My father is having his pacemaker replaced in late February, so my thoughts have been on him. He was the one who taught me to play guitar. I’m having so much fun traveling through the South (and that’s about to expand to the North and West as well) storytelling and playing my guitar that I’ve given thought this morning on the songs that he taught me. I grew up listening to Country Music. If my daddy wasn’t playing it, he was listening to it.  He determined that I should learn music and taught me a little steel guitar, some mandolin, some bass guitar, and guitar. It was the guitar that stuck and became part of my identity.

The first song I learned was “Little Brown Jug.” You can see a YouTube cartoon sing-a-long of the tune here. It is a fun song that he made me learn IN EVERY KEY. Then we moved on to these songs, maybe not in this exact order, but I do know these were the songs of my childhood, the songs my daddy taught me that I’ll never forget.

2) Wildwood Flower

3) Under the Double Eagle

4) San Antonio Rose

5) Steel Guitar Rag

6) The Hank Williams Oeuvre

7) These were followed by  by artists such as Porter Wagoner, Milburn Brothers, Jimmie Rodgers ( There’s a museum for him in Meridean that I must see some day),  and a host of others. Upon reflection of this, I realize that the music he taught me is a rich legacy. He couldn’t have left me anything better than the notebook of music I’ve memorized and that I carry with me everywhere–the songs my daddy taught me.

Those who know me know that I don’t care much for rain, especially when I have to work in it. Some days I think I really would like to live in the desert. The recent rain made me think of this song by the Duhks, a Winnepeg-based group whose music I was introduced to some time ago. Here is the group’s website:

Out of the Rain – The Duhks

It’s been raining hard in Winnipeg, like where you’ve gone
So I am going to write a song to soothe my aching
For two whole days the rain came down and I’ve been thinking round
To when I was too young to see my heart was breaking
Oh baby I can’t stay here in the rain another day
Though I’ve been trying to find a way to make it happen
Lately I’ve been trying figure what it’s all about
And when I know I’ll work it out but now I’m getting
Out of the rain.

Out of the rain is where I’m headed for
Far from the pain of being tied to your back door
Oh I know that it’s not something that I can control
So I’ll go to go on in the rain.

I’ve been wandering thirsty in the rain for so long now
But it ain’t of the amount but where I’m standing
In the sunshine I will see much clearer just what I can do
I’ll keep it simple free and true
I can do what I want to do.

Out of the rain is where I’m headed for
Far form the pain of being tied to your back door
Take it slow, love yourself for you can’t love no one else
Oh I know I can’t go on in the rain.

Out of the rain, no hurting anymore
Into the sun to find what I’ve been yearning for
Take it slow love yourself for you can’t love no one else
Oh I know I can’t go on in the rain.
Oh I know, I can’t go on in the rain.

If you’re a fan of Americana music, you’ve likely heard the Drive-by Truckers. I’ve officially declared myself to be a fan. Their official site is loaded with song lyrics and information about the band. They have produced a significant amount of work that you should take a look at. You can find their site here:

I heard this song the other day, and it spoke to me, so I purchased it on iTunes and decided to post the music. It is a song with energy that I may be able to use in my own show.

Perfect Timing by Mike Cooley of Drive-by Truckers

Here I am again, perfect timing,
The strings are ringing and the words are rhyming
I used to hate the fool in me, but only in the morning
Now I tolerate him all day long

Out on the highway, I hear the moaning
That low and lonesome whisper,
You only know from longing,
Through those naked trees at the windows glowing orange,
Taking over that cold shoulder racing by

I might have known before
If I’d got this old before I thought I got too cool to give a damn
That who you see in dreams at night seem to spend their afterlives
Trying hard to live the last one down

Here I am again perfect timing,
The strings are ringing and the words are rhyming
I used to hate the fool in me, but only in the morning,
Now I tolerate him all day long

A Review and Study of Lincoln Unmasked: What You’re Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe by Thomas J. DiLorenzo  Three Rivers Press, 2006.

One will never truly understand why and how America’s Civil War happened unless one understands Abraham Lincoln. Like other Americans, I was raised with the Lincoln myth. He was all that represented America. As a Boy Scout, I once visited the Lincoln Monument (my mind was on the Girl Scout I was flirting with), but my naïve mind saw that site only as a monument to a past President. Many years later, having read a great deal, having looked at his face on five-dollar bills and pennies, having looked at evidence that cannot be denied, I’ve come to a different view of the President that America adores, having discovered from reading and research that there is much left out of the history books. As DiLorenzo says, “The point is, not only have whole sections of Lincoln’s record been expunged from history, but other sections have been fabricated.” The Lincoln most believe in did not exist.

