Rick Quimby -- The Early Years This CD features songs I wrote and recorded during the late 1980 s and early 1990 s in Worcester, MA. At that time I had settled into my faculty position at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and was finding more time for my musical passions than I had during my graduate student and post-doc years of 1975-1982. I was attending a Worcester coffeehouse, John Henry s Hammer, which featured nationally known folk music acts, and was starting to help out with the sound system there. Along the way I got to know some people with a love of music and nature, and this inspired several songs on this CD (tracks 2, 8, 10, 11, 15, 16). In addition to music I was doing a lot of bicycling through the Massachusetts countryside, and on one of those rides I came up with the music and lyrics for track 1, Blaze of Glory, inspired by the spectacular New England fall foliage. Connections to family inspired several other songs (tracks 3, 5, 6, 7). The songs were originally recorded on a 4-track Tascom Portastudio tape deck, and in 2016 the 4 tracks for each song were converted to a digital format in a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), and processed for the recording on this CD. No additional instrumentation or vocals were added for this remastered version, only volume balance and frequency equilization adjustments. Here is a list of songs on the album, with some additional info on the individual tracks. 1. Blaze of Glory -- As I admired the awesome beauty of the fall colors while bicycling along country roads, it occurred to me that the leaves are in their full glory just before they die. I got to thinking about how that can be like people s lives. 2. Spirit World -- Being a rather down to earth scientist type, I ve always been intrigued (and somewhat mistified) by folks who inhabit a deep spiritual world. 3. Vermont Village -- This was inspired by my dad s life. He was a successful engineer and manager at General Electric, but his heart was always back in the hills of Vermont where he grew up. 4. In Dark December -- I have always loved walking on still December nights along village streets, looking at the Christmas lights and lighted windows in the houses. There is a certain feeling of being an outsider looking in that is captured in this song. 5. Shopkeeper -- I wrote this song after being told the story of my niece Tiffany falling in love with a baby doll, and her father s kindness. 6. Remembering Mary -- My Aunt Mary was a sweet soul, and I wrote this instrumental after she passed away. 7. Tiff s Birthday Song -- A song written for my niece Tiffany s 10 th birthday 8. Don t Look Back -- It s natural to dwell on the past, and sometimes hard to accept the way things are now
9. Recorder Dance -- I love learning new instruments, and when I was learning to play the recorder, I came up with this lively dance tune 10. Coffeehouse -- This song came out of my experience with attending and helping out at the John Henry s Hammer Coffeehouse in Worcester, MA 11. She s Leaving -- A song inspired by a friend of mine, who was always looking for her true path. Eventually she left Massachustts and headed to Oregon 12. Three Whales -- This song is based on a true story, widely publicized around 1990, in which 3 whales got trapped in the ice in the Arctic ocean. I ve always been intrigued by the emotional disconnect between saving individual animals on the one hand, and caring enough about the many others that are harmed by human activities. 13. Blessings -- This song is not autobiographical, since my Dad was fun loving and very encouraging of my music (he got me a piano when I expressed an interest in it -- thanks Dad!). But there was that instance when he thought I was playing my electric guitar too much and he took it away and hid it...which gave me the seed for this song. 14. Morning -- When I hear this song, I have images of getting out of bed, stretching, and gazing out the window to examine the dawning day. 15. Already Gone -- A song about getting prepared for moving on in life, with one foot forward and one still in place. 16. Night Ride -- A song for the road, inspired by a friend making a long life-changing journey.
