I Was Young When I Left Home

I don't really know why I've never heard this song until today. Dylan has a catalog that is simply immense.



I was young when I left home
But I been out a-ramblin' 'round
And I never wrote a letter to my home
To my home, Lord, to my home
And I never wrote a letter to my home

It was just the other day
I was bringing home my pay
When I met an old friend I used to know

Said your mother's dead and gone
Baby sister's all gone wrong
And your daddy needs you home right away

Not a shirt on my back
Not a penny on my name
Well I can't go home thisaway
Thisaway, Lord, Lord, Lord
And I can't go home thisaway

If you miss the train I'm on
Count the days I'm gone
You will hear that whistle blow a hundred miles
A hundred miles, honey baby. Lord Lord Lord
And you'll hear that whistle blow a hundred miles

I'm playing on a track
Ma would come and whoop me back
On them trestles down by old Jim McKay's

When I pay the debt I owe
To the commissary store
I will pawn my watch and chain and go home
Go home, Lord Lord Lord
I will pawn my watch and chain and go home

Used to tell Ma sometimes
When I see them riding blinds
Gonna make me a home out in the wind
In the wind, Lord in the wind
Make me a home out in the wind

I don't like it in the wind
Wanna go back home again
But I can't go home thisaway
Thisaway, Lord Lord Lord
And I can't go home thisaway

I was young when I left home
And I been out rambling 'round
And I never wrote a letter to my home
To my home, Lord Lord Lord
And I never wrote a letter to my home

It Never Gets Old

Though I think members of Metallica are cheeseballs these days, their early stuff is undeniably some of the greatest in the genre. Case in point:

Retsnom Tengam

Lately I've been listening to a lot of rock music. What else is new? When Monster Magnet was in their prime I never really listened to them. A lot of my hesitancy for not getting into their music was the hype the band received on MTV - and their popular songs seemed a bit contrived, especially the videos. 

My bandmate is a big fan of MM and through him I started listening to them in earnest, which has caused me to let the band's influence have an affect on me and the way in which I play. The lights on the fuzz and flanger pedals have definitely been blinking recently...

You Know You're Old When...

...you suddenly realize this album is 10 years old. It seems like yesterday when I first heard songs from Interpol's "Turn on the Bright Lights," featured in a snowboarding video I can't recall the name of. 

http://grooveshark.com/album/Turn+On+The+Bright+Lights/1470320

I was working at a shop as a repair tech, fixing and waxing people's boards, living the "seasonal" life split between riding the snow and surfing. When winter was over I would head somewhere warm and play in the water for a few months. When winter came back around I would pack up the truck and head for the mountains again - and this was more than 10 years after I started doing this in 1991! Life has been good and I feel fortunate enough to live like I want to live, enjoying those special and sometimes brief moments that define who I am. Along with friends, music has always been there for me, and is the soundtrack for everything I do and have accomplished. There hasn't been a time when it hasn't been there for me. 

It's a Bad Brains Christmas, Charlie Brown

This is good and ties in with the season well. My favorite song by Bad Brains set to one of my favorite childhood Christmas shows. Whoever put this together is gifted ... and has a lot of time on their hands. 

It's A Bad Brains Christmas, Charlie Brown from Tad Was Here on Vimeo.

Merry f'ing Christmas, or whatever you want to call it or believe in.

Wish You Were Hear...

What if Pink Floyd's lyrics, "Did you exchaaaa a aange ... a walk-on part in the war, for a lead role in a cage?" were really referring to cyclists and motorists? Think about it; commuting by bike and trying to get to your destination safely is sometimes similar to battle, and the word "cage" is often associated to automobiles... 

These are the things I think about.

GOAT - As fine as Swedish Cheese

I've been listening to this incessantly lately. So odd and so (other) worldly.