I grew up in Perkasie, PA, a small town in northern Bucks
County. We were about 35 miles from
Philadelphia and 100 miles from NYC, which turned out to be a good spot if you
were/are a music lover---"Hey music lover, hey music lover, music for the human race, I'm gonna add some funky bass...." Oh, sorry, Sly just came exploding through my mind....
In my early days I, like many young folks, heard the likes
of Hy Lit in Philly and Cousin Brucie in NYC.
Bandstand and a bit later the Geator were also favorites. For some
reason, still way beyond me, I loved listening and moving to music----it so
easily just became a part of me. The
real special occasion, though, was when Philly’s WHAT came through into
Perkasie. My recollection is that it didn’t
happen very often, but seemed to happen most on clear Sundays. Regardless of whenever
it happened, I was listening. Georgie
Woods and Butterball spun records that often I heard nowhere else and it seemed
like those tunes dove right into my soul.----“Do you like good music, that
sweet soul music, as long as it’s swingin’, Oh yeah, oh-oh yeah….”-----Sorry
again for the sound interuption, it just can’t be helped….
Ever since those days
I often have some song or soundtrack running through my brain. A beautiful scene in nature, a touching moment
with another, a bad break, a rainy day, all can conjure up tunes for me. And sometimes a tune just pops into my head
without any prompting. Now, I’m not
saying this happens every second, or that I’m like a walking jukebox----“Drop a
coin right into the slot, you gottta hear something’ that’s really hot”-----Oh,
excuse me again…. I do feel blessed to have this lifetime love of music. And
now with You Tube, I can get a bead on a tune in my head, find it on You Tube,
and an hour later, still on You Tube, be listening to some musician that is
many miles from where I started. In
general, I don’t spend much time on a computer, but the treasure trove of music
found in this machine blows my mind. Check out Eric Claptons’ version of “Don’t
Think Twice” at the Dylan tribute concert, or Etta James singing “Rock N Roll
Music” with Chuck Berry at his tribute concert, or Melissa Etheridge and Dolly
Parton exchanging each other’s tunes-----Oh---sorry---I digress yet again.
Upon arriving at the guesthouse in Bududa last October, I
discovered a wonderful poster in the latrine called “House Rules”. It was a poster suggesting ways of living
well with others in a home that derived its ideas from passages in the
Bible. Given the good amount of time I
had to study it, House Rules was a nice source of wisdom and inspiration. And of course, I pretty quickly started
imagining songs to go along with this Biblical wisdom. Hence, the idea took
form for “Road House Rules”. And now
both posters grace our latrine giving everyone who stays at the guesthouse
ample time to study them both. Enjoy!
And the great thing is each of us can create our own version
of Road House Rules, or whatever title you give it. My version is just one in an infinite number
of possible ones. In fact, I have a few
more of these already floating around in my musical head-----but again I
digress….
Road House Rules
(Keep your eyes on the road
And your hands upon the wheel…)
“With truth and honesty,
that’s what we need to hold on
To the good stuff we believe
in
Open up your hands, show me
your heart…”
The Gospel according to Saint Aretha (Franklin)
“I got the blues so bad one time
My face was in a permanent
frown
Now I’m feeling so much
better
I think I’ll cakewalk into
town.”
The Gospel according to Saint Taj (Mahal)
“And when you’re walking your
mile
Baby, don’t forget to smile.”
The Gospel according to Saint Mose (Allison)
“Walk awhile, walk awhile, walk
awhile with me
The more we walk together,
love, the better we’ll agree
We’ll agree.”
The Gospel according to the Cloisters of Fairport Convention
“Sorry is all that you can’t
say
Years go by and still
Words don’t come easily
Like forgive me, forgive me.”
The Gospel according to Saint Tracy (Chapman)
“I just wanna say, please,
please don’t go
I, I, I, I, please don’t go
Oh, Oh yeah, love, I love you
so.”
The Gospel according to Saint James (Brown)
“Have mercy, have mercy baby
Have mercy, have mercy on
me.”
The Gospel according to Saint Don (Covay)
Be Kind and Tender Hearted:
“Love me tender, love me true
Take me to your heart.”
The Gospel according to Saint Elvis (Presley)
“Try imagining a place where
it’s always safe and warm,
Come in she said, I’ll give
you shelter from the storm.”
The Gospel according to Saint Bob (Dylan/Zimmerman)
“My arms are missin’ you
My lips feel the same way,
too,
But this boy keeps comin’
around
Tryin’ to wear my resistance
down.
Jimmy, Oh Jimmy Mack
When are you comin’back?”
The Gospel according to the Cloisters of Martha and the Vandellas
“Come running to me when
things get out of hand
When it’s more than you can
stand
Whatever you want me to
All you got to do is ask.”
The Gospel according to Saint Joan (Armatrading)
“I am no better and neither
are you
We are the same whatever we
do
We got to live together.”
The Gospel according to the Cloisters of Sly and the Family Stone
“No matter, no matter what
color, mmmm you are still my brother
I said no matter, no matter
what color, mmmm you are still my brother
Everybody wants to live
together
Why can’t we live together?”
The Gospel according to Saint Timmy (Thomas)
“I hope the day will be a
lighter highway
For friends are found on
every road
Can you ever think of any
better way
For the lost and weary
traveler to go?
Making friends for the world
to see
Let the people know that you
got what you need.”
The Gospel according to Saint Bernie (Taupin)
Love One Another:
“Love is but a song I sing
Fear the way we die
Come on people now, smile on
your brother
Everybody get together and
try to love one another right now.”
The Gospel according to Saint Jessie (Colin Young)
