Greetings and felicitations, fellow BiaB users.

Well, I cranked out another little ditty this week. We Don't Drink the Water Anymore is pretty much a true story about the farm I grew up on. The rural people in the area (including my own family) can no longer drink the water from their wells due to high arsenic levels.

This song uses a style called _CTROK12.STY. CntryRock w 12-Str.FngPck[165RS], which uses real tracks RT520: Bass, Electric, Pop HalfNotes Ev 165 , Dow Tomlin, RT690: Organ, B3, Background Pop Ev 165 , Gene Rabbai, RT1682: Guitar, 12-String Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 165 , Pat McGrath, RT524: Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 165 , Jason Roller. The harmonica is a soloist track called Harmonica, Background Travis Ev 085.

I also added a couple more 12 string parts using my PSR-3000 keyboard. The harmonies were also done using the PSR-3000's on board vocal harmonizer.

We Don't Drink the Water Anymore


We Don't Drink the Water Anymore

I can remember growin' up
On a small farm out in the country
The life was hard but the livin' was so good
Findin' oil changed our world forever
On a small farm out in the country
They wanted that oil but they never asked if they should

We don't drink the water anymore
There's an oil well outside our back door
We thought our lives were better for the money we made
No one really knew the steep price we paid
We don't drink the water anymore

Oil derricks left a scar on the land
On a small farm out in the country
Pumpin' the earth full of chemicals and steam
And they forced that black gold from the ground
On a small farm out in the country
They called it progress and I heard mother nature scream

We don't drink the water anymore
There's an oil well outside our back door
We thought our lives were better for the money we made
No one really knew the steep price we paid
We don't drink the water anymore

The years rolled by and life went on
On a small farm out in the country
The drillin' went on in a never ending quest
And then one day there came a man
To a small farm out in the country
Sayin' drinkin' the water that might not be the best


Thanks for listening,
Dan

Hi Dan,

very nice.
I'm impressed by the sound of the
harmonies.
The harmonica works fine.

Guenter

I like protest songs.

The song kinda starts abruptly. The edit was a bit late.

Harmonies sound good. A few minor issues with phrasing but nothing to fret over too much.

Good overall job.

Touch of John Denver going on here.
Sad story this sort of thing is going on more and more.
make a good protest song.
Rob.

Dan, this is a really nice country song. Pleasant feel about the melody, and nice mix. Duplicate vocal / harmony gave it great fullness.

Sadly though apparently it's a true situation.

Enjoyed the harmonica - this fitted in really well.

Best
Trevor

Good one. Nice easy folky feel. Nice melody. Cheers.

Dan,

Just the right production for the song and message. As Rob mentioned, a "John Denver vibe" to it - a good folk-song. The harmonica was just the right added touch.

The harmonies are nice (as has also been noted).

And a sad story...

floyd

Hello Dan,

A very nice protest song, we don't see many of those here.
We especially like the Travis Harmonica soloist.

Rob and Anne-Marie

Hi Dan. This is a really nice and well written song. I found it to be more lamentation than protest but your point was made in either case. Everything came together well and I agree you created some nice harmonies. For some reason one lyric stood out abruptly to me. In my head, I would say "the money they gave" rather than "the money we made". I saw it as the oil company's fault and deception, not the farmers. Good song as it is in any case.

Charlie

Great tune!! I'd like to see the lyrics printed although I think I caught most of them. Harmonies are sweet, and the harmonica could not be better if you had it played custom for the song. Great work all around (song, mix, arrangement)!! Take care. Greg

Thanks, Guenter.

The harmonizer in my keyboard is kind of glitchy and unforgiving, but I keep going back to it because it allows me to do harmony parts that are otherwise out of my vocal range.

If you're curious (or really bored ) here's a link to an article I wrote about it a few years back.
A VH Primer



Thank you, Gh.

The abrupt start is a product of my DAW ignorance and being a bit lazy. Your post has inspired me to re-think my workflow so it doesn't happen again. I've had this problem before.
I know what you mean re: the phrasing. I'm not used to singing my own material, and I find I struggle a bit. I'm more used to singing cover material where I can copy somebody else's phrasing rather than coming up with my own.



Thanks, Rob. I agree, it is indeed quite sad that this sort of thing goes on.



Thank you very much, Trevor.
I have to credit my brother in law for the idea to put a harmonica in this song. I also have to credit BiaB for making it possible.


Thanks, RichMac. I appreciate it.


Thanks for the kind words, floyd. I have to say, I don't mind being mentioned in the same sentence as John Denver.



Thanks, Rob and Anne-Marie. I really didn't write it as a protest song, but now that I step back from it a bit, I guess that's what it is. I too, am a big fan of the Travis harmonica parts.


Thanks, Charlie. A lamentation was more of the emotion I had going on when I started to write this.
What I was talking about with "the money we made" was all of the locals (self included) who took well paying jobs in the oil-patch when the industry moved into the area. I like the line you suggested, though, as it gives a little different spin on it. It actually makes more sense in some ways, as the song is written from a farmer's point of view.


Thanks, Greg.
I totally agree about the harmoinica. This was the first time I ever even loaded a soloist track. It's quite impressive. Here's the lyrics, if you're still interested.


We Don't Drink the Water Anymore

I can remember growin' up
On a small farm out in the country
The life was hard but the livin' was so good
Findin' oil changed our world forever
On a small farm out in the country
They wanted that oil but they never asked if they should

We don't drink the water anymore
There's an oil well outside our back door
We thought our lives were better for the money we made
No one really knew the steep price we paid
We don't drink the water anymore

Oil derricks left a scar on the land
On a small farm out in the country
Pumpin' the earth full of chemicals and steam
And they forced that black gold from the ground
On a small farm out in the country
They called it progress and I heard mother nature scream

We don't drink the water anymore
There's an oil well outside our back door
We thought our lives were better for the money we made
No one really knew the steep price we paid
We don't drink the water anymore

The years rolled by and life went on
On a small farm out in the country
The drillin' went on in a never ending quest
And then one day there came a man
To a small farm out in the country
Sayin' drinkin' the water that might not be the best

Thanks for listening,
Dan

Hi Dan,

I really loved the folky feel. To my way of thinking, it was perfect for this type of thought-provoking message. It's a great melody you've created and arranged and I'm amazed at the harmonies you generated using the PSR-3000.

A very enjoyable listen!

Regards,
Noel

• latest song: Just A Little After Midnight

A big +1

Josie

Dan, I can't believe the harmonies you get. They sound great. nice song and production. Tom

A big plus one here! And, yes, listing the lyric would be nice.


J&B

Thanks, Noel. I'm glad you enjoyed it.



Thanks, Josie.



Thank you, Tom.
The harmonizer I use is a bit of a pain to use, but I keep going back to it because it allows me to record harmony parts that are otherwise out of my vocal range. It's kind of old technology nowadays, but it's paid for so I'll probably stick with it.


Thanks. I posted the lyrics in my first reply, but I'll also put them in my original post.

Great protest song - nice job with the lyrics and the melody on the refrain is perfect - thanks for your song and i hope your able to get the message out - Pete

Excellent arrangement - balanced, instruments in the right places, vocals nice and clear. Nice melody, and good harmonies.

All in all, well put together.

Thanks very much, Pete and David.

Your kind words are appreciated.

Thanks for listening,
Dan

plus 1 to this!