1. Blaze of Glory (Rick Quimby) In early spring some years ago A sapling fresh and new Was planted in the garden Watered through and through And with each passing day Its leaves rose higher in the sky But now and then I think of when Its leaves would up and die : Oh, let me go down in a blaze of glory Just like yonder tree With its leaves on fire, to catch the eye Of every passer-by you see Yellows, reds and oranges Shining in the sun Oh, let my colors all come through When my own autumn comes And now the season s turned again A chill is in the air The squirrels are scrambling Birds have gone somewhere And high above it all The tree stands smiling in the sun Cause now s the time to start to shine With joy on everyone (repeat twice) Now summertime s a busy time When everything does grow There s berries on the bushes Corn all in a row And the tree stands high above And waits to hear the song That says to go on with the show You know it won t be long
2. Spirit World (Rick Quimby) She moves in the spirit world Her body stays, gets left behind Up in another world Where her thoughts turn warm and kind And in the early morning light I see it in her eyes They re starting to shine Up in the spirit world All things join in to one Merging in harmony The deep blue channel and the Sun But every now and then she stumbles And must close her eyes Her chakra to find, her chakra to find Instrumental And in the early morning light I see it in her eyes They re starting to shine She moves in the spirit world Her body stays, gets left behind And in the evening I can see A shadow passing by She s rising high, she s rising high Why can I not follow her To where she walks in love Where is that place Where high above, the spirits go Earth school is only where She will learn to join the one And all these Earthly cares They will pale beside the Sun
3. Vermont Village (Rick Quimby) In that sleepy little Vermont Village That s where my life began In that sleep little Vermont Village There I know who I am I was born in the country, raised on a farm Watched my daddy work the fields By the time I was seven I knew how to grow Next year s crops in a row Next year s crops in a row In that sleepy little Vermont Village Always felt so free In that sleep little Vermont Village That s where they ll bury me I went off to college when I was of age I would be an engineer Left my family behind me and all that I d known All the seeds I had sown All the seeds I had sown In that sleepy little Vermont Village How could I say goodbye To that sleep little Vermont Village That s where I m gonna die I went to the city to get me a job With my college degree For my wife and my family I worked the long day Many bills for to pay Many bills for to pay And that sleepy little Vermont Village Oh how I miss her so To that sleepy little Vermont Village Someday I m gonna go Now my children are older, and off on their own Living life their own way There s a doctor, a teacher, a nurse and a wife None did choose the country life None did choose to live their life In that sleepy little Vermont Village How could I ever leave In that sleep little Vermont Village That s where they ll bury me Now soon I ll retire, escape from it all Like a prisoner set free Now there s nothing to keep me hanging around In this suburban town Think I ll go and settle down In that sleepy little Vermont Village That s where my life began In that sleep little Vermont Village There I know who I am In that sleepy little Vermont Village How could I ever leave In that sleep little Vermont Village That s where they ll bury me
4. In Dark December (Rick Quimby) In dark December Leaves falling to the ground Tree so barren it calls me Without making a sound I feel the cold wind blowing Across the field full of snow The sun is quietly sinking Its voice calls out so low : When will the flowers bloom What will carry me through This dark December I m thinking of you Far have I wandered Long am I gone Searching, not finding How can I go on Bridge: When the full moon rises High above the hill I rest my head upon the window sill And listen to the wind Listen to the wind howl In dark December Time moves so slow Watching and waiting The Earth s laying low Nothing is moving Through the village square Only my footsteps Echo through the air Past rows of houses Warm lights aglow I hear children laughing They re safe and warm
5. Shopkeeper (Rick Quimby) I was a little child, in the store with my Dad Shopping for the holidays, feeling a little sad When way up high on the shelf I did see The most beautiful doll looking at me That doll reminded me of the things I didn t have And I longed to hold it, just to make my heart feel glad So I gently reached up to stroke its hair I swear that doll knew I was there : But the shopkeeper said, keep your hands off that doll Shopkeeper said, keep your hands off that doll If you re gonna buy it, that s ok If not just move away Shopkeeper said Shopkeeper said Well my Dad said to wait in the car while he went back inside His eyes were warm and gentle, but his jaw was set with pride He walked back in the store and bought that doll right on the spot Gave it to me in the parking lot (yeah the shopkeeper said...) Well years have passed now, my father s long since gone And sometimes when things are hard, I feel I don t belong That s when I look into that doll s face and see My father s eyes looking at me And those eyes are telling me not to be afraid Don t give in to darkness, try to be brave And when the world is telling me the things I cannot do Those eyes say you can too (well the shopkeeper said...) Well I saw my father flinch, but he never said a word He kept right on shopping, as if he hadn t heard But I felt him watching me as my tears did fall And I put back the doll And though my heart was aching, I tried to be glad And count my blessing for the things that I did have But as we left the store I glanced one more time At that doll, to say goodbye (The shopkeeper said...)
