Hemingway

Hemingway, Hemingway
prolly true I never read ya
instead of time to play
you were a do they said ta
doesn't matter any which way

life aint so simple
though the rhyme
that bind us all of all the time
mean more to me
than I can find
anyday
in Hemingway

mind aint so simple
so to be kind
behind us after all this time
a history
of major minds
having heyday
having heyday
hey Hemingway

that is all o a-o ok

Hemingway, Hemingway
prolly true I never read ya
instead of time to play
you were a do they said ta
doesn't matter any which way
today
to Hemingway







- Mark Otis

Music and Lyrics Copyright 2009 Mark Allen Johnson

Split My Skull

Fire eyed sun god shining through the shadows
crazy tongue speaking and drooling from his lava lips
Some blood brother secret centennial choice
to prove this dude happy say they gonna have to do me in

I got a chance now to save my folks
local yokel turns hero by giving up the ghost
Split my skull on the altar rock
and the sun god gonna let the clock groove on and on

I was a farm boy back then, now a present day, big city man
cause the high priest sent for me said I was meant to be key to the plan
but doubt my heart shouts out and I can picture the flames
and the knife-like sun god teeth and my feet start stepping away

I got a chance now the save my hide
local yokel turns yellow sacrifice denied
I yell don't ya crack my shell, don't ya spill my yolk
the church preaches hell just to control you folks

Half second huddle decision decided
priest thinks what he thunk but I override it
I'm running down the stairs at a high speed pace
looking at the frown on the high priest's face

Priest yells freeze I can't help but heed to his call
I fall knees to the ground get dragged to the altar
He's the one with the sun power you understand if yer
antennae were connected to the greater granduer
gonna split my skull on the alter rock
and the sun god gonna let the clock groove on and on

knees go wobbly neck goes slack
got me drinking a drug from a skin like sack
starburst alchemy and ancient rite
switches me around from night to light

Here come the sealer the big ole' kiss
I'm on the road encoded born to deal with this
My soul is yours fiddle as you will
you want another hundred years, take the kill

Crowd gets tense beyond my ken
taking me back to the beginning to begin again
Fire eyed sun god scraping through the shadows
crazy tongue speaking speaking drooling from his granite grin
they gonna split my skull on the altar rock
and the sun god gonna let the clock groove on and on

Music and Lyrics Copyright 2009 Mark Allen Johnson

Minutiae Madness

Something else new for tapping along to.

A one-taker on my microtrack recorder, with two more tracks mixed on aftwerds.

Every dot in it’s compartment
Every pebble in it’s place
Lots of pebbles fill up boxes
Wayward dots spill out in space

In our crush to mix it up
We miss a basic truth
you'll never fix it up
cuz you gonna hit the roof

Every jot in it’s compartment
Every pellet in it’s place
Lots of filling up of parcels
I’m wayward darling on the chase

Minutiae, Minutiae, Minutiae
Minutiae, Minutiae, Minutiae
Minutiae, Minutiae, Minutiae
Minutiae, Minutiae, Minutiae

Fill it up stack it up pack it in fill it up
Crush it down, nice and tight
Lock it in, pack it in, stuff it up tight enough
stow away, switch the light

Every dot in it’s compartment
Every pebble in it’s place
Lots of pebbles fill up boxes
Wayward dots spill out in space

In your quest to mix it up
you miss a basic fact
you never get to fix it up
that aint how you supposed to act

Every jot in it’s compartment
Every pellet in it’s place
Lots of filling up of parcels
I’m wayward darling on the chase

Fill it up stack it up pack it in fill it up
Crush it down, nice and tight
Lock it in, pack it in, stuff it up tight enough
stow away, switch the light



- Mark Otis

Music and Lyrics Copyright 2009 Mark Allen Johnson

Garage Sale

Was massively inspired two weekends ago, playing music with some good friends: Cary (guitar), Tony (stand up bass) and Noah (guitar and stand up bass). The following weekend had myself, Cary, and his wife Amy (on the fiddle) at our house, and it was another great musical time.

Had this song skipping back and forth inside for a little bit now, and - although I don't quite have this the way I want it - I wanted to post it and get some more songs up. Recorded through the computer the mostly vocals whilst strumming track, and simultaneously through my microtrack to pick up some heavier b-uke. Overlayed those two and solo b-uke lines added over those tracks afterward, with crackly sounding hand claps last.

Lyrics need some tweaking, but here is where they are at this moment:



Lyrics:

Tubs of rubbish up for sale
awkward knick-knacks by the pale
its a chime in time that without fail
beckons my smile to your garage sale

|A box of books to hook me in my curiosity gland
is sure to milk my ilk of every penny at hand
but a pile
an L.P. pile
vinyl available in any old style
is sure to leave me crying - o - for more

Erotic ashtrays by the score
what can hold your coals and more
it's no frills but still it's thrills galore
open sesame, garage door

A colored dot with a jot for the price you are asking
or perhaps penciled onto tape du masking
And the price
if not high
could not happen to a worthier guy
I love your converted driveway-store

A box of books to hook me in my curiosity gland
is sure to milk my ilk of every penny at hand
but a pile
an L.P. pile
vinyl available in every style
is sure to leave me crying - o - for more
Tubs of rubbish up for sale
awkward knick-knacks by the pale
its a chime in time that without fail
beckons my smile to your garage sale

Music and Lyrics Copyright 2009 Mark Allen Johnson