“Tie Me Down” - a song about echoes
I don’t think I will ever get tired of making a loud noise in the woods and it bouncing back at me. Some things, regardless of how many times experienced, feels nice to experience again.
Story Pairing
I watched a woman step in dog shit when I was in NC recently.
I was sitting out in the sidewalk seating at a burger joint, and enjoying the unusually warm day. In my hands was a greasy burger, dripping with bacon grease and cheese, the kind of meal that reminds you why you are alive (even if it’s consumption is counter intuitive). As I was slowly falling in love bite by bite, a dog walker was passing on the sidewalk on the other side of the street. One of the leaders of the pack was a puppy, and it stopped to do a little painting of the natural variety. If you’ve had a puppy you know that they don’t always produce deposits that lend themselves nicely to collection… so this gem was glanced at with an embarrassed sigh, and the party was quickly ushered on. I saw no guilt nipping at any of their heels.
This picture did nothing to tamper with my appetite. Nature is nature. Puppies are dirty, lovable beasts. Burgers are delicious.
As much as I like being a hero, I wasn’t about to interrupt my lunch to go clean up runny sludge (how’s the picture I’m painting?). So I just brought my attention back to my little bubble and carried on. Not maybe 2 minutes later, I heard the slightest bit of frustrated commotion. Looking up I see the aforementioned woman wiping her shoe on a small square of mulch surrounding a sidewalk tree, right next to the puppy playground. I chuckled.
She will be fine. We all step in crap every once and a while. I think I will always find it a little funny.
Anyway, I wrote this song while thinking about stepping in the same pile a second time, and assuming my boot wouldn’t get dirty.
Song Structure
Doesn’t get much simpler than this. A “G shape” with a basic hammer-on on the D string. 1-4-5 in all of it’s glory.
I fall into the hole of wanting to always be using something new as far as progressions and chords and whatever little tricks I am stumbling through. However every time I pull back to three simple chords and keep the guitar out of the way, a song shines through.
Voice Memos
Notebook Page.
Nov 2022
Lyrics
Tie me to that old ball and chain
I've gone and flown too high again
Won't you tie me down
Won't you tie me down
No one's as good as you
To take my feet back to muddy ground
Tie me down
Come on break my heart again
Getting too close to letting you in
Won't you tie me down
Won't you tie me down
No ones as good as you
To take what's one, rip it in two
Won't you tie me down
Come on take my light away
It's been shining for too many days
Come and tie me down
Come and tie me down
No one's as good as you
To take my flame like it's overdue
Won't you tie me down
Tie me down
No one's as good as you
To take my feet back to muddy ground
Tie me down
Tie me down