Jerry Douglas | Take It Easy

After two weeks of driving me into Wikipedia to research musical styles of which I knew very little, Jim has us back on firmer ground for this week’s Song Lyric Sunday, as his theme is to play songs about change. Read all about it in his post Ch-Ch-Changes. The field for this was wide, and I could have played David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, The Byrds, Steely Dan, or countless others, but that would have been too easy, wouldn’t it? Jim says that we don’t need to share songs with change in their title, but I’m playing you two which do. I guess they may be new to most who see this: I enjoy doing that!

I have played both of these before in my Tuesday Tunes series, but as that was eighteen months ago I think I can get away with reprising them. The first comes from a singer-songwriter who is labelled ‘folk-punk,’ but I think that does him a disservice. His range is much wider than that, as I think this shows:

And as this is Song Lyric Sunday, I should give you the lyrics, shouldn’t I:

Ooh, ooh
Waking up too early in the city feeling disconnected
The underground and my understanding have delays on the line
The weather and the way we worked out weren’t quite as expected (Ooh, ooh)
I’ve been melting in the summer heat going out of my mind (Ooh, ooh)

So far from okay, tongue-tied and afraid (So far from okay)
The big things stay the same and you just say (Big things stay the same)

Little changes (Oh, oh, oh)
Little changes (Oh, oh, oh)

Giving up too easy when we could’ve tried a little bit harder
(When we could’ve tried, when we could’ve tried, when we could’ve)
Standing to the side as the neighbourhood went to the dogs
(Standing to the side, standing to the side, standing to the)
We spend our energy getting angry instead of being kinder
(Angry, angry, angry, angry)
Singing hymns of praise in a city given up on by the gods
(Ba da ba da ba ba baba)

So far from okay, tongue-tied and afraid (So far from okay)
The big things stay the same and you just say (Big things stay the same)

Little changes (Oh, oh, oh)
Little changes (Oh, oh, oh)
Little changes (Oh, oh, oh)
Little changes (Oh, oh, oh)

‘Cause I’ve been messing things up
And I’ve been letting you down
I’ve been getting it wrong for far too long
I’ve been lost more than found
And I don’t know where to stop (Ooh)
But something’s gotta break (Ooh)
Don’t pull it apart, keep it close to your heart (Ooh)
I’ll do whatever it takes (Aah)

So far from okay, tongue-tied and afraid (So far from okay)
The big things stay the same let us make (Big things stay the same)

Little changes (Oh, oh, oh)
Little changes (Oh, oh, oh)
Come on, let’s make some little changes (Oh, oh, oh)
It’s time to make some little changes (Oh, oh, oh)

Let’s not just pray (Let’s not just pray)
Let’s make a change (Let’s make a change)
Let’s not just pray (Let’s not just pray)
Let’s make a change (Let’s make a change)
Let’s not just pray (Let’s not just pray)
Let’s make a change (Let’s make a change)
Let’s not just pray (Let’s not just pray)
Let’s make a change (Let’s make a change)
Little changes (Choir! Choir! Choir!

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Francis Edward Turner / Iain Denis Archer

Little Changes was a track on Frank Turner’s seventh album, Be More Kind, released in May 2018. Like almost all of his albums it did well in the UK charts, reaching #3, and also like most of his albums it didn’t do as well in the US, where it only got to #95, though it did make #5 on their Folk chart and #8 on their Alternative Albums listing. There is something about his quirky style that appeals to me, and I love the joke running through this video about the guy who can’t dance and gets everything wrong – which is in keeping with the song’s lyrics, which are about a relationship which is foundering due to their inability to get it right, and what they need to do to change that. I’ve played several of Frank’s songs over the years and am a big fan: the title track of that album featured earlier this year as the focus for a post – Kindness – and is a real gem.

My second tune for today is also from a. favourite of mine. A couple of years ago I devoted a whole post to the music of John Hiatt – A Quick One Under the Covers, if you want to take a look back. He has gone under the radar for most, but I think he writes wonderful songs and deserves a much wider audience. This is an audio-only one from his most recent album:

Isn’t that lovely? As you can tell from the video, the Leftover Feelings album is a collaboration with the equally superb Jerry Douglas, whose dobro can be heard to good effect on this track. The album was released in May 2021 but didn’t make the charts in either the US or the UK, though it did do so in an enclave of Europe, getting to #10 in the Netherlands, #25 in Belgium and #28 in Germany. They put us to shame! If you liked this one I suggest you check out the rest of the album – you won’t be disappointed.

So there you have it for today. Two songs with their take on how we might need to make changes, and I hope that they were both new to you and that you liked them. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and I’ll see you again for Tuesday Tunes 😊🎶