PPL Lyrics : It's all in the way you say it

[Tom]

PPL's had some terrific songs and songwriters, no news there. Craig Fuller, Mike Reilly, George Ed Powell, Larry and Tim Goshorn, two Country Music Songwriter Hall Of Famers Gary Burr and Vince Gill, Pat Bolin, Jeff Wilson, Curtis Wright among them. Does anyone have any particular lyrics which they've always felt partial to, or which meant something special to them ? It can be an entire song, or simply a line or two, whatever you feel like mentioning.

I'll start off with a Craig Fuller classic from Bustin' Out and also recorded with American Flyer, Call Me, Tell Me.

Great song, I love the part

"You were meant to worship and to choose,
anything you want but now it looks like you will lose
all the things you needed when you were the one
can't be found, you know they've just begun
to crumble all around you
can you see them tumble down
without a thought
or care for you or what you do."

Tough stuff ! Always felt like telling someone that, just didn't know who.

All the best,
Tom

[Dan Williams III]

The one that jumped out for me is "Light of Your Love."
Perhaps because I hadn't heard anything for years from Craig and it was such a thrill to listen to a new Craig Fuller song for the very first time after way too many years of deprivation. When it comes to classy songwriting, Craig is definitely the real deal. God, I wish that I had just one percent of that guy's talent! And the lyrics of that song are so damn heartfelt that it's almost scary.

[Tom]

An unforgettable classic Dan, the Fuller-Kaz writing combination.

"these private wars have lasted too long
and I'm as guilty as the woman I accuse,
and you're the only one I couldn't bear to lose"

Outstanding.

Your description of hearing Craig again reminds me on another One Of Those Things(pun intended.)

I was sitting in my kitchen reading the paper at arpund 8:00 pm listening to the station that always played PPL and country rock. All of a sudden I hear
" Woman why must you leave me
I don't want to be lonely no more
Can't you see
you take a piece of me
everytime you go
So lover let me down easy
won't you please let me down slow.."

The unmistakeable voice of Craig Lee Fuller--he was back ! I had been waiting on it, but here it was --finally. I jumped right up, headed down to a small record store only blocks away, picked it up and listened to it all night long. I was so wound up, it was the best of both worlds, PPL riding high down the Two Lane, Craig back Flying, it could never end, never, the best of times.

I was struck the same way on the new CD with One Of Those Things: the same type approach Craig's used a few times, nothing except his voice and a chord or two leading up to the chorus. It kills me everytime, then and now.

Take care,
Tom

[Tom]

I'm throwing in another tune, this one by George Ed, Runner. What a thing of beauty. George had served notice on the Two Lane Highway LP that he too, was a force to be reckoned woth in the world of songwriting, for those who were yet unaware. This song is rddled with the classic crafty lyrics of Powell. He creates an imagery throughout the tune, just magnificent.

"Next of kin
do you have to rub it in ?
I think I've had my thrill
of the river's restless flow
all in all
I could wait until
the river's still"

" come and listen
to the rain splashing
grasping dry leaves through the open door
do you really want to see me here anymore ?
It's a simple question,
I've learned my lesson well,
so please let me come in
close the curtains, let our love begin"

George was a great one ! I looked forward to every show, every LP, knowing he'd come up with special, he always did.

All the best,
Tom

[Tom]

Tom,

Those certainly are some classics ! PPL sure was blessed with some gifted songwriters throughout the years ! Keep them coming !

Thanks,
Tom

[Tom]

Tom,

Those certainly are some classics ! PPL sure was blessed with some gifted songwriters throughout the years ! Keep them coming !

Thanks,
Tom

Thanks Tom, glad you enjoyed them. Plenty more where that came from, thanks for your input, stop by again !

All the best,
Tom

[LIDog]

Hi Tom!

Obviously, I'm going to have to go back and tidy up some of those lyrics to "Runner" that I just recently posted with the chords! I forgot that you put them here!

Actually, I guess we all forgot that you put ANYTHING here!

