Some things take time.


BROKEN IN

a new baseball glove
what a beautiful smell
hard at first
to get your fingers in real well
oil it every day
it's your pillow every night
to get it shaped and loose
broken in just right

   broken in
   knocked about
   worn razor thin
   but not worn out
   some things take time
   you gotta know just when
   they're aged to perfection
   broken in

any pair of levis
or dan post boots
a martin d45
putting down roots
mama's cast iron skillet
a montana mustang
a good bottle of red
in time they're all a beautiful thing

   broken in....

you and me
been through the wringer
we've stood the test of time
our love endures

   broken in....

   give 'em time, you'll know just when
   they're aged to perfection
   broken in




The BAND:
RealTracks in song: 1827:Bass, Electric, PopModernGrooveA-B Ev16 075
RealTracks in song: 1190:Bass, Electric, ModernRnBRock Ev 065
RealTracks in song: 2690 Guitar, Electric, Soloist Slow16thsPopBrentSimple Ev16 075
RealTracks in song: 1037:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm NorthernRockBallad Ev 065
RealTracks in song: 3074:Mandolin, Rhythm AmericanaSlow16thsAndy Ev16 060
RealTracks in song: 3160:Guitar, Baritone Electric, Rhythm AmericanaSlow16thsBrent Ev16 060
RealTracks in song: 1758:Banjo, Rhythm, Pop16ths Ev 085
RealTracks in song: 2704:Synth, Rhythm CloudRapLowOrgan Ev16 075
Drums - drum loops from DrumsOnDemand

harmonies: Janice Merritt


Sis... You're the best!

Comments welcome.
Have at it.

fj

FJ & Janice,
Beautiful! Flows very well. Vocals are top notch!
Not going to even brag about the mix, I have yet to hear a bad mix from you Enjoyed it!

Thank you for sharing!

Misha.

Another superb song. You and Janice work so well together. I looked at the band and there's a lot of real tracks but the sound is so sparse , and pure . amazing how you do it . Thanks Fj for sharing

I was just listening to song...
Following the lyrics...
Suddenly I heard the harmony and said...
That sounds like Janice...
That's what I get for not reading before I listen ...
Another great song...
Another set of well-crafted lyrics...
And of course...
Janice's beautiful voice to accompany you own strong vocals...
I enjoyed it!

A lovely song and excellent BVox.
Succinct arrangement and band choices.
Lovely.
The two things that came straight to mind were the brevity of the intro - no issue just struck me - and the amount of room in the mic when you back away to go loud n high.

Unusual and very original topic. Really enjoyed this and love the harmonies.
Ro4580

All good things come to those that wait, I believe is the saying! So it seems fitting some things take time.

Great use of RealTracks. Thanks for sharing!

Floyd,

Really nice write—terrific collection of images that reinforce your theme. Fine vocal and your usual exemplary production. Well done! Good luck with it!

All the best,

Deej

Great title!

Well sung, nice harmonies, excellent write.

While the title - and lyrics - pretty much telegraph where the song is going, you hold off "You and me" until the end, which makes it all the stronger because of the wait.

One thing I love about your mixes is the clarity - there's no need to guess at any of the words. There's not more to the arrangement than there needs to be, so it's got a wonderful transparency.

floyd

Excellent set of lyrics and completely expected a pro production. Clear and crisp vocals and a nice build up.
And when Janice comes in - well you two sound just great together.

Top notch.

Peter

Hi Floyd,

Simply professional throughout, as usual, but it's only what I've come to expect from you.

Although I like your "heavier" side, I did enjoy this immensely and just got lost in the
smoothness and the wonderfully relaxed vocal. It always helps having Janice in there of course.

A super arrangement and I DID love the cymbal fade right at the end of the track - nice attention to detail, that.

Cheers, ROG.

Nice writing! And great vocal too, I like the way you phrase.

And a big tip of the hat to Janice too of course

Your productions and mixes are always such a pleasure to listen to, lot's to learn from studying them. They way you slowly build the first verse with just the acoustic, and then bringing in the kick ... great! And then that little cymbal hit at the end, I love hearing stuff like that.

