“A Little Down” - a song about grieving
Losing people sucks.
Story Pairing
I am a dog person. Always have been, probably always will be. The idea of cats is fine, I like them enough, but between the two, a dog speaks to me. Poop outside in the woods, check, eat like a barbarian, check, love scratches, check, find your people and love and defend them fiercely, check, sniff butts… eh depends.
Growing up in a rural setting we had dogs always, mostly outside dogs. In the country you just have to have a dog. They are your companions while doing chores, bark when anyone comes on your property, keeps critters out of your stuff, and so much more. Recently at a family gathering we were reminiscing about some of our favorite dogs, and the one that sticks out to me was a golden retriever named Bailey. When I think of a perfect dog, she is always the one that pops into my head (don’t tell Peaches or Oti).
One of my favorite stories I have of her is the day she in partnership with another one of our dogs (Jack, the west) killed a raccoon right by the house, probably one that would have messed us up if we had found it first.
There was a huge elm tree in our front yard that had a little nook/cave underneath it. Not big enough for us to go down into, but we could fill it up with pinecones or acorns from the surrounding trees. In my mind it was the biggest tree that ever existed (lost to Dutch elm disease). Me and a couple of my siblings were playing outside like we normally did in the early years. My guess is that I was about middle school age? Anyway we were over by that tree because Bailey was over there with her head in that hole, and she was growling and yipping. That would always get our attention, it meant it was time for an adventure!
I recall thinking that she had backed something down into that hole, maybe a raccoon, possum, or a groundhog. That’s what she would normally be dragging around as a prize after a foray into our woods. Anyway, once I gathered enough courage, I got a stick, moved her aside, and started poking down into the hole. I got something soft, and heard a horrible series of growling and yelping and the sound of dirt and debris flying around the base of a tree trunk. Curiosity drove that stick to poke and explore several more times. The sounds continued and seemed to be getting even more violent, it was odd that one creature would be making such crazy noises. Meanwhile Bailey is spinning in circles and chomping at the bit, clearly wishing she was of size to get down into the space of this mystery intruder.
After several minutes of us hitting the tree, poking and throwing things down the hole, and trying to calm Bailey.. we see movement come to the edge of the visible part of the den. Surprisingly it was white hair (as the base anyway, it was covered in mud and dirt and blood). We backed up and got ready to run, and the white animal emerged completely. It was our dog Jack and in his jaws he was dragging a hissing, biting, scratching raccoon from the hole! As soon as it was out enough for Bailey to reach it, she ran in, grabbed the raccoon by the head, and with a quick twist, that was the end of that. Jack was covered in wounds and he wanted very little to do with us, he set off to lick his wounds and calm down from his tussle. Bailey stood between us and the now dead raccoon, ever the protector.
I think we ended up putting it into a bucket and burying it behind the barn. Jack healed up just fine, that dog was a scrappy beast. Bailey continued to add to her list of trophies throughout the years. I’ll never remember one like that though. Those two dogs were such a pair, and while Jack should get credit for the dirty work, watching Bailey protect her pack was a lasting moment of awe.
When she passed it was probably the safest I’ve ever been about losing a pet. I thought of her while pulling this song together, and felt she deserved a war story shared.
**Also sorry if this story was a little much for some, but it’s pretty normal life when you get away from the city a bit. Nature is brutal and beautiful all at once.
Song Structure
C shape with a steady strum. There isn’t too much of a surprise with this one. I normally throw a capo on this bad boy. Somewhere between 3 and 5 depending how I am feeling.
Chorus Chords: C F C G C F C G C
Verse Chords: F C F G C F C G C
Bridge and Outro Chords: G G7 C G G7 C E7 F C C G C
Voice Memos
Notebook Page
April 2020
Lyrics
If the ones we love the most in life they leave us
Shed your tear, wear your frown
This feeling that your feeling can't last forever
It's OK to feel a little down
Said we'd move out west when she got better
Far from these people and all these lights
But she got worse, and I got bitter
Get to drinking and then we'd fight
In the morning there'd be flowers by her bedside
Pepper in my sorrys through the day
We'd laugh when memories came a knocking
And kiss when we had nothing left to say
If the ones we love the most in life they leave us
Shed your tear, wear your frown
This feeling that your feeling can't last forever
It's OK to feel a little down
Shed take my hand, we'd go out dancing
Through the kitchen if she wasn't too tired
Shed fall and I'd catch her with a flourish
She'd wipe the tear out of my eye
If the ones we love the most in life they leave us
Shed your tear, wear your frown
This feeling that your feeling can't last forever
It's OK to feel a little down
Go on and cry yourself to sleep
Go on and cry yourself to sleep
Count your sheep, cause no one else is around
It's ok to feel a little down
It's ok to feel a little down
It's ok to feel a little down