Recorded 9/6/2019 by Steve Craigo
I've been honored to be in the Key West
Songwriter's Festival seven times. It sounds like a quaint little
island songwriter's event to any outsider, but in reality, it's run
by BMI Nashville, with local co-ordination assistance from Smokin'
Tuna Saloon, here in Key West and it is the largest festival of it's
kind in the world.
After the first couple of events I was
in, I was paired with my dear friend Misty Loggins, who is based in
Nashville, for virtually all the rest!
One October I had a phone call from her
and she was excited to say she was coming to Key West in November.
This was a surprise. Her trips here were usually in May for the
festival, but she was hired for a week to play Smokin Tuna!
I suggested maybe we could cut a song
together, which she thought was a great idea. I quickly wrote a song
with a Patsy Cline/Willie Nelson Country Blues feel to it, “Island
Blue”. We managed to cut the song while she was down and it turned
out fabulous!
As I said, Misty and I had played a
bunch of the Key West Songwriter's Festivals together and after the
2015 event I had the idea and inspiration to record another song with
her. Right after the event that year finished up I sat down and wrote
a new song with the aforementioned in mind.
This song would be a duet. The
protagonists in the song were two Nashville based singer songwriters,
who were a couple as well, albeit on different schedules.
The song starts out with the woman
charging out the door, having received a sudden, off the cuff gig in
Savannah. In this last minute haywire run off to Georgia, she laments
on how she misses her man who is “...somewhere down the road”
In the next verse, it's the male and we
learn that he's on the road in Houston. Like his significant other,
he laments being on the road and away from her, but understands the
hardships of living the life they lead.
A note: Both of these verses end with
the exact same line:
THE ONE THING IS THAT I MISS YOU
AND YOU'RE SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD
This is by specific design, In between
the lines it says two very important things about their relationship.
A) They are very much in love
B) They have a very, very well
established relationship to the point that they think alike.
Next is the chorus, which again,
between the lines, hammers A and B home as again, they are thinking
the same and share the same work/reward values, even though at the
moment he's in Houston and she's in Savannah
SOMETIMES WE'RE LIVING HIGH
AND SOMETIMES WE TOTE THE LOAD
And in this song at the moment they are
toting the load, without question.
While that settles in with the listener
the opening guitar riff plays again.
The next verse the male returns and
this time he's traveling through a blinding rainstorm. More of the
ytrials and tribulations of being on the road. “I see your face in
that misty haze, my heart's on overload” (Yes, the use of the word
“misty” was intentional :-) )
The female comes back for the next
verse suggesting as it's raining in Savannah as well, maybe they
could rendezvous in sunny Key West?
Again, reverting back to A and B, as
these two are in love to the point that they think the same, the
verses end with virtually the same line
I SEE YOUR FACE IN THAT RAINY HAZE
MY HEART'S ON OVERLOAD
The song ends with a repeat of the
chorus, instilling their love, they think alike, their values, work
ethics, and the rewards that come with them:
WELL I WAS THINKING BACK IN HOUSTON
TOWN
AND I WAS THINKING ON THE ROAD
SOMETIMES WE'RE LIVING HIGH
AND SOMETIMES WE TOTE THE LOAD
AND SOMETIMES WE TOTE THE LOAD
AND SOMETIMES WE TOTE THE LOAD
And that's how the song ends. The
emphasis being that they are toting the load, if you will. Someone once asked
“Well, do they get to Key West?”.
The answer to that is found in the gist
of the song. She suggests that they go to Key West. Not forgetting
that they think alike, the implication is obvious. That will be the
follow up song. :-)
Misty and I never had the opportunity
to do “Tote The Load”. Dani is here and we play over 300 gigs a
year together, plus she sings the heck out of that song! It only
makes sense that she sings the woman's part of it!
To begin with, Misty Loggins is based
in Nashville and her stays were mostly during the Key West
Songwriter's Festival, so time was not a good commodity. Then, major complications arose for her after a small medical procedure over a
year ago and she's been very ill since. Please keep her in your
prayers.
TOTE THE LOAD
1)
I LEFT NASHVILLE ON A MIDNIGHT FLYER
GOT NO TIME FOR BUTTONS AND BOWS
SUDDEN CALL TO SAVANNAH
LAST MINUTE, OFF I GO
THE ONE THING IS THAT I MISS YOU
AND YOU'RE SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD
2)
I'M ON THE ROAD IN HOUSTON TOWN
HIT THE BRICKS AND YOU STAYED HOME
SUDDEN CALL TO SAVANNAH
THE PRICE YOU PAY WHEN BUSINESS CALLS
THE ONE THING IS THAT I MISS YOU
AND YOU'RE SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD
WELL I WAS THINKING HERE IN HOUSTON
TOWN
AND I WAS THINKING ON THE ROAD
SOMETIMES WE'RE LIVING HIGH
AND SOMETIMES WE TOTE THE LOAD
3)
RAIN OFF THE TIRES IN FRONT OF ME
THERE'S FLOODING AHEAD SO I'M TOLD
FORTY MILES STUCK BEHIND THAT BUS
AT LEAST I KNOW I'M ON A ROLL
I SEE YOUR FACE IN THAT MISTY HAZE
MY HEART'S ON OVER LOAD
4)
WHAT DO YOU SAY WE RENDEZVOUS
AS WE'RE SO FAR AWAY FROM HOME
RAINING HERE IN SAVANNAH TOO
I HEAR IT'S SUNNY IN KEY WEST
I SEE YOUR FACE IN THAT RAINY HAZE
MY HEART'S ON OVERLOAD
WELL I WAS THINKING BACK IN HOUSTON
TOWN
AND I WAS THINKING ON THE ROAD
SOMETIMES WE'RE LIVING HIGH
AND SOMETIMES WE TOTE THE LOAD
SOMETIMES WE TOTE THE LOAD
SOMETIMES WE TOTE THE LOAD
© 2015 Christopher R. Rehm BMI
Tote The Load is available on our album "The Shanty Hounds Unleashed Live at Grunts, Key West" below! 😃
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