Words and Music & Illustration ©2019 Chris Pendergraft
Hand Me Down Blues - Jimi Hendrix Tribute
Jimi inspired this track. He is always, and will always be, my guitar teacher. I heard 'Red House' as a teen, facing my first rejection by a girl and he spoke to me like no one had ever spoke to me. From that moment I was hooked and it was that moment I took my music studies with a serious vigor.
This song is all about the shit we all carry, that which brings us down is the burden that we carry, and knowing what to carry is the difference between happiness and sorrow. Yah, you can love, but that love can let you down, worse you can let yourself down, so not matter whether you got the world in your hand or not, you got to carry your burden. Sorrow can feel like chaos, screeching guitars and howling wind. So many thoughts swirl round until you can make no sense of your own sense. That's when we are overwhelmed with self, and that is a bad place to stay; so when the burden is too great, it is only us that can throw the dead weight overboard, and give away what makes us sink. Just make sure you don't throw out what is most important to you because you think you are not worthy of the gifts and challenges that the universe has bestowed upon you.
The first sections represents the burden, the weight we carry, the chaos it produces. When we focus on the whole we see the problems are sometimes self created, perceptual and even driven by well intended truth seeking.
The second section of the song is the realization that we often carry the burdens of others, the expectation of those outside of us. The blues are often the the result of social, financial burdens that we assume to take on a position of a productive member of society, but not ever person fits in a hive mold, and that can cause people to take on work that they have no desire to do, and that can lead to disempowering growth of the soul. Someone working hard to do what they want at the same time helping society brings balance to the energies of life so the right work life balance can be achieved.
The third section is the release of those burdens and the feeling of peace and hope for the future that brings.
If you think humans need just food and water and air, then you ignore the need for purpose and a life filled with hope. Hope is what we really live on. Seek hope, not happiness.
Peace in your lifetime,
Christopher Pendergraft
