Grist For The Mill

Duration

4:03

Description

Lyrics

Grist For The Mill (c)2009 lyrics/music: Songbird Another drink to sell, another seat to fill Another day closer till you're over the hill Another long night, another cheap thrill Another reminder that you're grist for the mill. A thousand miles down a long black hole Really ain't nowhere left to go Been a million places, lost count of the faces- A long time ago. Better grist for the mill, than nothing at all Better out in the open, than behind a stone wall Out on a limb, with a long way to fall- Better down and out, than nowhere at all- Runnin' on coffee, high as a kite Tied to threads of hope to make it through the night A dimestore novel on a long, sleepless night In a cheap hotel with a blue neon light, yeah. Tore it up last night, we really brought that pourhouse down Give me the strength, to go one more round- Just one more chance, to hear that sound- One more day, above the ground. Another drink to sell, another seat to fill Another day passin' that you're over the hill Another long night, another cheap thrill Another reminder that you're grist for the mill, yeah Grist for the mill- We're only grist for the mill- We're all grist for the mill. Song Description: 'Grist For The Mill' was written by Songbird of the Cleveland based band 'Jane Dough' for her friend Bill Kirchen, the legendary 'Master Of The Telecaster'. The inspiration for the song came after attending a Christmas concert that Bill had played at the legendary Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio, during his 'Hammer Of The Honky Tonk Gods' tour. 'Grist For The Mill' details the reality of life on the road for many musicians, and opens with the line "Another drink to sell, another seat to fill", which details a venue's expectations of the performer, not only to produce a stunning performance, but also to 'fill the seats' and 'sell the drinks'. The following verses detail the actuality of the loneliness of life on the road, as opposed to the glamorous images conjured up by movies and music videos, and, finally, the reward of the lifestyle- 'To hear that sound'... of applause. The songwriter's goal for this song was to detail her own experiences of life as a travelling musician, and also to incorporate what she imagined her friend's own wiser, more seasoned perspective may be. This recording was initially recorded as a live demo, and was the first and only take of the song with no overdubs, etc.- it is 'As-Is'. Upon hearing the recording, the two hosts of the popular radio show 'When The Roses Bloom Again', Cuzin' Dave, and Mr. JEG, (91.1 WRUW FM Cleveland), declared it a hit, and asked for 20 copies of the recording for the station. The song was debuted in June 2010 on their show, a scant week after being recorded, and quickly climbed to the top ten most played list for the station over the 3 month period following it's release. Sadly, in the time since the song's debut, Cuzin' Dave passed away- this song is forever dedicated in loving memory to our dear friend Cuzin' Dave.