Ron Chalice Weblog » Decomposition

Almost Live from the Pikes Peak Writers Conference

ron — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:41:22 +0000

A little tongue-in-cheek at 5:30 am on April 23.

A Couple of Bottles Short of a Six-Pack

ron — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 17:48:45 +0000

Here’s a DECOMPOSITION of one I put up this morning at Three Chords to Freedom … (as usual, decomp notes are in parentheses)

(decomp: Apparently a homeowners association in the town of Pagosa Springs, Colorado is fining a homeowner for displaying a wreath in the shape of a peace sign…)

I was in Pagosa Springs just the other day
Saw a man on a soapbox, stopped to hear what he’d say
He screamed “take that peace sign off your abode
It’s the sign of the Devil, it belongs in your commode.
Take it down, we won’t ask twice
It ain’t no sin to kill a Commie for Christ”

(decomp: one of the issues raised by the homeowners association is that the peace sign is a symbol of the DEVIL) WOW! Never heard that one before… (okay, not since 1967…))

He said:

Freedom is for me,
Freedom’s not for you
You ask me how I know it’s true
‘Coz my neck is red
My skin is white
And my blood is blue

He stood on his toes to emphasize his point
While in the air behind me I thought I smelled a joint
He ranted and screamed that what he spoke was true
This passion for peace was the devil’s due
The value of our homes is gonna drop, you see
If our neighbors start to think their speech is free

(decomp: okay, so nobody ever said anything about a joint in the news articles… but after all, this IS a Colorado mountain town…)

He said:

Freedom is for me,
Freedom’s not for you
You ask me how I know it’s true
‘Coz my neck is red
My skin is white
And my truck is blue

He shouted let’s fine ‘em twenty-five a day
Show ‘em free speech has a price to pay
We mean business, this is not any bluff
Our property values are serious stuff
Remember, we got cov-e-nants
To stop people sayin’ whatever they want

He said:

Freedom is for me,
Freedom’s not for you
You ask me how I know it’s true
‘Coz my neck is red
My skin is white
And my dog’s named Blue

(I’ve been thinking about this “chorus concept”… red neck, white skin, blue something-or-other for a week or so now, just needed a story to drive it…)

Seeya later… ttfn, (or maybe today it should be lpw… love,peace,wow…)

Ron

Decomposition – Road Damage (1982)

ron — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 16:20:41 +0000

Video games, takin’ all of my money
I’m so bored, that it ain’t even funny
Every town, new faces I see
They begin to look the same to me

CHORUS:
On the road, far from home
Down the road, all alone
Road Damage, Ro Ro Ro Ro Road Damage
Road Damage
Road Damage, Ro Ro Ro Ro Road Damage
Road Damage

I either eat fast food, or I don’t eat at all
When I first left home, my clothes were too small
Every week, I drop another ten pounds
I hope there aren’t to many more towns

CHORUS

LEAD BREAK

CHORUS

I smoke a lot of cigarettes, and I drink a lot of beer
I don’t let people get too near
I’m looking for the end to the endless songs
To get back home, where I belong

REPEAT CHORUS until fade

(decomp: This is the title song for the work in progress CD “Road Damage”. OK, so this one isn’t brain surgery; it also isn’t Bob Seger’s Turn the Page…

But it pretty well captures the feeling of a Western U.S. “B” club circuit, chasing from town to town behind the big truck that contained our roadies (who doubled as light and sound). — Western U.S. is a key phrase here… a lot of miles between those towns. — Any of you who’ve been there, done that can probably relate.)

ttfn, rlc

Decomposition – Message From

ron — Sat, 29 Apr 2006 06:59:51 +0000

Message From, an excerpt from Kiss the Breath of Sunset.Â This is one of the pieces in the book that was set to music right away, and comes from the Mary Jane Bann’d era 1967-72.

Melody Dee is on my mind
Baby, we haven’t got much time
I know our love is going fine
Say goodnight, say goodnight
Say goodnight, not goodbye

Don’t let those people make us fight
Racial contempt puts you uptight
Our love is more than black and white
Say goodnight, say goodnight
Say goodnight, not goodbye

When I am with you I can fly
Our love will last if we just try
Please don’t ever say goodbye
Say goodnight, say goodnight
Say goodnight, not goodbye

(Decomp:

This is a really early piece.Â I was impressed by Janis Ian’s song “Society’s Child” and was moved to do a piece in the same vein.Â This song came together in Bob Griffin’s living room, I was messing around with the chord progression on my Gibson J-45 and it just sort of took off.Â Seemed like the words and music fell into place all at once.

The name Melody Dee came out of nowhere, and just sounded nice.Â The second verse seems very naive at this point, but to our young fans at the time it was a message they felt was important.

I still have a great passion for the chorus, “say goodnight, say goodnight, say goodnight… not goodbye” and still have a lot of fun with it.)