Three Chord Song
Mark Evenchick
December, 2008
I wrote the first two verses of Three Chord Song in less than an hour. It was over three years before I found a satisfactory conclusion… life is not as easy as a three chord song.
If life could be as easy as a three chord song
You wouldn’t have to work too hard to get along
You’d always be right ‘cause you couldn’t be wrong
If life could be as easy as a three chord song
A three chord song’ll make you feel better
When you’re feeling low or you’re under the weather
Like a chocolate donut or a warm fuzzy sweater
Get you back where you belong
If life could be as easy as a three chord song
The bank’d call you to when you need a loan
You wouldn’t have to pay it back when the money’s all gone
If life could be as easy as a three chord song
A three chord song could be such a pleasure
You’d know you found the right girl the minute that you met her
And all you have to do is to go out and get her
And love her your whole life long
But life is not as easy as a three chord song
We’ve got to do our best to get along
And try to be good and try to be strong
And try to be as happy as a three chord song
Two Hundred Miles More
Mark Evenchick
April, 2010
People think that this is a truck driving song, but, what I had in mind, were the sales reps that sometimes have an appointment on a Friday afternoon and then drive all night to make it home for the weekend….
I’m barreling down this highway
Speeding in the night
Tunneling through the darkness
Behind my high beam lights
I’m looking down the barrel
Got her in my sights
(Chorus)
I’ll be there in the morning
Satin and her lace
Be there in the morning
See the sun light up her face
I’ve got two hundred miles more to go
Two hundred miles more will get me home
This traveling for a living
Sometimes can be rough
Cheap motels and fast food
And the loneliness sure is tough
But when I turn for home
I can’t get there fast enough
(Chorus)
(Bridge)
Hour after hour mile after mile
Feels as if this road will never end
Out here in the darkness the vision of her smile
Draws me like a magnet she’s my light around the bend
Hammering of the engine
Thrashing of the gears
Whistling of the tires
On the pavement in my ears
Like some primeval signal
Been calling to me for years
(Chorus plus before last line)
Two hundred miles more will get me to the door
In Peaceful Slumber There
Mark Evenchick
July, 2010
…so many elderly people with failing bodies and failing minds warehoused in homes and hospitals waiting for the inevitable…
I hear the Salvation Army Band
Calling out to me
Something’s so familiar ‘bout
Its mournful melody
The cymbals crash… trombone slide
The voices rise and fall
Lord I think I’m ready now
I’m waiting for your call
(Chorus)
Take me to the river side
Send me on my final ride
Show me the place and I’ll reside
In peaceful slumber there
With trembling hands and an aching heart
I go searching through my past
Hoping I might leave behind
Something that will last
I only find a handful of
Regrets that’s all
Lord I think I’m ready now
I’m waiting for your call
(Chorus)
Talking to myself again
The time just drags on by
A prisoner in this body as
Upon my bed I lie
Send me down an angel to
Remove this chain and ball
Lord I think I’m ready now
I’m waiting for your call
(Chorus)
Pick-up Truck
Mark Evenchick
I suppose some of us just get attached to the old and familiar.
My baby drives an old pick-up truck
Nineteen sixty five
Three on the tree and bench seat
AM radio white wall tires
She don’t want no new vehicle
She’s not too hard to please
My baby still loves her old pick-up
My baby still loves me
(Chorus)
She don’t want nothing new
If it’s not a necessity
She’s sticking with the tried and true
And that’s just fine with me
She’s still got her old phonograph
Vinyl by the pound
Records are scratchy and they’re worn out
But she likes the way they sound
She don’t want a CD player
Never heard of an MP3
My baby still loves her old records
And my baby still loves me
(Chorus)
I’ve got myself an old Gibson guitar
Had it since I was sixteen
It’s battered and it’s beaten and it’s hard to play
But it’s like an old friend to me
I won’t give up that old guitar
‘Til they lay me in my grave
And I’m not giving up on my baby
We’ll be together
Worn out and weathered
Together ‘til that day
We’ll be together ‘til that day
A Light of a Much Brighter Kind
Mark Evenchick
Someone once suggested, that if I was going to be a songwriter, I’d have a social responsibility to write a positive uplifting song from time to time…
Every singe life has a purpose they say
Every little star gets to shine
But if two little stars could stand side by side
They’d make a light of a much brighter kind
A light of a much brighter kind
A light of a much brighter kind
If two little stars could stand side by side
They’d make a light of a much brighter kind
There are those who will try to bring you so low
But don’t pay them any mind
If you stand with the folks who make the world a better place
You’d make a light of a light of a much brighter kind
A light of a much brighter kind
A light of a much brighter kind
If you stand with the folks who make the world a better place
You’d make a light of a much brighter kind
This world is filled with so much trouble and pain
The good seem to be in decline
But if you lift your eyes to the heavens now and then
You’ll see a light of a much brighter kind
A light of a much brighter kind
A light of a much brighter kind
If you lift your eyes to the heavens now and then
You’ll see a light of a much brighter kind
Smokin’ on the Back Porch in the Rain
Mark Evenchick
…just poking a bit of fun at the folks I know who quit smoking again and again and again….
