“Poline Road” - a song about ends
Another remake. Watching the old videos are…. interesting…. I am much more prepared for a food shortage or a cold cold winter now.
(The original musing for this tune is here).
Story Pairing
In my mind, this is a sort of “end of the world” song. I think when I had originally wrote it I was thinking of an individual walking down a road to their inevitable demise. That has shifted a bit, especially as we sit in the middle of a pretty heavy time in the world.
Now when I think of this song, I identify more as the main character instead of the onlookers. I also feel that it’s more of a walk through the middle of a world that’s died, and I’m looking for something that hasn’t. Something still pushing through all of the darkness and dust that is a broken world.
Maybe the song has fallen into that space so easily because it seems that our world is being dimmed a bit lately. There seems to be a blanket in the air most days. I see people working a little harder to take steps forward and keep their chin ups. The world is sending its crows and snakes and jackals in droves to watch us trudge. Keep trudging my friends.
- To switch gears to the songwriting -
I think of this song often when I am driving. I am always on the lookout for good road signs/names when driving. I pass thousands a year, and haven’t found one that I like more than “Poline”, so I haven’t written more songs with road names. I’m trying to get better at allowing myself to walk on ground a second time. When it comes to writing, I always want to write about something different or new. Maybe that is a mistake? Or at least not realistic. Our lives are structured so that we are repeating so many parts of it over and over. The same way concepts are written about over and over. Repetition is a constant in our existence, and why shouldn’t it be with songwriting? I’ve never taken one place and written more than one song. I’m making a note to try that with somewhere that I visit in the next year. Take a place and try to touch on all the emotions it pushes my way.
Are we at the part where I give songwriters a bit of homework?
Think of your favorite physical location. Write one song/verse/poem that leans on the visuals of the space. Then write a second song/verse/poem/ about the same place that partners with the sounds and smells of said place.
I might do the same assignment. I don’t have to though, that’s the perk of being the “teacher”.
Song Structure
Capo 2
Verse & Chorus: F - Am - Bb - C
Voice Memos
Paired Pic
I wrote this tune in Joshua Tree, but I didn’t have a camera when I went there. I’ll go back eventually and change that. Here is one of some seasoned hands playing a guitar down in Texas. It’s not the same place, but it had the same deep love for landscaping with dust the way Joshua Tree did. This guitar and these hands look like that’s the only kind of a world they know.
Lyrics
In the morning, I’ll head down to Poline road
The last place I’ll ever go
Feel the darkness start to grow
So I’m taking my last stroll
Down poline road
On my shoulder theres a crow and hes singing
Used to watch you from the sky
As I got closer, everything got a little colder
Now I can see the reason why, you have to go
Down poline road
There’s a snake in my boot, wrapped tight round my toes
Loves to count the wasted miles I suppose
He says I feel it now, we’re getting pretty close
Almost your time to go
Down Poline Road
At my back, there’s a jackal, snorting in the dust
Says he’ll wait till it’s just the two of us
How he got my trail I’ll never know
Just waiting, till I go
down Poline Road
Poline Road
Poline Road
Poline