lyrics & melody
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Dirty Summer
Copyright © 2011 Kelli Caldwell
ROUGH A CAPPELLA VERSION!
[There's a] Crackling in the distance
And the bare scream of a Piccolo Pete
And wafting on a warm breeze
The hint of sulphur burn
Cackling in the distance
The mothers gossip, though they “never do”
And teasing on a warm breeze
The smoky scent of hickory
Chorus 1:
I dig in the dirt with a stick I carved
From the willow tree in our backyard
Stripped, green, flimsy roaster
No matter, no mallows, no memories made
Not tonight, girl... Not tonight, girl...
You’d better stay in my sight
You’d better stay in my sight
Cracking in the distance
From a baseball bat and they’re cheering some kid home
And sweetening the warm breeze
The whiff of roasted corn
Crashing, not so distant
And the dog runs out... that familiar screen-door slam
And reaching through the warm breeze
Fermented beer molding in the bottom of can after can after can after can after can after can after...
Chorus 2:
I dig in the dirt with my bare toe
That I stubbed on a burl in our backyard
Bruised, black, cautiously aware
So sorry, so secret, so someone else's fault
Not tonight, girl... Not tonight, girl...
You’d better stay in my sight
You’d better stay in my sight
Bridge:
Summer comes and goes, they say
Faster than the fall
But I don’t see it any more
I just hear it crawl-- I just hear it crawl
Chorus 3:
I dig in the dirt with my last nail
Then I chew it and I spit it in our backyard
Ripped, raw, quick exposure/cutting to the quick
Be quiet, be careful, be anywhere else
Now tonight, girl... Now tonight, girl...
You'd better not cry this time
I dig in the dirt with a stick I carved
From the willow tree in our backyard
Stripped, raw, cautiously aware
Lyric notes: started out as a writing exploration of sound and smell. It can be surprising sometimes, as the writer, to find out what the story's going to be about. Not autobiographical, but abuse of children is a very big and real problem in our world and I'd love to help raise awareness about it.
titles | by genre
- The Future Will Repay - Finalist 2018 Local Roots Song Contest
- Don't You Worry About the Fall - New Single Release!
- Figuring It Out
- Dirty Summer
- I Can Make It Alright
- A Bleecker Man
- I Need a Little More
- Killing Time
- My Dream Come True
- Serenity
- In the Last Moments
- Oh My Darling
- Pretend Summer
- That's So F*ing Portland
- Romeo - with Brent Rogers - Honorable Mention 2014 Artists in Music Awards
- She's So Bright
- I Just Met You
- Heart Wanderer
- Baby, Baby, Baby
- Here Could Be Anywhere
- Was it Love in Your Eyes?
- Will the New Year Bring You?
- Oh My Darling
- Want to Rise in Your Eyes
- Lost and Found
- Here I Go
- Honor Their Memory
-
Momma, Only Momma and I
- My Credit Sucks
- Cooking Up Some Happiness
- Turtlurtlurtle - Winner 2019 West Coast Songwriters International Song Contest
- The Ooh La La Song
- Springtime Dance
- Tacos, Bananas, and Toy Boats
- Hello I Am a Monkey
- Got So Much Love for You
- Little Ray of Sunsine
- Then You Will Run Free: A Song for Every Good Dog
- Froggie on My Windowsill
- Jumpin' Beans
- Potty Training Song
- We're Almost There
- The Waiting Song
- The Hat Song
- Kickin' It with My Chicken
- Five Little Ducks
- Can't Find My Appendix
- Tonight I'll Be Brushing One Less Tooth - with Alice Block
- The Growing Song
- The Smiler Song
- Robots Don't Tell Jokes
- Rainbow_Love_Song
- Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star - English & Japanese
- I - LOVE - YOU
- Peanut, Pinenut
- Let's Go Pistachio
- I'll Be a Butterfly
- I Believe in You
- I'm Proud of You
- I'm a Mama Monkey
- Is There a Bird on My Head?
