Song a Week - Tennessee

February marks the annual "Rpm Challenge" ultimate album competition. Basically, aspiring artists need to create a totally new album from scratch starting on February first and have it stamped and delivered to them by the end of the month. It's a huge undertaking, but I've decided to give it a go.

Canceling all plans and shutting myself indoors for the weekend, I began work on "Public Access TV 17," a concept album based on the Wednesday programming schedule of a local TV channel in a fictional Alaskan town called Whalekilla. Thus far I've composed all the songs, 90% of the lyrics, and even recorded a final version of one of the tunes.

I was planning on presenting a cut off that album today, but I'm kind of a moron and mucked the whole file transfer affair up. Thus I was forced to perform an indepth search into the dark annals of my archives. Luckily, I managed to find a nice little tune I used to play with my old band "O'pinpin." The song was written very early during my Japan life, when I was experiencing a strong feeling of adventure and newfound freedom, much like jumping in your car and riding off into the American heartland... to some place like, say, Tennessee?

Tennessee

words and music by Johnny Fantastic

Last Tuesday I forsought my vows
Those two faced lugs and sugar crowns
Don't move me to tears anymore
I'm taken off I know just where
The time is wrong, I just don't care
It's all been done before, I'll just do it again

Gonna go way down south to Tennessee
Gonna go down where they can't get to me

Those stories all start off the same
Some bloke making bundles in the numbers game
The way his father did during the depression
But my ways are different can't you see
Black magic woman, bring me to my knees
Forget my principles and white man's perceptions

Wanna get down down down in Tennessee
Down inside of 17
Don't you know it's only me

(repeat first verse)

Wanna get down down down in Tennessee
Down where they can't bother me
Gonna be free