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Joined: Nov 2010
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I get a little wound up over things I hear on the news. People getting conned out of their savings, muggers and other no good dross. This song may be an overkill in it's meaning but it makes me feel better to get it out. I wrote it when I read an ad requesting a song that was dark and moody in the americana genre. Is it too strong? Vic https://soundcloud.com/vic-arnold/if-i-had-a-gunhttps://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=13706863If I had a gun. ©2018 Vic Arnold Ch. If I had a gun I would shoot you down. Give you back the pain I'd spit upon your face if you came around Take back the shame V1 Crouching in the shadows, hiding in the night Your pathetic thrill What makes you think that you got the right to those few dollar bills V2 Knocking at the door, smile on your face You creep on through Vague resemblance to the human race It's a natural way for you Ch. V3 Scammers in your mail box. Scammers on the phone. Send details to this link A disgraced prince from an outlaw state Something about him stinks V4 Before you die you'd write a short note and take the blame Then pin it onto your blood stained coat and bleed your life away Ch.
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Powerful stuff, Vic.
Well written. Nicely performed. Nicely arranged.
"Before you die you'd write a short note and take the blame Then pin it onto your blood stained coat and bleed your life away"
Well done.
fj
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Joined: Feb 2006
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Hey Vic,
Very good lyric. You asked, is it too much...I say no...a song should conjure up some kind of emotion....yours surely does.
Germain
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Hi Floyd. I thank you for your generous comments.
Vic
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Well not very PC, but certainly enjoyable. Lovely chords in there!
Vague resemblance to the human race Ouch!
I wondered if you might try: to those few dollar bills > to those dollar bills
Hope it was cathartic for you!
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Thank you Germain. Of course you're right.
Vic
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Hi Vic:
Didn't want to post first for fear of being classified as a "street teamer"... LOL! RDM said what we are brainwashed to believe these days about "political correctness"... but those of us who've seen our country turned into a mere shell of it's former land of noble dreams... can relate. I remember when the druggies and the crooks feared to come out of the shadows before our courts emasculated our law enforcement agencies, tying one hand behind their backs... and ours in the process. The majority in this country is being forced to watch as we become the minority... as our porous borders leak to allow criminal aliens to invade with impunity. Now we must pay to feed and clothe them and allow our medical facilities to be over-run at our expense... and they keep on coming and stealing our country.
You hit all the right buttons for what I think. Scammers have nearly destroyed the internet and are making land-line telephones a mine-field of lies and deception. Lois Lerner did her best to do her part to destroy a new political movement... and got away with it. I could go on and on. Now we are forced to endure Mueller's massive waste of tax dollars in a witch hunt funded by Saint Hillary... the witch who would be Queen.
Yes, Vic... it's dark, brooding and sure touches all the hot buttons about the way I feel about the dark path we have been travelling . Yes, I do "think the thoughts" embodied in your song. Would I act on them? Probably not... unless pushed into a corner.
This one could easily be an "anthem" for the silent majority. Well done. ----Dave
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Very much in the groove of Johnny Cash' American recordings towards the latter end of his career Poignant, brutal and a honest response to most of our feelings although many would'nt step up or over the line to say how they really feel. I applaud you. One voice might not matter? Never believed that Vic John
Last edited by Travis david; 03/20/18 07:52 AM.
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. Oscar Wilde
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Hi Calvin.
Thanks for the boost. Vic
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An excellent write and performance.
Just a writer of words
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Thank you, rainy day man. Well it was originally "to those dollar bills" but that could have meant a large amount so I changed it to a more pathetic "few dollar bills".
And yes, it did clear the air for me.
Thanks again, Vic
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I liked it Vic! I did think you might have kept the bad one's deeds to something horrific, as a shooting may not be appropriate for a scammer. (Debatable?) Good stuff! -Mike
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Hey Dave! Sounds like you know what I mean. Would I really do that? Probably not but I may cut their hands off.
Thanks for your support again.
Vic
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Yes Travis. That's the style. Thanks for the appreciation.
Vic
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Vic
We have the right to have the GUN.
As long as we do, we have protection from those who would do us harm!
Bluntly spoken, your song explains why strength and numbers matter!
A bullet in the right place, eliminates one more reason why!
Write on!
