I asked my wife for a suggestion for a song title. She suggested 'Watering Can'. 15 minutes later this had turned into some 'Of Mice and Men' type tale about a couple of disgruntled homesteaders who hated each other.
We also set ourselves a challenge to see how many vegetables we could fit into the song.
My wife is on backing vocals - she also wrote most of the song too and played bass.
Peas, beans, collared greens,
And a little okra too
I been shuffling around this block since 1922
Rake the earth, and dig it good
It's a farmstead meant for two
But I'm seeing no contributions
Coming out from you
Watering can, watering can,
Watering can't do more for you
My back is bent, and my knees are raw
And I think I'm about through
Kale, corn and rutabaga
Stir my gumbo stew
Plants would wither and die
Before I got any help from you
Squash, beans, sweet potatoes
Succumbing to the blight
I'll be walking out that door
Before you go to bed tonight
Watering can...
We came all the way to North Dakota
But it all went South
Instead of the land of milk and honey
We're living hand to mouth
We had dreams of paradise,
An eden just for two
But as those years go rolling by
I think the serpent's you
Watering can...
@jonmeta Feb 2022
I'm just catching up on listening - sorry to be so late. You've captured the ominous feel of going "stir crazy", as they say, in a desolate place with dreams withering on the vine. Kudos for all the vegetable mentions and the clever wordplay in the last couple of verses. This had an extra bit of enjoyment for me because my wife sings with me and plays bass too.
@lenigmusx1 Feb 2022
Yeah… this is cool I actually love the sparse dirt guitar that kicks in with the spiritualesque “watering can” refrain. I could hear an entire gospel choir singing it the second time with claps included. I really like the 2 step feel. It’s kind of like John Foggerty if he was jam out spirituals. Really good stuff.
@paulroe Feb 2022
Had to check out another...in the same general space but more country folk, less sea shanty in essence. Still a modern construction borne of the traditional ballad evolution. Still pretty cool!
@angelinapowersuit Feb 2022
Man I just love when the bass kicks in. And I love the picture I'm seeing of you and your wife singing and playing this song. But back to the song itself - really great, a bit "off," deadpan delivery of "watering can, " makes it that much more interesting. And all those vegetables! This is definitely old timey and of a different era, I'm transported and purely entertained. Great writing!
@melaniepegge Feb 2022
This is great! Love your voices. Cheeky and super cool
@improvyssey Feb 2022
This is very cool. I started absent-mindedly singing along with the chorus every time it came up. And yes, nicely done on all the vegetable references.
@likewater Feb 2022
my wife and I checked this out. Super neat tune!
@sailingmagpie Feb 2022
Love the almost Kinks-y vibe to this! The subtle electric guitar is a nice addition on the second chorus and I really enjoyed just how many veggies you managed to slip in. Great start!
@kevinmason Feb 2022
Fun song! I love all the veggies listed. The chorus is great. Nice storytelling. I can feel the frustration at the unhelpful partner!
@codeenergy Feb 2022
This is quite the fun little jaunt. My KRKs are pretty bass heavy speakers so it just maybe me but I think vocals can come up a bit but other than that, this is a nice clean recording and well-rounded just good song.
@spazsquatch Feb 2022
Perfect. Every part fits together just right. Absolutely love this.
@cleanshoes Feb 2022
I love everything about this. Your loose roots and blues style is excellent, especially for the subject matter. The bass makes it! The story is gritty and darkly humorous, and "I think the serpent's you" is a great line to end on. Well done!
@virallode Feb 2022
Not sure how you manage to write and record this in a day - brilliant and humorous and very yes
@janeg Feb 2022
A whole TV series could be based on this! The line about moving to North Dakota then it all went south is brilliant.
@readwrite Feb 2022
Grand fun! the sad story seen through the humor, and I thoroughly enjoyed the music!
@gregorymckillop Feb 2022
This song was such a delight! I love it when folks are able to take a humorous idea for a song (fitting as many veggies in as possible) and adding a human element (the relationship). As I was listening I also felt like the lyrics had some cool state of the world/political listening possibilities I could relate to (not saying that is what it needs to be about, its just cool when a song can reach past its initial theme)
Anyways, the vocals are great, the (stomping?) is great, all the instruments are great!
PS - I saw on your profile you are a history teacher, so is another friend of mine who does folk-guitar stuff you might be into hearing, look up The Michael Character on bandcamp :)
Thanks so much for sharing this!