7. Tiff s Birthday Song (Rick Quimby) Happy Birthday to you Happy Birthday to you Happy Birthday dear Tiffy Happy Birthday dear Tiff : Now there s a T-I-F-F-A-N-Y girl Livin now in central NY And that T-I-F-F-A-N-Y girl Is moving to a street called Pork Now Tiffy has a flower shop Down in New York town And though she has so many dolls She s got the cleanest room around Now Tiffy has a brother Tyler is his name And he s a good kid...well most of the time And he likes to play Now Tiffy has two Gramma s Got a couple Grampa s too And when her uncles come to town Together they fill the room Now Tiffy likes gymnastics Tiffy likes the pool Tiffy likes to play with friends The boys think Tiffy s cool Well Tiffy s 10 years old now Much is still unknown And when grown-ups come around They say My how you ve grown! (with that T-I-F-F-A-N-Y girl who lives now...)
8. Don t Look Back (Rick Quimby) There was a time when you loved a man And every flower was a rose You strolled along the path, hand in hand Something every lover knows But now dreams, a forest of dreams Takes you there, where you were Oh, but those dreams, forest of dreams Can t compare, can t compare : So don t look back, don t look where you ve been You can never go there again It ll only hurt if you try too hard Let the feelings flow around you, softly Now your life is changed in many ways You re independent, on the road Men have come and gone, but no special one Has left his footprint on your soul And now dreams, a forest of dreams Takes you there, where you were Oh, but those dreams, forest of dreams Can t compare, can t compare There was a time when you loved a man
10. Coffeehouse (Rick Quimby) The coffeehouse is open, and people wander in Talking low and waiting for the music to begin Some are here for singing, some to find a friend And some come here again and again And in the crowd of faces, a few begin to shine They know what they keep coming for They find it every time An old familiar story, a verse that s strong and true That lifts you up when you re feeling blue : Those old songs won t heal your pain Like friends and lovers do But it helps to get you through And time won t steal all your gains Ah, listen to the song It sounds just like an old friend So the evening passes, like a mountain stream The songs come running down so clearly and serene And everyone is covered with music rushing by It lifts you up and it makes you high But soon the night is over, seems like it just began The singer sings a final song, and gets another hand Then it s time for leaving, heading for the door But on her face there s a smile once more Now the song is starting A tale of broken dreams A sad song, maybe so But brighter than it seems And though she s heard the song before Knows it line for line She lets it move on her one more time And as the song continues, she voices out the words The melody it carries her just like a soaring bird And though she knows the story Knows how it will end It comes alive for her once again
11. She s Leaving (Rick Quimby) There are times in life, you know When you have to stay or go Times when there s nothing in-between You look at the times you ve had Some are good, some are bad And you get to wonderin Bout the places you haven t seen She was always searching for something Always looking for a sign : Now she s leaving I heard that ship come in Yeah she s leaving She s leaving town So out west, there she goes Chasing owls, and counting toads It s a labor of love to work each day With a spirit soft and strong She doesn t worry about things long Things work out, she ll always say She s a friend to the land forever That s where her new home will be found She s lived here most all her life As a mother, as a wife As a friend that you could always call But how life does roll along Another season, another song And you find you re starin At a new set of walls But old friends hold you forever They re with you even when they re not around
12. Three Whales (Rick Quimby) The season is turning in the great northern sea Wind is blowing now cold as can be And ice pushing in -- time to go south But what s that I hear through the sound of the cold? Three whales trapped in a tiny blow hole Five miles away from open sea Oh, what can we do for these leviathans Let s go help em, let s do what we can So turn us around, let s set em free : Cause there s three whales trapped in the ice And we all watched breathlessly But there s thousands more losing their lives And the whole world blinks an eye Chooses not to see Now the ice is getting thicker and the wind s blowing strong Still those whales keep hanging on They come to the holes that we re keeping wide ( Cause there s three whales...) Now one whale is missing, presumed gone Two whales left to give us their song Oh, what can we do, what can we do Let s call in the Russians, ask for their hand Bring their icebreaker, clear out a band Free for the whales, let s get em free (Now there s two whales...) Well those whales are free now, it s time to go home Once again to glare at our foe Oh what have we learned, what have we learned When it s man against nature we all join hands But not when it s man against man Teach us O great leviathan (There were three whales...) The Eskimos help us, the fisherman too This job s bigger than we ever knew But money s no mind, money s no mind There s TV reporters and newspapers too All come to see what we do A glorious thing, this noble cause
