There’s so many truly American folk songs that I enjoy, because of the sometimes magical sense they can bring into the heart. Although this one is arguably more late soul or early gospel than folk it still brings chills to me whenever I listen to Son House sing it… Here’s my little version of it…
[Chorus]
Who’s that writin’? John the Revelator
Tell me who’s that writin’? John the Revelator
Tell me who’s that writin’? John the Revelator
Wrote the book of the seven seals
Who’s that writin’? John the Revelator
Tell me who’s that writin’? John the Revelator
Well who’s that writin’? John the Revelator
Wrote the book of the seven seals
You know God walked down in the cool of the day
Called Adam by his name
And he refused to answer
Because he’s naked and ashamed
[Chorus]
You know Christ had twelve apostles
And three he led away
He said, Watch with me one hour
’till I go yonder and pray.
[Chorus]
Christ came on Easter morning
Mary and Martha came down to see
He said, Go tell my disciples
To meet me in Galilee.
Some days it’s just hard to get started. That’s how I was feeling today when I tried to write this song. I’d put a few lines on paper and turn to the keyboard to try and pound it out, and no matter what I did, what voice inflection I used, what chords I hit, it sounded like crap…. So, I had to remember songs don’t come from the brain, they come from the heart. And in the end that’s who we are – a bunch of hearts walking around. Not minds. Minds don’t really matter. Except you got to learn, go to school, be competitive to make a fairly decent living. But other than that – on that final day – when we all stand before God or Allah or whoever put us here, we’re gonna be just a bunch of hearts standing there – not a brain between us. And our hearts are going to answer.
So I put away my pen and paper and just started pounding the keys randomly and just let these words fall out of my mouth. Hearts don’t know English, French, or Spanish, or Italian, they can’t write and they can’t read. But they can emote. And that’s what this here is. I didn’t edit it. I didn’t practice it. It is simply heart song. And I hope you can get past my caterwauling enough to feel me.
LYRICS
You know some days don’t seem to work out
Seems like they all fall to the ground
Right when you need them to stand up
Don’t you know you need to stand up
Sometimes your day just sucks
That’s right, you can’t stop it man
It’s gonna suck really bad
God put us here on this Earth
For what reason I do not know
I don’t think anybody does
But we’re just stumbling around here
like we’re in the dark
We don’t know what we’re doing
no, no, no
We think we do.
We think we’re all that
You know we think we do
We pile into that stadium on Sunday afternoon
We pay all that money to watch a man play ball
Pay their advertisers
To make us drink that beer
and whatever else seems important at the moment
But if you open your eyes and take a look around
While you’re in your car going to town
for that ball game
I think what you’ll see
Is a man on the corner
Hasn’t eaten all day
A family living in the car
Daddy got nothing to say
Standing in bread lines
to feed his family
But that’s OK, you see
‘Cause our guy hit the home run today
And I’m happy
I’m gonna drink that beer and those chips
Gonna make that website on Go Daddy
That’s right
Watch that little sweetie in the commercial
Oh, What is she doing this year?
Oh yeah, Oh my my
I can’t see that man in the car
with his family starving out there
I don’t need to
My man hit a home run today
Yes he did
That’s all I need to be happy
Yes I am
Oh, yes I am
johnallenrichter 