Key West Music And Happenings: May 2022

Song Breakdown – Garrison Bight

Garrison Bight was written on Gary Ek's houseboat early one morning in 2009. It was anchored right off the boatyard of Garrison Bight in Key West. For those unfamiliar, Garrison Bight is an inlet in Key West. It's perhaps best known for the “Fly Navy” building, which people see when arriving by car. It also has the Key West Yacht Club in one corner. The Key West Fishing Fleet in the middle at the eastern base of the Palm Ave. overpass, with Houseboat Row across the street and The Thai Island restaurant is found at the other end of the overpass. Then, there was the boatyard.

The song was written in about an hour, or so. My then wife and I had just broken up and Gary was kind enough to share the roof over his head with me. I'm thinking I was there about a week, or two when I wrote this song? Naturally, I drew off of actual things I had seen in the boatyard, as well as my personal situation, which was in a flux and I didn't know what the next day would bring.

Esus4

SUNRISE OUT OF THE BIGHT

G A Esus4

IT'S GONNA BE A HOT ONE AND I THINK I MIGHT

Esus4

START OUT WITH COFFEE, CUBAN COFFEE

DARK, THICK AND SWEET

YOU DRINK IT LIKE WHISKEY

A Esus4

WITH PASSION TO A RHUMBA BEAT

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RE: 1

With a life of uncertainty, not knowing not only what tomorrow might bring, much less the next five minutes, I needed a musical base that would paint an accurate picture of my situation. Very important, as this is the foundation the lyrics, yet unwritten, would ride on.

With this in mind, it was a natural when I hit an Esus4. That chord just pulsates the feeling of uncertainty. It hovers. As it's the first chord in the developing progression, you don't know what's coming next. Is it a major chord, or a minor chord? Who the hell knows? It's a suspended chord. It's the hermaphroditism of musical chords, being either major or minor. On this song it just hovers at the intro of the song, holding the listener in suspense and plants an unresolved wavering foundation for the first line:

“Sunrise, out of the Bight”

However, sunrise is solid. It will always happen. Therefore, in the middle of the second line, the progression goes to a G chord and an an A chord, giving solid as a rock foundation.... but then it returns to the Esus4 and the feeling of uncertainty, as uncertainty remains and will through the song.

Lyrically, riding on that foundation and the now past echo of sunrise, combined with the continuing uncertainty, it goes:

“it's gonna be a hot one and I think I might”

Here, it returns to and holds on to the uncertainty with the Esus4 chord

“Start out with coffee, Cuban Coffee, dark, rich and sweet”

With this line, the Esus4 chord accents the protagonist's (me) hope that a Cuban Coffee will be the elixir that will solve his situation that remains unresolved.

It returns to the solid grounding of the G chord and A chord saying

“You drink it like whiskey with passion to a rhumba beat”

Visualize the protagonist at a Cuban Cafeteria, downing a buchi in one fell swoop, like a shot of whiskey, as a Cuban rhythm pulsates the atmosphere, yet the song returns to that Esus4 feeling of uncertainty. The Cuban Coffee, no doubt, stimulating the pallet, however, the situation remains the same for the protagonist.

Esus4

HOUSEBOAT, SHE'S A TENNENT

TWENTY SIX YEARS DOWN FROM TENNESSEE

G A Esus4

SURVIVED WILMA THOUGH SHE'S LISTING FIVE DEGREES

Esus4

SAILBOATS IN THE BOATYARD GETTING RESTORED AND LOOKING SO FINE

G A Esus

FRESH COATS OF PAINT, BAR B QUE RUM ICE AND LIME

RE: 2

The houseboat the protagonist is staying on has had some weathering and, as he describes it between the lines, he's uncertain about it. It's a little bit older. This being described in the Esus4 portion of the progression, for the aforementioned reasons.

The boat survived Hurricane Wilma, but paid a price, as she's listing.

While I was there, other boats were being restored and the parties there at night were always fueled with rum, ice, and lime.

(chorus)

G E9 E7

FISHING BOATS ARE HEADED OUT THIS MORNING

G E9 Em add9

TRAWL THE WATERS LAY THEIR LINES DOWN

G A Em

SHE CAME HERE WITHOUT A WARNING

G A Esus4

AND NOW SHE'S ANCHORED ON THIS SIDE OF TOWN

RE: Chorus

“Fishing boats are headed out this morning

Trawl the waters lay their lines down"

In that first part of the chorus it's starting off pretty solid, but not entirely with the use of chords G, E9, and E7 on the first line. The next line however, says they'll be trawling and fishing. That line ends instead of with the E7 the previous line did, but rather an Em add 9. They don't know if they'll catch fish or not, and the Em add 9 underscores that. The Em add 9 has a similar effect as the Esus4: uncertainty.

That evening an absolutely ravishing, but very casual woman came by. She stayed on one of the boats in dry dock for a few days. She attended the nocturnal boat yard parties and was quite pleasent. It was an unexpected, but very pleasant and welcome surprise in this Denison of Testosterone.

III

Esus4

TALES, NEVER ENDING

CHARACTERS ABOUND

WAVES AGAINST THE HULL,

A Esus4

TEN BUCKS GETS YOU PUMPED OUT

The night time parties in the boat yard were interesting. Everyone had a tale to tell.

Some were true, some fiction. Those were the “waves against the hull” double entendre. The protagonist job was to figure what was what. The pump out boat's sewage removal at the time costs ten bucks. In essence, that was the price of the 50% bullshit the questionable spewed at those nocturnal alcohol powered parties in the boatyard while downing the rum, ice, and lime. The double entendre here, however, be they true or be they tales, it was always entertaining!

Esus4

A PLACE ACROSS THE STREET

THEY TELL ME IS GOOD TO EAT

I HAVEN'T TRIED IT

A Esus4

'CAUSE I'M DOWN AND OUT

While I was there money was tight. I wasn't working and when I heard about Thai Island being good to eat, I couldn't afford it. I really was “down and out”.

Esus

SUMMER DAY,

YEAH, IT'S A HOT ONE

I AIN'T COMPLAINING, IT'S BETTER THAN PAIN

G A Esus

PERSPIRATION BEATS TEARS ALL THE SAME

“I ain't complaining, it's better than pain

Perspiration beats tears all the same”

Ain't that the truth!... again finishing on that Esus4,..

(chorus)

G E9 E7

FISHING BOATS ARE HEADED OUT THIS MORNING

G E9 Em add9

TRAWL THE WATERS LAY THEIR LINES DOWN

G A Em

SHE CAME HERE WITHOUT A WARNING

G A Esus

AND NOW SHE'S ANCHORED ON THIS SIDE OF TOWN

G A Esus4

AND IT'S A HOT ONE, HERE AT GARRISON BIGHT

G A Esus4

YEAH IT'S A HOT ONE HERE AT GARRISON BIGHT

G A Esus4

YEAH IT'S A HOT ONE, HERE AT GARRISON BIGHT

Its a hot one, that's for sure. In the hot Florida Keys summer sun, the song sizzles on the lose coral gravel lot of the boatyard like bacon and eggs on a cast iron pan.... but the song remains unresolved and the fate of the next five minutes remains unknown and fades off anchored to that E sus4, wallowing in uncertainty.

Garrison Bight was originally recorded in 2009 as a demo, with Dan Simpson recording and producing. A new version of the song is currently in production for my album "Songs From The Island". Below is the demo. When the new studio version is finished, I'll add that to the blog.

Garrison Bight - Demo

Vocals and Guitars - Chris Rehm

Fretless Bass - Dan Simpson

Keyboards - George Wood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmJMTD7LcTo

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