For days, I have been going through old papers. I have been missing my dad so much! Wow, I almost went and bought a fifth and whiskey to get drunk. But I didn't. In lieu of that, I'll post a tribute.

This song is true. Every January 16th, my dad would act very strange. Actually, ill.

Imagine, sixty two years ago today, a young man finds his bomber destroyed by flak and the crew has to bail out into the dark night. He literally throws his wounded tail gunner out the airplane, pulling the ripcord, assuming his crewmate is dead. (He was not; he survived!) Imagine how scared they were. One time someone asked my dad "Were you scared?" He said "Heck yeah! I just wanted to live!"

This is just a work copy to archive it, pitchy as it is. I'll do a real recording someday.

Of course, as a singer-songwriter dude, I am always curious if anyone thinks the song has merit... to record on an indie album, at least.

As always, any feedback to this songwriter is appreciated!

:::

MP3: The Load .

“THE LOAD”
©2005 Bill Pittman All rights reserved

I found his P.O.W. tags, it took my breath away
Made of pewter, stamped, embossed Stalag VII-A
One four six five seventeen, what my dad became
A German P.O.W., a number, not a name

[ CHORUS: ]
Cry, no tears but how I cried
'Cause I know it changed him inside
So blue from what a war can do
The Load becomes a part of you

I found a certain picture and it took my breath away
Why had I never seen it, Mom did not know what to say
Stalag VII-A, it said, my God, they were so thin
One four six five seventeen, my mom said See, it's him

[ CHORUS - REPEAT ]

[ BREAK ]

He never talked about it much but I would always know
When January 16th came, The Load would always show
I'd ask my mom if Dad was sick, he'd stay in bed all day
The anniversary that led to Stalag VII-A

[ CHORUS - REPEAT ]

The sixteenth day of January, nineteen forty-five
A bomber down, a capture, then the struggle to survive

------------------
Bill
SmallGig.com


[This message has been edited by SemiLiveMusic (edited 01-17-2007).]

Bill very heart felt tune....

Thank You for sharing, forget the Whiskey & remember the good times.

That's very touching Bill. You should record that someday .... for your Dad and yourself.

Bill,

A very powerful song for sure.

Very touching Bill,
Brought a tear to my eye.
You must be very proud of your Dad,
I'm sure he would have been proud too, to hear your tribute, and it reminds us that it's time we all learned to live peacefully together without going to war.
Best Wishes, Tony Johnson

Bill, I wouldn't change a thing about the song. The things that come from the heart need no embellishment. War is indeed a thing of starkness and the simplicity of your performance conveys perfectly the emptiness and aching that affects everyone.

Bill, I think you already have a finished product there..Great job.

Thanks to listeners taking the time to reply. As a songwriter, I am always seeking honest feedback, not just pats on the back. I have to know which songs are keepers.

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Bill
SmallGig.com

Very strong song, Bill!
DonM

Bill I'd just believe in your self and persevere no matter what anyone says....many a hit song went through many a naysayer

Yes, I hear ya. That is very true. There are many hit songs that faced much rejections. However, I have 300 songs and it's very difficult to choose the best. If I had a publisher, s/he is the sounding board.

If I record a song (it makes it to the recording process), about 95% of the time, I consider it good, else it wouldn't even get that far. But they can't be just good, they have to be exceptional. If I consistently get good remarks about a certain song, that has value to me.

But, there are some songs that I feel very strongly about no matter what anyone else feels.

The problem with getting feedback from people is you have no idea if they even listen to the genre the song is in or how much they listen to music or how good an ear they have. But, as I said, it does have some value to me and I appreciate comments.

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Bill
SmallGig.com

Bill, with that many songs you've got to get them in front of a publisher. You know, you can be writing the greatest songs ever written but if they don't get any further than your basement, then what's the point? Time to make some phone calls, bud. Good luck.

Well, it's not like I'm not trying! Last year, I met with two bigshots and a few other smaller shots and was encouraged with those favorable meetings. But major health problems continued to screw up my plans for the past year. Everytime I'd make plans, I'd get sick.

As I mentioned in another thread for another song, I am submitting some songs tomorrow.

So, I'm trying! It just takes time and money. I didn't write 300 songs to just let them die.

Thanks for encouragement, it ain't easy, is it.

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Bill
SmallGig.com

VERY moving, Bill ...
Best of Luck ...
t.

Bill,

I liked your song very much.

Your songs will never die as long as they are posted on a website so that people can listen to them. Good luck with finding a publisher.

Regards,
George

Like the others have said, obviously lots of emotion in this one...

The challenge for songwriters is to not be so close to your work that you can't or won't see the blemishes within. The balancing act required between good art/music and commercialism is a tricky one indeed.

You might perform that song in front of an audience like a Military reunion and absolutely blow them away. On the other hand, how commercial is a tune like that? I'm sure there's an audience for it somewhere, but as the whole process moves from music and art to commercialism, marketing and bottom line profit...well, a lot of terrific works don't survive.

Keep 'em coming!

Bill in Dayton