I did notice that we've had more and more folks checking out the site all the time. Don't be shy folks! Jump on in! We've got lots of topics like this one, or "your first exposure to PPL" (by the way, that's the first time you heard them, not the first time you exposed yourself to them!!!), and lots of others.

The lyrics always have me befuddled. Sometimes I'm hesitant to post them, because I'm not sure I've got them right... But I'm going to go for it, dang it! Right or wrong, here's one I always liked. Maybe not profound, but it's all I think about in life! From our good Lizard, Larry Goshorn:

"How'd ya like to go for a ride out where the sky is blue? Catfishin' at Whiskey Slew! We could watch the sun come up or sleep right through... Catfishin' at Whiskey slew!"

Great harmony on that line, too. Reilly? George Ed? I dunno!

Keep singin'!

Dog

[Tom]

A little slow today...need some motivation, a plan....may as well check out the PPL catalogue, always a good place to start...let's see, what will get me going today...something uplifting, something energizing...maybe I'll pluck something from the new CD, Craig probably has something which will light the fire....


" And I sure do miss you now
Morning ‘til the sun goes down
I believed beyond a doubt, when the time was right you’d be around
But the only thing I’m sure about tonight
Is I sure do miss you now"


Well, not quite what I had in mind, ....something else perhaps....


"Somewhere down that lonely track
There’s a lover leaving and she won’t be back
There’s a heart that’s breaking as the sun goes down
And the silence of goodbye is such a lonely sound "


No, no, that's not it, another great song but not quite what I'm looking for.....plenty more..let's check out another...I know Craig will get this day moving in the right direction..never fails....

" All your pictures went up in smoke
With every letter you wrote
I cleaned out your closet, there ain’t nothing left behind
I’ve done everything I could to get you off my mind.."


Hmmm.....maybe I'm taking the wrong approach, it must be me......keep looking it's there somewhere....
let's go Craig, make it happen for me buddy.....

"You better believe nobody needs you, be ready to bite the hand that feeds you
As you’re choking on the words you swore you’d never say
That’s just the cost of doing business these days"

....huh?...you're killing me here...maybe I was right after all, .....a new approach needed, this isn't working at all....not even close.....go back in time maybe...that's it....take it back to to the 70's....

maybe a little something from The Lizard will do the trick, from TLH, ah..there it is.....

" When I think of all the times we spent together seems like the rain begins to fall, 'cause in your eyes I see no hope for you and me..."

Memories ??? Geez, I don't need this kind of memory...hit the button...fast...move to '76 ....


OK, good ole George will have something, he always did...which one...give this a shot....

"It's been a long cold winter, bare black trees against an orange sky and your dreams go fading like the snow, if I could I would fly.."

...thanks George, gee I feel better already....maybe this wasn't such a good idea....wait another track...this will be the one...optimistic as usual....

" I don't know if I want to go on living, I don't think that I will even try, life is harder than I ever imagined, without you standing here right by my side, I just break down and cry.."

...............................................numb.....................speechless...........................a conspiracy, I'm certain.............who did I offend, when?..........never mind........one last shot..........wait-- the phone, be right back...............


" Hi Mike " " Try what ? " " OK, anything is worth a shot at this point, thanks."


" We'd like another round of drinks bartender, and would you please take all the empties away"

...hmmm, possibilities....a step in the right direction for sure.....what's that other one he said ? ....here it is....


" well won't somebody tell me what I did last night I can't seem to recomember a thing ..."

...a segue?...a before and after thing ?..what 's he trying to tell me ?...and what in God's name does recomember mean ? ....I'm having a hard enough time without deciphering something even Webster never heard of.... thanks anyway ...at least it took me in another direction..........................I know, Gill ! He's a cheerful little bluegrass boy.....

" I'm so cold and all alone in room 459.."

...wow...right back in the dumper, that didn't take long....who is this Janny Lou ?? ah, this is going nowhere...no wonder he ended up in the National Enquirer.....thanks for nothing pal.....


......it wasn't meant to be I guess.....there's the phone again...can't be bothered....who cares.....

