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Strong Arm Tactics

by Jerry Axson

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1.
All About You 03:25
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All About You ©Jerry Axson Well the last time That I saw you You were no friend of mine A set of fading brake lights crossing that Georgia state line That’s when I knew We were a long way from through That’s when I knew This was all about you You Please forgive me I stand corrected I’m just a blunt instrument at best Spent the night in agony with this knife in my chest That’s when I knew We were a long way from through That’s when I knew This was all about you You That’s when I knew We were a long way from through That’s when I knew This was all about you You You It’s all about you You You It’s all about you You You It’s all about you You You It’s all about you
2.
Said and Done 04:20
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Said and Done ©Jerry Axson Sit myself down with paper and pen I don’t really know where to begin To say that it’s all been a waste of time Well that just comes out cold and unkind Is there no better way I can say We never belonged here anyway Anyway We never belonged here anyway We had ourselves a real good time Back when our life was all dancing and wine But time rolls on and usually downhill Familiarity is a bitter pill And you can choke on it if you try Maybe it’s best if we just say goodbye Goodbye Maybe it’s best if we just say goodbye Looks like I’m the king of uncertainty That makes you the queen of low fidelity We had ourselves a pretty good run And now that it’s all – all said and done Said and done Now that it’s all – all said and done
3.
I'd Rather Fight (Than Die) 05:49
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I'd Rather Fight (Than Die) ©Jerry Axson If I ever get out of this cage I’m not sure what I’ll do One thing’s for certain I won’t crawl back to you Years spent under your thumb Beneath the weight of your eyes Has left me a feral dog Who’d rather fight than die And I – I - I I’d rather fight than die It’s worth the try And I – I - I I’d rather fight than die Because it’s my life It’s my life Running down a dark path Beneath a full moons’ light Feel the hot air sting my lungs As I press deep into this night I can feel the pain slide away Like peeling off dead skin Transforms me into something new And I don’t know how it will end
4.
HID 04:20
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HID ©Jerry Axson On the road at 4:00am I’m trying to stay awake Right foot on the accelerator Left foot on the brake Through the black up ahead There’s a bright glow on the hill Like a star has fallen down Against all Heaven’s will High Intensity Discharge High Intensity Discharge Keep moving forward There’s no turning back now Soft blues around the edge Hot white near the ground Pupils open to take it in Like black holes drink their fill Sharp pain across my eyes The lights break over the hill High Intensity Discharge High Intensity Discharge I wonder who you are In the oncoming lane Wonder where you’re going to I wonder if we’re the same Maybe we’ll pass again On some lonely dark night With your blue HID’s And my piss-poor yellow lights High Intensity Discharge High Intensity Discharge
5.
Snake Charmer 05:03
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Snake Charmer ©Jerry Axson I’ve got a lot on my mind Left to imagination Like trying to stop a freight train After it’s long since left the station You took advantage of me When you stole my heart Then you climbed back down that deep, dark hole And proceeded to rip it apart So much more to her than the eye can see She’s a snake charmer boy - she charmed the hell out of me I’m not a missionary man I’m not an angel or a saint There’s a whole lot of damage hiding here Under a fresh coat of paint Yeah, I thought you were it The last stop on my line I gave it everything I had to give You had something else on your mind So much more to her than the eye can see She’s a snake charmer boy - she charmed the hell out of me I ran your miracle mile Til’ I about dropped dead You told me that it’s good for the soul But not so much for my head You got under my skin When I let you in the door I’m old enough to know when to quit And baby I don’t won’t no more So much more to her than the eye can see She’s a snake charmer boy - she charmed the hell out of me
6.
Better Just To Shoot Me 06:06
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Better Just To Shoot Me ©Jerry Axson I’ve got letters packed so tight In a little box I keep beside my bed They hold me anchored if I start To drift too far away from inside my head Better just to shoot me Than to tell me that I’m not the only one Better just to shoot me now Gather up your courage and smile when you point your gun Drowning in this moment Crypto creatures pull and tug beneath me Dragging my warm body down, down, down To the bottom of a cold, blue sea Better just to shoot me Before I go and make a fool of myself You can shoot to kill if I have to I will Take a bullet for my very own self I’m more than a walk on in this show More than a clown in your rodeo - doe We may be civil now but that will change and how Once the letters are burned don’t you know Better just to shoot me Than to keep me hanging on and on and on Better just to shoot me now lay me down in the ground And cover me up when you’re gone Just like a weight is to the scale You roll your eyes while I hold my breath The very next move that you make could decide my fate I won’t lie to you I’m scared to death Better just to shoot me Put me out of my misery I’ve been a long time in pain and it’s a crying shame You’ve been too damn blind to see

about

This is my twenty third recorded project created in my home studio and for now, the last. I had a plan to make an exit and it was pretty simple, create a Pop/Rock project, an Alt Country Americana project, a Blues/R&B project, a Christian project, and finally a straight up Rock n Roll project to close it all out.
Over twenty five years of writing, performing, recording, and producing in my garage, I learned a lot about my music and myself but it took a tremendous amount of time and energy so…that’s enough. “Strong Arm Tactics” is a solid body of good work, there are some stand out songs here and I’m proud of each one…

“All About You” was written around that cool guitar lick that works it’s way into those melodic major scale chord tones. The lyrics come out the gate with a punch to the face and it quickly becomes obvious what this song is about. My brother, Hal Axson, play the bass line on this track because there was no way I could come close to what was needed so thank you Hal.

“Said and Done” in my opinion is a damn near perfect rock song complete with catchy chorus and upbeat delivery. I got to use my new Les Paul Special on this track and that just put it over the top.

“I’d Rather Fight (Than Die)” was an interesting track, the music actually came before the lyrics on this one. I was going for that 70’s keyboard vibe on this track with the intention of hanging a slow and deliberate guitar lead over the ending. I was pleased with how it all turned out, it has a nice flow.

“HID”, (High Intensity Discharge), was a surprise, not sure where that one came from but glad it showed up. The drums drive this one along with several tracks of laced rhythm guitar and a touch of synthesized keyboards and strings. I have to say my favorite part on this one is the harmony vocals on the chorus, good mesh.

“Snake Charmer” is the obvious booger-headed cut here and this was on purpose. Damn the torpedoes, I wanted to write and compose a solid driving, hard hitting classic rock song and this was it. I love this song and I’m still enjoying listening to it. The lyrics are good and once again my Les Paul Special brought it home.

“Better Just To Shoot Me” was a nice surprise for me, especially the lyrics and the composition. On this one I had the idea to let the guitars alternate throughout the entire song, both in lead styles and in actual guitar models. I used my 72 Tele Classic and my Les Paul Special to paint the contrast and it worked out well.

So there you are, around 23 completed music projects with over 200 recorded songs spanning across twenty five plus years of my life. My hope is some day someone finds this stuff and not only enjoys it but pulls something from it to mix in with their style. That would be an honor and worth the work.

credits

released January 2, 2021

All songs written and composed by Jerry Axson
All instrumentation performed by Jerry Axson
Thanks to Hal Axson for Bass on All About You
Engineering and production by Jerry Axson
Recorded at Lonesome Dog Studio
Graphic design by Lonesome Dog Art

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Jerry Axson Columbia, South Carolina

To me simplicity is the root of all great thoughts. The secret thrill for me, the architect, is delivering that thought with unobtrusive complexity. Writing songs and composing music satisfy my soul and because of this I know exactly what I am designed to do, it’s just that simple. - Jerry Axson ... more

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