I wasn't sure where I was going with this when I started. I'd appreciate advice on arrangement, since it's mostly the same all the way through.
Good ‘ol Joe [E] - Jason Madison JRM
Tell you a story about a man named Joe
It’s a story you might not know
Joe was a man with a whole lotta brothers
And he really loved his father and mother (go go Joe)
Joe had a dream that made em all mad
They all played a trick but didn’t tell dad
Threw him in a pit and there he was stuck
Sold him like a slave to make a quick buck (go go Joe)
Governor’s wife spoke soft and sweet
You’re the kinda guy I’d like to meet
That crazy chick tried what she would
Joe ran away as fast as he could (go go Joe)
Prison guard came dropped news like a hammer
Sorry there Joe you’re gettin thrown in the slammer
Joe always was an innocent man
But still they throwed him right in the can
Baker and the Bearer both had a dream
Joe asked the Lord to say what it mean
The bearer and the baker both got their dues
Joe was left sittin in the jail with the blues
Then one day the king had a dream
Nobody there could say what it mean
Bearer said King, I remember young Joe
You ought to have the kid come give it a go
Shave and a bath and Joe’s before the king
King says son, you better say what it means
But Joe said no I can’t do such a thing
I'm gonna have to ask the Lord bout your dream
Said it’s gonna get bad the food’s runnin slim
Tighten your belt before it gets grim
Next thing you know Joe’s man of the day
And everybody round gotta do what he say
Finally came the day the crops wouldn’t grow
Couldn’t get no corn beans or rice no mo’
Everybody came to Joe to buy what he saved
And pretty soon there come his brothers beggin like slaves
Joe said daddy come an move on down here
I’ll send you a train so you can load all your gear
We got enough food so you might as well stay
I’ll give you lots of land that’s out of the way
Then came the day Joe’s daddy died
Joe missed him so much that he sat down and cried
His brothers start to worry bout what would he do
Said forgive us for what we done to you
Joe said of course I love you so dear
You meant me for evil that much is clear
But God made it good to keep us alive
And now we got all we need to survive
Finally one day Joe was really old
He told the whole family what God had foretold
You’re gonna move back to grandpa Abram’s place
I’ll tell you right now that that is the case
@elainedimasi Mar 2022
Speaking to your arrangement question. The sameness of the verses is an unavoidable feeling when the onset the first line of every verse is identical in cadence and melody notes. I bet you'd find a pretty good payoff of variety if you just worked to change some first lines. A rule I follow is that I never, ever, ever, go into a 3rd verse the same way I went into 1 and 2, if there was not a chorus or musical break between them somewhere. A third-time-in-a-row is highly noticeable.
Making the band bigger always helps. Get a gospel organ going, somebody who'll play answering lines to the verses in different ways, and take a few extra bars between verses once in a while. Of course one can never have too many guitars! Anyway that's my offering. Enjoyed the groove of this!
@nancycunning Feb 2022
Oh, man. I loved Andrew Lloyd Weber's version as a kid, but this one is great....You could add some coool vocal effects on that line Go Go Joe - kind of making the first o's hilly and then a long descent on the Joooooooh.
@ericdistad Feb 2022
Really love the lyric - the feel in the retelling is great!
Love the doubled vocals and guitar work!
Excellent work!
@silvermediapro Feb 2022
my head is bobbin to this! very catchy! :D
@jendistad Feb 2022
Nice work! Love the song. I think maybe if you varied up the vocal melody just a touch, that might help you get past the "sameness" that is worrying you. (Example: start up on the begging of the second line of a stanza, instead of down. If that makes sense? I'd probably be able to explain it better if I were speaking--not writing--this.)
@chipwithrow Feb 2022
I think this works powerfully as is - unfolds like many a great storytelling song. And that's some nifty blues-rock - a full-band treatment with all instruments cooking.
@hamiltonpoolhall Feb 2022
Awesome!! I love the idea of giving this biblical story the modern/hepcat treatment. And those doubled vocals at the end of each line are a great arranging move. It’s a story song, so not sure you need to change much - you’ve got those cool breakdowns
for some of the verses, and they’re really effective. Too many great lyric moves to delineate but the whole thing is working great!