Willi Carlisle, "The Grand Design" // GemsOnVHS™
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- Опубликовано: 14 окт 2024
- It was one hot, balmy, sweaty summer day in Nashville when we arrived at guitar repair extraordinaire Spencer Connell's ( / s.connellguitarrepair ) workshop and forced him to look at Willi Carlisle's banjo. With a clean bill of health, Willi treated us to a scorching green house rendition of his hit tune The Grand Design, a song as big a character as Willi himself. Framed by sunflowers and dried out peppers, he belted out a tune filled with coulda-beens, shoulda-saids and redos. Some folks out there are better at saying what they mean in a song than in a conversation not set to music. I imagine some of y'all out there on the airwaves feel the same, and I hope this songs reaches you like it did me.
And yeah, at the end he borrowed/invoked some of the magic in the folk classic by Virgil Anderson, my favorite old-time banjo player. A man of fine tastes all around, Willi is. Some of y'all might not have seen our first go-round with the folksinger, in an ole Arkansas tavern with none other than Nick Shoulders ( • Willi Carlisle, "Boy H... ).
Find everything Willi here; www.willicarli...
Also, if you need your instrument given a gander by a true professional,
spencerconnell...
Our undying love and gratitude go to our executive producers for making this project possible:
Brady Jones, Christopher Way, Eric Valente, Irvin Maddox, Johnny Callahan, Josh Collins, Julie Nestoroff, Keith McQuillan, Lisa Galvan, Mitchell Davis, VJ Arizpe, Brad Sirois & The-One-Who-Cannot-Be-Named.
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GemsOnVHS is a long running series of intimate, off-stage performances by songwriters we love.
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This song is streaming on our Spotify collection now. open.spotify.com/artist/7t78CwAbQIA6DKAKUKBYgl?si=cawnIZvxRXuSpY7bQnpAxg
In a world that's getting darker and a body that's getting older, it's an honor to sing for y'all.
It's all about the blood of Jesus. Sing on in His name
preach brother, here and gone
@@gloryland_bread if that's whatcha need, brother, Okeedokey
Let me know when you make it out to Idaho.....been dropping your tunes all over the valley....great stuff man
@@Willi-Carlisle not only is that all I, or we, need..Jesus is all there is all together
Willie is a hero of American folk music and storytelling. Hope to see him back in Florida someday soon.
amen Mitchell, and thanks for your support.
“I’ll rejoice if you’re more than just alive”.
Heavy words
I love the little bits of backstory before each song, the sincerity in American country and folk music is what truly makes it music.
Willi Carlisle is a deep, compassionate thinker with a wry humour and a unique playing style. If ever there was a gem for GemsOnVhs (besides the other four components of my personal quinary (I looked it up, I'm pretty drunk at this point of the night): Nick Shoulders, Benjamin Todd, Matt Heckler and the Hill Country Devil) this is the man. Suppose that's why it's gems, not gem. First time I heard him was on what I consider Gems' sister channel, Western AF, with the song "Angels". The lyrics blew me away. That was followed up by "What the Rocks Don't Know". At this point I knew that this guy was a dyed in the wool genius. Nothing since has changed my opinion on that.
Friend, just make sure you don't neglect to listen to his song "Van Life."
This cat rules so much. So does Anthony and gems on vhs!!
Ya he does. His music is the business! 🤘
Willi + gems, can't click fast enough.
Willi is the man. Love the way he uses the ancient tones.
And what a dresser.
Dark feeling are no joke. Love this song with a purpose. ❤️
Love to hear him play. He seems so genuine. Always gives me a smile!
Lyrics and chords below folks! As always, it's hard to translate banjo playing to guitar, so just see it as a foundation to play along
Standard tuning, Capo on 5
Intro C F C F C G C
Verses C F C / F C G / C F C / F C G C
Chorus F C / F G C
Interlude C F G C / C F G C
Outro F C / F G C
[Verse 1]
All I ask of you is you is your better years
All I know how to do is waste ‘em
We’ll philosophize on the grand design
And mourn all of creation
[Chorus]
I rejoice because we're sorry and we tried
I'll rejoice if you're more than just alive
[Verse 2]
Now let the gods that gives the world its sins
Let ‘em lay their light down low for you now
I know they said we’d meet in eternity
Still I wait for you on below somehow
[Chorus]
I’m coming home, you should know I ain’t the same
I’m coming home forever changed
[Interlude]
[Verse 3]
There’s evil enough in a half-full cup
To tempt me towards the deep-dark fine
When I believe in love, and the things thereof
I know I feel you shine
[Chorus]
I dunno, but I heard that there is more
I'm uneasy knockin' on the door
[Verse 4]
Cause all I asked of you is you is your better years
All I know how to do is waste ‘em
Now I laugh and cry at the grand design
And mourn all of creation
Now I laugh and cry at the grand design
And mourn all of creation
Thank you!!! This is always so good.
