Music and events that happen in Key West as observed by Chris Rehm. "What Happens in Key West Stays in Key West" Wrong! Everyone wants to know what's happening in Key West!
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Monday, December 12, 2016
Happy Merry Christmas From Key West
Happy Merry Christmas From Key West was
written in 2015 by Dani Hoy, Bobby DeVito and Key West Chris Rehm,
Everyone wrote the lyrics for their own
verse in the song, and likewise sang their own verse.
Chris wrote the chords and melody for
the verses and Dani and Chris together wrote the bridge.
The final verse was sung by Dani and
Chris together.
The recording was made at The Conch
Rock Shanty, on Thomas St in Key West. It was a complete Key West
party atmosphere, with a cast of Key West characters including
Schmegly and our dogs, Cajun and Tooloulou all whooping it up in the
background.
This little ditty is designed to make
you feel good, smile, and hopefully even laugh! If you're not here,
but love Key West, step into an authentic Key West party, from Key
West! Have some fun vicariously with us, for a three minute romp into
a party in paradise!
The song was recorded and produced by
Chris Rehm, Dani Hoy, and Bobby DeVito, in Key West.
Mastered by Dan Simpson, Private Ear
Studios, Key West.
At $.99 it blows those $5 stores on
Duval into the weeds!
To purchase “Happy Merry Christmas
From Key West” Click here!!!
The continuing story which follows the
making of album“Jump Into de FiYa!!!!”
(See bottom of blog for links to Parts
1 and 2)
December 4th 2016 recording
session at Ian Shaw's Warmfuzz Studio, for the current three songs in
the hopper, was nothing short of superb.
The concentration was on two songs,
Dockside Bar and 21st Century Girl, which actually wasn't
my plan at all. The plan had been to get “Yeah, A Harbour”
further down the road. However, the plan for that was sidelined when
fate intervened.
For starters, our band,The Shanty
Hounds, had played at Grunts Bar the previous Thursday, December 1st.
(Illustration by Dani Hoy)
Two years ago, Dani Hoy, Bobby DeVito, and myself co-wrote a
Christmas song “Happy Merry Christmas From Key West”. We decided
to do the song for the first time this holiday season at the gig.
Bobby was in Chicago, so as a prank I called him on the phone, laid
the phone down when it started ringing, and we kicked into the song.
When we were done I picked the phone up and realized that, although
it was still connected to Bobby's phone, it was on message. The thing
apparently doesn't have a time limit! Who knew?
On Friday, Dani bumped into our friend
Terri, who told her Bobby and his girlfriend Chrisie were in town!
During this time my friend Bruce sent
me a text to say he was coming down from Miami.
A bit of background on both of these
characters. BruceTurkel and I have been friends for around twenty
years, or so. Way back then, he had been taking harmonica lessons
from a mutual friend, David Leicht. David suggested to me that Bruce
and I would make a good musical pairing. We got together and played a
lot and in doing so, became fabulous friends.
This was in my Miami/Dade years, and we
played as a duo around Coconut Grove, and southern Miami/Dade County
for several years. In 2000 I was fortunate enough to get published in
Nashville and Bruce suggested that we start a band to showcase my
songwriting. We started a Blues band, “Chris Rehm and The Rabble
Rousers”. We had a blast with it! A boatload of talented, fun
people passed through that band, which disbanded in 2008 when I moved
down to Key West.
Chris Rehm and The Rabble Rousers at Tobacco Road, Miami
About a year before I moved here, Bruce
and his marvelous wife, Gloria, bought a second home here in the
Keys, so it's been easy to stay in touch with them, as they're down
fairly often. Bruce would often sit in wherever I was playing when he
was down, as well. I wanted to have him on my first album. However,
Bruce is a very busy guy and is often flying around the world in
business. Regretfully, the timing didn't work out.
