SHOESTRING - Thirty Something - 02 - Let me go

I wrote this one in 1995, a time when I was fighting a difficult battle. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life working as a software engineer, but various pressures were dragging me down the road I did not want to walk. I managed to jump it, and jumped into advertising. This song helped me make that leap. Here’s track 2 of ‘Thirty Something’. It’s called ‘Let me go’.

Click here to download ‘Let me go’.

The above link will last 7 days. If you happen to get here after it has expired, write to me at shoestring.theband@gmail.com, and I’ll send it to you again. This song is the creation and therefore the property of Manoj Jacob. You are permitted to use it in any non-commercial way you please. Play it, enjoy it and share it with friends. Only remember to give Shoestring credit. It’s taken a lot of work to create this piece. And if you appreciate that, please respect my requests.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

If you’d like to leave some feedback, click on the comments link at the bottom of this post.

To know more about Shoestring, visit www.shoestringtheband.com

Come back soon for another song from the album.


Credits – Let me go

Written, composed, arranged and performed by Manoj Jacob
Recorded, mixed and mastered at Raveolutions Studios, Bangalore
Vocals and guitar: Manoj Jacob
Lead guitar: Dominic D’Cruz
Bass: Abhijit Shylanath


Lyrics

SHOESTRING - Let me go

Everyone has his own cross to carry, everyone has his own story to tell
My Saturday nights are spent alone now; it hasn’t been a long time since I fell
I just have my 6 string to go back on, and the songs I’ve learnt to play
I dunno how far my songs are gonna get me, but I think things are gonna work for me someday

Chorus
Let me go, let me go (2)
I know you’ve got a lot to give me, but baby I want more
Let me go

If the world could give what I wanted, I wouldn’t want more than I already have
If my girl could give me what I needed, I wouldn’t find myself falling out of love
It doesn’t really matter if I can’t make it, life will go on just the same
I’ll just give what I love my best shot, and if I lose I’ll be the one to blame

Repeat chorus

I think I hear a voice calling me from inside, I think I hear a whisper in the wind
Memories talk to me from another day, seems to tell me I’m losing my way
I haven’t looked at myself for a while, I’ve been makin’ mistakes and calling it my style
It’s so easy to laugh at someone else’s pain, but for every Abel there must also be a Cain

Repeat chorus

http://www.shoestringtheband.com/

SHOESTRING - Thirty Something - 01 - Whose line is it anyway?

This song was triggered off by the death of a soldier in Kashmir. He was also a friend. I don’t expect this song to stop the fight in Kashmir, but I’d be glad if I’ve got a few people thinking. The track is also available as a free download at www.shoestringtheband.com as it has been since January 26, 2006. I present the first track of ‘Thirty Something’.

Click here to download ‘Whose line is it anyway?’.

The above link will last 7 days. If you happen to get here after it has expired, write to me at shoestring.theband@gmail.com, and I’ll send it to you again. This song is the creation and therefore the property of Manoj Jacob. You are permitted to use it in any non-commercial way you please. Play it, enjoy it and share it with friends. Only remember to give Shoestring credit. It’s taken a lot of work to create this piece. And if you appreciate that, please respect my requests.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

If you’d like to leave some feedback, click on the comments link at the bottom of this post.

To know more about Shoestring, visit www.shoestringtheband.com

Come back soon for another song from the album.

Credits – Whose line is it anyway?

Written, composed, arranged and performed by Manoj Jacob
Recorded, mixed and mastered at Raveolutions Studios, Bangalore
Vocals and acoustic guitar: Manoj Jacob
Lead guitar: Robert D’Souza
Bass: Jerome Coelho


Lyrics

SHOESTRING - Whose line is it anyway?

