Hey Pat, I parsed out your comments in order to better respond.

“I want to start by saying that your title would make a good name for a Mall store that sells skinny jeans to high school girls.”

Now I gotta carry that image around! Janice and I are mountain bikers and we have a trail on our property that drops down from a low ridge to some dark bottom land. Around here bottom land was desired by Native Americans and settlers as it is rich but with a creek nearby this time of year it is incredibly hot and humid, i.e., “dank.” A few weeks ago when Janice and I were on a hard training ride through there I commented that I was suffocating in the bottom land. Voila, something that might stimulate my relatively rare songwriting.

“I'll continue by echoing the positive comments on everything from the clever lyrics to Floyd's unexpected but awesome blues guitar playing.”

Thank you and I’m sure fj will be pleased with that!

“But what I really want to know is whether you had a specific application in mind for which you crafted these verbal images. The use of biblical terms like Jerusalem and God's hand... especially when considered in light of the other points you made about tombstones, lack of green leaves, family lineage, blood feuds and murder... all these things stirred associations in my mind of the generational conflict in Palestine.”

I was thinking of oppression in general and how many millions cannot escape from it. The imagery just comes from my life’s experiences. Jerusalem Ridge is the title of my favorite bluegrass fiddle instrumental. It’s up tempo but ethereal and a bit spooky in melody. The sunken graves and the field stone — Janice and I are history nuts and we ramble around the countryside a lot and hike a lot. We often find old cemeteries where the graves have sunken in and they are marked, if at all, with flat field stones.
The heritage/lineage and the blood feuds were to reinforce the oppressive conditions in which the song’s subject was living. It brought to my mind images of worldwide conflicts and strife and generational/cultural/religious/tribal issues, etc.

“It wasn't until the last stanza when you mentioned a trailer and rows too long to hoe that I thought of the poor deep south rural bible belt, which I suppose is your intended application for the song.”

Yes, Appalachia would be a good fit metaphorically. The last verse can speak to how in America in many, but certainly not all, situations you do have an option of leaving. “Stick out a thumb.” It may not be a great option but you likely will not die for trying it.

“I feel like there's more that you didn't say, and I want to hear all of it. ;)”

That’s the best I can do! I genuinely enjoyed reading your thoughts. I know I tend toward more vague “connect the dots” lyrics and it is humbling to think that someone would pay that much attention to them..thank you very much.

J&B


J&B Videos
J&B Soundcloud
J&B Website