MOONLIGHT ON WATER, original, Chuck Picklesimer

This was the last song on my fourth album, titled Camp Id. This cut was me on vocals and using a flat pick on a Taylor nylon string acoustic electric cutaway, recorded in Steubenville at Aardvark Studio. One vocal mic and two instrument mics positioned near the sound hole and further up the neck.

This song was done as a writing exercise in our local song writers circle in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, near Akron. The group leader, Don Henson, found a lead pencil with the name Rose Island Lighthouse. He challenged each of us in the group to write a song about that place. I found it on the net but no useful information there. At the next meeting there were some really great presentations from the members. Too bad we dont have an organization like that where I live in Mayberry so to speak. It is about an hour and a half drive from my home in West Virginia to the falls. But it is always worth the trip. Thanks for listening, Chuck. MOONLIGHT ON WATER copyright chuck picklesimer 2004

Moonlight on water is silver and shiny.
It ripples and frolics on oceans and lakes.
Moonlight on water we remember fondly
From our view high above it by the old sailors graves.

Theres an island in the ocean near where I was born.
Its a little old hill with a hard rocky shore,
where so many sailors arrived at deaths
Door, by crashing on rocks
.by drowning near land.frantically reaching for
Something to hold.
and knowing so fast there is nothing in hand,
but moonlight
On water so near to dry land.

Moonlight on water is silver and shiny.
It ripples and frolics on oceans and lakes.
Moonlight on water we remember fondly
From our view high above it by the old sailors graves.

So many died there on loud, lonely waves.
So many red roses on old sailors graves
That the island finally was given her name.
Rose Island, Rose Island, old piece of
Dry land, by moonlight on water filling old sailors hands.

(Chorus again)
Now memory and sorrow, they drift hand in hand,
by the Rose Island Lighthouse
On flowery land. And sometimes cold wind blows over bold waves,
singing the names
Of the old sailors graves. Singing the names who went down in cold waves.

Jeremiah Simpson..Andrew HickoryPatrick J. ODonnellBilly Ray.
You and Me.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• folk
• original
• singer
• songwriter
• acoustic
• guitar
• moonlight
• light
• house
• island
• chuxtrux

[rhopen]

I think this is a great premise for a song. It paints a great visual story. A particularly good performance here too. -Ron

[chuxtrux]

hi ron. thanks very much. i appreciate your opinion. be well, chuck.

[ljped]

A moving song and fabulous guitar picking. Another brilliant one Chuck.

(Hope you got down safely from your roof!).

[chuxtrux]

hi jack. thanks for the visit from ireland.  hope you are doing fine, chuck.

[BradfordandLasso]

I'm running out of positve adjectives Chuck. This is soooo good. I would love a copy of your CD. we might have to work something out. I think you are just great. I love your songs. I know I'm repeating myself, but they are like modern folk songs. these songs will live on Chuck. really. they must.

5 *****

Paul

[chuxtrux]

hi paul, thanks so much for the warm compliments. i'm glad you like some of the tunes. my favorite music is folk, mostly for the story telling. chuck.

[chuxtrux]

nice thought but not in the cards financially. after my heart surgery and such, and no insurance, not much money left for extras. however, it's great to be alive. curtis, i sure do like the experience of youtube. i belong to a song writes circle that meets once per month and i like it. but this song writers circle meets 24-7 and we are exposed to some fantastic artists from all parts of the world, from the comfort of home. what a treat. chuck.

[CurtisMateer]

In some ways, as one would expect, your craftsmanship, lyrically in particular, got better as the albums were made...now if you could find a way how to use the hot shot fiddler and that backing singer you used on your second album and marry the sound to your experience, wow, that would be an album.

[chuxtrux]

hi there scott, yeah i got a kick out of writing a song where one ghost is explaining the facts of death to another ghost. be well friend, chuck.

[chuxtrux]

hi craig. thanks for the nice comment. flat picking just means not finger picking, and for the most part, not strumming. just hold the pic in you hand and use it to hit various strings, one after another, usually alternating the bass strings. some bluegrass players advance the technique to "cross picking", which is pretty hard to learn. the best thing is to just type in "flat picking guitar lessons" on you tube and you will see many examples. you might enjoy this learning exercise, chuck.