That Water Came
Around the first of the year, I had been doing some bike rides through a local parkway here that had been flooded. The good news was that the parkway was closed, so I could ride on the roads. The parkway is designed to contain floodwaters and closes frequently during heavy rains. I’m always amazed at the power of water, and these four or five rides didn’t change that. After pondering this for a few days, I figured there must be a song in there. I didn’t want it to be a Katrina song, or about ANY particular flood for that matter. But it is a serious song.
The date of this recording is January 3rd and it was probably the second or third take I recorded. I listened back to it this morning after not hearing it for a few weeks and although this is an extremely early and rough representation of the song, was pleasantly surprised. I was intending on re-recording this one at a later date (and still will), but I thought it was worthy of posting.
This one has a bit of a “bluegrassy, sittin’ on the front porch, thinkin’ about stuff, story telling” feeling. There may eventually be a bridge added, but we’ll see.
That Water Came
words and music by John Natiw
Mary had a baby last Sunday
She was just seventeen
Brought her home just three days later
times were lean
Friday night she sang to that baby
wind started to blow
storm was comin’ along the old highway
the sky started to glow
that water came
like it knew her name
Mary dropped to her knees and said dear God
I’ll do anything
If you spare me and my baby
I’ll never ask again
I know there’s been some things that I’ve done wrong
some that I regret
But if you could just help us to hold on
I’d be in your debt
but that water came
like it knew her name
that damn water came
(it came) just the same
they say the risin’ water can’t hear you
when it comes to call
no emotion or human feelings
it just takes it all
there wasn’t anything anyone could do
in the rise and fall
two little angels died in that bayou
when the devil called
that water came
like it knew her name
that damn water came
(it came) just the same
black water came…
All We Need is Some Love
All We Need Is Some Love
by John Natiw
VERSE
In the dark of the night
through the thickest fight
when you’ve got nothing to give
when the things that you hold
leave you shattered and cold
and you forget how to live
CHORUS
All you need is some love
A little help from above
When all hope is gone
All we need is some love
VERSE
When you sleep all alone
with a hand on the phone
wondering when it will ring
and you wish on that star
doesn’t matter how far
’cause you’d give anything
CHORUS
What you need is some love
A little help from above
When you can’t carry on
All we need is some love
BRIDGE [just babbling at this point]
INSTRUMENTAL BREAK [as verse]
CHORUS
All you need is some love
A little help from above
When all hope is gone
All we need is some love
What you need is some love
What you need is some love
All we need is some love
All we need is some love
The Story of “All We Need Is Some Love”
This one has come about by simply playing a chord progression over and over the past few days. Oddly, for me, the chorus came first. I’d just sit here and hum some melodies over it and one seemed to be begging to be sung. Once I had the chord progression and melody somewhat nailed down, it seemed to me that the song was wanting to speak to this theme of love and hope. I’ve said many times that I don’t really feel like I “write” songs, I just discover them. Peeling away the covering until it shines through. It pays to learn how to listen for the song, I suppose.
Once I had a basic chorus idea, I set to work on the verses. These came much slower (probably because I don’t usually write them after the chorus). I made a conscious effort to keep the melody for the verses a bit lower and quieter (dynamically). Once I had hummed enough melodies and chosen one, I put the “meat on the bones” and wrote a couple of simple verse lyrics. All the while, trying to speak to this universal theme of love and hope.
This is very “naked” and bare. All my vocal and creative weaknesses are there for your perusal. In this take (one of the first), I was more concerned with the phrasing of the lyrics in relation to the music than how I was singing (obviously). I have a long way to go before I know how to perform this song. Being able to play it once and perform it are two different things, I think.
In the end, I can hear lots of soaring background vocals and organ as the song swells to it’s climax, which I hear happening right in the middle of the last (longer) chorus.
J
