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1978 (or thereabouts) I lived in Lindenwold, NJ. I've mentioned that before in another song from that era. To suppliment the few acoustic-solo-act jobs I could find, I got a job waiting tables at what appeared to be a former Steak and Ale (that Tudor-type building) on the fabulous White Horse Pike. At that time, the restaurant was owned/run by Lola who would play accordian and sing from the small stage, dressed as if she had been a Las Vegas showgirl 20 years prior. (but that's another story...) One day as we were rolling setups, one of the waitresses began complaining about how bad her life was. I listened. She just needed that. Then... I put it all in a song. This is her story... CHOKING i've been here since ten this morning there's no end in sight just my luck, i get stuck with all the drunks tonight when it comes to talking troubles i might raise my voice i'm working as a waitress cause i've got no choice my feet hurt so badly i can barely stand that busboy's so damn lazy he won't lend a hand another dollar tip another pack of kents i'd quit right now if i knew how else to pay my rent sometimes i wonder what it's all for life's just a b-movie with no back door is this someone's idea of a clever joke since i was seventeen i've been choking my old man past away seven years it's been a heart attack at fifty-two his job did him in you bust your [*****] all your life but it never pays he left me here with nothing but three kids to raise i'm forty-six tommorow you think my children care it gets to where you count on them not being there they say to set your sights on the highest star that's just to keep you from seeing where you really are sometimes i wonder what it's all for life's just a b-movie with no back door is this someone's idea of a clever joke since i was seventeen i've been choking The band... MIDI SuperTracks in song: 2066:Piano, Rhythm NewAgeAnswers Ev16 110 PianoCustom Synth is Hi-Q 001 01 Piano, Acoustic, Grand SampleTank.tgs RealTracks in song: 1856:Cello, Background PopCountry Ev RealTracks in song: 1173:Accordion, Rhythm PopCalypso Ev 100 Comments of any kind.... Have at it. floyd
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Totally beautiful Floyd. A superb song in a perfect setting. My, what a voice and delivery you have.
John
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Floyd, I've sincerely liked everything I've heard from you, but this is a whole other level. Absolutely beautiful!! It all works perfectly. Love the processing on the vocal. What did you use for that (mic, pre, fx)? Wonderful work! Take care. Greg
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Very beautiful in my opinion. Love the drama of the lyrics. Without a rhythm section there is plenty of backing (the piano sounds amazing, so tasteful) but your voice and the story stand out magnificently. The introductory paragraph sets the song up well. Admire everything about this one. Cheers.
Last edited by RichMac; 06/11/14 04:17 PM.
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A beautiful, but pretty dramatic song.. You've got a really nice country timbre in your voice. We (Europeans) have to work pretty hard for that  Regards, R & AM
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This is a good song and production. Enjoyed listening. I felt it was the perfect song and lyrical message to understate the music as you did.
Charlie
BIAB 2025:RB 2025, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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Wow! I want to write one like this! Your vocal phrasing here is amazing. The melody is not a simple one against the sparse instrumental background of your chosen palette and you nailed it. The instruments that you went with are nothing short of inspired! And the lyrics could not be more perfect, a superb portrait of your heroine. They evoke the very best of Tom Waits to me.
Last edited by gruverider; 06/11/14 06:12 PM.
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Very moving song with a great vocal. Really like the piano too.
Josie
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Hi Floyd,
as others have already said: It's just beautiful.
And I like the background story.
Another one of your songs that really reached
my heart.
Guenter
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Totally beautiful Floyd. A superb song in a perfect setting. My, what a voice and delivery you have. John John - very nice of you to say - and very nice to see you around - I hope it means we'll be hearing something from you soon!! The voice "is what it is" - and has changed a little over the last few years... the delivery - well, I've had this song for a very long time - and the fact that it was written about a specific (and real) person factors in to how I deliver it... thanks again... Floyd, I've sincerely liked everything I've heard from you, but this is a whole other level. Absolutely beautiful!! It all works perfectly. Love the processing on the vocal. What did you use for that (mic, pre, fx)? Wonderful work! Take care. Greg Greg - That's nice to hear. Thank you. Vocal recording: AT4033a (mic) to an Aphex 107 pre-amp (a good reputation - discontinued - but you can still find them for about $100(?) - Guitar Center has a used one listed for 69 I think..) then an Alesis 3630. fx - iZotope Nectar preset - Alternative and Indie - In Your Face - I probably tweaked the EQ - I usually do - followed by Focusrite Scarlett Reverb - settings - size=35% pre-filter=60% Air=60% Mix=35% I've been toying a LOT with vocals lately and I'm finding that each song is quite unique in what it requires. It is maddening sometimes...
