Jamaica Getaway

Jamaica Getaway April 81 B Tuning

This is one song ,written as a souvenir of a vacation we had taken in April 81, I did something special with after SeaBright disbanded…it was a very hard time for me, the “fall of 81 “ when I was “reduced in force” =laid off from my teaching position in Randolph after 7 years due to Proposition 2 ½ I thought OK this is when/where I make a living for us by songwriting and a little performing using the SeaBright album as a portfolio…WRONG! …instead after as many hundreds of contacts and rejections as I could handle, I was out digging clams (felt Neanderthal),collecting unemployment and feeling like the musical dream had died and wondering where and how I could get gainful employment -and I was feeling very anxious and with a combination of therapy and medication came to realize that I was having a normal reaction to a double barreled life crisis= a very painful and productive learning experience …went on to work at the Lung Association, and eventually back to teaching at Silver Lake and then on to Nursing and the realization that if I had been musically /commercially successful it might have ruined our much more important marriage and family life …so here I write in our Casita RV in the Keys 11/14/09 extremely grateful and fortunate.
But going back to 81 sometime later still wanting to so some music (I did get together several times with Phil for fun/creative home recordings) I got together with Willow’s original and great guitarist Steve Murphy ; he was a wiz with the 4 track and overdubbing , loved Jamaica and as Cyndy and I were involved in Quincy community TV -Steve and I did a music video = actually funny and creative and a great soundtrack by the 2 of us …. played on cable, and I used it in teaching as part of my personal creative writing offerings shared before vacations with students. So getting back to that rejection thing as with San Antone - I sent a copy of Jamaica Getaway to the Viceroy of Tourism or some such in the Jamaican government and I don’t think I ever heard back either …Hey -it’s a good song!

Jamaica Getaway

Take me you skyrider
Lift me ever higher-
Up above, through the castles of clouds!
Southbound past Florida,
Don’t stop in Havana!
Set me down on that Jamaican gound!

Chorus
Break the icy hold of the winter’s cold.
Warm my spirit then like a smiling friend.
Renew my attitude ,make me laugh again.
Happy Holiday!
Jamaica Getaway!

Land of the lush forests,
Fragrant with wild orchids,
Summer breeze, oh you sweet Antilles!
Streams down from the mountains,
Waterfalls and fountains,
Swept away, on old Montego Bay!

Chorus