this page was kinda neat.

Memorial Statue

These are the lyrics for "Memorial Statue," a song I made. It's based on the Guardians of Transportation, those giant statues on the Lorain Carnegie bridge that kept watch over me going to high school every day. They're still one of my favorite things in this city of mine. Giant 43 foot tall art-deco supermen, holding travelers close to their hearts.

"memorial statue"


i never left a friend
on the side of the road
though i've never had the chance.
i've never ever lied
to guard my pride-
ever stoic in my stance.


like a statue,
carved out of stone,
triumphant, but always alone.
standing guard
on the boulevard,
silently watching me home.

St. Clair Shuffle

There's a section of St. Clair in Cleveland where the ground shakes to a certain rhythm certain times of the day, if you pay close enough attention. From what i understand, it is a specific factory on the north side of the street that is stamping out something heavy-duty. As with everything Cleveland, i tend to add a little romantic sentiment to it, and thus I wrote this poem one morning after being up all night, riding the pulse of the city. Here it is, as well as a link to listen to the song I made out of it. The song is acoustic guitars, harmonicas, a shitty violin, and a number of vocal tracks, and was recorded a few nights later in my apartment between 4 and 6 in the morning. Hope you dig it!

my feet hit the ground
to the rhythm and sound
of the st. clair shuffle.
and my, how it seems
that life is a dream
in a world without a trouble.

the people pass by,
and by to my surprise,
they’re living life like it’s one big hustle.
but i was brought up right,
don’t know how to lose a fight,
and it’s my city ‘til it’s ashes and ruble.

cleveland, you know what you did,
but i am your kid,
walk the steel mills i call home.
there’s a nod and a wink,
and no matter what you think,
you’re my favorite excuse for a home.

Listen to the song here. I hope you enjoy it.

-john

Here's the plan, Stan...

JohnK here. I'm starting this blog primarily as a place to put my song lyrics and videos. I'm really new to blogging, and I admit, I don't read too many right now, so we'll see how this develops and changes as we go. Thanks for reading.


Here's some other stuff you might want to check out:
my musician page on Facebook
Founding Fathers, a band i'm in
Terminal Lovers, another band i'm in 
roue, a band i was in
the bar i work at