1. Improv with Zoe

7-19-2008

Zoe ambushed me while I was trying to rehearse for the show in Washington Park with MotherJudge. So we started a little freestyling. No real words, just nonsense to support the melody. Cool for a while, but by the time I turned the recorder on to capture it, she was practically on to the next thing… as you can hear.

2. New York City

7-20-2008

The next day, Zoe left for a week-long trip to New York City with Grandma, Uncle Jason and Aunt Veronica.

3. Thinking onto Digital Paper

7-23-2008 Typos and all.

Originally I thought this song might be about the drummer on the new record, Cleopatra Jones, as an antagonist to Jennifer. Cleo gets a brief mention in the first song on the record, “Muse.”

That thought didn’t last long.

Note that this was written before the band – pulled together at the last minute after a desperate call to Jennifer – had actually flown in to help with the record and I was under the mistaken impression that Cleo was a drummer. Ooops!

4. Backstory

• January: NYC. With Mooney, Oprah, Chaka and Meshell. And RedDot.
• February: The Documentary. Something possessed me to finally purchase the 18-hour, 8-DVD set of Ric Burns New York City documentary. And watch from start to finish.
• June: Passing Strange. With Stew and his/my life story. I’d wanted to see it ever since I heard it was coming to Broadway – managed to catch it just a few weeks before it closed. Sweet.
• Washington Park, Albany. With MotherJudge and Odetta.

5. Structure

1. VERSE: Baby Maya digs MotherJudge and Odetta.
2. CHORUS: But you’re down in NYC. Without me.
3. VERSE: I could take you down to Broadway. Passing Strange/Stew offers better lessons than Camp Rock any day. Grab a mic and a cap and follow me if you can. Story of daddy’s life – and yours before you’ve even lived it. Lived it. Visit. Dig it.
4. CHORUS: How you in NYC without me?
5. BRIDGE: City never sleeps but it sure gets dark. [QUICK SOLO? CHORUS CHORDS? Maybe needed to break up all the damn singing. Allows performer and listener to catch a break from the last verse with ALL ITS DAMN WORDS.]
6. EXTENDED VERSE: Dark stories in NYC history.
7. CHORUS: I hope you dig the city without me, babe. I KNOW you’ll dig the city without me, babe. YEAH: Keep it as positive as possible after coming out of the dark verse.

6. Lyrics

Your baby sister’s chilling, MotherJudge is singing

Babylon and Revelation 17
Queen Odetta‘s Glory Hallelujah is
So serene…

But now you’re in the city without me babe.
How you in the city without me babe?

We could have taken in a Broadway show as part of your visit
“Passing Strange,” I know you’d dig it
It’s your Daddy’s life story – and yours
Before you’ve even lived it

But now you’re in the city without me babe.
How you in the city without me babe?

Baby sister’s digging music here in Washington Park [Washington Park]
New York City never sleeps but it sho gets dark [dark dark dark dark]

To do the right thang in this summer of Sam [Uncle Tom Sam Sam]
Grab a cap and mic and follow me if you can

Times Square lights are so pretty at night
But I’m telling you the city is dark inside
Cuz in the Seven-O the Five-O done ‘broke a man down’

And a man with a wallet is taking 41 rounds
And the colored orphans and the mob they fled
And the Stonewall Girls are beat upside their heads

And the Triangle Shirt girls fall thud dead
And 3000 souls all fall thud dead
And two tall towers fall thud dead

And on a pile of ashes in a hole downtown
The megaphone man is dragging Liberty down
I hope you dig the city without me, babe.
I hope you dig the city without me, babe.
I hope you dig the city without me, babe.
I know you’ll dig the city without me, babe.

7. Demo

Rough. Rough. Rough.

8. Get to Work