Having read The Real Lincoln by DiLorenzo, I predicted that Lincoln Unmasked would be a good read, and I was not disappointed. However, it was stronger and more loaded and important than my pro-Southern mind and heart realized. What I discovered in this well documented work is that American politicians and Lincoln saint-makers have rewritten history with the effectiveness and passion of the communist historians.  There is much that I didn’t know and much that America doesn’t know about Lincoln.  I intend to create a study guide of this book for sale. This is a book that will make you think, as you can see from the chapter titles:

1. Challenging the Gatekeepers
Part I: What You’re Not Supposed to Know About Lincoln and His War
2. The Lincoln Myths—Exposed
3. Fake Lincoln Quotes [Things Lincoln Never said]
4. The Myth of the Morally Superior “Yankee” [Rewritten history to portray the North as benevolent and to demonize the South]
5. Lincoln’s Liberian Connection [Lincoln wanted people of color removed from America]
6. An Abolitionist Who Despised Lincoln [People who hated slavery, hated Lincoln!]
7. The Truth About States’ Rights
8. Constitutional Futility
9. Lincoln’s Big Lie
10. A “Great Crime”: The Arrest Warrant for the Chief Justice of the United States
PART II: Economic Issues You’re Supposed to Ignore
11. The Origins of the Republican Party
12. The Great Railroad Lobbyism
13. The Great Protectionist
14. The Great Inflationist
PART III: The Politics of the Lincoln Cult
15. Making Cannon Fodder
16. Lincolnite Totalitarians
17. Pledging Allegiance to the Omnipotent Lincolnian State
18. The Lincoln Cult on Imprisoning War Opponents
APPENDIX: What they Don’t Want You to Read (I’m going to have a separate entry on this)

I’m not the only reader who has found this book fascinating. Thomas E. Woods Jr., bestselling author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History, comments: “Brilliant and withering. Lincoln Unmasked answers the kind of forbidden questions that our country now more than ever needs to hear.”

For today’s post, I wanted to share the beautiful lyrics of another great song by Emmylou Harris. I heard it just a few minutes ago on the Americana station and I think it’s one I’ll add to my show someday. I found the lyrics at Cowboy Lyrics.com, a great site to visit if you’re looking for Country & Western & Americana lyrics. If you’re a fan of Emmylou, her official site is here. I do so hope I can see her perform sometime, as I do love her music.

Waltz Across Texas Tonight by Emmy Lou Harris

The wind can blow cold, it moans and it cries
When it carries the sound of a thousand goodbyes
But if you listen tonight on that high, lonely plain
You’ll just hear my voice as it calls out your name
You’ll just hear my voice as it calls out your name

You’ve been on a road that just don’t seem to end
Where that broken old heart of yours won’t ever mend
You’ve crossed over bridges and bridges they burn
So many rivers and so much to learn
So many bridges and so much to learn

But the moon is so full, the stars are so bright
And my hand is steady, my touch id light
Look in my eyes, hold on real tight
And I’ll waltz you my darling across Texas tonight
I’ll waltz you my darling across Texas tonight

We both have known hard luck
And love that’s gone wrong
When the ghosts take the shadows and
The night takes too long
We folded our cards when the hand wasn’t strong
But that wheel will keep spinning long after we’re gone
Yeah, that wheel will keep spinning long after we’re gone

And the moon is so full, the stars are so bright
And my hand is steady, my touch is light
Look in my eyes, hold on real tight and I’ll
Waltz you my darling across Texas tonight

I’ll waltz you my darling across Texas tonight
Look in my eyes, hold on real tight
And I’ll waltz you my darling across Texas tonight
I’ll waltz you my darling across Texas tonight

While working on my online classes I teach and on my tax preparation, I heard a Son Volt song on my Americana Cable station I like to listen to. The song was okay, but as always happens when I hear any Son Volt song, I thought of my favorite song of his and decided to post the lyrics. Songs are often personal turning points, and I’m sure this song was a spark for my interest in the saints and their involvement in or distance from the life of the individual artist. Jay Farrar (of Uncle Tupelo fame) has a voice that deeply resonates in the heart of many. Anyway, here is a transcription of the song I found on the Web somewhere a while back. If I got any of the lyrics wrong, please let me know.  The official Son Volt site is here:

