Rock On, Turn Loose, Let the Rhythm Entrance

If my house was on fire I would save my guitar,

How else will I ever be a star?

I grew up with music dancing in my blood,

Music flowed over me, through me, a raging flood,

My dad was a popular DJ on the radio,

His voice drew raves for being sweet and low,

He played the tunes and talked gnarley,

His playlists included records by Clapton and Marley,

Due to station requests he played American pop,

Although his listeners suggested he slow to a stop,

And play the music that was raging in New Orleans,

Amos Milburn, Fats Domino, and other artists of means,

So when he got home we would experiment,

Checking out the sounds we could invent,

Since he played instruments of all makes,

We often tried several different takes,

Mixing the sounds, adjusting the levels,

Discovering how strings sound on different bevels,

Putting in layers, laying the bass components of a melody,

Sometimes stripping the accents to let the sound go free,

But emphasizing the drums, that’s what I learned first,

I thought I had to play the drums or I would burst,

The drums and the bass made the most sense,

The other instruments were added as accents,

For dad, his life was here or there in his dreams,

But I wanted riches and fame that gleamed,

Dad was content and never strayed from home,

While I counted days until I could roam,

Friends would come over and we would play in the alley,

 Play for hours if they wanted, especially for Sally,

One evening just about seven it was her and me,

She’d hung around and I knew what she wanted it to be,

While I was putting complex layers of music on,

She was slipping complex layers off until they were gone,

Now I was younger and easily impressed,

With her slim tender body completely undressed,

She taught me a lesson to help me understand,

There was more than riches to make life grand,

Sally was there often after hearing me play,

But she kissed me goodbye and left one day,

My music became hypnotic arrangements,

Other Sallys dropped by, they came and went,

Electronic music evolved that tugged at the heart,

It spoke to me and became my favorite kind of art,

Dub music, ska, reggae, punk, I played them all,

Sallys everywhere let my throbbing music enthrall,

Opening their hearts to music of all kinds,

Learning from it, freeing their minds,

They showed respect for me while I played,

And stayed around after long, long days,

Their warm bodies were always on fire,

And sooner or later quenched my desire,

Peace and calm reigned when no one was in sight,

My music would sing softly throughout the night,

Now my living room has become my music space,

But if you’re restless like Sally, I’ll find you a place,

We’ll turn the lights low, let the beat enhance,

Rock on, turn loose, let the rhythm entrance,

Let the soft layered melodies stir you to dance,

Rock on, rock on, and feel the romance,

My music absorbs me, it’ll touch you too,

We’ll listen, we’ll talk, about all things true,

We’ll dance to rhythms beneath moonlit sky,

Then surrender together to love’s tender cry.