Hi guys,
The Swan songwriter group I've told you guys asked me to give them a short paragraph behind the song of mine that they are using for their compilation CD. I gave them "Patience" to use. I thought giving you the story behind each of the songs on "Hit the Ground Running" would be a great idea. I love the stories... it's the best part.
Here's the rhyme and reason for "Patience."
I was in the parking lot of a Gordman's in St. Charles, Missouri, right outside of St. Louis. Melodies often come to me with words, and the phrasing I choose for the lyrics often (especially when I first started writing songs) leads the way for the rhythm and melody to follow and finish up a cadence. This is how it happened here. I had just finished up some bargain shopping walking out with about $7 of stuff that I didn't need and couldn't really afford. I needed some time to myself and shopping is always one way to do it for me (that or some sort of manual labor usually does the trick-- I've sense learned that cleaning is a bit better way to work out my thoughts... and much cheaper.) At that time, my last living great-grandmother, Grandma Price, had recently died and I was thinking about her and how we had just gone back to rural west Texas for the funeral. We visited the old farm house we used to go to as a kid-- maybe for the last time. I have been fortunate enough to know all of my great-grandmothers. Grandma Price died right after I was married, she was the last to go. What always seemed insane to me, especially then, as a newlywed, was that each great grandmother I had, lived about 20 years longer than their husbands. None of them remarried. I was too young and caught up in my own world to ever think to ask what that was like for them. I wrote the song in their voice like they were telling me it was okay for them, because I never heard them say that it was or wasn't, but I wanted to believe that it was. And, looking back and thinking of their faith in God and strength in character, I believe the song "Patience" is how they would have described somewhat of their time after my great grandfathers died. I finished most of it there in my car in the parking lot and sang it back into my voice mail so I wouldn't forget the melody. For more than a year I called the song "Won't Cry." It was my producer, Cary Pierce, that suggested the title "Patience" when we decided to put it on my first record. The song title turned out to be dubiously ironic because it took the most "patience" to record. I think we re did the mix 3 or 4 times. My hard headedness (thank you great-grandmother Ruth) even cut out a beautiful steel guitar track laid down by Lloyd Maines for the song, but I know my grandmothers would have loved how it turned out.
The song is one of my favorites so far. You can listen to it and buy it here.
Thanks for keeping in touch you guys!
KM
That was a good story about all of those grand people. I love the son. Bomp
Posted by: Bompa | April 14, 2010 at 06:39 PM