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roll the stone

by Dave Boylan

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I wrote this one for my Mom after she passed. I refer to a rooster in one lyric ("and there's a rooster crowing from afar, how his songs just tear me up again"), which is in reference to a CD - The Rooster Sessions - my old pal Derral Gleason (Austin, TX) sent me just days after my Mom died. Derral is one of my all time favorite songwriters, and his music touches me more than I can express here. I played his disc one afternoon in the days following the funeral services, and the tears were released...finally, and thankfully I guess. I believe it was his song "Spare Change" that hit me so hard. That's another story in itself...another time perhaps.

Check it out some of his songs at the following link.

www.myspace.com/derralgleasonmusic

There are a few references to "memory" in the song, and it wasn't until after the fact that I realized how they related to my Mom's Alzheimer's Disease. That was never my intention when writing the song, but it's always amazing what creeps into these songs and goes unnoticed until you start to dig a bit deeper. "Memories, they won't help you sleep, but they may save you in the end..." was originally meant to speak to a need for family connection, but now it reads to me as nothing short of an Alzheimer's diagnosis. Memories, indeed, may have saved her.

Side note - in the second line i reference "Iris wilting in the sun", in memory of our best pal/dog, Iris, who we had to put down the day after my Mother's funeral. She made it to 13 and a half...a sweety the whole time. Like my Mum. I'm glad they're sharing a song. Bet they are too.

lyrics

little girls dressed up in polka dots and shiny shoes
Iris wilting in the sun
and I carry sweet forget me nots
now that all's been said and done
and there's a rooster crowing from afar
how his songs just tear me up again
so I roll the stone
and raise a glass to all my friends

gypsy widow I still see you there
among the lilies on the vine
and this old suit, I know it aint in style
but I don't wear it all the time
resolutions they may help you sleep
but we'll sleep plenty in the end
so I roll the stone
and raise a glass to all my friends

oh my darling, I can't bare to see you there
there's Christmas on your radio
I hope you found some comfort there
there's no need to hang around,
I guess it's time for you to go

and I can still recall that sweet perfume
in days of wine and sweet vermouth
cuz' sometimes love's a lie we sell ourselves
when we can't afford the truth
and memories, no they wont help you sleep
but they may save you in the end
so i roll the stone
and raise a glass to all my friends

credits


Written by Dave Boylan. Engineered and Produced by Steve Devita.

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Dave Boylan Boulder, Colorado

Thanks for visiting us online. Managing songs is like herding cats...old revisions, new revisions, added a solo here, a backing vocal there, blah blah blah. Hoping to update this as we finish the songs...always a few in progress. Look for some country'ish stuff over the next few months. Yee-Haw.
Thanks.
DB

(DBB photos courtesy Gary Kirchner)
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