Friday, November 12, 2010

Homegrown Radio 11/12/10

Hi folks, & happy Friday.  It’s time for some more Homegrown Radio with Bernie Jungle, & let’s get right to it!  Here are the lyrics & Bernie’s back story to his song “Josie”:

Josie
Josie drives a school bus every day, I can hear her tire chains
I was hoping for a day at home today
Josie doesn’t have to say a word, only look up in the mirror
That’s enough to make you shut your mouth and wish
She’d watch the road

Josie, Josie

Josie driving sixty miles an hour, where the limit’s twenty five
It’s amazing that we’re still alive
No one ever puts their body parts, out the windows of her bus
Josie knows just how to drive, the fear in us
And watch the road
I wish she’d watch the road

I’m so scared I think I’m going to die
Trees fly past just inches from my eyes
And I wish I had another cigarette
But I left them in my gym bag on my bed

Josie Josie etc.

Josie sits at home in panty hose
With a sandwich and a beer
She can hardly wait to go to sleep and steer

Josie is a true story about a bus driver I had in Western Pennyslvania in the late sixties and through the seventies taking us to school through grade school and high school. She prided herself in getting us there, even when most of the other bus drivers went home.

This song was written while looking back at her from the vantage of our tenderloin apartment in San Francisco when Kathleen and I arrived in 1995. It is indeed an old song, but has never been properly released. This version was recorded and mixed by Scott Greiner, who so generously recorded a bunch of my songs a few years back. They’ve gotten a little lost in mix-down but I hope to put them all out soon, in some form or another, so here’s one way eh? Most-excellent drumming by Adam McCauley.

Also, I must say that I intended to write new material each week and I tried, and did succeed in finding forgotten song parts and working up lyrics for some others, but nothing but new lyrics just didn't come. What did happen though was that I’ve been more involved in songwriting that I’ve been in a long time spending all my free time doing so. I’m grateful for that. Nothing really came together this week that I’d like to share but hopefully next week. So for now, an old but rarely heard song of mine, and I hope you all enjoy.

Thanks for all your kind words on last weeks song!

Thank you, Bernie!  Hope you folks enjoy this great song!



Pic of Bernie Jungle in the graphic is by Amy Snyder

4 comments:

  1. Always such a pleasure to get back to the Blog after a period away and discover material like this. Quality.

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  2. Hi Alan: Thanks--I have always had such admiration for the songwriting in this one, & I love the production of this version.

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  3. I love how you annotate the songs. Good stuff.

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  4. Hi Caroline: Thanks so much for stopping by & commenting--so glad you liked Bernie's music.

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