With Bobby DeVito, I originally had
heard a lot about him from our mutual friend, Gary Ek. When we met,
it was instantaneous. We got along as though we knew each other for
years. That was 2009. Since then Bobby's been a roommate twice, and a
house guest numerous times over the years. He also played on eight
songs on my album “Shanghai'd And Marooned In Key West (things
could be worse)”.
Way back, Bobby and I had a duo. “The
Offending Culprits” , which Bruce sat in with a few times at
Captain Tony's
With that as a backdrop and the stage
set, lets move to the time at the moment in question here.
So, all of the sudden, it turns out
that both Bruce and Bobby are in town again for the weekend! For me,
there's no question about it. They have to be on the album.
I called Ian Shaw, the producer and
engineer, who fortunately had an open afternoon at Warmfuzz Studio!
We first recorded Bruce on the song
“Dockside Bar”, a song I wrote in 2006 about the things I saw in
various bars on the water, in the Keys.
Although I wrote it in 2006, we never
played it. Bruce had only heard the song once or twice from the
recording we had already had and that was on Saturday, the day before
the recording.
The song itself is in the key of G,
although parts of it wander into G's relative minor, Em. Bruce
actually would switch between harps (slang for harmonicas) during the
recording! Amazing!
(Sorry, the song Bruce is playing is
only audible through the headphones in this part)
When Bruce put a track down, Ian would
ask Bruce for something a little different, maybe a little behind the
beat in one part, or right on it in another. Other times, he asked
for something more assertive. Bruce delivered every time. He
obviously has a lot of studio time under his belt. He was just
incredible!
Bruce Turkel at Warmfuzz Studio, KW
Before he was finished, I asked him to
put a drone-type harmonica at the very beginning of “Yeah, A
Harbor”. The song is in the key of E, but his E harmonica started
at too high a note than I was looking for.
Ian to the rescue! “Do you have a G
harp? I can change the pitch to E”
Listening to Bruce play the G against
the solo guitar in E was like hearing cats fight, or fingernails on
the blackboard, it was the worst! However, when Ian played it back,
everything was in the key of E and sounded perfect! Ian then had him
do it again, this time with a bit of a warble to the drone. Turned
out great!
Bruce was done for the day, I thanked
him, and he was off to Miami. We were disappointed because he had to
go back, and hence, couldn;t play Grunts with the Shanty Hounds that
evening. One of these days!
Thanks Bruce!!!
Next up was Bobby D. Now Bobby has
played in studios for over thirty years. He knows his way around the
block like he knows the back of his hand. Sunday, December 4th
was no exception to that rule.
The song 21st Century Girl,
was a bit of an enigma for me, speaking honestly. I knew the feel I
wanted. The song played on my guitar parts, is an up stroke rhythm,
in a certain type of Cajun rhythm. I wasn't sure what to add to this.
My initial thought was an accordion.
Ian heard something different however.
While we both heard the Cajun part, Ian was thinking of something
more along the lines of Eric Clapton's “Lay Down Sally”, which in
turn had a big J.J. Cale influence.
Bobby came over to my house, just
before we headed to the studio. He listened to the song for the first
time and said “I'm thinking something like a Mick Taylor era
'Stones feel, in a way”
Well he played it that way on his first
take. It sounded fantastic! Ian however mentioned the Lay Down Sally
feel, and Bobby said “No problem” and went right for it.
The song is actually quite faster than
Lay Down Sally and has a lot more energy. Lay Down Sally is a laid
back song, while 21st Century Girl is get up and go. Ian
of course realized this from the start, long before anything Bobby
added took place. However, in conveying that to Bobby, and Bobby just
falling in with it, produced something magical!
Bobby DeVito laying tracks at Warmfuzz Studios KW
To start with, Ian set up the guitar
amp and effects for the tone he was looking for, while Bobby went for
the position 4 pickup option on the Stratocaster. There were
naturally some adjustments and accents locked into for the electric
rhythm tracks. Ian saying “Give me a little more accent here”, or
“I'm thinking something a bit different than what you're doing,
maybe like on the beat, and some Bah Bah Bah! In this part” Bobby
would then say “Oh! I have something for you!” and depending the
part, would give him exactly what he was looking for, or if it wasn't
a specific request, throw something entirely different at a specific
part, and Ian would give a big thumbs up!