Mackie
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Thank you Mike. Anyone that causes harm to honest hard working folk are no use in this world.
Vic
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I'm right there with you Vic,these folks are scum and should be exterminated.Mike
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Thanks Mackie. We live in hopes that one day they'll all disappear.
Vic
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Cheers Mike. Thanks for listening.
Vic
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You're sounding really good on this, Vic. Interesting take on venting frustration. No telling what we're each capable of once we're weaponized.
Ricki
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Vic,

I like this a lot. Your vocal kills on this tune; reminiscent as others have referenced of Cash’s later work (“Hurt” comes to mind). And, of course, perfectly put together—great sound. My only thought is to echo 9ne’s comments on the substance of the lyrics—scammers to some may not have the same impact, and may to some diminish the gravity of your message. Just a thought.
Revered regards,
Deej
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Hi Ricki! Thanks for the comment. Nothing like a musical rant to blow off steam is there? I'll keep taking the pills though and all will be fine. Vic
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Thanks for your view, Deej.
Re your "scammers" comment: The song isn't just about scammers. Maybe that idea has been picked up because it was the only type of vermin mentioned.
Verse one brings in the mugger and verse two, possibly a rapist or maybe some psychopath.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Vic
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"Before you die you'd write a short note and take the blame Then pin it onto your blood stained coat and bleed your life away"
"I wrote it when I read an ad requesting a song that was dark and moody in the americana genre."
Dark? Yeah, very dark. Moody? Yeah, very much so.
I do not want to run into the protagonist if he/she has a hair trigger -- literally and figuratively -- and is in a particularly foul mood.
You gave 'em what they asked for and did it well.
J&B
Check out our new album Janice Merritt "Am I Blue Enough?" on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon and others.
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Hi J&B. Thank you. I'm glad you think it worked.
No hair triggers here but plenty of frustration. I did buy a shotgun many years ago for shooting small game but I lost the desire for it very quickly.
Vic
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Good one Vic.
Fairly universal sentiments I would say. Nice Tom Waits type vocal. Reminds me of the old Death Wish movies. Favorites of mine.
Cheers.
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An excellent tribute to those who want to fight back when they see vermin preying on the gullibility of others, particularly old people who cannot keep up with the latest lies. And as Dave said, a protest to the decline of our societies.
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Thanks RichMac. Yes! The old Death Wish movies got you cheering for the underdog.
Vic
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Hi Colin. Thanks for the understanding.
Last week a 78 year old guy and his wife found two armed robbers in his house. Apparently he grabbed a screwdriver and stabbed one of them, who died instantly and the other ran off. The 78 year old was arrested. There was a big media uproar over it and after a couple of days he was released without charge.
One up for common sense.
Vic
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"I did buy a shotgun many years ago for shooting small game but I lost the desire for it very quickly."
So are you saying you moved on to bigger game Vic? LOL!
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Nah! Too old for football. :-)
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Hi Vic,
Songwriting is like theatre and cinema--stories are entertainment--good, bad, & ugly sometimes, and sometimes a little of all three. I think this is one of your very best, the song both musically & lyrically captured me. We all are frustrated with this world at times and though I don't believe in vigilante justice, I think everyone feels the anger within. I think Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, & Johnny Cash would say "hell yea" Vic!
steady-eddie
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Hi Ed. That's good to hear. Yes, the anger within was let loose for a while. Thank you for the appreciation.
Vic
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Vic,
I was stopping in on a few prior posts and just saw your response to my comment. Apologies for the late reply. Just to be clear, my reaction was that I’m not sure I bought in as a listener to “scammers” getting the same treatment, as it is, as the muggers and rapists in verse one (not that they don't deserve it). But scammers in the mailbox and on your phone struck me as more general then the creepy specifics of the first verse; it seemed less invasive and evil and thereby less deserving of the dark deserts this song serves. So my thought was to opt for staying darker in that second verse—there’s still a lot of evils to cover (drug dealers, pedophiles, terrorists, etc.).
Not sure that helps, but for what it is.
All the best,
Deej
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I get you Deej. Thanks again.
Vic
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"If one man can do it, any man can do it. It is true. But the real question is, if one man did it, are you willing to do what it takes to do it as well?" –Brian Austin Whitney
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