The Courage to Say "No"

Some of us had a front

row seat to the financ-

ial chaos the subprime

mortgage meltdown

delivered, a perform-

ance undeserving of a

standing ovation.  Pay-

ing for our mistakes is

an unsettling venture

that is hard to face, but

take heart.  Time will

ease your pain. 

This photo of a home that was in our neighborhood

represents adversity  to me and encompasses all that one would never want to face...being locked out of their own home by some authority.  This is a motivating photo to me (likely material to inspire a song) to remind me how I can’t let life just happen, but rather to do my best to prepare for it and the unexpected.

It occurred to me recently that I had actually forgotten about a Nissan Sentra wagon that my wife and I surrendered to the bank in 1988, putting it through the auction procedure, and ending up with the balance.  It has since been paid for a long time.  However, we didn’t quite learn enough from that mistake, so acquiring other debt over the years made us hear that same familiar tune.  What is it about owning debt that

makes us feel so grown up? 

Fortunately, we’ve heard the different drumbeat of Dave Ramsey, who espouses the idea of gaining a debt free lifestyle.  It takes courage to say "no" to the world and yourself when it comes to the ease of credit use.  For us, it’s not been easy , but has been very rewarding.  We’ve been without consumer debt for several years now. The sense of exhilaration might be what a band must feel after a great show everyone loved.

Hopefully, if you’ve been unscathed by the credit bug, you’ll hear an imaginary “fire!” and storm for an exit the next time someone suggests you pay for something over time.  You may just pay dearly like so many have.

An Uncelebrated Hero

     In my regular work as a scrap metal truck driver, I have lots of time behind the windshield to mull over ideas for my music and lyrics.  It just so happens that in my usual routine, I would frequently see a fleet of regional beer trucks depart for their daily trek to supermarkets, various bars, and liquor stores from their South Bend, Indiana headquarters.  I would catch myself saying, "there goes the beer man," and think to myself, now there's someone who doesn't get enough credit for the ongoing party.
     Having been reminded visually every time I'd see these "hop and malt heroes," that I should write a
song about them, a melodic contour accompanied the phrase, "there goes the beer man."  I imagined that this idea should have a moderate pace and certainly be fun.  So, the idea was born, but it was probably a progression of several weeks and creating a deadline trip to Nashville that gave me purpose. 
     With guitar in hand and wit freshly charged I set out to write this, imagining how a beer man's day might
go.  Having had experience in daily deliveries myself in other trucking jobs, and observing how these fellows have to contend with curbside parking or traffic, it helped me liven up the lyrics with my narrative.
     Keeping my audience in mind was a critical factor as I created the lyrics, knowing full well this is for a NASCAR fan base, or a NFL crowd, or a group of blue-collar workers celebrating down at "Pete's" after work.  Anytime they glimpse the "beer man," they can shout out my mantra!
     Click on www.reverbnation.com/chordsofwood to hear the results and scroll down to the lyric page to view the wording as well.  -JW
    

About This Blog...

Frequently songwriters are asked about how they come up with their song ideas.  We don't know.  It is likely one of the great grand daughters of Zues and  Mnemosyne, whose daughters Euterpe and Polyhymnia were considered the goddesses who distributed such talent in Greek folklore.  My blog will attempt to explain my sources for my inspirations as I make songs available to the public, at publisher discretion, and perhaps lend you a hand in your own personal journey for inspiration.