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This is my first collaboration with Tampa Stan. Stan suggested we post the song here for comments. Stone Marmot is performing it. It should be about the third song in the list at this link:

Stone Marmot on Soundclick

Thanks!!

All The World Is An Ashtray

by Stan Good and A. Karpinski
Copyright 2003 Stan Good and A. Karpinski, BMI, all rights reserved

(Intro
All the world is an ashtray

Took a walk along a road near Birmingham
But, hey, it could be anywhere
Enjoying the wood's beauty and the scenery
But noticed all the litter tha was there

About that time, a Taurus zoomed around the curve
Driver having him a smoke
Finished it, then out the window it flew
The butt landed at my toe
And I thought �To you ...

(Chorus
All the world is an ashtray�
But you should keep it to yourself
All the world is an ashtray
But you're bad for this planet's health

I got no bones to pick with smokers 'cause
Sometimes I like me a big cigar
But grownup habits mean responsibility
Like keeping your trash inside of your car

Or toss it in the refuse bins
That every service station has
'Cause when you flick it out your window
Son, I want to throw it back
'Cause you think that

(Chorus
�All the world is an ashtray�
Let Mother Nature clean your mess
All the world's your dirty ashtray
When you don't pick up after yourself

Now, I don't blame only you smokers, no
I blame all those mamas and dads
Who never whupped their trash-tossing kiddies behinds
And told them litterin's bad

As I wrote this song, I saw two bluebirds land
On a pine branch next to me
We all looked down on the litter around
And this is what we see:

(Bridge
Plastic Sprite bottle, two gum wrappers
Plastic picnic folk, two torn sugar packs
Yellow plastic dish, 'luminum soda cans
And enough butts to make a smoker hack

That's what was underfoot in a five foot strip
And the view goes on for miles
Ugly reminders of former thoughtlessness
From adults who think like childs

(Chorus
All the world is an ashtray
Out of window, out of mind
All the world is an ashtray
But it stinks unless your blind

(Chorus
All the world is NO ashtray
Just use the trash can next gas stop
Your car has an ashtray
If you don't use it, someone call the cops!

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Stone Marmot
www.stonemarmot.com
Stone Marmot on Soundclick

[This message has been edited by Andy K (edited 03-28-2004).]

Andy-

I really like the message of environmental awareness - thank you! If only there were more people spreading the word like you!

You have an interesting songwriting style, a mix between educating and cynacism. Your music and vocal approach reminds me a bit of Devo/80's alternative. This is a cool style, but it does lighten the impact of your message a bit. There's a fun, comedic element to this style, that I'm not sure if you want here. If you really want your message to be serious, this style doesn't work. But if you're trying to have a fun vibe along with a serious message, you hit the nail on the head. I guess it's just a matter of what your intent is.

The production is great too. At times, I might have wanted the lead vocal a little bit more out in front. It gets lost in mix from time to time. But other than that, nice stuff!

Thanks for being a responsible songwriter!

^Thats just what I was thinking...Not too sure if you're just joking around and don't really care about the problem. I also agree about the vocals getting lost in the mix...Its fine for the majority of the song, but there are few parts where its gets lost with the rest. All in all, it was a fun, enjoyable song to listen to.

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Best Regards,
Chris

"To imagine is everything."
-Einstein
My Original Works & Classical Renditions

HIDee Boaz!

Andy gets Big Credit for takin' This "Vent" of Mine & Makin' a Song out of it... "Son, I want to kick your ass" got Softened to "Son, I want to throw it back"...but it's still an Overall Serious Song....JMO. YET it's got some Fun to it...Hey, NOBODY likes to get Preached To.

I'll give Andy full credit for takin' a 58-yr-old's Bitch-a-thon & makin' it pretty Pallatable. (Allus Was a DEVO fan, I'll add!) I know from Many a Year as a Cartoonist, you CAN get People to Change IF you can get them to Laugh at Thenselves. IF I were a Steady Smoker, I'd tune OUT anything that WASN'T Funny--'cuz the Lawyers have already Messed Up "Where You CAN Smoke"...& this Planet's SO "Serious" about tellin' folks What's PC these days....

All JMO...& I certainly Thank You for Your Critiquin' this Baby!

Best Wishes & a Big Guy-Hug,
Stan

HIYa Chris!

Hmmm...Guess Randy Newman's "SHORT PEOPLE"...(a Song about Intolerance)...would get the Same Reviews.

But, in its Own Way, it Worked... ;-)>

This'n', given enough "Repetition" on Airwaves, would prolly Get The Message Trough. One Could Hope...

Thanks for your Kind Honesty...& Glad ya Overall Liked It!!!

Big Guy-Hug,
Stan

Thanks for the comments. Though the message is serious, I did want to lighten the presentation, figuring people wouldn't mind as much being peached to if it was fun.

Being a rocker, I'm used to songs with the instruments being a bit more forward, unlike country and folk, where the instruments seem almost an afterthought. In fact, I've been purposely mixing the vocals further back recently because I noticed that past songs I've recorded just weren't as driving as I would have liked and, when comparing to songs by other artists that I did like and were driving, I noticed they had the instruments pretty loud in the mix. But maybe I've got the vocals a little too far back. I'll listen again with that in mind. Thanks again.

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Stone Marmot
www.stonemarmot.com
Stone Marmot on Soundclick

[This message has been edited by Andy K (edited 04-01-2004).]