- Five Little Frogs
- When You Dance
- Superstar
- Baby Grace
- Jesus Lives Within
- Leave It to the Son
- Only the Redeemer
- Jewel
- Praise to the Lord Above
- He's the Way and the Light
- Father, My Father
- God is the Gracious One
- God Takes Care of Me
- I Wander Still
- One Way to Heaven
- Catch My Heart
- He's the Way and the Light
- Spirit, Fill Me Up Today
- Everything Good Comes From God
- Beside He Stands
- La Lullaby
- Baby Grace
- The Sleepy Song
- Just Snuggle In
- Oh Baby, Oh Baby, Oh Baby, Oh
- I'm in Love with You
- I Will Miss You
- The Ooh La La Song
- The Future Will Repay - Finalist 2018 Local Roots Song Contest
- Don't You Worry About the Fall - New Single Release!
- Figuring It Out
- Dirty Summer
- I Can Make It Alright
- A Bleecker Man
- I Need a Little More
- Killing Time
- My Dream Come True
- Serenity
- In the Last Moments
- Oh My Darling
- Pretend Summer
- That's So F*ing Portland
- Romeo - with Brent Rogers - Honorable Mention 2014 Artists in Music Awards
- She's So Bright
- I Just Met You
- Heart Wanderer
- Baby, Baby, Baby
- Here Could Be Anywhere
- Was it Love in Your Eyes?
- Will the New Year Bring You?
- Oh My Darling
- Want to Rise in Your Eyes
- Lost and Found
- Here I Go
- Honor Their Memory
- Momma, Only Momma and I
- My Credit Sucks
- Cooking Up Some Happiness
- Fly Away
- Turtlurtlurtle - Winner 2019 West Coast Songwriters International Song Contest
- The Ooh La La Song
- Springtime Dance
- Tacos, Bananas, and Toy Boats
- Then You Will Run Free: A Song for Every Good Dog
- Froggie on My Windowsill
- Jumpin' Beans
- Potty Training Song
- We're Almost There
- The Waiting Song
- The Hat Song
- Kickin' It with My Chicken
- Five Little Ducks
- Can't Find My Appendix
- Tonight I'll Be Brushing One Less Tooth - with Alice Block
- The Growing Song
- The Smiler Song
- Robots Don't Tell Jokes
- Rainbow_Love_Song
- Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star - English & Japanese
- I - LOVE - YOU
- Peanut, Pinenut
- Let's Go Pistachio
- I'll Be a Butterfly
- I Believe in You
- I'm Proud of You
- I'm a Mama Monkey
- Is There a Bird on My Head?
- Five Little Frogs
- When You Dance
- Superstar
- La Lullaby
- Baby Grace
- The Sleepy Song
- Just Snuggle In
- Oh Baby, Oh Baby, Oh Baby, Oh
- I'm in Love with You
- I Will Miss You
- The Ooh La La Song
- Baby Grace
- Jesus Lives Within
- Leave It to the Son
- Only the Redeemer
- Jewel
- Praise to the Lord Above
- He's the Way and the Light
- Father, My Father
- God is the Gracious One
- God Takes Care of Me
- I Wander Still
- One Way to Heaven
- Catch My Heart
- He's the Way and the Light
- Spirit, Fill Me Up Today
- Will the New Year Bring You?
- Twas in the Moon of Wintertime - The Huron Carol (cover)
- Twas in the Moon of Wintertime - The Huron Carol (cover)
- Frere Jacques in French, English, German, Finnish, Spanish (cover)
new!
New song released!
• Don't You Worry About the Fall
favs
Some local songwriters & artists worth checking out...
• Jessa Campbell & the Saplings - kids
• Gil Reynolds Trio
• Julio Appling
• Spank Hopkins
• Matt Clark (kids)
• Dan'l
• Naomi Hooley
not local...
• Asa
• Bebe
• Alison Krauss & Union Station
• Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
• CCR
• PFR
• Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers
• Coldplay