After the first electric guitar track
was added, Ian adjusted the tone of the guitar and the same process
was repeated on the lead guitar track.
With 21st Century Girl, I
now have a better idea of where to go with the recording from here.
With the quicker tempo, the song doesn't sound like Lay Down Sally at
all, but that was Ian's intent. This song now has a better Musical
identity and definition. It... ROCKS!
At the end of two and a half hours, we
were done. Turned out fantastic. It's truly an honor to be working
with these guys!
Lets see where the next stage takes us!
We still have a ways to go on all three of these songs, but the light
is at the end of the tunnel!
I hope you're enjoying this series!
If you'd like to help with the
production of these songs, pick up some of my other music! The
proceeds are going directly back to financing this recording! Thank
you in advance for doing so!
Also, please check out my book “Bar
Stories”. It's a fun book about various bar situations I've seen,
witnessed, or participated in over the decades. If you're looking for
a depressing book, you're in the wrong place!
This book is FUN! Additionally,
purchasing this book also is helping me write the three other books I
am currently working on: “The Absolute Best Bars in the Florida
Keys”, “Living On A Tropical Island” (also known at this point
as “Island Living”), and “Time Traveler”. Bar Stories is only:
As a musician, I approach live music
from a particular perspective, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I
feel it is the most authentic way to do so.
To set the stage, I recall many years
ago, I went to a concert at a large concert venue in western Broward
County, Florida. Broward County is where Ft. Lauderdale is located
and I had been living in Miami/Dade county, the next county south.
I was leaving the event, and there was
quite a crowd filing out. Candidly, though everything was moving, it
was packed. There was a couple of people directly behind me raving about the
performance. I was frankly, quite disappointed with it actually, and had these two behind me talking about how much they liked it.
Well, everyone is different, but I felt otherwise, while respecting
their enjoyment, which was foaming at the mouth happy.
Then one of them said something that
highlighted the difference from what I felt, and what they did. What
they said was “That was just fantastic! It was just like the
record!”. At this point, I had to say something. I turned around
and said politely “That was exactly why I was so disappointed with
the performance. I could have saved myself an hour's drive and the
price of admission, listened to it at home, and heard the exact same
thing. Tonight was a sterile performance. It was a complete canned concert”.
I think the people were a bit taken
back by my statement, as they were pretty quiet after that. However,
when we got to the main door at the exit, one of them tapped me on
the shoulder, smiled and said “Thanks. Good night”.
You see, from my perspective, live
music has the opportunity to really be a living organism.
Playing music live, is an entirely
different animal that what we do in a studio. In a studio you can do
one hundred retakes, Or, the engineer can edit out certain things and
add others. On the studio recording, you can also add all sorts of
different instruments to a track, plus additional vocals, to the
point that if you had all the instruments on stage, it would be the
size of the New York Philharmonic. On my song “The Beach!!!!” for
instance, we actually have over seventy tracks!
Now, I'm not being critical of studio
albums. Not at all. I'm just saying it's a different art.
When playing live, you're can be flying
without a net.
Because of this, you will find some
musical acts elect to do the exact copy of the record, in live
performances. It's a safe route. Additionally, some will change the
arrangements for the live tour. However, if you were to follow the
tour, you'll find the exact same show, note for note, song for song,
night after night. Some actually do it that way year after year. It's
a safe comfort zone.
For many, that's acceptable. Hearing a
live gig, even if it's canned, as the two above scenarios, is good,
especially if it's pumping out of a high grade, 100,000 Watt sound
system. Compare that to their computer's two inch speakers at home!
The Grateful Dead
With us, we play in Key West bars, for
the most part. Currently we have the original Bose L1 tower system.
It certainly gets the job done very well, however it's around ten
years old, so we may need a new system before long.
