Raymond (6 of 14)

[Mark Kaufman]

Here's number 6 of 14 for FAWM (February is Album Writing Month). All crits and comments welcome!http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7333 ... ondRaymond was a friend in the Dumb DaysHe taught me how to drive with no headlights onSometimes I switch my lights off for RaymondHe was a friend of mineWe drove up to college in his T-BirdHe used to watch my back and I’d watch him take his napBut those afternoons with Raymond, they were peacefulHe was a friend of mineNo one knows where Raymond goes, no one knowsAnd this I’ll never understandI’m all right, just strung out tonightGrieving for RaymondI never need a friend until I lose oneHe was a friend of mineRaymond slept all day, drove me crazyHe said “I like to dream”, I said “You’re the Horizontal Man”When we saw him lay in his casketHe looked just the same to meNo one knows where Raymond goes, no one knowsAnd this I’ll never understandI’m all right, I’m sleeping tonightDreaming of RaymondI never need a friend until I lose oneHe was a friend of mine(Copyright 2009 by Mark Kaufman)

[teleblaster]

Nice little tune. I like the use of the blues turnaround. What are you using to record your acoustic? It sounds great.I wanted to hear a band or some sort of groove kick in at the break right around 2:06. Sort of felt like the song had to go somewhere new at that point, but that could be me. And listening to the lyric beyond that point, it might not make sense. Maybe kick it up at the 'No one knows' line?Great tune. Best of luck with this one and thanks for sharing.

[cameron]

Mark,This is great! Sometimes the simplest songs are the best. I love the humor too.I've been wanting to write a song for a friend of mind who died a few months ago and I'd be proud if I could do something as nice as this for him.Cameron

[Mark Kaufman]

Thanks Teleblaster and Cam!Teleblaster, I used the Gauge ECM-87 on the guitar. Touched up the EQ a bit and some light compression and we were off to the races. That mic rocks for acoustic guitar. I agree on the middle bit...I'm just kicking out songs in quantity right now and trying to produce them as well as I can on the fly. I'll come back later and see what to do about the recordings.Cam, thank you, that means a lot. It's all true, and even though Ray died in 89, I still miss him a lot, so this one was hard to sing. If you listen to the last line, I'm just barely hanging on to control...if I hadn't silenced the end of the vocal track, you'd hear me mutter "oh f@#$..." and lose it for awhile. RIP Rayzer.

[cameron]

You've done him proud. It's an awesome song. I played it for my girlfriend today and she agreed. Maybe you should try writing this many songs every month?Cam