This is an autobiographical piece of what I would call country rock. I've tried to give it a kind of Byrds/Asleep At The Wheel harmony feel.
rock
songwriter
harmony
soul
country
americana
singersongwriter
melody
alt country
rhythm
sahb
alex harvey
Story behind the song
Just the story of my life! (With one minor fictional element included for the sake of the rhyme - I don't drive a car!)
Lyrics
Life looks sunny
And you got a little money
And you got a little honey and a car
And you play in a band
And they say you're the man
Blues shouter with a red guitar
And you know that what you do
will make the walls come tumbling down
And you bask in the heat of the stage-lights
You're the king of your home town
Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh,
Where'd it go?
Twenty years of paying dues
And all you've got is memories of the road
And you never really made it
And those memories keep nagging at your soul
So you hung up your guitar
And you said Adios to Rock'n'Roll
So you turn your back on Muddy
And you hurry and you study
And you find yourself back in school
Trying to climb the ladder
That you used to turn your back on
And you wonder if you've been a fool
And you know that what you do
Will never make the walls fall down
And though the kingdom that you had
Was small, you miss that crown
When life looks dark
And times are hard
And you work most every day and night
Paying for your bad breaks
Paying for your mistakes
Paying for a busted life
You pick up your old guitar
And all the walls come tumbling down
'Cause what you really needed was
the music not the crown
Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh,
Where'd it go?
Twenty years of paying dues
And yes, you got your memories of the road
And if you never really made it
Well, the music's still alive there in your soul
and it's impossible to turn your back and say
Adios to Rock'n'Roll