As far as the music goes, we don't go
for the “safe” formula. Doing it that was would be the sterile
formula. We prefer the flying the trapeze without a net! With The Shanty
Hounds it's a seat of the pants affair. That way every performance
takes both ourselves and every one there, on a unique voyage.
Having said that, all of our songs have
their own individual structure, which to a degree, doesn't change.
For instance, lets say we do the song “Landslide”, written by
Stevie Nicks. We start it off the same way all the time and the
verses all follow suit. When it gets to the solo, I'll start it off
with the same two notes, which gives the solo definition. After that,
the feeling of the solo remains true, however who the hell knows what
notes will follow? I honestly don't have a clue until I'm playing it.
On another vain, Dani's song “I like
it Hot”, has an entirely new intro to the song that we added this
year. My lead guitar lines are nothing like the saxophone lines on
the recorded version. Her vocal verses, are the same arrangement,
however on my first solo, we have nothing set as far as how long it
will go for. One night it might go for ten progressions (they're
short progressions), the next night it might go fifteen. The theme of
the solo always carries the same idea, but who knows where it will
pop up, of what will be in between? The end of the song is the same
idea.
We also cover J.J. Cale's song
“Magnolia”. We have an extended solo in it, which usually carries
a few different recognizable themes through it, but again, who knows
where, or if they'll be, in addition to having any clue whatsoever
what else will happen in there? A new part could easily be invented
at the spur of the moment.... and often is!
On the other hand, we have a song like
my newest, “Yeah, A Harbor”, which is played pretty much the same
every time, structure wise. There is no instrumental section where
improvisation can take place.
The Set List
What's a set list? We have a song list
on Dani's iPad, but that's just a listing of songs we play. A common
issue with musicians is not being able to remember what songs to
play. I fall into that category. How many times over the years have I
seen a solo musician with a song list taped to the upside of their
guitar? Bands who do set lists, and always use the same set list,
don't have this problem, For them it's always the same. They start
off with song “AAA”, then go to song “BBB”, then to “CCC”
. It's a routine, so there's never an issue.
However, as I say, our modus oparandi
has us up on the high-wire, without a net. That's how we like it!
We'll pick one of maybe four different songs to start the gig, but
after that it's a matter of “Riding the Gig”. It's a matter of
getting the right vibe between us, the crowd, and the venue.
The Shanty Hounds wear a lot of
different hats. One song is Rock, the next, is Country, the next is
jam band, the next Western Swing, following that something from the
island, then a funky number like Yellow Moon. Limiting ourselves to
one particular style is not what we do. We like variety!
Listen to Dani's or my albums and
you'll find our original music is all over the place genre wise. All
of this gets incorporated across the board to our covers as well.
Does it always work?
No.
Having said that, both ourselves, and
the crowd we attract, thrive off of the human element of it all!
Like I say, the live gig can either be
canned affair, or it can be a living organism.
The Shanty Hounds at Grunts Bar, Key West
We prefer the living organism, and
riding the high wire without a net!
Please check out my book, Bar Stories, available on Amazon!!!!
Bar Stories! A bit of adventure, a hint of mystery, some gray matter stimulation, laced with travel, and peppered with humor throughout! Take a unique trip with this Trop Rock musician through bars and the unique, odd, and funny goings on in them! Take a trip from Key West to London to Cape Cod, to Miami and more! So grab a libation and join the author on this wild ride! Seventeen 5-Star Ratings!
How long does it take you to write a song? A very silly question actually. One of my longest songs, “Sarah”, took less than twenty minutes to write. Assemble is perhaps a better for that particular song, which when performed, takes around seven minutes. That is another story unto itself, I'll explain in another blog. However, I've had three-minute songs which have taken two weeks to write, others an afternoon Yet others, somewhere in between.
The reality is that songs, particularly quality songs, which hold both a great melody and a great story, that married the melody in perfect union, don't get written in three minutes, by and large. The time invested may vary, however, a significant time will take place between writing the music, lyrics, and adding the arrangement.
What is your art worth? What is your time invested worth?