“Tear Stained Eye”

Walking down Main Street
Getting to know the concrete
Looking for a purpose from a neon sign
I would meet you anywhere the western sun meets the air
We’ll hit the road, never looking behind

CHORUS:
Can you deny, there’s nothing greater
Nothing more than the traveling hands of time?
Sainte Genevieve can hold back the water
But saints don’t bother with a tear stained eye

Seeing traces of the scars that came before
Hitting the pavement still asking for more
When the hours don’t move along,
Worn-out wood and familiar songs
To hear your voice is not enough
It’s more than a shame

Chorus:

Like the man said, rode hard and put away wet
Throw away the bad news, and put it to rest
If learning is living, and the truth is a state of mind
You’ll find it’s better at the end of the line.

CHORUS:
Can you deny, there’s nothing greater
Nothing more than the traveling hands of time?
Sainte Genevieve can hold back the water
But saints don’t bother with a tear stained eye.

Upcoming Interviews: I have some great interviews promised for this blog, including Singer/songwriters Trish Murphy, Irish legend Jim Crowley, Brendan Nolan, and Doyle Jeter, a great patron and promoter of the arts in Northeast Louisiana.  There are also several visual artists I hope to interview.

For today’s post, I wanted to add another song I want to add to my Americana show.  I feel it’s another reflection on the ephemeral nature of one’s life.

Adios Days by Pat Green

Adios days in the wide open prairie,
Nights on the canyon are gone,
Steven is dead and Johnny got married,
Me I’m here all on my own.
I’m all on my own.

I used to have nights on the town of Laredo,
Spinning them girls cross the floor,
Now I’m too old for dancing
And too far gone for the whiskey,
So I don’t go down there no more.

Chorus

My dad was a top hand
When he was a young man,
Rode for the Diamond-Bar-J,
He’d push all day long
From the back of his pony,
At nighttime he’d gather the strays.

He hated the cities
And he cussed all the railroads,
Said they would lead us to fall,
Now we have streetcars
And the cowboy is dying,
I guess he weren’t too far from wrong.

Today’s post is a short one and is centered on computer/technical issues. My MAC iBook is now three years old. Hopefully, it will last three more. I travel everywhere with it, and as a big hunk of my income comes from the online college classes I’m teaching, I’m constantly trying to sharpen my computer and technical skills, and I feel like I’m learning something new every day. I’ve been trained to use ANGEL, eCollege, and now am using Moodle. I have Comcast cable at home with a Netgear Wireless setup. I’m thinking of getting the AT&T wireless setup (good anywhere you can get a good cell signal), but I have not talked to a fellow MAC user to evaluate its effectiveness.  If you’ve any knowledge or experience about MACs in this regard, I’d appreciate hearing from you.

FOR ONLINE TEACHERS WHO USE MAC: About online teaching systems I’m certified to teach . . .

ANGEL – I used it last semester and found this system terribly slow when working at home. It worked fast when I was at the university or at Starbucks. Virginia College (who I work for) switched to eCollege this semester.

eCollege is fast, easy to use and works well on my MAC. If you  teach or take an online class, you’ll find it user and teacher friendly. This is the system that Virginia College now uses.

MOODLE – This semester, ULM made the transition from Blackboard to Moodle. With Moodle, so this is what I’m using to teach my ULM classes.  I had the same problem with Moodle as I did with ANGEL–the system seemed to be fast at the university, but SLOW at home. I did some research and finally found a site that gave me some information. As soon as I installed ADOBE Flash Player and ADOBE Shockwave Player, my laptop perked up and  worked with acceptable speed. This site is a good checklist to use for anyone using Moodle, or if you think Moodle is not working quite right. You can find that site is here:

I was listening to my iPod while working online, and heard again my Pat Green CD, I stopped work and transcribed the lyrics and learned the song. I decided to add this song to my Americana show and to post the lyrics for it today. I admire so many musicians whose music I would classify as Americana (some call it Roots music). Most of them are songwriters, most travel extensively, and they all seem to be more concerned about their music than in becoming a superstar. Speaking of Pat Green, at one of my Barnes and Noble book signings, I saw a book that interested me. I copied the following information from the Amazon description:

Pat Green’s Dance Halls & Dreamers is an all-access look at Texas’s legendary music venues and the musicians who make them great. Author Luke Gilliam and photographer Guy Rogers III spent a day at ten of Texas’s venerable dance halls, recording candid interviews and action-packed color photographs. The result is an unprecedented day-in-the-life look at the people who make the Texas music scene flourish. Each of the chapters documents a venue’s personality, history, and atmosphere as everyone prepares for and parties at the biggest show in town.

