My Advice

Cover your eyes

Somethings you shouldn’t see

When the ugliness of people breaks out and they become really mean

Your childlike innocence shouldn’t be the suffering victim,

But it will

Cover your ears

Somethings you shouldn’t hear

When the adult start screaming and the music is streaming like beer

The noise is overwhelming you shouldn’t be listening,

But you will

Cover your lips,

Things better left unsaid

When your mouth starts talking and your brain’s responding in fear

These words have consequences and thoughts can become actions,

And they will

Cover your heart,

Somethings you shouldn’t feel

If your soul is dancing round the needles of your heart’s broken dreams

These strange emotions shouldn’t be the base for your decisions,

But they will

My Advice started as a conversation in my head with my Nieces and Nephew, it then spread to a conversation with my Godson, my friend’s kids, and most enlightened teenagers I run into.
I watch them become young adults and deal with the curve balls that life throws at them. I’d like to shield them from the painful stuff, but you can’t…

And anyway young people don’t listen, like I didn’t and don’t…
And in the song perhaps, as it often happens in my songs, it is a conversation with myself, perhaps a younger self. Someone could have warned me, but I would have travelled down the same paths anyway.

The words drove this song…

Musically the idea was inspired by playing on a 12 string guitar which is featured on this recording. A guitar that found its way into my hands thanks to a local resident in my Village, Charles Pote.

The song came quickly and evolved as I was adjusting the words.

Then came the idea of a conversation between a piano and a guitar to echo the conversational nature of the lyrics. My friend Ulagh Williams had mentioned she would be keen to record something. Since I love her playing, I bugged her and got the beautiful piano parts you hear on the recording. That triggered some daring guitar playing on my part. The track was sent back and forth a few times until we had the structure right

As I was nearing a final mix, I knew my bass playing, even though functional was nowhere near what Shaun Johannes could do. In true Shaun fashion, he completed the puzzle within hours of sending him the track. Without me asking, he contributed a new drum track and laid down a kick arse bass!

I am forever thankful to collaborate with musicians of such calibre and sometime feel I’m not worthy of such excellence.