Wordiness and a would-be song; “Cool Dude, Loose Mood”

Poetry and I are not strangers, the evidence is here on the site in the “Creative Writing” section and elsewhere if you look around. I’ve been penning prose of one variety or another since the 1990’s.

Yeah, I’m old. Deal with it.

There are some that have inspired musicians to actually put the words to music. That’s a longer story than I can tell at this time (wink wink, nudge nudge) but my point is that songwriting is something I’m dabbling in. It has created a plight, though.

See, early in the summer I had a friend send me a guitar riff he recorded. He was looking to build a song around it. Now, this idea was garage-rock in caliber. Do-the-job, verse-chorus-verse simple and straight. The riff is the base and the center for the song in melody and what has to be done is to give it some words to finish the product. The problem there was… well, maybe I’ve been exposed to too much Alternative over the years or maybe I’ve seen too many rock songs that have been larger tellings than Keep It Simple Stupid? Then again, maybe I’m a poet and lucky if my words ever go to a finished song…

What I wrote wasn’t an epic, it’s not intended as A Day In The Life or American Pie or something complex… but I guess the words actually look that way. It’s wordy. And it’s intended as rock’n’roll.  It’s another story if a song can be arranged around it that fits the words and fits what those words say.

What you’ll find below is the full wording for “Cool Dude, Loose Mood”. Maybe the chorus is long, maybe there are one too many verses, I don’t know. I like it as-is. Maybe you’ll like it too? Who knows. It just doesn’t work with who it was originally intended. Maybe it’s just poetry in the end? You can judge for yourself here:

Cool Dude, Loose Mood

Days of summer, winds are a-blowin’
Sun’s blazing and the waves are high
Feel the sand against my feet
Got the feeling that it’s my time

Rocking on the shore and found my groove
Come and join me, I’m in the mood
The music’s playing, my ass is shaking
A cool dude in a loose mood

A riff’s a-thumpin deep in my head
The music’s playing an old rock song
Fits my place, a smack in the face
Feelin’ good, going on strong

Rocking on the shore and found my groove
Come and join me, I’m in the mood
The music’s playing, my ass is shaking
A cool dude in a loose mood

The ladies loom around me now
They know my friends and me
Their swimwear sizzles and my heart fizzles
A loving beat’s my destiny

Rocking on the shore and found my groove
Come and join me, I’m in the mood
The music’s playing, my ass is shaking
A cool dude in a loose mood

Her name is Jill with a license to ill
I cannot look away
Damn the torpedos and biting mosquitos
Her thong’s loose by the way

I amble over, slow and steady
I’m cool but I’m burning bright
We’ll talk, we’ll laugh, just do the math
I’ll have company for the night

Come and join me, I’m in the mood
The music’s playing, my ass is shaking
A cool dude in a loose mood