Banjo tuning is fDGCE. Email or DM me if you want help figuring it out.
Sounds like there's a half measure of Am before the F's in the chorus.
@@derekgusoff6768 Always hard to say when translating banjo to chrod bacuase of all the picking and little runs going on there. But harmonically speaking, you can definitely play it with an Am there as well!
Willi is a treasure. Thank you for presenting him and his fantastic and moving song. Yet again you've managed to capture a special moment in music and storytelling.
I don't usually carry a particular desire to meet my musical heroes. Willi, I don't know. I just want to give him a big hug. He seems like that kind of guy to me.
Well, come to the show! gemsonvhs.myshopify.com/products/ticket-gemsonvhs-offices-show-nashville-tn
Free tickets are available for Patreon supporters too.
We all need a friend like Willi.
The verse about him growing old somehow hits so hard. Willi is a living legend.
First time I've heard him or heard of him and I'm blown away. Gonna read up on him tonight and find some more songs of his
Definatly some emotional vibes in the voice and words
Was so glad to see Willi last night in Johnson City TN, tiny venue, half empty, still put on an awe inspiring performance. Best songwriter out there.
“Just kinda copulating in an outbuilding…” I love this guy.
I love to hear different ways that he sings each song with every new performance.
Willi sent his record to me early and this one stuck with me the most. It's really beautiful and powerful.
Music is timeless.. love how much tranforms and travels beyond time and space 🥺🌠
This is beautiful, I've had two suicides in my direct family and I can't explain it to you anymore than someone that has never been close to it. I hear about 4 songs in this melody, which is friggin' awesome, "Would you lay with me in a field of stone" on the front. Saw Willi in Nashville at the tiny Basement a few months back. He was amazing. If he never blows up and sells out the ryman or better I'll be surprised. See him now at one of these intimate shows, you won't be disappointed, and you can say you saw him back when. It'll be like seeing Prine at The Fifth Peg.
"If I needed you" by TVZ is the one I heard.
So beautiful. Loving the banjo playing.
I'm such a big fan of Willi, so glad to see him doing more with you guys!
Really appreciated that call back to Virgil's tune.
Not sure how I missed this, loved it!
Absolutely love Willi. Glad to see him getting some more love
I love this the more I listen to it.
heart wrenching as always friend!
Amazing. Loved song.
I wish I had friends like him
From ben to willi this guy is awesome!
That was really nice, Willi.
man i wish i could get out there for this, Maybe next time!!
Love this guy.
Wow ,this is great!
This was great
Gotta love gems
Awesome as alwaysb
Reminds me a bit of Townes' If I needed you.
Nice!
I can see a similar haunting in your eyes I see in mine
Found this after I attempted suicide glad I get to hear this again
still waiting for the song where he sings about his mama in a brown dress??????
What's that one called?
@@RayPowers2642 that’s what i’m asking?
I hear both "If I needed you" by TVZ and Pete Seeger's "Bought Me A Cat" in there.
@1:55 bug!
he/she loves this one too
Isn't the Grand Designer the one responsible for your friend being suicidal in the first place?
As well as the one who makes / let's people commit suicide everyday?
i dont think willi is religious like that
@@GemsOnVHS I'll bite...I'm crazy about religion. I also think religion is crazy, and try not to trust big, worldly institutions. The question is a good one, though: "isn't the grand designer the one responsible?" Sure. I don't think anything in the (pretty sparse) song contradicts that idea.
But it seems like Dean is asking why I wanna complain/sing/complicate the cognitive dissonance that, if there is a grand designer, that they give n take, and make all the sufferin and there ain't anything a folksinger can do. I admit I'm not sure why, but it's like asking the sky why it's blue or why kissing is nice or why you want your friends to live. I guess I think that mourning, laughing, and crying makes the medicine (that we're dyin, that we can't have what we want, that things are either very meaningful or kinda meaningless and the result is about the same) go down easier.
A rather Calvinist take...
I feel the “Grand Design” is talking about the meaning to life, a reason to live. Nothing religious.