A rocker written by myself and late son using some of the guitar work he had left on cassette, along with my playing.
One guy doing all of the instruments and vocals and creating a variety of guitar driven music.
Jazzbo is just me, a hack with some guitars, amps, keyboard, electronic drum machine and some recording equipment. (Strictly low budget.) I do the vocals, play all of the instruments, then mix it down and burn to CD.
Story behind the song
After my son died in 2004, I decided to write a song and incorporate some of his guitar playing and lyrics into a song. He had left about 10 minutes worth of jamming around from a 4 track cassette recorder he received at Christmas. "Wake the Dead" is the result. It's a simple, silly song about playing your music too loud, be it drums, stereo, guitar through an amplifier, or whatever. Most kids (and parents) can relate. It was written from the kids perspective. Sometimes you crank it up because you're happy while other times you crank it because you're sad and it helps to kill the pain. Playing your music loud is just part of growing up, whether it's Alan Jackson or Marilyn Manson. This isn't the final mix, but it's close enough for rock n roll.
Lyrics
Billie grabbed a shovel cuz he's gonna dig a hole
And now he's banging on a tombstone cuz it's time to rock and roll
He's gonna wake the dead
Wake the dead
Jamming in your room, an overwhelming metal sound
Until your dad comes busting in and says to turn that damn shit down
You're gonna wake the dead
Wake the Dead
Blaring, blasting, everlasting, yeah!
Like it, love it, Dad can shove it, yeah!
But everybody seems to take away my fun
You need to feel it, and breathe it, and let it take control
You gotta crank it, yank it, spank it, cuz it's only rock and roll
You gotta wake the dead
Wake the dead
You feel the need to feed a drunken lust for sound
So loud it makes the dead rise up and jump right outta the ground
You're gonna wake the dead
Wake the dead
Skulls are rattling, Windows shattering, boom!
Monstrous thunder, pulls you under, boom!
But everybody seems to take away my fun
And even people seem to think that I am dumb.............but I'm not!
I withdraw into my sanctuary where I am the ruler, the master, in my kingdom of pain
And the musical kaboom from inside my room keeps me nailed to a cross in a world that's insane
These walls that surround me give you the history of WHO I am, ...WHAT I am, ...WHO I was,... WHAT I like,... WHERE I've been, ...WHAT I want,... HOW I feel,... and did I say WHO I am, I am, I am, I am?
I'm not a bad kid, nope, just persona non grata, so I insulate myself from the sonically challenged
While the soda pop and candy bars and donuts on the floor brings the sugar demon forth and he makes me want to roar!
