That’s The Way It Is
The Blues
“Born under a bad sign/ I been down since I began to crawl—
If it wasn’t for bad luck… I wouldn’t have no luck at all”
That’s The Way It Is
was my earliest shot at the blues idiom..... I mean you have to get left, have an accident or just become a societal liability to have the creds to write an authentic bare your soul song. I came to the blues late. My early musical memory banks were packed with the British Invasion and novelty radio hits that punctuated my summers. Yellow polka dot Bikini.
When I started this song, 1973, I needed a model so I took the verse form from THAT’S LIFE. Sung by Sinatra 1966, written by Kelly Gordon and Dean Kay. Gordon produced Ode to Billy Joe for Bobby Joe Gentry and she cared for him when he got lung cancer until he passed in 1981. She had the hit in 1967.
I pedaled with this song until I tacked the bridge on in the late seventies. I got the progression from a guitar book that featured groovy chord combinations. The key was E and the bridge transits to B flat 9 and modulates briefly thru F sharp walking up to A flat resolving to C sharp 7. Then returning to the Tonic E.
Just to say, this was expropriated not worked out. It was a wonderful fragment that made a generic first try (blues) more original. The lyric in the bridge is less cadenced ....almost spoken.... “time rushes on like a crazy fast freight baby/ You feeling like you lost your best friend...Is it luck? Or is it fate.....you keep dreaming/ she’s coming back again.” Testifying. Not exposition. This gave the song the lift to make it a keeper in my blues closet. I still play it live.
This version comes from a recorded rehearsal at Hickory STUDIO in Blauvelt. Lenny Post... proprietor and my producer for several years. Produced my album DIRT SIMPLE. Lenny retired at sixty five from a day job as a building inspector. We spoke and he was so excited to be looking forward to “just doing music.” My feeling is he got so relaxed that he didn’t have to get up, that he doubled down on boos and meds. Had wicked back pain. Missed his funeral but wrote a nice poem for him on his porch which I will publish at a later time. We recorded this live with a myriad of special mikes. Personnel: Alison Cornell on Viola. Bill Ruyle on hammer dulcimer. John Moses on electric guitar. Steve Hardwick on 2nd acoustic. Michael Wiskey on traps. These recorded as a kit sound with two overheads, bass drum and snare. A la Motown. I was singing live, acoustic guitar and harmonica. A really cool session. We recorded several covers including Missing You and Walking in Memphis. Thinking it was late nineties early 2000. A lot of music you will hear on this blog was recorded there. The man loved music and musicians and that included me. He was a fantastic friend and ally and introduced me to some awesome musicians including Alison, Gil Paris and Joanne Lediger.
That’s the Way It Is
Compton Maddux
You’re baby said
You lost that thing
That kept you held together
Now love is on the wane
That’s the way it is
When you’re baby left you Can’t find your way
She left you
Without a dime
Now your situation makes you
Kinda count the times you had her
That’s the way it is
When you’re baby left you Can’t find your way
The day was her smile
The night was her laugh
That kinda feelin’
Kinda lit your path
That’s the way it is
When you’re baby left you Can’t find your way
You’re out on the street
All your ragged clothes
You feel that chilly wind blowin’
Right down through your bones
That’s the way it is
When you’re baby left you Can’t find your way
Time rushes on like a crazy fast freight baby
You’re thinking that you lost your best friend
Is it luck? Is it fate?
You keep thinking You keep dreaming
That she’s coming back again
That’s the way it is
When you’re baby left you and you can’t find your way
That’s the way it is
When you’re baby left you and you just can’t find your way