If you are a songwriter, how seriously do you take yourself as an artist? Is it something that you take nonchalantly, carefree, and pretty much as a hobby, while your main income may be anything from a mechanic, to a stock broker?
On the other hand, perhaps you perform your songs at venues in order to earn a living, or perhaps augment your income, in addition to the feeling of self-fulfillment and sharing your creations?
Guess what?
Either way, you are entitled to get paid for what you are doing!
There are three organizations in the United States which will help you with this, BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC.
There are several different functions these organizations do, all of which fall under the umbrella of protecting your rights as a writer.
The Performing Rights Royalties are the ones that most of us will be concerned with to start. Here is BMI's explanation:
BMI royalties are performing right royalties, which are earned when a musical work is performed publicly. Public performance occurs when a song is sung or played, recorded or live, on radio and television, as well as through other media such as the Internet, live concerts and programmed music services. BMI grants licenses to perform, use or broadcast music from its extensive repertoire to hundreds of thousands of users of music in public places, such as radio and tv stations, hotels, clubs, colleges, restaurants, stores, and more.
For most of us, the first part of this statement applies: “... when a musical work is performed publicly...”
In other words, when you play one of your songs out at a venue, you will get paid for it. On the same token, if I play your song at a gig, you will again, get paid for it. In other words, I'm playing your song, you have every right to be compensated for it.
Likewise, if your music is being played on a radio station, be it terrestrial or internet, a tv station, or being played on an internet site, you are entitled to be compensated for it. The same holds true for music suppliers to businesses such as Muzac.
It should be noted that artists have the option to give permission to establishments and radio stations in writing, to forgo paying royalties. The logic here is the exposure has the opportunities to the artist of gaining new fans.
We all know that people like say, Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, Bruno Mars, Carlos Santana, James Taylor, Alecia Keys, Burt Bacharach, Willie Nelson, all get paid their performance royalties. If YOU play their songs, they get paid for it. But guess what? You get the exact same amount as they do for each performance, or media player of one of your songs, weather you play it, I play it, or Willie Nelson plays it! It's an even playing field for everyone!
As a matter of fact, the estates of deceased artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison get paid, even though they've been dead for over forty years! The royalties are in effect for seventy-five years, at which point, the estate can renew for another seventy-five years.
What do you have to do to be part of this?
First:
You'll need to join one of the aforementioned organizations, BMI, ASCAP, or SESAC.
Why? Because in the Performing Rights Royalities, THEY are the ones who pay you.
Second:
You need to report each your performances and at least the songs of your own that you performed.
I'm with BMI since 2000, whom I'me very happy with. I joined them when I signed with McClure and Trowbridge Publishing up in Nashville. BMI pays quarterly.
One thing you must be careful of is not to report things like House Concerts. In the end, nothing will become of it, but the owners of the house concerts may get a pile of inquiring calls. Bear in mind that radio stations, and venues, such as bars, restaurants, and the like, are required to pay an annual fee to BMI, SESAC, and ASCAP for the right to play your music. House concerts generally don't keep a penny, with all of the proceeds going to the artist.
In short, BMI, SESAC, and ASCAP are the bridge between songwriters and businesses and organizations that wish to play their music publicly. Or, in other words, they make sure that you are compensated fairly for your art, work, and efforts.
If you don't belong to one of the three organizations, pick one that you're happy with, and join.
As I say, BMI works very well for me and I'm very happy with them. They've got me into the largest songwriting festival in the U.S.A. six years running.
However, if you're a songwriter, don't cut yourself short. Get paid for what you do! If you play your songs out, or others do, get paid for it. Likewise with the radio.
If you haven't joined one of the aforementioned organizations, it's time to raise the bar.
You're a professional. Get paid for what you do. Get paid for your art.
This is part of how you make your living.
Please check out my book, Bar Stories!
