Tied Up in a Song
I wrote this track to exorcise some personal ghosts and pay homage to my mother, Joan Roberts, whose resilience in life has been an inspiration to me.
When I sent my solo demo to my close friend Ralph MacDonald in Montreal, he jumped on the project and I was thrilled. Our last collaboration was on Tell That Story’s “Brakeman” which proved to be the Independent Music Awards’ Best Blues Song for 2013.
On this track, Ralph plays rhythm guitar and mandolin (cheeky devil!). He also introduced me to another world of harps with Melody Makers. And he recruited accomplished Canadian country music star Sean Burns on bass and Tim Burns on the kit.
Brett was less than excited about the song initially, but as a professional, he really got into it as the engineer, and in time, warmed to it during the mix. He even sings background vocals.
Make sure you catch the music video of "Tied up in a Song" by the talented film-making duo of Mark Pragai and Jose Fernandez, also of Montreal (who knew).
lyrics
Tied Up in a Song
(Wayne S. Roberts, Ralph MacDonald)
Verse
My mother tells a tale
of an old violin
Played by her father
tucked under his chin.
When his own father died
he put the fiddle away
“I took it up for my mother
but she never heard me play.”
Verse
My mother lived a time
when her husband ran off.
He left her four little children
and some piss in that pot.
Well, he bragged and he boasted
until he crashed to the ground.
It mighta made some noise -
we never heard a sound.
Chorus
Myths and memories
now and gone,
threads of my lifetime
get tied up in a song …
They get tied up in a song.
(intro)
(verse)
Verse
My mother shares the grief
‘bout a son who got lost.
He gave up his love
but he didn’t count the cost.
I gotta sister whose mind
is all bitter and broken.
She buried her name
so it never would be spoken.
Verse
Still, my mother lives a truth
‘bout never givin’ up.
No matter how hard it gets,
you can never give enough.
Oh, you can whine and wail,
you can buckle and bend.
Oh, don’t you ever dare break
‘til that bittersweet end.
Chorus
Myths and memories
now and gone,
threads of my lifetime
get tied up in a song …
They get tied up in a song.
credits
from Three's a Charm - Full Album,
released September 30, 2019
Vocals & Harmonica: Son Roberts
Guitar & Mandolin: Ralph MacDonald (who also produced and co-wrote)
Bass: Sean Burns
Drums: Tim D. Brown
Background Vocals: Kate Roberts, Gail Roberts and Brett MacMillan
“Breathtakingly fresh, adventurous and emotionally satisfying songs that take the Blues genre in new directions while
staying true to its roots and rhythms.” Blues Matters UK
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