You gotta’ wait…

You gotta’ wait…

As a storyteller, I get to perform in various venues. It could be a library, a school, a campsite, a festival, or some other gathering of people. I am also a musician and when I perform I sometimes perform stories or songs that I have written myself. My inspiration for those pieces of writing or songs come from a lot of different places. Sometimes it’s a dream I have, where a tune gets stuck in my head and I have to get up to record the music so that I don’t forget the tune when I wake up the next day. Sometimes it is an adventurous story that evolves in my mind overnight that I need to flesh out the next day. And at other times it is just being out in the world watching and listening to things that go on around me. It might be a visual happening that catches my attention or a turn of phrase someone says, that prompts me to expand an idea into a story or song.

I was invited by a school district to perform for their primary school children while they were visiting a local Barnes and Noble store. I wasn’t being paid but was donating my performance in the hopes that I would be hired by the district. I thought the performance was okay though I never heard from the district again.  As I was packing up and bringing stuff out to my car, and the kids were all lining up to buy books, I noticed one rogue boy who wasn’t quite getting the idea of lining up in a single line. His teacher grabbed him and pointed out to him that “You always have to be behind someone when you’re waiting in line.” And that was my new catchphrase to work from.

I now had the start to a song, which I have been working on for a number of years now. I’ve completed the adult version, but still need to write lyrics that can be sung with kids using examples that they can relate to.  The music for it still evades me. I had a tune that originally I had dreamt up to go with it, but after writing the lyrics it didn’t work. I have since enlisted the help of my niece’s high school-aged son, who is awesome at writing music. Eventually, I hope to have a new piece to perform. I guess I have to wait in line until all the pieces come together.

For those of you interested, here’s the chorus and one verse of the song:

Chorus

You gotta be behind someone

When you’re waiting in line.

You can’t just stand in the middle of the road

And hope that you will shine

Just hold your course and wait your turn

And hope you’ll end up fine.

————-

Got to make a service call, the dryer’s fuse has blown

I get the number just for help and dial it on the phone

It rings at least a dozen times and then I hear a click

A voice comes on I do not know, I listen to their schtick

Before they tell me who they are, I have to listen close.

Para español por favor oprima el número dos.

I hang on thinking what to do and then a voice so fine

“Your call is very important to us so please stay on the line.”