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

Totally beautiful Floyd. A superb song in a perfect setting. My, what a voice and delivery you have.

John

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

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.

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

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

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.

Very moving song with a great vocal. Really like the piano too.


Josie

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

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...


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...

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"...


Thanks y'all! You guys don't sound "European" to me when you sing - in fact, I was wondering if you were transplants...


Charlie - thanks for the listen and the nice comment...

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!

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

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.

Great job. Enjoyed it a lot. Very pretty.

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

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!



Thanks Josie. Appreciate that...



Guenter - Thank you. Always good to know when a song touches the right places...

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.

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

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.

Bud - I can tell you wrote that! LOL.. from garlic milkshake to emotive deficit... thanks.



Ian - Appreciate that. No, she never heard it. I didn't stay there long... it was a very depressing place to work.. had to move on...


Joanne - Thanks. Some stories just don't have happy endings.. there was a time when this was my style... you do it enough and you're bound to go through different stages - or find different motives...

Charlie - thanks...



Tom - certainly appreciate all those nice comments.. There was a time when I mostly wrote slice-of-life songs - I think of it as my "John Prine days"... when I switched gears, I had to stop listening to Prine and Goodman and Newman or else they just kept coming... It's nice to be able to go back to these and get the kind of production to show them off properly. I don't use Nectar much - it did happen to work for this one though....

C-O-L-A.....cola....



Thank you, Dani... you are most kind...



Mike - I do appreciate you stopping by for a listen... indeed, my friend...

Floyd,

You know I am a fan of your work. You always manage to capture the feelings and emotions behind the songs you write. To me, that's what make a great songwriter. This one is an exceptional example of your abilities. Very dramatic, sad, but true to life for so many people. This one touches my heart.

Steve

Having lived within walking distance of the White Horse Pike and specifically in Lindenwold..... this reminded me of a little Italian place in town where I used to work,,,,, a place called simply "Dom's" by the locals. Great food, good drink, but not for me.... I worked there as a teen, washing dishes and helping in the kitchen which was run by the owner's wife.... a slave driving, clock watching wench if there ever was one.

The song was cool.... well written and a good take on the frustration of many people who see no real future for themselves... nothing but a dreary day in day out same old same old daily existence. I've known many, many people who fit into the lyrics of your song.

This is similar in many aspects to some of Bruce Springsteen's early writing. Use of the accordion, piano, strings..... gritty subject.... I was waiting for the screaming sax solo....(just kidding) This shows a new and interesting direction and aspect to your writing. I like how you are willing to take risks and go into new areas. And not the easiest of areas, might I add. Good stuff.

Brandy Clark..... the word "amazing" is simply insufficient to describe her writing. At a recent (last month) NSAI songwriter's meeting.... one of the better writers in the group came up to me and we talked for some time about the songs we had presented and music and writing in general. The conversation spilled out the door and into the parking lot as the staff were closing and locking the doors for the evening. He handed me a CD and told me to listen to "the girl at the end" of the home made cd. It was Brandy. I think it's about half of her album. To say I'm blown away by the writing on that disk would be an understatement. Wow.

Very haunting song. It stays with you and makes you think. The sparse instrumentation and use of effects brings out the intimate thoughts behind the song. Your vocal is strong and emotional. Choking is an apt name for the song.

I suggest one lyric changes for consideration. Change "waitress" to "server" or some other non gender specific word. Hearing the female gender specific "I am a waitress" sung by a male voice abruptly breaks the emotional impact of the song.

It's too bad the waitress has never heard this song as I think she would be pleased you captured the moment so well and that her thoughts made such an impression on you.

Steve - I do appreciate that. The best we can hope for is to touch someone's heart...



Thanks, Herb.



Jim - Thanks. For me, changing "waitress" would weaken the song - trying to make songs generic is good for some songs, but not for all. The "old man" and the kids require a female point of view to be most effective. I considered having a female vocal, but I actually think this is most effective as is - the same way I think Prine's "Angel From Montgomery" is more effective when he sings it than it is coming from Bonnie Raitt...

What can I say, Floyd ... nice music, very pleasing, and a story well told with a great vocal performance! VERY nice!

Hi Floyd ...

Poignant yet pretty. That was a wonderful listen. I think A lot of people feel kind of like this in their own way. Beautiful arrangement. and your typically wonderful vocals. what a fabulous listen!

When I (Alan) lived in San Antonio, Texas in the 1970's, I used to eat at the Steak & Ale about half a mile from my house. And, I wonder how many folks remember Kents!?

Simply splendid!

Alan & Di

What has not been said already. Really nice painting of a story. Excellent choice of backing. And bring instruments in and out, like the accordion for example. Excellent delivery and phrasing. And...what the rest said too.
-Patrick

Yea, this is some fine story telling and a wonderful performance. Sometimes you just gotta write a real life true story and to heck with trying to make it all look pretty.

I haven't tried to use any of the super-midi stuff (I don't think I got any of the sampletank stuff working yet). I might have to work on that a bit.