Excellent!

Hi Floyd and of course hi Janice,

these lyrics caught me completely - I think everybody listening to that song will immediately think of something or someone those words could apply to.

And I experienced the same as Jim: I was sort of sunk in listening and reading the lyrics - all of a sudden there was Janice falling in with her beautiful harminies - oh boy, no matter how often I hear her - it's always a treat. And your two voices really go together so well...

Nicely arranged, of course brilliantly-sung, too. And I have to mention the lyrics again: a well-chosen subject (which I have never heard being sung about) oiled down to an essence, Very impressive.

Oh yes: sound, mix and everything technical: top-notch. Like always....

Cheers,

Stefan

You really did a great job on this one The lyrics are poignant and relatable, and the harmonies on this help them hit all the harder. That aside, I loved the instrumentation and thought the mix was top notch also.

Thanks for sharing!

Hey Floyd,

Man these are some of my favorite lyrics from you! They are really awesome. Just genius really.

I like the music and production, too, but from a lyrical standpoint this is magnificent. Love it man.

Floyd,

"broken in
knocked about
worn razor thin
but not worn out"
Love that, and all the finely drawn images that let you know the experience behind the message.
I don`t listen to much country but a good write sticks... listening to your first verse I flashed back to Guy Clarke`s "Stuff That Works"- this is up there with that craftsman.
I agree with all the good stuff others have noted about your vocals,Janice`s harmonies, the arrangement and production values.

Robert

Nice work you two! This is beautiful and the vibe is very appealing. The vocals harmonize well with the other instruments. Thanks for sharing!

Hey y’all, thanks for commenting on the vocals!

Janice

Great halcyon imagery, and the usual accompanying musical greatness.

Hi Janice & Floyd ...

Such minimal background yet so full. Takes some real talent to accomplish that. Love the originality of the lyric. The opening really caught me as my father played professional baseball for three years (minor leagues for the Cardinals - never made the "show" as he was injured and that ended his career in Double A). I could relate to that entire verse on a very personal level. And, you had me from there.

And what a privilege and honor it must be to have Janice on the BG vox. There's no better harmony singer on the site that comes to mind.

As always, your mix is superb. And your vocals ain't to shabby, either! Great stuff, you two. What a treat!

Alan

I think this some of your best writing yet, lyrically speaking.

Nice job on the chorus and the second verse is really well put together.

Floyd, I am constantly in awe of your song writing ability! You knock 'em out of the park every time you step up to the plate! You painted such a great picture with this one! Great performance (again) by you and Janice! Loved that banjo in there (perfect)! Thanks, Torrey

Words are tools for communication and we almost all figure out how to use them effectively early in life. BUT, in the hands of the right artist, words become art!!! Such is the case here with our resident artist FJ!!! I have always loved metaphors, and this song is a beautiful string of metaphors. If I was and English teacher, I'd show this to my class to illustrate the beauty of the metaphor! And the only thing that can make a great song even better is the addition of a harmony to sweeten it up!! Wonderful job FJ and Janice!!! Take care. Greg

I appreciate that Jim. I was immediately drawn into this song!

Janice

Thanks, Misha. Appreciate that...




Thanks, Brad. Needless to say, it is always a real pleasure to work with Janice...

Thanks, Jim. We do appreciate that. Thanks for listening...

I took a trip to South Carolina when I was a sophomore in high school. I know where I live, and I know where SC is; so it wasn't a huge mystery as to how and where we were headed.

We went to the airport, hopped on a plane and landed in SC. It had all of what you would expect in a flight. The check-in, the waiting, close proximity to others, trying to find luggage...all that kind of thing. Not overly pleasant at all; but we got to our destination.

When I was a senior in high school we decided to head back to SC. We decided to drive this time. I knew where we were headed; and sort of knew how we would get there. What I didn't know was how exciting that trip was going to be. We took many "back roads" and just really took in the country. I saw so many cool things that I wasn't expecting to see. Even a fair number of waterfalls and mountains that would take your breathe away with their beauty. This trip at a very minimum was as good as getting to our destination. I find that to be unique.