"Craig ? " " Hey I wasn't poking fun, and I didn't write that stuff, you did ! "..........." I was simply looking for a plan of action for today, no big deal OK ?" " Calm down.... what's that ? "... " Really ? " " OK, I'll take your word for it....I guess I missed it on the first pass..... alright I'll try it....thanks..."



....well it's back to where I started.......going full circle.....I guess it's just one of those things........let's see what Craig's idea of a plan is, can't hurt .....

"Cause without you here shoutin’ in my ear
I could do just what I like
Lay around on the couch all day
And go out on the town all night "


Now we're talking !! Talk about uplifting, this looks like it's right up my alley !! Heck I was already on the couch for hours, it was easy !! I can do this, no problem, I really can ! In fact, somehow I think I may have done it a few times before........I knew it, a solid realistic plan is in the works...and a real fine one I might add ! I feel better already. I must leave now, time to get things rolling while I'm so energized.

[Tom]

Ok, I will continue on with this if it kills me. Speaking of killing, here's one line that from Craig's Harmony Song. One line, yet it says so much. I apologize in advance to the dedicated prairiedogs of Waverly, Chillcothe and the entire state of Ohio. Don't shoot the messenger.

"This Ohio life is killing me"

I'm sure he meant nothing by it. Maybe just having a bad day.

[Dan Williams III]

That is just SO amazing that you would mention that line today...just yesterday I was listening to Harmony Song and hearing those particular words got me to wondering why Craig was so troubled with his Ohio life. Speaking of which, what was his connection to McKendree Spring? I lived in Glens Falls, NY in the sixties and I remember that this local bass player Chris Bishop joined that band. That was really big news back then for us smalltown woodchucks. One more unanswered question of mine from another thread is how did NRPS misbehave in 1981?

Dan

[Tom]

" Oh Danny boy,
Pure Prairie League is calling you,
from Mendham Jersey
to Long Island come this May"

Well Dan, have you forgiven me for getting you going with that Rolling Stone cover !!

Well, I can't say for certain that Craig was really "troubled." At least maybe not any more than he was on Feel That Way Again from the Fuller-Kaz LP or Woman In Your Heart from the first American Flyer LP !

He does have a way with expressing emotions though. The song basically appears to deal with a relationship , real or fictional, I don't know. It runs the gamut, reflecting on the emotions of a relationship from start to end. It was good, people change,went bad, why did it go on etc and ultimately--boom--done, " You're so far away now that I won't see your face no more, but if you're ever looking back to stay, stand back it just might take your breath away" . In the end, a rejuvenated man., singing a brand new harmony song. It's filled with great catchy phrases. I guess the phrase I mentioned is just a general type thing we've all felt at that age whether it be for personal or professional reasons, the feeling of being stuck, nothing on the immediate horizon, nothing going your way, and the notion that it's time to hit the road and look for something else creeps in. The phrase " This Ohio life is killing me" was a powerful one though , I know it struck me when I first heard it and thought wow, I guess it's like that everywhere ! Whether or not Craig used a relationship to convey his feelings about how the whole music career and the difficulties he was running into is a question I've thought about. I can't help but think he was getting a little itchy around that time period though. Things were going on personally and professionally, he had a lot on his plate. And , like the new tune The Cost Of Doing Business, Craig is exceptional at translating emotions onto paper. Food for thought. At any rate, it was certainly a great exercise in songwriting by Craig. When it makes you sit and think about it, take it apart, it did it's job !

Then after the debut LP, he comes out with Bustin' Out. I remember hearing some of the songs on that and thinking " Wow, Fuller must really be dealing with some heavy feelings and problems, either that or I'm doing a helluva lot better than I thought".

I don't know of a personal connection with McKendree Spring, but Craig definitely was a fan of their music, found it inspiring. "Sittiing on McKenzie River, listening to McKendree Spring " from You're Between Me was Craig's personal tribute to the band. A little anecdote on that. The next line after that it " They're so God Damn good" was considered to be too flagrant by RCA and they suggested maybe changing it, fearing that it would hurt the chance for airplay.

As for that final question, well Dan, maybe I should have let sleeping dogs lie !