Bar Stories! A bit of adventure, a hint of mystery, some gray matter stimulation, laced with travel, and peppered with humor throughout! Take a unique trip with this Trop Rock musician through bars and the unique, odd, and funny goings on in them! Take a trip from Key West to London to Cape Cod, to Miami and more! So grab a libation and join the author on this wild ride! Seventeen 5-Star Ratings!
Tulsa is actually a very surrealistic
song. In order to get a Tulsa pulse, if you will, it's written in the
Western Swing genre. As the song starts, you'll hear the protagonist
lamenting about how he misses Tulsa, and curiously enough, how he
says Tulsa misses him as well.
He thinks back to the good times he had
in bars, using the metaphor of “Neon Signs” for the bars he
frequented and one particular one which he's sure they're holding a
long neck bottle just for him.
Here he also speaks of his wife and how
he can sometimes hear her thinking of him..... (?)
Like so many people in so many places,
he harps on the fact that since he left, Tulsa has changed, However
he's certain the city itself remembers him, as though it's a being,
or an entity itself, with a consciousness.
In the final verse it all comes
together. The protagonist was killed in an automotive accident in
1953 a long way from home. He feels his life was robbed from him.
This, of course explains how he “hears” his wife thinking
of him, earlier in the song and in his frustration of losing his
life, so long ago. His spirit then harps on how his grand kids today
are older than he was, when his life ended.
Ending the song he is certain that
Tulsa the city, the entity, the energy which lives on and has not
forgotten him at all. In between the lines, the protagonist sees
himself as part of the energy that is Tulsa, that he's been trying
all these years to re-connect with and feels that Tulsa likewise
feels it's not complete without him.
TULSA
1
WELL
I'M GETTIN' TIRED OF MISSING TULSA AND
TULSA'S TIRED OF WAITING JUST FOR ME AND
I MISS THOSE GOOD TIMES AT THEM NEON SIGNS AND
I KNOW TULSA'S GOT 'EM WAITIN' FOR ME 2
AT
A NEIGHBORHOOD BAR BACK IN TULSA THEY GOT A LONG NECK BOTTLE
WAITIN' JUST FOR ME AND MY WIFE, SHE RE-MARRIED BACK IN TULSA BUT
SOMETIMES I STILL HEAR HER THINKING OF ME
(Bridge) SINCE I
LEFT THE PLACE JUST HASN'T BEEN THE SAME BUT TULSA HERSELF HAS NOT
FORGOTTEN ME I LEFT MY MARK SURE AS THE SUN SETS BUT TULSA, SHE
REMEMBERS ME 3
THREE HUNDRED MILES OUT OF TULSA IN '53 A
PICKUP BLEW THE LIGHT AND TODAY I PINE FOR MY STOLEN LIFE YOU
KNOW MY GRAND KIDS ARE OLDER THAN ME
(Bridge)
SINCE I
LEFT THE PLACE JUST HASN'T BEEN THE SAME BUT TULSA HERSELF HAS NOT
FORGOTTEN ME I LEFT MY MARK SURE AS THE SUN SETS BUT TULSA, SHE
REMEMBERS ME BUT TULSA, SHE REMEMBERS ME BUT TULSA, SHE
REMEMBERS ME I SAID THAT TULSA REMEMBERS ME
Please check out my book "Time Traveler - The Oddities and Adventures of a Key West Bartender". Follow Mark Straight's continuing journies and friendships from current Key West, back to historical Key West and elsewhere!
Order paperback or download here! Paperback comes with a free download!
The origin for the song Liveaboard was
inspired in 2006 when a group of people living on their boats,
“Liveaboards”, were informed that they had to leave Boot Key
Harbor (part of the city of Marathon, Conch Republic) as the city was
going to embark on putting in 100 permanent moorings, which would
charge a fee per month. At the time there were around twice that
living there, so around one hundred had to go. A lot of these people
had been living “On The Hook” for years. Some as long as thirty
years.
I put myself in the protagonist's
position of one of those being ejected. While the theme above laid
the backdrop for the song itself, the story is totally fiction.
