JPF Home Page Forums Lyric and MP3 Feedback Lyric Feedback Forum 3 "I'm not complainin"

Title: "I'm not complainin".
V1. I'm not complainin, never had it so good
it's just more folk movin to the neighbourhood.
Yesterday was hills of green far as could see
nothin 'n no one ever bothered me.

V2. Never wanted much, eighteeen kids 'nough for me
Year after year 'nother say on my knee.
Herdin cattle a thousand miles night 'n day,
workin hard in honest way.

Bridge.
Ain't the same these days, folks comin by the score.
Neighbours moves away, houses 'pear ev-ry day.
Ain't no longer a place for cattlemen to be
gotta move on 'n find a a place where houses won't catch up
with me.
Chorus.
I'm not complainin this is no place for me.
all I want is a place where no one bothers me.
No, I'm not complainin, I GOTTA BE FREE!
Gonna move further west with my family.

V3. Thirty days ridin East was old man called "Best"
'n more than that was Smith family in the west.
Were good folks, met in town two times a year
long 'nough to be neighbourly 'n have a beer.

Chorus.
I'm not complainin this is no place for me.
all I want is a place where no one bothers me.
No, I'm not complainin, I GOTTA BE FREE!
Gonna move further west with my family.

V4. 'n noises from the street came through the door,
train whistle 'n yellin never heard before.
Horses rearin 'n folks runnin in fear,
no place for me, I gotta get out of here.

Outro. I'm not complainin, I gotta be free...
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I hope youse like me song, please tell me true if you do. best wishes, Ray -Down Under.

Morning Ray or is it evening??

Gonna have to say that even though I get where you are going I do not think you have gotten there yet.

Seems all,over the place as if you might have at least three stories going on. The large family, herdin cattle, moving west, feeeling the need to be free...Free from what?

So all over the place and to many questions as you can see.

My suggestion is to sit back down, jot down what story you want to tell and then use those elements you already have to re-build.

Re-write is not a dirty word. LOL!

Looking forward to the re-write. (Which now means you have to do it.)

Doug

G'day Doug, I guess it does need a bit of explaining. The scene is an Aussie Farmer (though could be a farmer anywhere I suppose) sitting on his veranah /Porch lamenting that his two neighbours one some thirty days west and the other further distant in the East have moved on because of the coming to the district of more folks and after one last visit and last drink together in town heard a train whistle ( a new train has come to town bringing more folk)and horses rearin and folks yelling in fear was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak and he has decided that it's time to pack up and take his family further west to get some peace 'n quiet and be free of the infernal noise. Guess I should add or subtract something to make this more clear and I will asap. Thanks for your pointin me in the right direction. best wishes, Ray.

Ray ... hey you're a happy go lucky guy!

But 18 children? Really? LOL!

Sounds like a happy, content-type of song. Your imagery was ver good as I can picture the scenes you write about!

Stan

Ray,

Good story--grass is always greener theory--but after a time we must move on--change is the only thing that stays the same. Doug is right about wandering--it's ok with me--I think that way: bouncing around and around.

Later,

Mackie

G'day Stan, thanks for your kind words, Mate. Guess every day seems a new house is springing up and the wide open plains ain't what they used to be and I just saw on the TV news that one hundred and fifty thousand are gonne be built in an area next door to a suburb west of Brisbane and one million folk are estimated to move into the South East corner of Queensland just south of where I live in just a few years from now. I like the open country style of living and no neigbours for a hundred miles except one or two but sooner or later that might be no longer possible hence me thinking about this song. May all you wish for come true soon, best wishes, Ray.

G'day Mackie, thanks for being so kind. I guess I lost sight of the plot, so to speak and me pencil didn't quite write down what me mind was thinking plainly. Anyhow, I have tried to make things better. I have subtracted the original 'Bridge' and added a new one. Please let me know if you like me song a bit better now. Me mother always said-"You can never have too many friends" and I am glad that you are me new friend. best wishes, Ray.(Ps. 'Me' is Aussie speak for 'My' and habit takes a lot of changing, please forgive me, Ray.)