13. Blessings (Rick Quimby) My father was a poor man Never knew a life of ease And he worked all his life Never did as he pleased So when I took the money I d earned And bought this old guitar He kind of frowned and said to me : Now what you gonna do with that guitar? It doesn t look very useful to me You can t ride it into town You can t wear it around You can t sit on it to rest your feet So what s the use of spending all your money On dreams that ll never come to be? Take my advice, take a straight walk through life And count your blessings, like me Count your few blessings like me I never knew my father well And I was just ten or so When he gathered us all around Said he d have to go He would work far away And send the money home And one more time he said to me Bridge: So the years rolled onward And I thought about the man And his simple workin ways All work and no play One day the news came round My father was not well So I gathered my friends around His hospital bed And we sang all through the night Just to cheer him on And late that night he said to me Last : Now I see what you do with that guitar I must have been blind not to see You don t ride it into town You don t wear it around You don t sit on it to rest your feet But life s not only surviving And the joy you bring comes for free Now I know why you love that guitar so It is your blessing, I see Now I know why you love to play it so It is your blessing, I see It is your blessing, I see
15. Already Gone (Rick Quimby) Goodbye, Massachusetts town Goodbye, New England So long, I ll be on my way To the west coast, Oregon bound Goodbye, all of my friends Goodbye, my lovers If you take me by the hand, I can never leave So I start today Now I have to go away. : Cause there s a part of me that s bound for leavin There s a part of me that wants to hold on There s a part of me that I will leave behind And there s a part of me that s already gone There s a part of me that s already gone Goodbye, Massachusetts town Goodbye, New England I ll be off when the first winter snow Hits the ground Goodbye, music I love It s hard a leavin Will it be long til I find a new song? Once again When this one ends No tears, my special one Come time for leavin I ll be back for a while down the line And we ll walk the trail one more time Somewhere down the road New hearts are waiting But if time treats me wrong, and the road gets too long I ll miss you most I know Still I have to let it go
16. Night Ride (Rick Quimby) It s the time for making changes It s the time for being free Like a ship out on the water You will sail the open sea Now you re off where the west wind blows And the rain fills up your shoes And you look to your lucky stars And you pray that you won t lose Looking for the light Looking for the light of the morning Ride into the night There is another song within you waitin to play There is a fire within That will not let you stay Looking for the light Looking for the light of the morning Ride into the night Break into the light of the day There will be times when you get lonely And longing for a home And you ll wonder how it ever came to be Your way to roam But don t you know it ll work out best You know that it s for you And just above the darkest cloud The sky is still as blue Looking for the light Looking for the light of the morning Ride into the night Waves are crashing low beneath the morning sun The timber wolf has left his home And gone to run Into the light Looking for the light of the morning Ride into the night Break into the light of the day Now as you drive down the big highway And you read those highway signs They only tell you where to go And not what you will find And every mile you put behind you Is a mile that you might lose But you never lose some things There s a friend back here for you Waitin for the light Lookin for the light of the morning Ride into the night Everyone always says hello on the trail And it you answer with your heart You cannot fail To find the light Looking for the light of the morning Ride into the night Break into the light of the day