitter: "Please RT! THIS is what we mean when we say 'Leaving it all on the floor.'" Tonight, she returned the favor:



It's great to have friends in the industry!