While the protagonist in the story is
fictional, a complete product of my imagination, it's very possible
there may be more than one person who fits this description. It
should be noted that I never knew any of the liveaboards in Boot Key,
from the time in question. While the main character is fictional, the
places in the song are very real however.
When I wrote this song, I'd play it
around the house, but that was it. I liked it, but I felt it was not
quite up to par for me. My wife at the time, Gigi, always commented
when I played it that it was a really good song. She'd say that every
time!
Then, one night I was at an open mic
and was on my last song. I wasn't sure what to play, so, just to get
it out of the way and get off the stage, I played Liveaboard. When I
came off the stage a woman rushed up to me asking “Who wrote that
song???!!!” I was clearly taken back. When I say she rushed up to
me, I mean she literally ran up to me and I didn't even know her. I
stammered for a moment and said “uh.. well, that's one of my
songs”. She asked where she could get it, which of course it wasn't
available as of that point. I thanked her and started back to my seat
when another person came up with the exact same question. Then,
another. Then Matt Anderson, a solo musician in the southern part of
Miami/Dade County came up to me and asked if it would be okay if he
added it to his repertoire.
I was dumbfounded!
The exact same thing happened when I moved to Key West in 2008!
The song became my signature song for many years
Notes: A)
a Liveaboard is someone who lives on a boat. B)
Grits and Grunts is a traditional breakfast in the Florida Keys.
Grits are a cereal made from hominy and grunts are a small, tropical
salt water fish.
C)
Yellowtail is the highest grade snapper.
D)
The Dockside Bar is an old bar in Boot Key Harbor
Me at Dockside around 2006
E)
Gilbert's is a bar on Jewfish Creek, which is the gateway to the Keys
in Key Largo,
which has a large Liveaboard community.
Gilbert's, Key Largo
LIVEABOARD
IT'S GRITS AND GRUNTS FOR BREAKFAST,
I HAD IT IN THE EARLY MORN'
DROPPED A LINE OFF THE STERN AS I
DRANK MY COFFEE
AND LAST NIGHT IT WAS YELLOWTAIL, I
CALL THAT 'THE GOOD LIFE'
LATER I'LL HEAD TO THE MARINA, I
HEAR THEY GOT SOME WORK
BUT I'LL GET OUT IN TIME AND MAKE A
BEE LINE
BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
(chorus)
'CAUSE I'M A LIVEABOARD
I'M A LIVEABOARD
I'M A LIVEABOARD
LIVEABOARD
2
THEY THREW ME OUT OF OLD BOOT KEY, YOU
KNOW I LIVED THERE FOR YEARS
AND EVERYNIGHT I'D WASH UP TO THAT
DOCKSIDE BAR
BUT BIG MONEY MOVED IN AND THEY
THREW ME OUT
I AIN'T GOT NO MONEY, AIN'T GOT NOT
CLOUT
SO I FIRED UP THE MOTOR AND OFF I GO
BUT I'M OFF THE HIGHWAY AND I'M ON
MY WAY TO GREET THE MORNING SUN
(chorus)
'CAUSE I'M A LIVEABOARD
I'M A LIVEABOARD
I'M A LIVEABOARD
LIVEABOARD
(bridge)
BW LIGHT, STERN LIGHT, ANY LIGHT I
CAN'T SEE NOTHIN'
I NEED A FOG HORN
BREAK AWAY, ANYWAY I JUST CAN'T WAIT
FOR THE DAWN
3
DROPPED AN ANCHOR IN JEWFISH CREEK
I'D LIKE TO SWIM WITH THE DOLPHINS
BUT,
THOSE RED CROCKODILE EYES ARE
PATROLLING, KEEPING THEIR WATCH
BUT IT'S A HOT SUMMER DAY, THINK
I'LL FIND MY WAY, OVER TO GILBERT'S BAR
WET MY WHISTLE AND TELL MY TALES TO
ANYONE WHO WANT'S TO LISTEN
AND I'LL STAY ANCHORED RIGHT HERE
UNTIL MY LUCK AND MONEY RUNS OUT
