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Down on Vaughan Road

from Three's a Charm - Full Album by Son Roberts

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about

Down on Vaughan Road*
Inspired by the many women I’ve known in life who've been victimized by poisonous men. One of these troubled women took her own life when she was an employee at our agency. And while that frail young woman did not survive, the song ends on a resilient note with the protagonist looking to another day, ready to fight for her dignity.
The song originated when I was driving down Vaughan Road and picked up one of the harmonicas I keep in my car. The original riff I played that day is essentially the intro and chorus of the song. When Brett and I started to explore the song, we agreed to take it in a similar direction we took with “Stephen Lea’s father” from Tell That Story: minimal, beat-oriented and raw.
For my part, the idea of it being a “hip hop” song made me nervous as hell. But Brett had a vision for it and when we brought Sarah Thawer into the Meatlocker to lay down some grooves, it made sense to me. She is awesome! Brett kicked in with decidedly back porch, R L Burnside-type guitar licks and the song came alive.
But we needed a strong bottom end so, thanks to a recommendation from my good friend Mark Stafford, we enlisted a master funkster, Jerome Tucker. Jerome took to "Down on Vaughan Road" like he’d played it for years. Finally, my daughters really came through with tight background vocals, as usual.
*“Down on Vaughan Road” was awarded second prize in Paul Reddick’s Cobalt prize for Original Blues Composition song in February 2019.

lyrics

Down on Vaughan Road
(Wayne S. Roberts, Brett MacMillan)

Verse
She’s got a picture of her daddy
on the wall
She’ll tell you a story about him leavin’
he never called
She’s wearin’ them high heeled shoes
and that’s all.
Down on Vaughan Road

Verse
She’ll cut a shadow through the window
sun down
She’ll cry and wail about tomorrow
it’s all sound
She’s in her own fine circle
Just goin’ around and around and ‘round
Down on Vaughan Road

Bridge
There was a time …
She once was someone’s little girl
Those afternoons …
All her ribbons and curls
Way back when …
Oh, when her lips were ruby red
But those days are dead
Where?
Down on Vaughan Road

Breakdown
Down on, Down on, Down on
Down on Vaughan Road

Bridge

Verse
She sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night
Stares out at a thousand miles of sky
lookin’ for light
She wanna know who’s out there
left to fight
Down on Vaughan Road

Breakdown
Down on, Down on, Down on
Down on Vaughan Road

credits

from Three's a Charm - Full Album, released September 30, 2019
Vocals and Harmonica: Son Roberts
Guitars: Brett MacMillan
Drums: Sarah Thawer
Bass: Jerome Tucker
Background Vocals: Gail Roberts and Kate Roberts

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Son Roberts Toronto, Ontario

“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

Toronto-based, award-winning singer songwriter creating Blues for the here and now. ... more

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