"The Redman"

Song & image by Craig Boehman.

My father was a diplomat for a stranger lost at sea

He granted my father many wishes on earth just for some company

There were many storms on the raging sea and at one time all was thought lost

Then standing face to face the stranger said unto he,

“To save yourself, your soul it will cost.”

The Redman said to me hello on my darkest day

The Redman set me up a show and lead me out to play

And now I’m the leaser of my very soul

Contracted for eternity until my life’s to blow

Until my life’s to blow…

My father built a mansion on top of a hill

He has servants and a beautiful wife

He sang in a band and was the glory of the land

He had servants and packed a big buck knife

When I was younger, about age thirteen

He said, “Son, I think there’s something you ought to know.

If you’re ever down with your ear to the ground,

Never let him tempt your soul.”

My father turned into a lunatic

He overdosed on wine, women, and song

My mother would cry while the groupies would try

To get a hit from my father’s bong

Shaking with rage, I took her aside, and screamed,

“Mom, don’t you think this isn’t right?!”

She just smiled at the groupies stockpiled and said,

“He’s losing taste along with his sight.”

The Redman said to me hello on my darkest day

The Redman set me up a show and lead me out to play

And now I’m the leaser of my very soul

Contracted for eternity until my life’s to blow

Until my life’s to blow…

My father died seven years ago

To leave mom and me on our own

I was too busy to see him off

I heard the Last Rites on my cellular phone

Now, I’m a crazy millionaire

In a band who are masters of sound

I loved my father but not his advice

I had to put my ear to the ground

I had to put my ear to the ground…

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I wrote this song back in the 90's when I was doing a lot of songwriting - and very little else. Everything I've written has largely been lost to discarded recordings. A few of these demos have been saved on various websites. "Redman" was never shared anywhere as a recording. I never got the music part of it down completely. But I have begun re-visiting the song on bass guitar, going back to the original riff and trying to figure the rest of it out. If I ever crack the code, I'll be sharing it here on my website.

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