Met a soldier at the bank one day
He was on leave, not here to stay
On a break to see his mamma dear
His time was up, the end was near

I’m leaving tomorrow by the midnight train
Will see you once more when I’m down again
There’s a battle to be fought, a war to be won
And my motherland’s calling her favourite son

Just a week later, one Saturday morn
The headlines said, the soldier was gone
Kashmir had claimed another life
Too young to go, hardly thirty five

Chorus
Whose line is it anyway
Does anybody really care
My friend is dead and gone away
But this battle’s going nowhere

How many more lives will it take
Before we give this fight a break
Can the line of control matter when
You have a line of graves of your finest men

What a sacrifice, Oh what a price to pay
The streams are turning redder everyday
The man on the front ain’t a VIP
But is his life valued less than you and me

Repeat Chorus

Can we now put the guns aside
Can we now try and turn the tide
Can we now stop the metal rain
Can we have peace in this land again

http://www.shoestringtheband.com/

Shoestring - Thirty Something (Jan 28, 2007)

I've been on the tail of this album for a year now. It's take me that amount of time to coax the songs out, put it through the studio and finally arrive at a result that I am very satisfied with. There are 6 songs in all. I had planned to have 8, but my move to Chennai curtailed that.

'Thirty Something' is lyrically a very different album from my first effort. I've consciously tried to write about issues that have touched me - war, racism, credit card debt... Topics I was provoked to write about, by my own experiences. The songs themselves will tell you more.

In time honoured fashion, I'd like to express my gratitude to a few people who helped me along the way.
Ricky Kej and Abhijit Shylanath of Raveolutions Studios, Bangalore. And Dominic D'Cruz and Robert D'Souza, guitarists of extraordinary calibre.

'Thirty Something' will be released on this blog as a free download. One song every week, starting tomorrow. Do come by, and if it's not too much of a bother, pass the word around.

Ad again

Catching them young

Outdoor advertising at Sterling Junction, Chennai. Just across the road from Good Shepherd School.

The political convenience of racism

Now if you are of Asian or African origin and have travelled to the 'civilised' western world, this might seem a familiar tale. Sometimes, it's an airport security officer who is feeling you up a little more intimately than even a public demonstration of love would permit. Or it's the workplace, where the colour of the currency you receive is determined by the colour of your skin.

So like it or not, racism is alive, and kicking. And these days, making quite an impact on Shilpa Shetty's cute posteriors.

But this isn't the first time racist behaviour has been beamed live into living rooms. The cricket field is another place where the white man seems to be able to get away with almost anything. The Aussies and South Africans have it down to a fine art. And if England were playing any better than they are at the moment, they'd be a pretty surly bunch as well.

Funnily no one has ever raised questions about these discolorations on the cricket field. Andre Nel has never been discussed in Parliament. Hardly an eyelid is being moved over Herschelle Gibbs' remarks about the Pakistanis. So why then has Shilpa Shetty become the topic of discussion in the corridors of power. She hasn't called out for help. Yet the poliicians are out in hordes making statements and promising action. Is there an election around the corner?

What kind of wildlife is your kid watching?

I shot these pics at the Citicentre, a prominent mall in Chennai. The large screen in the atrium was running some fun and games featuring some animals wearing bare essentials. Standing below with their eyes fixed on the screen, was a group kids. Captivated. Charmed.

Now just 2 days ago, my wife and I were shopping at the same mall. The same wrestling federation was being beamed down to viewers in the mall. Mind you, the large screen in the atrium aside, they have televisions scattered liberally around every floor of the mall. You wouldn't miss the action even if you wanted to. On that occasion my wife spoke to the mall manager and had the channel changed. Two days later, nothing had changed.

I advocate parental awareness. Or are you one of those who says, 'beta doodh piyo. bada hoke Undertaker jaise banega'?

Sign of the times

Branch offices include 'Joy Tours' and 'Happy Holidays'?

50 to 120 in 10 days flat

Some weeks ago, movie lovers rejoiced. The Government put a ceiling on ticket costs, Rs. 50. Ten days later that roof came crashing down. The prices were back at Rs. 120.

I smell a rat. The grey eyed bandicoot who walks the corridors of power. Who, between 50 and 120, got fatter.

Smell something?