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I have seen this issue first hand all over the country. The unintended consequence of progress

and the changing landscape of the American small town. Thank you all in advance for the

listens and comments.



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Recorded in Logic Pro X

Plug Ins : Nectar 3, Neutron 4, Ozone 10, Tonal Balance, Waves, L3-LL Multi Limiter, Logic Pro Metering, Scuffam Amps S-Gear, Waves Vocal Rider

Electric guitars, Pedal Steel, Vocals, Tom Adams





https://on.soundcloud.com/gRmCe


https://tommyadamsmusic.com/track/3625702/beginning-of-the-end





Beginning Of The End


Walmart came and they boarded up the windows and the doors

The main street of my childhood is not there anymore

Now we can’t afford the groceries and we can’t afford the gas

No one seems to smile much No one ever laughs


I Used to walk a mile to church cause breakfast there was good

past billboards full of lawyers and piles of firewood

I grew up here then went away had to see around the bend

Now I pray that what I see is not the beginning of the end



People round here don’t like to change it’s not what they’re about

Every time they put a stoplight in the next day they’d shoot it out

The clerk down at the Citgo said it’s really kind of sad

If I moved the beef jerky around the whole town would get mad


I Used to walk a mile to church cause breakfast there was good

past billboards full of lawyers and piles of firewood

I grew up here then went away had to see around the bend

Now I pray that what I see is not the beginning of the end


There’s an IGA on one end of town VFW on the other

The graveyard next to the Pizza Hut’s where they buried my dear Mother

Old men in caps and overalls no longer sit and talk

the hands don’t move like they once did on the courthouse clock


I Used to walk a mile to church cause breakfast there was good

past billboards full of lawyers and piles of firewood

I grew up here then went away had to see around the bend

Now I pray that what I see is not the beginning of the end

Solid write - excellent sketch of the town and people in short vignettes. The sudden mix fits the lyrics.

Rocking arrangement, excellent guitars. Strong vocals. Great mix.

Love it!

Oh, YEAH!! I played bass on someone's tongue-in-cheek write once, What We Need Is Another Walmart Here. I said we need more mom and pop shops. He said, Exactly. Tom, I love these lyrics and the whole idea of the song. You mind me how cool it was to grow up in those times. Strong feelings in the music too. Excellent vocal, and those guitars are so perfect in taste and so well played. The whole band cooks to your terrific recipe.

"Used to walk a mile to church cause breakfast there was good
past billboards full of lawyers and piles of firewood"

"If I moved the beef jerky around the whole town would get mad"

You cannot get lines like That from an AI generator. A lesson in songwriting...

Terrific tracks. As always. Excellent mix. Of course.

BLOWN AWAY by your steel!!!!

Your vocals alone should have made you a star. Three words in you go "That's Tom Adams, of course!"

Good Music.

fj

HI Tom,

Good, solid, modern-day country with a punch.

Some change is good, of course, but only when it's chosen wisely and implemented with care. But, I fully agree about small-town living slowly being snuffed out by mega-money. I gave a brief speech to a group of local high school students about what it was like growing up in the forties, fifties, and sixties. My primary comment was the innocence of every-day life has disappeared. You could leave your keys in your car, not lock your doors, etc., and still feel safe. And that the driving force behind everything wasn't exclusively mega-money.

Sorry, got off on a small rant there.

That's a crafty lyric, and your musical input is spot on. Your guitar and pedal steel work is exceptional. Pedal steel is my all-time favorite instrument and you do it right. You make music a great place to hang out.

You vividly caught the essence of a changing world. And small-town America is being diluted more and more every day.

Great song - Great - write - Great listen

Enjoyed this a bunch.

Alan

Tom
Superb work.
Great lyric and the guitars sound really excellent.

Loved it.

Peter

Tom,

Hard hitting and pro all the way. You are writing some tremendous songs.

Love your excellent vocal and that is mix is truly outstanding!

Awesome stuff!

Bob

That's a great tune! If someone told me this was Tony Joe White, I'd believe it. Awesome in every dimension! The buzzsaw of progress leaves a jagged wound for sure...

Excellent all around. Really enjoyed it, plus I love the rhythm track.

Another good one. The demise of small towns and mom and pop stores.

Really nice work on this.

Kinda reminds me of the one I did a few years ago on the same topic. Dust on the floor.

David, as you know there is a limited amount of words to get the story across. I tried to paint a picture and I’m glad it worked for you. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and support, Tom

Great song, great story, great delivery.
LOVE it!

By the way, it's the same story no matter where you live. Even though I'm probably a bit younger than you, I feel like a stranger every time I visit my hometown.

What we need is another Walmart. Sounds like a Roger Miller tune. Thanks for listening and sharing your thoughts, Tom

I think everyone who has lived a bit can relate to the lyrics, Tom, really well written.

I love how you always seem to mange to come up with a killer guitar riff to support the song, that's a gift not many have.

Good one!

Tom,

This is great. Gonna copy these tracks and make yet another Tom Adams style. I have a collection. Well, as T.S. Elliot said: good writers borrow, great writers steal.

Song structure is textbook. Great lift man.

This could be on the radio right now.

Merry Christmas.

P..S Which bass were you using, or is that you? Sometimes you neglect to list the bass.

P.S.S. Drums???

Thanks for all that. I have always considered my vocals the weakest part of my game. However I’m old enough not to care anymore, so I just do it. Again thanks for a great review,Tom

Alan, I sure do appreciate your comments and above all your continued support. Thanks,Tom

Hi, Tommy !

What you so splendidly explain
is happening all around the world
( at least, in the western world )
but I´m afraid it is larger than that !

Excellent lyrics to your
unequalled wonderful voice !
I liked it truly much !

..and naturally, Merry Christmas
to you and a Most Happy New Year too !😍

Cheers
Dani

Hey Peter. Thanks a lot, Tom

Another top notch effort, Tom.
Really evocative lyrics. I read them first before listening and was kind of relieved the song turned out to be up tempo!
Regards,
Leon