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Hi Forum friends. Here is a silly song about my favorite subject: retirement. That has been my favorite subject since the day I started working. I never got the mix to sound quite right but here it is anyway. I'd love to hear what you think. I'll post the lyrics very soon. Take care. Greg https://soundcloud.com/gjohnson-2/how-lifes-supposed-to-be
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THE WAY LIFE’S SUPPOSED TO BE
Started thinkin’ about my golden years
The style of life I’d like to grow accustomed to
Went down to talk to this finance guy
To ask him what it is I should do
He started talkin’ equities, annuities, securities, I said “help me please”
I handed him my papers and he took a little look and said
“I’ve got some good news for you”
I said “Yeah?”
He said
The sun still shines down on the poor side of the town
It don’t take money to appreciate a joke
You can’t lose a fortune that you never even had
And it’s healthier to be too poor to smoke
I once read where this wise man said
“The best things in life are free”
So get your pleasure from the flowers and playin’ with the kids
That’s how life’s supposed to be
I said, “Wait a minute, wait”
Let’s not give up on the plan so fast
Retirement should be my best years yet
He said I could give up the booze and my indulgences
See what kind of second job I could get
Sock it all away in a 401K
I could be flush in only ten or fifteen years
He said, “tell me man, what do you think of my plan?”
I said my future’s now abundantly clear
He said “How’s that?”
I said, the sun still shines….
Cause it’s the little things, the simple things, the basic joys that living brings
I’ll find my pleasure in the flowers…
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This is a good write all around.
Vocal is up front and delivered well, lyrically, along with the minimalist music. (which rarely works for me :))
I'm only on a laptop now and couldn't hear any defined bass line as in maybe a stand-up bass.....just an observation only
That lazy horn line on the vamp works well too.
Not a genre I have any knowledge about but you did a fine job on this one.
Carry on....
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Greg,
This is a fun change from the other songs I`ve heard by you.
The lyrics tell a good story (I hope the news from your advisor wasn`t that bad!) and you got the style and tone just right on the vocals - nice chorus parts too.
I think I can hear a bass line, but it seems far back,otherwise I liked your backing and especially the tuba (if that`s what it is).
Robert
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Greg,
Loved it! Great set of lyrics - beautifully sung (and spoken) great stuff.
Peter
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Greg,
This is a fun change from the other songs I`ve heard by you.
The lyrics tell a good story (I hope the news from your advisor wasn`t that bad!) and you got the style and tone just right on the vocals - nice chorus parts too.
I think I can hear a bass line, but it seems far back,otherwise I liked your backing and especially the tuba (if that`s what it is).
Robert We think Robert had this right. Great song - loved it! Great vocal over a super vocal. You had asked what we thought about the mix. The only thing we noticed was that it sounded as though the tuba had some reverb on it. If so, perhaps back off of that just a bit. If no reverb on the tuba, ignore that - our 70 year-old ears sometimes are a little out of adjustment. I've (Alan) been retired a little over 10 years. Di has been medically retired since 1996 - 100% disabled. It's nice making out your own calendar/agenda. But, it's easy to lose track of the days! Almost every day's a weekend!!! Great fun here. loved the song! Best to you ... Alan & DI
BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*32GB DDR5*Rhyzen 9745x*AT 2035 Mic*Peavey Nashville 112 Amp*Ibanez ART120* Acoustic/Electric/Washburn D200S Acoustic*Stromberg Monterey Jazz Guitar Loops: https://aldavidmusic.wixsite.com/bestmusicloops
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Greg, This is outstanding. New Orleans style, laid back easy delivery. It sounds like a Randy Newman Co-write. I believe he would have been proud to be a part of this one. Fabulous lyrics and vocal. What's not to like in this wonderful listen and look into your current state of mind. A superb piece of art. Tom
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Super vocal Greg. Loved the tune Greg. Retirement has been sneaking into my thought allot more frequently lately. Well done
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Greg, this is another fabulous write from you.
I really like the 'unexpected' stops and the overall tacit delivery on 'how life is supposed to be'.
The fading horn at the end made all the right statements too.
A great write, and an excellent delivery too.
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I was thinking Randy Newman, but I see Tom beat me to it  A fun listen!
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I think that this such a clever write
and wonderfully performed
and how appropriate for all of us old geezers here
lots of humor, lots of truth and wisdom
very cool song Greg, enjoyed the listen
Kenny
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Greg, This is outstanding. New Orleans style, laid back easy delivery. It sounds like a Randy Newman Co-write. I believe he would have been proud to be a part of this one. Fabulous lyrics and vocal. What's not to like in this wonderful listen and look into your current state of mind. A superb piece of art. Tom Tom hit all the salient points... DRIPPING Newman! Phenomenal write. Clever and tight. The “help me please” after "equities, annuities, securities" was off-the-charts good. The perfect instrumentation. Wonderful vocal. And fun! Great listen. fj
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This is great Greg!! Most of us regular folk can relate to this one. For some reason I was thinking Jim Croce in this one, which is a compliment to any song writer! Thanks, Torrey
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The key word here is clever. I totally enjoyed this song. From the soft easy vocal delivery to the trumpet at the end.
And some sage advice in there too.
It's something that I have been contemplating.... as I have reached the "official" retirement age..... I have to wonder if I even wish to retire at this point because I still enjoy getting up and going out to help people solve their issues and concerns.
Back to the song..... loved it.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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This is a good write all around.
Vocal is up front and delivered well, lyrically, along with the minimalist music. (which rarely works for me :))
I'm only on a laptop now and couldn't hear any defined bass line as in maybe a stand-up bass.....just an observation only
That lazy horn line on the vamp works well too.
Not a genre I have any knowledge about but you did a fine job on this one.
Carry on....
Thanks so much for the kind words. I think the bass is a bit quiet. Appreciate the listen and comments! Take care. Greg
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Thanks so much for the kind words. I think the bass is a bit quiet. Appreciate the listen and comments! Take care. Greg Well...my comment was subjective. You may hear the bass fine on your end. It's that style you chose. For some reason as soon I heard it I was expecting s smooth stand up bass line. Well done all around....
Last edited by chulaivet1966; 05/24/17 10:46 AM.
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Hi Greg,
very nice song, well sung as usual.
Excellent chord line; a very gentle song.
Also for me retirement is the favourite subject, but unlucky I have to work for other 10 years about.
A life...
Sergio
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Greg,
This is a fun change from the other songs I`ve heard by you.
The lyrics tell a good story (I hope the news from your advisor wasn`t that bad!) and you got the style and tone just right on the vocals - nice chorus parts too.
I think I can hear a bass line, but it seems far back,otherwise I liked your backing and especially the tuba (if that`s what it is).
Robert Thanks Robert. Much appreciated! The bass is pretty soft. Yeah, I enjoy the dixieland band in BIAB and decided to have a little fun with it. You've been posting a lot of great stuff lately! Take care. Greg
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Hello, Greg
As Robert said, this is a fun change from the other songs I've heard by you.
Something may happen to your living environment?
But still positive and your vocals are awesome ahead.
Dixieland style sound is also very fun.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.
Best regards.
Shigeki Adachi
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Greg,
This is stunning. I really, really liked it. Great humour, great instrumentation, perfect arrangement and terrific vocals made it a listening pleasure from beginning to end. This is very creatively made and put together. You've done a superb job.
I'm with floyd on the "Help me please" line... brilliant!
All the best,
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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