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Very beautiful in my opinion. Love the drama of the lyrics. Without a rhythm section there is plenty of backing (the piano sounds amazing, so tasteful) but your voice and the story stand out magnificently. The introductory paragraph sets the song up well. Admire everything about this one. Cheers. Richard - So I guess this one had enough of a story for ya?  I'm glad you like it. The piano - one of the SuperMIDI tracks - they are nice to use, but not as easy to audition... There were no piano RTs that provided what I was after for this, so I "went looking"... A beautiful, but pretty dramatic song.. You've got a really nice country timbre in your voice. We (Europeans) have to work pretty hard for that Regards, R & AM Thanks y'all! You guys don't sound "European" to me when you sing - in fact, I was wondering if you were transplants... This is a good song and production. Enjoyed listening. I felt it was the perfect song and lyrical message to understate the music as you did. Charlie Charlie - thanks for the listen and the nice comment...
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Stronger than a garlic milkshake, that one is. I reached
down in my superlative basket and there's nothing good
enough to hang on this one.
I'm not gonna parse out all the wonderful details but I
will say that if someone isn't moved by this then they have
a very serious emotive deficit.
We're gonna add this to our 25 top three fj songs!
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos are here on our website.
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Magnificent writing Floyd and delivery.
Listening to this, and the harshness and hardship of some folks lives, it was me who was choking.
Superb storytelling - did your "waitress lady" ever hear this?
Wonderful
cheers
ian
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My goodness Floyd, what a sad song. I kept hoping for a happy ending.
A definite departure from your usual style.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
Right now I'm off to have a whisky to cheer myself up.
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Great job. Enjoyed it a lot. Very pretty.
"The desire for fame is the last infirmity cast off even by the wise."
Cornelius Tacitus
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floyd, I used to work alongside this grizzled old cigar chomping ex marine who offhandedly says to me one day...The definition of a pessimist is an optimist with experience. It hit me then that life is a struggle for everyone and it all comes down to attitude as to how well you handle your struggle. This song is a perfect slice of real life staged with a character that most of us might have seen at one time or another. Brilliant writing ! The vocal is close to perfect in delivering the emotion and still telling the story. The phrasing is trademark fj. Piano sounds good. Mix is good. Vocal processing sounds top shelf. Nectar2 has some great presets. As a slice of life song, they don't get any better than this. Great stuff, Tom
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Wow! I want to write one like this! Your vocal phrasing here is amazing. The melody is not a simple one against the sparse instrumental background of your chosen palette and you nailed it. The instruments that you went with are nothing short of inspired! And the lyrics could not be more perfect, a superb portrait of your heroine. They evoke the very best of Tom Waits to me. Geez, Lawrence... that's just a few too many nice things to handle all at once. LOL. "write one like that.." - I know when I say that it's pretty high praise - been doing it a lot lately - listening to Brandy Clark's "12 Stories" - maybe the best country CD ever penned - songwriting the way it should be done! Appreciate the note on instrumentation. I was going for the feeling you get when you watch a piano singer-songwriter doing this type of song. Kind of surprised that no one has noted the piano track choice... and "..the very best of Tom Waits" - I might have to print that out and tack it on my wall! Very moving song with a great vocal. Really like the piano too. Josie Thanks Josie. Appreciate that... Hi Floyd,
as others have already said: It's just beautiful.
And I like the background story.
Another one of your songs that really reached
my heart. Guenter Guenter - Thank you. Always good to know when a song touches the right places...
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I remember the White Horse Pike well. Lola too. We called her Lo-Lo-Lo-La-Lola.  Another keeper. Gonna have to make a 3 CD bootleg this year. Keep em comin' Col. Bob Parker Authentic fj Bootlegs, Inc. 2nd Trailer On The Left Pine Barrens, N.J.
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Hi, Floyd !
What a wonderful write !
I am taken by your mastery
of both writing and
delivering your songs !
This is no easy song to sing
but you nailed it completely !
I am amazed !:))
Cheers
Dani
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Wow Floyd! I envy you guys whom are able to put into words and create a beautiful song like this one. I could never do that, that's one of the many gifts I do not have. I have to be content with being inspired by something and compose an instrumental. Wonderful stuff as usual my friend (if I may call you that).
Mike B.
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
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Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 10 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!
Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
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Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 21.
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Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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