mcgrew's Journal: Occupation Blues

Standard blues riff, with E-A-G-E after each non-chorus line,similar to Bad to the Bone, Bo Diddley's song "I'm a Man", which uses a similar guitar riff and vocal rhythm, and has a similar overall structure, as well as Muddy Waters's "She Moves Me" and "Mannish Boy" and Johnny "Guitar" Watson's "Gangster of Love". The riff is also very similar to the one from Chuck Berry's song "No Money Down". GPL3 license.

The poor man he got nothin'
The rich got everything
They treat us all like mutton
And they live better than kings

I got the... Occupation blues
'cause my baby's gone away.
She's been occupyin' Wall Street
And I'm 'fraid she's gonna stay.

The CEOs and bankers
Took away the jobs
We' all drivin' clankers
And they want us to suck their knobs

I got the... Occupation blues
'cause my baby's gone away.
She's been occupyin' Wall Street
And I'm 'fraid she's gonna stay.

They closed down the factory
They closed the mill
So the CEO and his crackery
Makes us all feel very ill

I got the... Occupation blues
'cause my baby's gone away.
She's been occupyin' Wall Street
And I'm 'fraid she's gonna stay.

We sat down really peacful
Smiles on our face
The campus was police-full
And they sprayed us all with mace

I got the... Occupation blues
'cause my baby's gone away.
She's been occupyin' Wall Street
And I'm 'fraid she's gonna stay.

Come back to me baby
What's got to your head?
Come back, Lady Occupy,
And occupy my bed!

I got the... Occupation blues
'cause my baby's gone away.
She's been occupyin' Wall Street
And I'm 'fraid she's gonna stay.

Well done.

[rk]

But Bad to the Bone throws an extra A in there, just to see if you're paying attention.

Re:

[mcgrew]

True, it doesn't copy the older songs exactly. His lawyers probably told him to stick the extra A in so some dead guy wouln't sue him (Howlin' Wolf's label sucessfully sued ZZ Top's label for "La Grange" simply for the "a how how how". Stupid juries.

Re:

[rk]

Interesting. Blues and Jazz music is all about appropriation and putting your own spin on it. For that matter, so is most all music. How many songs have I IV V I or I vi ii V progressions? There are musical comedy routines based on that idea, for crying out loud.

Re:

[mcgrew]

That's so. Art is like science and engineering, in that it's built on what has come before. The insane copyright lengths are harming our culture. Imagine how technology would stagnate if a patent lasted 95 years?

Golf clap.

[Uberbah]

Lyrics are one of the many things I have no talent at. Bill Maher: [youtube.com]

Between the years 1980 and 2005 80% of all new income generated in this country went to the richest 1%. Let me put that in terms that even you fatass teabaggers, sorry, can understand. Say 100 Americans get together and order a 100 slice pizza, the pizza arrives, they open the box, and the first guy takes 80 slices. And if someone suggests "Why don't you just take 79 slices?" THAT'S SOCIALISM!