Thursday, June 28, 2012

I Shoulda Been Born 1000 Years Ago

Something new tonight. Instead of the Calhoon Brothers live version -- there isn't one -- we have an alternate version as recorded in 1993, right before the final version was done. I had forgotten that I even had a "first take" in which I used an annoying keyboard/banjo riff all the way through, and was still experimenting with improving the words. As with many of these songs that were written in the 70s and not recorded, or played, until the 90s, I was relying on some lyrics written on loose slips of paper and memories of chord progressions.


Written: Gallagher Street, Las Cruces NM, 1980

Inspired by nothing, this song turned out to have some of Knees’ best lines. He never played it with any of his bands and didn’t really come up with the music until he recorded it back in the early 90s.

I shoulda been born a thousand years ago
I’da been a hero of the day
You’d find me on a quest for a damsel in distress
An you peasants woulda cheered me on my way.

I shoulda been born a thousand years ago
Helpin out a lady fair in need
In my suit of armor
I sure woulda been a charmer
Chivalry comes naturally to me.

But I was born in nineteen and sixty-one
A renaissance or two too late
An when I look aroun,
There ain’t no treasures to be found
Everything I do is out of date.

So tonight I’ll blaze the same ol trail again
Lookin for that same ol grail again
I’m a knight out on the town,
A damsel-huntin clown
Joustin my way back into jail again.

I shoulda been born a thousand years ago
I’m just a man out of time
When I look around today,
Ain’t no dragons left to slay
An even if there was it’d be a crime.

Spotoid


First take as recorded in 1993 in Shreveport LA