Oops…don’t have lyrics yet…duh
A Line Upon a Page
Mark Evenchick
June 2010
Anything is possible with a blank sheet of paper… the first line on the page restricts the outcome by an incalculable amount, and every line after that limits one exponentially….a daunting thought for any writer or artist…
There’s something so appealing
‘Bout a line upon a page
So many possibilities
Could go so many ways
Like a fresh beginning
On a brand new day
It all starts with a line upon a page
There’s something sort of thrilling
‘Bout a line upon a page
Follow where it leads
Step out of the cage
To see what will be played out
On this vacant stage
What develops from this line upon a page
There’s something kind of daunting
‘Bout a line upon a page
So much still to come
So much commitment made
Can something rise that’s beautiful
From this foundation laid
Or will it remain a line upon a page
The Gulf of Mexico
Mark Evenchick
April, 2009
I used to think that people who go south for a break from the winter were wimps, but, it’s kind of nice to get away from the cold and snow and coats and boots for a few weeks…
Went out this morning it was cold as a hateful heart
Scraped off my cars windows but the darn thing wouldn’t start
Radio says with the wind chill its forty five below
And I’m thinking about the Gulf of Mexico
(Chorus)
So darling find your suitcase
Pack your favorite summer clothes
Gotta feel the hot sun on my back
Sand beneath my toes
Don’t worry ‘bout the money
We deserve it heaven knows
We’re gonna drive ‘til we reach the Gulf of Mexico o o
Drive ‘til we reach the Gulf of Mexico
I really enjoy the seasons summer spring and fall
And if winter was only half as long it wouldn’t bother me at all
Hard to think about global warming when you’re up to your ass in snow
More likely thinking about the Gulf of Mexico
(Chorus)
(Bridge)
New York to Pennsylvania
Virginia through the Carolinas
Cross the fields of Georgia
The panhandle of Florida
So Darling how about it let’s escape this winter grind
Go on an adventure leave our coats and boots behind
We could leave this evening not let anybody know
Just light out for the Gulf of Mexico
(Chorus)
Buddy’s Girl (Incident at the Hangdog Saloon)
Mark Evenchick
January 2011
I was told once by a friend that the women in New Hampshire are all “packing”. My attempt to write a song around that phrase didn’t work out, but the scenario that I dreamed up for it became Buddy’s Girl.
Friday Night at the Hangdog Saloon
Cash register wouldn’t stop ringing
The South City Ramblers played Hank Williams tunes
Though no one seemed to be listening
There all alone sat Buddy’s Girl
At a table with her back to the wall
I was playing bass that night with the Ramblers
Got a chance to witness it all
(Chorus)
And the South City Ramblers played Your Cheatin’ Heart
That song’ll make anyone cry
When I looked over to see Buddy’s girl (+)
(CH1) She was wiping the tears from her eyes
Wiping the tears from her eyes
(CH2) She put a bullet between Buddies eyes
(CH3) She’d disappeared into the night
Buddy’s Girl called to the waitress
G and T with a twist of lime
Pulled up her sleeve and studied her watch
It seemed for the umpteenth time
She was wringing her hands and biting her nails
Puffing on her cigarette
And scanning the room through the smoke and the din
To see if Buddy had shown up yet
(Chorus1)
The door burst open ‘bout twelve fifteen
With a flourish old Buddy stomped in
Walked right over to his girl’s table
Where she’d been waiting all evening for him
Sat down with a big grin on his face
Bellowed darling your lover’s arrived
Then Buddy’s girl reached into purse
And pulled out her 45
(Chorus 2) + (Chorus 3)
Driving Shoes
Mark Evenchick
I love the feeling of being out on the road…disconnected, out of touch and open to what may be around the next corner….
