Friday, June 10, 2011

One Star - The Song I Wrote With George Carlin

As I mentioned yesterday, My songwriting goal will now revolve around the fact that in December I'll go back into the studio with Tim O'Brien I'm really excited about this.

I plan on going over my notes and lyrics from the past year and fine tuning some songs. New songs will be coming too I'm hoping. I'll post tricks and methods here for those who are interested.

This tune came to me after listening to a great George Carlin interview on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Groce.
As far as I'm concerned, Carlin was brilliant in a universal way. I pay tribute to him a bit by being a bit blunt in this tune and taking one of his comments, and, well, running with it.

Groce, knowing that Carlin wasn't a religious man, asked where he thought he "fit in" in the grand scheme of things. Carlin said, "Some time ago I figured out, with the help probably of some reading that I can't recall now...that, if it's true that we are all from the center of a star - every atom in each of us from the center of a star- then, we're all the same thing. Even a coke machine or a cigarette butt in the street in Buffalo, they've all been recycled thousands of times, as have you and I. So, if that is true, then I am everywhere in the universe, uh, in an extended sense and therefore, it's only me out there, so, what is there to be afraid of? Nothing"

There was plenty more and you can listen to the whole interview HERE, but that was the source of the song. I incorporate this universe according to Carlin into my thoughts of war and peace. If everyone believed this, how could war exist? As far as George and I are concerned, we are killing ourselves. And if Carlin is right, then, George Carlin and I wrote this song, with you and a cigarette butt in the street in Buffalo NY.



One Star

Dig out dig out
Move the dirt
It’s a bitch of a ditch
Full of the gone too soon
And the stench of regret
And yet

One star one star
From this is where we all are
But we’ve gone deaf and dumb
From our gaze upon our own stardom

Starlight star bright
I wish upon us all tonight

Are we strung out and all sung out
As these hard times hit
We’ve got lost love and a soft arm
While looking down on something stiff

Build it, let’s build it
Of love and rock and cemented sand
Til this river of spilled blood
Gets plugged up by our
“we give a dam” AND

Chorus

Well I’ll be, I believe
All the hippies had it right
So let’s tune up and drop down
On our knees and dream of peace

And one day, hope our heads
All meet at one collective feast
And with prejudice so extreme
Devour this Goddamn beast

Chorus


More songwriter stuff by Todd Burge can be found here
www.toddburge.blogspot.com
Listen to his radio show and podcast
Songwriter Night with Todd Burge
www.songwriternight.com







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2 comments:

Gary E. Andrews said...

Superlative guitar work! I always love where songs come from, the comments of strangers, celebrities, nobodies, somebodies, things you read. Sometimes just a few words make you imagine a whole scene in a fictional reality you can bring to life in song. As Shakespeare said, "Rocketh on!"

toddburge said...

Thanks Gary!
Share this blog... i'll be posting more
Rock right back.
Sincerely,
TB