I got the musical idea for this song while playing a grand piano in a rehearsal room at the old music building at my college alma mater (I guess I had been listening to classical music, and was intrigued, I suppose, by the harmonic ideas of Bach.)
light hearted lyrical sarcasm and original music inspired by a lifetime of accompanying a boatload of excellent musicians.
With the exception of Mango Chutneyed, everything posted here results from home recording in which alll the tunes posted are original compositions of mine, with performances on the various tracks also by me.
Story behind the song
I got the musical idea for this song nearly 50 years ago, playing a rehearsal room grand piano in the old music building of my alma mater. The late Gary Rosenberg, who was a key to getting the band, "fred", together, wrote the lyrics, which are unique (I considered a rewrite, but cannot get the original out of my head: good job, Gary!) We performed the song as part of our gig repertoire, and recorded it in 1971 (it became the "B" side of our first and only 45 rpm single). As then recorded, it also appears on the first, self-titled "fred" album published by World in Sound around 2002. Recently, I was thinking about performing the song solo at a singer-songwriter open mic, and decided to try my hand at a fresh recording of this old chestnut in my home studio. As newly recorded, it includes tracking by two different electric guitars, acoustic guitar, fretless Fender p-bass, and programmed drums with other drum effects added to the mix in real time.
Lyrics
Lower in the broken basket, fill it up with mud
Take the broken basket home and give it to your love
Stand upon a known field
And when the field has lost its subtance sing this song to me
Lower in the broken basket, fill it up with mud
Take the broken basket home and give it to your love
If your love is not pleased, just
Tell her of the old blind man who sang this song to me
Lower in the broken basket, fill it up with mud
Take the broken basket home and give it to your love
Hear this last reminder
If you dont understand this song then sing it back to me
Lower in the broken basket, fill it up with mud
Take the broken basket home and give it to your love.