That is what your song just did for me. I had a rough idea where I was going to be taken; but was amazed by the path you took us on to get there. Thank you!

Ray - Thanks for the Lovely review.

I'm curious... is "the amount of room in the mic when you back away..." a good thing or a bad thing? Just need a little further explanation in case it is something I need to fix... thanks

Awesome tune Floyd. Lovely story to take me back to my child hood. Breaking in a ball glove. What an art that was. Beautiful vocal and Janice's harmonies were perfect. Well done..

Couldn't agree more. Two of the best voices on the forum.
Leon

Thanks, Rob...




Thanks, Ember...

Really, really nice. Everything in it's place and sounding good. I was struck by the "lack" of rhyme. It's as spare as the band. And I have to think its on purpose because of the lengths you took to "de-stress" such as is there. Why? Maybe it serves to accentuate the work that has to go into things often before they can become so comfortable. My mom told me once, "Son, if it doesn't want to rhyme, don't make it."

Hugely enjoyed this.

Thank y'all for mentioning the harmony. I had a little preview of this tune and was hoping I'd be asked to join in!

Janice

Thanks, Deej.

Thanks for the mention of my little part. I appreciate y'all!

Janice

Thanks, David. Thanks for the note on the clarity of the mix...

Beautiful Floyd and Janice. Aged to perfection.

Appreciate that, Peter... Thanks!

Thank you Stefan. I knew from the first time we sang together years ago that we had a special “blend” as Bud says

Janice





Thanks Deryk!

Janice

It sounds very good! The music and the lyrics fits very well together.

It is a genre of music that I know very little about so I am not able to give a meaningful and comprehensive review... so sorry! I can just say that I liked listening.


Will

Hello Floyd and Janice,

I listened to this very nice song some days ago. Immediately liked it.Thought I gave a reaction, but saw now I didn't. Not even on SC.
Must have been distrackted.
The setup of this song is simple but comes in very good. And you two perform very good in it (do I sound a bit jealous? Naw, can't be...).
I only miss that pedal steel (joke),

Hans

Thanks Robert!

Janice



Thank you Joe!

Janice



Alan, that was so sweet of you to say that. I do appreciate it very much.

Janice

Thanks ROG. Good to see you around again...




Thanks, Dave. Really appreciate that...

Torrey, thanks for mentioning me!

Janice

Stephan - thanks for the nice review..

Thanks for that, Deryk...




Appreciate that, Mr Snyder. Good to see you pop in now and again...

Thanks! I'm happy you like the harmony.

Janice

Thanks Hans!

Janice

Thanks Leon! It’s nice to see you here!

Janice

Robert - thanks for the nice comments. A reference to Guy Clark's work is humbling...




TM - thanks for stopping in....




Alan - Thanks for all of that! Cool that your dad was so close to the bigs...

It is ALWAYS a pleasure to have Janice join me on a song...

Thanks, Herb.




Torrey - Really appreciate that kind of review! Thanks!!

Greg - I truly appreciate such a thoughtful review... Thanks!!




HTL - Like Greg (above) you have composed a delightfully thoughtful review... Thanks so much for that...

Thanks for your continuing support, Scott...




Leon - you are too kind... we thanks you...

Thanks Tangmo

All the accolades already given are well deserved. Enjoyed the listen.

Joanne thanks for stopping by...



Will we appreciate that you took the time to listen...

Thanks Mark!

Janice

Hans thanks for having a listen

Appreciate that Mark....

Floyd,

Without a doubt this is my new favorite from you...

The feeling and pacing of this song works so well. Some really beautiful vocals from you both you and Janice. Outstanding mix - just the best.

"any pair of levis
or dan post boots
a martin d45
putting down roots
mama's cast iron skillet
a montana mustang
a good bottle of red
in time they're all a beautiful thing"

Wow.. it's hard to get better than that...

Bob

hi Floyd and janice great vocals im never disappointed listening to your songs eric

Eric - thanks for having a listen....




Thanks for the great review, Bob. I had a feeling you might like this one - glad you were able to catch it...