Friday, July 24, 2015

Keeping up with RJ

Hard times have fallen
But the sun will shine again
It’s going to be all right baby
But I can’t say when
Well it’s hard times now
But the sun will shine again
Don’t know where I’m going,
But it’s better than where I been

Phone rang this morning,
Woke me out of bed
A hand came through the receiver
Shook me upside my head
Well there’s hard times people,
Getting worse every day
Bad luck’s got hold of me,
Every which way I turn
Should sell my soul to the devil
People say don’t talk that way

Hard times have fallen
But the sun will shine again
I'm a steady rolling woman
I roll both night and day
But I haven't got no sweet thing
To roll along with me
No one to roll along with me

Makes me feel so lonesome,
Can’t keep from crying, 
Can’t keep my eyes dry
Losing love’s tough that way,
Got to keep on struggling to get by
No time to worry if my life’s been in vain

Felix gone, left me behind
Been on my mind, left me quite blind
Life and death entwined
I’m a steady rolling woman
Staying on my grind
Hoping the stars stay aligned

Boarding that train
Not high on cocaine
Holding off the pain, feigning delight,
Got to slay these blues tonight

I'm a free-rolling woman
Heading down life’s highway
A steady rolling woman
Standing at the crossroads
Lost track of time, 
brain out of whack
A turning tempo of time
Expecting the devil by & by
With his bag full of illusions
Want to find out why
Got my eyes on the prize,
Devil got his eyes on me

Lost love along the way
Don’t know night from day
Rolling along singing my song
Not too lonesome to
Write a poem in vain

Soul trains coming,
Looking for a ride
To follow my dream
Follow them along
My mind’s going for a ride tonight
The blues are on my soul tonight

Got to keep struggling, rolling along
A rolling stone gathers no moss,
Fight those blues
Trying to stay right

I’m a steady rolling woman
Rolling to the crossroads
Keeping time with my hand jive  
Making up my mind
Where I’m going this day in time




*  I wrote this song some time ago, way back in 2012, and somehow it never made its way here.  Of course, it's for Robert Johnson. I own his complete collection and I love RJ. Everyone knows the story about how he went to the crossroads and the devil took his life. If not - look it up. Pretty fantastic stuff.