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Hard Times Comin' Down Hard

from Tweakin' Some Twang by John Lee Sanders

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about

Recorded in various locations from 2014-2018.
I wrote this in 2010 during the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico.


My family and I had many great memories on the Gulf where my parents and siblings had vacation properties in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Alabama
Since writing this song, life has ironically directed my path to Orange Beach Alabama. The song was written through the lens of a shrimp boat fisherman, and so many others who have faced hurricane Florence, Katrina, Maria, Camille, Hugo, Michael and now #Ida
The sea and it's amazing ecosystem feeds the world. The song is for my South Louisiana friends who face the destruction of the wetlands, and other environmental threats to our ecosystem.
The song opens with a beautiful orchestral string section and violin with an impressionist landscape of the old south, where I was born, I studied classical orchestration in the university, and was inspired by the song "Louisiana 1927" by Randy Newman, who I was fortunate to work with Randy at the Library of Congress in Washington, in 2014, and got to chat with him about his film score techniques.

The song's beauty morphs into the harsh reality of storms, and environmental destruction, that we must sometimes face.
Thanks to Ray Legere, who captured the sounds I was going for, with his beautiful fiddle and mandolin He is the fiddle champion and hall of fame of Eastern French Canada, whose descendants are the original snowbirds to South Louisiana.
Bruce Kaphan, Engineer, pedal steel, Lap Steel.

lyrics

Lyrics By John Lee Sanders and Michael Decroix
Verse 1
For many years we lived
By the sea where we were born
Held on to each other
In the eye of every storm
But my baby’s got a feelin’
That this might be the big one
As the storm clouds
above the ocean start to form
Weatherman says she’s closin’ in
Bout Eighty miles off shore
I'm boardin’ up the windows
Like a dozen times before

She might break down the levy
But we’re guardin’ our front door
Baby’s reachin’ out for my hand
'Gainst the wind and rain once more

Chorus
And it's Hard times comin’ down
And it's a test of my faith
Wondering where's my God
May be weather beaten, not defeated
Just a little bit battle scarred,
hard times comin’ down hard

Verse 2
Dawn slowly breaks
And we’re barely holdin’ on
Shrimp boats in the harbour
Ain’t been out for so long
And there’s blues in Biloxi
and my troubles keep on risin’
and there ain’t much left to lose till its all gone

And on the mouth of the Mississippi
It’s a sad day
From Atchafalaya all the way to Red Fish Bay
Devils blood been gushin’
Deeper than a mile below
Poision on the waters
Off the gulf of mexico,
Chorus


Bridge
Oh we survived the hurricane
With the oil in our tracks
Rolled in like a diesel train
And you always had my back
But hard times ain't gonna last forever
We've seen it all before
Cuz we're stronger together
Gonna Make it through one more

Chorus

credits

from Tweakin' Some Twang, released October 30, 2018
John Lee Sanders, Accordion, Piano, Synth,
Lead and Background Vocals,
Bruce Kaphan, Pedal Steel, Lap Steel guitar, Engineer
Ray Legere, Violin, mandolin
Music and Lyrics, John Lee Sanders,
Additional Lyrics, Michael DeCroix

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John Lee Sanders Palos De La Frontera, Spain

Multi-instrumentalist, Composer, Saxophone, Guitar, Piano, vocalist, and Emmy nominated composer, he has evolved a complex musical gumbo, with the flavors of Americana, Rock, Gospel, Pop, Jazz, R&B, Soul, Country, classical, with a deep love of the traditions, and culture of New Orleans. ... more

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