Our trio, The Happy Enchiladas, have a recording coming out, beginning with a CD Release Party, at MACA on Saturday, August 24 at 7 p.m. (the songs will be also available on streaming platforms.) I thought I would post the lyrics and talk about the songs for anyone interested in songwriting, and bringing those songs to a group, like our trio. Our trio consists of Karen Mathews, a wonderful singer and interpreter of songs. We do a lot of covers, but I immediately thought about what songs to present to Karen. Our other member, is Chris Pike, who plays bass, and sings in our trio. Chris is a master musician, and arranger who had input on all the songs. I’ve written songs for as long as I can remember, and while I have gotten better musically, I take special pride in my lyrics and storytelling. So I thought I’d present the songs we’ve recorded as lyrics first, for anyone interested.
The first cut on the CD is an old song of mine named “For the Sake of the Song.” I was teaching a Storytelling class (Dra.122) at McDowell Tech. For their mid-term, we would meet at the local coffee house where the students had to perform stories. One girl told a story from a children’s book about living in different places, like a tree, or by the ocean, something like that, my memory is a little fuzzy, but there was line about a bird singing for the sake of the song. Often, all I needed was a phrase, or word, a line, that would start the song, so the first verse was from her story. Of course, most songwriters are familiar with second verse hell, when they are faced with where the song should go next when it isn’t a straight narrative. I had recently traveled to Ireland, where I had experienced their love of music, and since I knew that this was more of a thematic lyric based around the theme voiced in the chorus, it just naturally followed. The chorus followed that verse, and I loved the way it expressed the ephemeral and lasting quality of a song, and the contradictions.
The next two verses feature a street singer singing for tips in a busy city. There’s a Joni Mitchell song, “For Free,” that embraces the same theme of “For the Sake of the Song.” Perhaps I remembered the song as I was writing mine, or, more likely after I had finished. Lastly, I thought the lyric carried more weight if Karen sang the lead, which is almost always the right choice.
For the Sake of the Song
I heard the bird singing high from the highest limb.
She sang to the sky and then she sang it again.
She sang to the cloud that was passing on.
She sang her heart out for the sake of the song.
When I was in Galway on that western shore.
We sang up the day then we sang some more.
We sang down the night. We snag up the dawn.
We sang like light, for the sake of the song.
chorus/ For the sake of the song, for the sake of the song.
Now and forever. Here and gone.
For the sake of the song, to the four winds thrown.
Now it’s all together and it’s all alone.
This city in winter moves in fits and starts.
I can’t find the center and I can’t find the heart.
Heard the street singer shout, singing so strong.
He sang his heart out for the sake of the song.
Somebody threw a quarter at his feet.
It landed on its side and it rolled down the street.
It rolled into the drain, and then it was gone.
He sang like rain, for the sake of the song.
Chorus twice