Texas icon and three-time Grammy nominee Pat Green shares his memories and favorite stories of each venue. He also gives fans a backstage pass into his world with a performance at his favorite dance hall, Gruene Hall.

A unique assemblage of Texas musicians share their stories about dance halls that have served as landmarks on their rise to fame. Hear from honky-tonk heroes Willie Nelson, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Robert Earl Keen, as well as established stars Jack Ingram, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Cory Morrow, and Kevin Fowler, and up-and-comers Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen. Each performer offers a firsthand perspective on his career.

The venues are equally diverse, from the big city lights of Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth and Stubb’s BBQ in Austin to road-trip outposts in Luckenbach and Schroeder Hall.

But the Texas music scene’s true essence is painted by the dance hall owners, bartenders, bouncers, and fans, who commingle at these halls on a nightly basis. Colorful sidebars delve into the unique characteristics of each hall as well as its founding fathers.

I think I liked this song because I thought of the many times I’ve said and heard people say, “If I had a million dollars . . .”

If I had a Million by Pat Greene

If I had me a million
I would build you a mansion,
A hundred miles from nowhere
With all a girl could need,
We would run around through the hallways
And dance in the backyard,
If we ain’t got no neighbors
Ain’t no one will see.

And if I had a speed plane
We’d fly across the land,
Settle in some little border town,
We’d drink some margaritas
And dance to mariachis,
Put you on my speed plane
And I would bring you back home.

And if I had a steamboat
We’d sail across the ocean,
Dock in some little port of call,
We would have a fine time
With Swiss cheese and French wine,
Put you on my steamboat and I
Would bring you back home.

Yeah, But I ain’t got a million
And I ain’t got a speed plane,
I ain’t got no boat upon the sea,
All I’ve got is these two strong arms
I can hold you so tightly,
So baby won’t you, won’t you please,
Come back home with me.

All I’ve got is these two strong arms
I can hold you so tightly,
So baby won’t you, won’t you please,
Come back home with me.

The past year I’ve tried to pay more attention to taking care of my health. There were several factors: the death of my younger brother (who didn’t take care of himself) the realization that I would be the one to care for my parents, and some other personal losses that caused me to feel the ephemeral nature of existence and the realization of mortality. I quit smoking, made some other changes, and did some reading on health. I found one book, The Self Health Revolution by J. Michael Zenn that is inspirational and packed with the common sense details and a ten-day plan that I think even I can follow.  Zenn’s website is here: I’ve heard the author speak and he is an excellent motivational speaker. Do yourself a favor and check out his site and his book that has been adopted by Whole Foods.

Here is what the Health guru Harvey Diamond said of this book:

What a masterful and inspired job of bringing together a mountain of lifesaving information into one blazing page turner. If ever there was a single book anyone interested in his or her health and well being should read without fail, this is it! This ground breaking, common-sense, eye opening read will show you the hidden reasons why so many people are getting sicker, growing fatter, feeling older than their years, and dying younger than they should. J. Michael Zenn will show you how you can quickly take control of your own Self Health and determine your own health destiny. Are you as fit as you wish to be? Do you have the energy you desire? Are you free from pain, ill health and disease? Are you aging faster than you would like? Discover how you can directly determine how long and how well you will live. Michael and I share many similarities on our healing journeys. He too began to study nutrition as a means to overcome serious health problems that baffled the medical community. Let Michael show you the powerful evidence that will convince any common sense person that our Self Health destiny is totally within our grasp. Read this book now, put it into practice, and share it with the people you love. You will be glad for the rest of your long and healthy life.
—Harvey Diamond
Best-selling health writer of all time, Author of Fit for Life, One of the top 25 best-selling books in history (along with the Gone With the Wind and the Bible).