39 Years

I wrote this last year. It remains true, except for the part about being thirty-eight years old:

It's my birthday today. I've been fortunate so far. Despite my infinite capacity for boneheadedness, I have a great many things to be grateful for - most of all my wife and children. Also, I have been blessed with some good friends who have stood by me through the years. It's pretty amazing how fast these first thirty-eight years have gone, and I swear time is accelerating. (Isn't there something to that? Expanding Universe and all?) I don't really have anything profound to say about it. But everyday I realize more and more just how precious this life is.

Crawdad Song ~ chords and lyrics

I've been putting together some teaching materials for the Young Jammers, and I've put one of the cheat sheets online. Feel free to download and print this out for personal use. However, please respect that this is an original arrangement and the lyrics are my own work.

I actually play this in C position with a capo on the fifth fret. Basically, I use an alternating bass fingerstyle pattern. Some people call that "Travis" picking - as in the great Merle Travis.

Chords and lyrics to Crawdad Song (copyright Chuck Cheesman)

Enjoy...

Sorting out my URL world

I've been rebuilding my web presence for my music:

Everything can be accessed through Chuck Cheesman ~ Songwriter/Musician.

Please feel free to link or bookmark.

I manage a number of domains. If you've got too much time on your hands, check them out:

http://www.chuckcheesman.net/ - my "entrance" page linking my other pages.
http://www.chuckcheesman.com/ - my songwriter page.

http://www.dancingwithnoshoeson.com/ - my kids music page.
http://www.afamilysongbook.com/ - currently pointed at the previous site.

http://www.youngjammers.org/ - a non-profit for which I volunteer.

Registering a URL is cheap. For years someone owned chuckcheesman.com and kept trying to sell it to me for a premium. Eventually they gave up and I bought it. I don't see any reason to give up the .net address considering how cheap it is to maintain. Same with the A Family Songbook URL.

So here I am, a man of many domains. :-) As if it matters...

Dancing With No Shoes On!

It's been a long time since I had an opportunity to BLOG. This is just a quick note to let you know what I've been working on...

My new children's music business is online at http://www.dancingwithnoshoeson.com.

Thanks for taking a look!

Election Night

Please click the title to listen to a new song. Then vote!


Election Night (link has been removed)
Chuck Cheesman

A cold November wind blows
and the sun is going down.
They've just closed all the polls.
Some good friends are coming `round
We'll put the coffee on the stove
and turn the TV on.
We'll say a prayer this time we finally get it right.
It's Election Night.

I saw him at the polling place.
He looked a lot like me.
He held his baby daughter
while I bounced my son upon my knee.
He wore a flag lapel pin.
I wear my heart out on my sleeve.
I turned left where he turned right,
going home Election Night.

Down at the polling place, I see my neighbors and my friends
casting hopes into a ballot box like wishes to the wind.
I hear a mother tell her little girl, "Someday you could be the President."

When we get up Wednesday morning
the world looks the same.
The Sun still rises in the East
and the rain still feels like rain.
We'll put the coffee on the stove
and turn the TV on.
And say a prayer this time we finally got it right.
on Election Night.

Say a prayer this time we finally get it right...


10/21/08
copyright Chuck Cheesman

autopilot

We've been on the road most of the past two weeks. Our trip up through Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana has been spectacular! The little Prius has done very well for us, and even with the large roof rack we're averaging over 40 mpg.

How much have we been driving? I went out for a four-miler the other night in Jackson, Wyoming. My legs were feeling strong and I was running at a pretty good tempo when I looked up and saw a "Speed Limit 25" sign. So I slowed down...

from Orem, Utah

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