All the best,

Tom

[Dan Williams III]

Tommy babe,

Thanks for the insight on the CF psyche. God how I wish Craig would someday do an acoustic solo tour...no offense to PPL, I do love them, but can you imagine how cool it would be to hear our man doing exclusively Fuller material in an intimate setting? Regarding NRPS...I totally agree to let those sleeping hound dogs alone...they just might bite ya. By the way, we all enjoy your tireless efforts to keep us informed and entertained. Keep up the good work, my friend!
Dan

[Vice Admiral Swiss Navy]

Ok, I will continue on with this if it kills me. Speaking of killing, here's one line that from Craig's Harmony Song. One line, yet it says so much. I apologize in advance to the dedicated prairiedogs of Waverly, Chillcothe and the entire state of Ohio. Don't shoot the messenger.

"This Ohio life is killing me"

I'm sure he meant nothing by it. Maybe just having a bad day.

Tom:

Actually if you look at that time in America and in the state you had Gov Rhodes and "Four Dead In Ohio" so it was a tough time for all.

So maybe CLF was making a reference to just living in Ohio and how it was affecting him?

Then again I read a newspaper story where Craig mentioned that there never was an Amie as he merely used his artistic lisence for that song so maybe he was just using that same artistic lisence when he mentioned "This Ohio life is killing me" then again maybe not.

Mike
using_a_little_artistic_lisence_myself

[Tom]

Hi Mike,

Well who knows but Craig exactly what he had on his mind. But the song is written in the terms of a relationship and the changes that go on in one. If you look at the entire stanza where it falls it's probably simply about a guy whose thing for his girl has gone sour, then he's in an upbeat mood once it's done, the weight of it off his shoulders.

'You used to tell me that you knew me pretty well,
That's all changed and I'm just not the same
Caught in the middle 'cause I'm rushed just a little and I don't know why
gotta be just a little more than all this pain
This Ohio life is killing me
my strength is gone
I've got no more to spare
So you can take this for what it's worth ,I don't care
I'm singing a brand new harmony song
almost every day,
singing a brand new harmony song
since you went away"

Then it goes on about the situation they were in etc. So it's probably a safe bet it the phrase was written with an overall attitude of " enough of this stuff, this place, time to move on, get something new going on". Now whether or not it's a personal thing to Craig, again, who knows. Guys like Craig tap into an emotion, dwell on it, and come up with some scenario like we are talking about, a song develops from a simple thought, or emotion. And Craig does this as well as anyone ever did, it's like it has his personal stamp on it. Maybe he simply looked at a few personal things in his life and out came the song. He gets inspiration from maybe a simple emotion or everyday thing in life and out comes a tune !


Amie is the perfect example of this. No , there never was an Amie. Amie is just a derivative of the French word for love, Amour. And the whole Fallin' In and Out Of Love and Amie segue was inspired when he was living on the horse ranch in Toronto and the band was being taken care of by two French Canadian maids who did the cooking cleaning while the guys worked. Craig started to get feelings for one, and , although they weren't acted on and nothing developed, he developed those feelings into what has become the icon song of the country rock genre. He took the thoughts, the emotions and came out with a brilliant segue dealing with relationships.

Craig , if he looks at this , probably is laughing his butt off at the notion we are dissecting a song because of one line. But that's why I put it up, it's a great line !!

Take care,
Tom

[Dan Williams III]

Curses, now I find myself revisiting the PPL archives while I should be immersed in Spring cleaning, but I must report that it is quite inspiring. Just listen to the section in "Harmony Song" coming out of the pedal steel solo where Craig sings, "sometimes I get to feeling that I need you here"...John Call's beautiful playing weaving in the background of Craig's vocal is simply breathtaking and compliments the sentiment of the lyric perfectly...almost brings a tear to my eye. And I stand by my conviction that he is the most talented pedal steel player to ever pick up that steel bar...always coming up with the perfect and tasteful lick in just the right place. I wish he would do a solo CD.

P.S.
I'll conlude this by saying that I feel "Harmony Song" is a country rock masterpiece.

Dan