I hear the weathers holding on the east coast
Now that’s an invitation I can’t refuse
I can feel that old itching in my right foot
Devil’s got a hold of my driving shoes
(Chorus)
I’m addicted to the road
I use all my resolve
But I know I’m sure to lose
Like a smoker craves his first cigarette
A drinker his first glass of booze
I’ve got a craving for my driving shoes
There’s blue smoke blowing from my tailpipe
An engine overhaul is long past due
The tread’s they’re worn right off from my tires now
Just about as worn as my driving shoes
(Chorus)
(Bridge)
A wheel has got to roll
That’s all it’s made to do
I’ve got traveling in my soul
Gotta keep rolling too
When my life becomes too complicated
When my mind becomes muddled and confused
When I find that I just can’t think straight
Time to lace up my driving shoes
(Chorus)
So In Love So Long Ago
Mark Evenchick
June, 2010
Sometimes we get so involved dealing with all the bits and pieces that are constantly coming at us, that we forget to pay attention to the most important things….
A couple was strolling thigh to thigh
Arms around each other love was in their eyes
I realized as they walked by so slow
It was just like you and me so long ago
(Chorus)
Kiss me once again as if you mean it
Hold me one more time like you never want to let me go
Make me feel the way I used to feel
When we were so in love so long ago
We’ve been so obsessed with responsibilities
Gathering all this stuff that we don’t really need
Sometimes we’ve neglected as time went racing by
The little things that kept our love alive
(Chorus)
So darling put you hair up splash on some perfume
I’ll put on the music turn the lights down in the room
You light the candles I’ll pour the wine
Tonight’s the night we’re going to turn back time
(Chorus)
The Mighty Mississippi
Mark Evenchick
March, 2010
….Standing on the banks of the Mississippi it is impossible not to think about all the history and the different people who travelled that great river over the centuries.
I was traveling cross the country
Got as far as Memphis at the nations core
I was standing on Riverside Boulevard
I looked down to the Mississippi shore
(Chorus)
And the mighty Mississippi
She keeps rolling down
Since the dawn of time
Her murky waters teemed
I could feel the ghosts
Of those who rode upon her
All the way from Saint Louis
Down to New Orleans
I could feel the saints and the sinners
Fancy ladies and ladies of the night
Ghosts of the dandies and the dirt poor farmers
Looking for a place to start a new life
(Chorus)
I could see the riverboats loaded down with cotton
Felt the ghosts of the slaves brought against their will
They are gone and long forgotten
But that old river she’s rolling still
(Chorus)
(Chorus 2)
And the mighty Mississippi
She keeps rolling down
Since the dawn of time
Her murky waters spilled
They are gone
And long forgotten
But that old river
She’s rolling still
Closing Time
Mark Evenchick
August, 2009
The idea for this song came to me while at a Legion hall, as I watched the bartender trying to shoo her reluctant patrons out of the building, so that she could close up for the night.
It’s closing time she calls last round
Angela’s wiping the tables down
Collects all the bottles pockets her tips
And the ghost of a song comes to her lips
Drink ‘em up boys its time to go home
It’s the end of my shift and I ache to the bone
Gotta wash all the dishes and sweep off the floors
Balance the cash all those nickels and quarters
Turn out the lights and lock up the doors
Cause its closing time
Its closing time boys you heard what she said
Had a couple too many they’ve gone to my head
We’ve gossiped and prattled and told all our stories
Laughed at our jokes toasted our glories
Better drink ‘em up boys its time to go home
Though I don’t want to leave hate being alone
Gotta find my sweater lace up my boots
Button my coat tie my scarf in a loop
Stuff my hands in my mittens and pull on my toque
Cause its closing time
(Bridge)
Angela’s sweet not hard to look at
Treats us pretty well if we stay in line
But when its time to leave you’d better not cross her
You’d best get a move on when it’s closing time
Its closing time the end of my set
Sung all my songs but I don’t want to leave yet
Why is it that just when I seem to start groovin
Someone will tell me its time to get movin
Better pack it up boys its time to go home
‘Sides I know that my baby is waiting alone
Gotta switch off the amps and pack up my gear
Guitar in its case and finish my beer
Say good night to you all get my ass out of here
Cause its closing time