Songs from Ancient Myths 1. Orpheus

Orpheus and Eurydice returning from Hades.
Willy Grigg – Coming Out of the Underworld

Coming Out of the Underworld by Willy Grigg

Just keep on moving darling
Keep moving don’t look back
We’re crawling out of the underworld

I’m right behind you darling
But keep your eyes fixed straight ahead, We’re coming..

Our future is going to get better
All you have to do is believe in me We’re crawling out of the underworld

You risked it all to save me / You went through hell to bring me back
Yes, it’s been one hell of a ride / But We’re so close to the other side

I was tied and bound down, down there
Your love cut through it like a knife. We’re crawling out of the underworld

There’s milk and honey out there, There’s milk and honey for me and you
We’re crawling out of the underworld

There’s room for you and me, there
a place where we all can grow, We’re crawling out of the underworld

It’s time to change our courses,
We can’t lose, what we never found, we’re coming

I hope you believe in me, Cause I still believe in you, we’re coming

Hold on, it’s getting better / Dawn’s breaking up ahead / we’re coming…

Real World by Willy Grigg

12/27/2020

I (A)Don’t wanna (D/A)live in the (A) real world, I don’t want to deal with the facts
I don’t want to live in a hurry
Really I just want to relax
And if that’s[E] all right with you
Then it’s [D]all right with me
I ain’t [E]bothering you
Don’t be [D]bothering me

I don’t want to live in the real world
I want to keep all the plans that I’ve made
I want to pretend things are normal
I’ll never admit I’m afraid
And that’s just all right with me if that’s all right with you
You keep on laughing at me, cuz I’m laughing at you

This (F#m)crazy guy, he drove a bus a [A] way up in the mountains
On [F#m] one lane roads with no guard rails he was [A]speeding like a demon
The [D]passengers were [E] trembling
They [D]wanted to relieve him of his [E] job
But he said you don’t have to worry our lives are in the hands of God
And he decides
If we live and if we die
( You have no personal responsibility)

I (D)can’t be(E)lieve there’s danger out there
(D)I won’t (E) live my life that way
God will surely take care of me
Don’t I always kneel down and pray
I have been a faithful servant
Why does this world let me down
Just tell me who to blame, Lord
Tell me who to run out of town

Be Safe

A song I wrote April of 2020, in the early days of the covid-19 quarantine.

Is this artist safe?

Be Safe by Willy Grigg 4/13/2020

It’s the same old world we used to know
Not so very long ago
The streets and buildings all look familiar, but
We don’t get out much, anymore
We try to stay at home and relate
Cause everybody wants to be safe

I’m feeling pretty good right now, but
Not everybody is
I wonder who’ll be missing from the roll call
When we get over this
We try to do our part and think straight
Cause everybody wants to be safe

Day after day, everything was all the same
You never really notice, ‘til everything’s been changed

I hope we can work together
And keep our motives pure and true
And all the things I’m doing for me
I also do for you
We’re trying not to congregate
Cause everybody wants to be safe

To Be Happy

 

This song was written for Sarah & Zach on the occasion of their marriage August 31, 2019. Sarah is my niece. She stayed with us a couple summers while she was doing an internship in Rapid City. She was and is an absolute joy. Lucia and Gianna adore her!

A couple weeks before the wedding, Sarah asked Jenny if I would write and perform a song at the wedding. Luckily, inspiration came. Here it is.

To Be Happy by Willy Grigg 8/20/19

I don’t care which way you voted
Or if you’re on the winning side
I don’t care which school you went to
I don’t care what car you drive
If you’re happy with you, that’s what matters to me
And you can be rich, or you can live in a ditch
Just be happy

You don’t get too many chances
To be so young and so in love
You’re going into the deep forest
You hope you’re strong enough
To look into the darkness
And face the thing you most fear
And spread out your wings
And risk everything to be happy

The time has come and now you’re standing
You say you’ll be brave, you say you’ll be true
Be true to your spouse and your family
And the little voice inside of you
So go out and get it, nothing stands in your way
It wouldn’t be to extreme
To go and follow your dreams and be happy

sarah_zach_hammer sarah_zach_crop Sarah_Gianna_Lucia

A song for all the brave people!

This time of year there are so many nestlings heading out into the world. I wish them luck and exciting times!


Walking Off The Edge of The World by Willy Grigg 3/5/16

I [G]know how you like to [Am]explore,
It’s [D]hard walking by open [G] doors
You want exotic places / you [Am]want exotic faces
[D]Ones you [C]haven’t seen be[D]fore

Now you’re [G] going where you want to [Am] go
You’re [D] learning what you want to [G] know
You’re growing in a hurry, but you [Am] really got me worried
I [G] wish you could [C] just take it [D] slow

You’re [G] walking off the edge of the [Am] world
[D] Walking off the edge of the [G] world
You felt like you were wasting time, so you [Am] left it all behind
You’re [D] walking off the edge of the [G] world

You spent a lot of time back there
You’re certain that you weren’t treated fair
You’re headed for a foreign land
A place that you don’t understand
Away from the people who care

You’re walking off the edge of the world
Walking off the edge of the world
It’s hard to read a stranger / hard to recognize the danger
You’re walking off the edge of the world

And it’s [C]so [G]ex[C]ci[G]ting /[C] watching the [G]sun come [Em]up
On landscapes / [D7]you’ve never seen
All your [C]nerves [G]ig[C]ni[G]ting /[C] watching the [G] world fly [Em] by
No time to [D7] see what it means

A song for all the winners out there!

This song is about being competitive, ambitious, cutthroat.

 

You Want to Win by Willy Grigg – early May, 2016

Don’t throw no stones, brother
You’ve got your problems, too
You’re not so highly evolved
There’s a little violence in all you do

You want to fight, you want to brawl
You want to see the others crawl
But most of all – You Want to Win

You break the rules, you don’t play fair
Leavin’ lots of broken pieces everywhere
But you don’t care, You Want to Win

I know you think you’re great
And you were meant to rule
You know just who to hate
You’ve been to Hatred School

You want to live a life of ease
You’ll take it all, you won’t say please
Let the beggars freeze
You Want to Win

Three new recordings…

Hi Friends,

These are works in progress. These songs all feature the amazing Rod Meyer on drums – Thanks Rod!

Hopefully, there will be more polished versions posted soon. Let me know what you think… any ideas for finishing these?..

You’re Bad!

Monkeys Wearing Clothes

Nature of Things

You’re Bad!

This song is dedicated to my nephew, Will and my mother in law, Lila. Apparently, whenever Lila says no to Will, he replies with, “You’re bad!”. It is frustrating when people won’t let us have what we want.

I went a little overboard with the recording. Any comments or suggestions are appreciated.

You’re Bad! by Willy Grigg

I don’t want to take a nap, I’m not tired, let me go
I want to play, don’t make me stop
Don’t you tell me no, no, no

You’re bad, you’re bad, so bad I had to say it twice
You’re bad, you’re bad, and I don’t think you’re very nice

I want that candy, let me have it
Let me have that doughnut hole
I won’t wait ‘til after supper
Don’t you tell me no, no, no

I want to run, I want to jump
I want to dance a do-si-do
I want to yell and punch my brother
Don’t you tell me no, no, no

 

I wrote the lyrics while sitting in Christ Presbyterian Church near Greenville, NC, October 5, 2014.