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| Ashli Babbitt (BBC News image) |
Songwriting impulses arise in an unpredictable way. It can be quite the inexact science. There are rules, but shall we say they are fungible.
Highly accomplished songwriters often break the rules but you can be sure they know what the rules are. It's easy to read lyrics from a notable tune and think "what is so special about this?" Well it is special: nothing succeeds like success.
The guy who wrote "Gentle on My Mind," as I pointed out in my previous post, said that if he had known the song was going to be a big hit, he wouldn't have written it the same way, "and then it probably wouldn't have been a hit."
But who knows? So much serendipity.
Maybe this makes the practitioners ever more devoted, eh? So I love the craft, kind of a logical companion to my journalism craft. Many Morris MN residents would suggest that I whiff at both. To you all I say: go sit under a cow.
I learned last week that my song about baseball great Rocky Colavito was played as part of a program for the unveiling of a statue of Rocky in the "Little Italy" part of Cleveland OH. Program was held Tuesday, Aug. 10. Thank the Lord my work gains some attention.
Would my father be approving? Hopefully so. His stock in trade was sacred choral writing. He directed music at our UMM. We are now saying goodbye to UMM choir director Brad Miller. A source tells me that St. John's University "made Brad an offer he couldn't refuse." I assume this was not Marlon Brando-style. And we're saying goodbye to jazz director Jason Campbell too? That's really unfortunate. And is it true that Tillier and DuHamel will be gone for the upcoming year? What the heck is going on? One might think that music is being phased out at UMM. Or is it called "UMN" now? I am getting old and it is hard to keep up.
Anyway, for the time being I just enjoy my songwriting. I have music for this song as I always do. I'll just share lyrics here, to "Who Shot Ashli Babbitt?" I hope you find it interesting. I do have some friends in town.
"Who Shot Ashli Babbitt?"
by Brian Williams
A quiet winter morning
That's what it should have been
Just put aside your jammies
And let the day begin
Oh why could it not be?
Oh why could it not be?
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| God creates all kinds |
A crowd was busy stirring
Close to the capitol
The business there in D.C.
Should really have been dull
Oh why could it not be?
Oh why could it not be?
And while they were all at it
A feisty woman lunged
Her last name rhymed with rabbit
Could she not see the gun?
Oh why could it not be?
REFRAIN:
Who shot Ashli Babbitt?
Just follow where it goes
We should not even ask it
The head of MAGA knows
The head of MAGA knows
The new year was just dawning
We hoped for all the best
Pandemic was so daunting
It crowded out the rest
Or so it should have been
Or so it should have been
But watch the crowd so restless
So easy to be judged
Their cause was pretty senseless
Like Don Quixote's lunge
Or so it should have been
Or so it should have been
A day of simple duty
Of counting up the votes
No need to be unruly
To air a sour note
Or so it should have been
(repeat refrain)
Yes Ashli had a vision
Deluded as it was
As if she were a child
Awaiting Santa Claus
No need to go astray
No need to go astray
A day where God had blessed us
With freedom and ideals
So just don't go and mess up
To echo "stop the steal"
No need to go astray
No need to go astray
They could not seem to stop it
The anger and abuse
If it had been a frolic
We would just be amused
No need to go astray
(repeat refrain)
We could have prayed for Ashli
Her smile was so real
And now we miss it badly
But what did it conceal?
Our fate is in the wind
Our fate is in the wind
We did not see it coming
And then it was too late
We should have had more loving
Now wouldn't that be great?
Our fate is in the wind
Our fate is in the wind
Democracy is fragile
Now don't we know the truth?
So guard it with a firm will
Or else we all could lose
Our fate is in the wind
(repeat refrain)
We should have known "The Donald"
Would be up to his tricks
We'd seen his quirky vision
On all our TV sets
The script was there to see
The script was there to see
A mob was going crazy
With MAGA at the core
And Rudy Guiliani
Was striving to implore
The script was there to see
The script was there to see
So why did Ashli buy it?
The "rigged election" lies
She chose to be compliant
With all the crazy guys
The script was there to see
(repeat refrain)
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