From the recording Both Sides Of The River
DOES LOVE STILL LIVE IN YOUR HEART?
“All you need is love. That takes a heart. And a clue. That takes a head.”
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
I almost feel guilty about this song. I made it up from scratch about 30 minutes before a show for which I had decided I needed one more uptempo song. I just did a shuffly thing for the verses to start, but the chorus just came to me as soon as I got through a couple of verses. I don’t remember which verses were part of that original rendition, but I know at one point later that day, I had it up to about nine or ten verses, all related somehow to the environmental and climate disaster or the political divisions we now find ourselves in. It was a good old-fashioned protest song! But it was way too long with all those verses, so we eventually edited all of them out except the four that remain.
It seems to me that as a species we can react to issues like those in the song either with hate and fear or with love and compassion. I sure hope love wins, or we will be going out super ugly.
Ed Skibbe, Cave Creek
September 2023
CREDITS
Ed Skibbe: acoustic guitar, piano, vocal
Spencer Pyne: bass
Brian McClure: drums
Donny Dark: lead guitar
John Dubuc: harmonica
Pandy Raye: harmony vocal
NOTES
We tracked this with about 8 verses originally. It was L-O-N-G. Spencer labored mightily and whittled away all but the remaining 4 verses. It was one slight failure of our geographically distant recording approach. Some tracks were recorded on the long version, and we didn’t want to just throw away the portions of all those takes that happened to fall in one of the verses that went away. It was a complicated thing, but you can’t tell. The shorter version is MUCH better.
We tracked the original long-version basic tracks at ESP in November of 2022. Donny and Spencer tracked the electric guitar in Colorado. I recorded new vocals and piano tracks back in Arizona.
The day before heading to Colorado in March of 2023 for what I then thought/hoped would be the final editing and mixing, I played a few songs with a bunch of local Arizona compadres at a neighborhood party. My friend, John Dubuc, sat in with us on harmonica. We enjoyed the jams, the beers, a little tequila, some barbecue, and on a whim I asked John to come over and play some harmonica on this song. He laid down great parts.
In Colorado, we realized we wanted to edit the song, and we did not get to the final editing and mixing. Still too much to do. But we made great progress. Back in Arizona, The one and only Pandy Raye came over and recorded the harmony vocals.
Lyrics
DOES LOVE STILL LIVE IN YOUR HEART? (Skibbe)
© 2022, Coyote Tongue Music (ASCAP)
The hot sun is blistering the sky
The hot sun is blistering the sky
We’re as dry as tinder, you and I
The hot sun is blistering the sky
Black water rising on the shore
Black water rising on the shore
Millions of refugees will be knocking at your door
Black water sure enough rising on the shore
Does love still live in your heart?
Love is the answer right from the start
Does love still live in your heart?
Will you help your brother if need be?
Will you help your brother if need be?
I will lift you up, will you lift me?
Will you help your brother if need be?
Does love still live in your heart?
Love is the answer right from the start
Does love still live in your heart?
There is no justice in this land
There is no justice in this land
So many suffer, some take everything they can
There is no justice in this land
Does love still live in your heart?
Does love still live in your heart?
Love is the answer right from the start
Does love still live in your heart?
Does love still live?
Does love still live?
Does love still live in your heart?