One Down, One Up: Live

September 10, 2011

It’s safe in here.

In here, it’s safe.

Cymbal sounds spinning like birds in a hurricane. Those block chords banging. That sax screeching up down around what and where I go where it pulls me.

It’s a wild world in here, dark and smoky and warm and wild.

Toms rolling to a bootdrop, waves pounding the shore, roll to pound, roll to pound, roll to pound, with the block chords banging, chords banging alongside them.

And that damn crazy sax making no sense, screeching and crying, thinking and wandering.

It’s wild in here, but it’s safer. Got the bass laying down the floor, something firm to stand on. Out there ain’t nothing firm. In here it’s wild, see, got chaos, but got order, too, got rhythm. All things happen for a reason in here. Out there ain’t no goddamn reason not one bit. They swing you up and let you go and move on to the next not waiting not willing to see where you fall ain’t no one there to catch you. In here you got the sax on the right the keys on the left the cymbals all around and the bass on the ground got order got structure got chaos. Got that wild sax trilling like me shaking my head flapping my feet tapping my hands on the bar lost in that dark smoke, warm and wild.

Wailing wild and damn, ain’t nothing out there for me no more. In here is all there is now. Take another drink, take a drink of that, take it, take a drink now, drink it down, drink it up, drink it away, away all that out there all that no reason goddamn throw you up let you fall.

Yeah.

Jazz.

Drop the block. Lilt the sax, bring it a little less mess, a bit more ponderous, less wanderous, gonna let us breathe, gonna have a think for us. 

Now the kick getting insistent, being persistent, telling em hey I’m down here, man. Gonna kick kick kick ensnare, beat the snare, snare, bass laying down the floor now dropping out.

Out. 

Falling in air. Lose my kick, just ensnare ensnare and that sax getting crazy again. Getting wild, getting frazzy, gonna do something a little bit crazy, a little loose like a man in freefall. Sax flipping high high screech like the cymbalbirds then drop low like a warning. Ain’t no shit here, this shit is serious. Dis a man’s shit in here. Give me another drink and keep it coming. Gotta get my brave up.

Them toms like thunderclouds. Got a storm brewing here. Far off, but coming closer, closer. Coming close. Flash sax lightning spin down. Can’t take it away from a man watch him fall splat down on nothing fall into the dark deep into the what they call it abyss. Ain’t that abyss a bitch watch it fall got a storm brewing sax lightning closer close closer see loser close closer.

Sax been spitting so long getting hoarse getting frantic why ain’t you listening why you doing this shit to me. Ain’t a man got a right to work round here. Got no block got no floor done lost it all and them birds now just a haze up ahead feeling like the shit gun come crash down on my head sax head shaking flapping cheeks head hurting got a storm coming down gonna do something crazy nother drink now.

Damn where’s that bass.

Head splitting off. Crazy thoughts in. Take someone out. Take me out. Sky turning red. Lights coming on. Going off. Shots going down. Going off. It ain’t safe in here. It ain’t safe nowhere.

That sax in my head, speaking the wild pain of my heart, the frantic desperate head gonna blow off why ain’t nobody listening to me helping me I just want to work want to do my part don’t need much just a job a block a floor shit. Frothing at the mouth sax, screaming to the sky sax, somebody help me help me help myself shit done gone round here.

Fuck me, here them keys like an angry banker come to shit down my throat all menace me rich you poor now the floor come back.

Lay it down.

Lay me down.

Calm down.

Down.

Down low.

Low.

Low.

Copyright © 2011 by Kevin Aldrich