Follow The Cumberland To Stardom

FOLLOW THE CUMBERLAND TO STARDOM By Jesse Scobie
(inspired by Nashville)

F maj Amaj Dmin Ab Bb
You’ll make the drive down to Tennessee tonight, like you planned
F maj Amaj Dmin Ab Bb
You played some bars and joints in DC, but it’s just where you began
Gmin C7(b9) F Emin Dmin C Bb
Your friends and family always said, “music as a living is martyrdom”
Gmin C7(b9) Dmin Bb C
But you knew in your heart one day, to follow the Cumberland to stardom

(Same Chords)
Like Willie Nelson’s hit, you are “On The Road Again” for your journey
The windy road of I-40 takes you to the Ryman and Grand Ole Opry
You reach Music City, step inside a honky tonk bar and say “Pardon”
“But I would like to sign up and sing, to follow the Cumberland to stardom.”

F maj Amaj Dmin Ab Bb
It’s hard to make end’s meet as a songwriter in the city of Music Row
So your trashcan is full of scrapped works, as you weep what you sow
Gmin C7(b9) F Emin Dmin C Bb
You follow all of the forms of Cash, Dylan, Haggard and Dolly Parton
Soon you have some story gems, setting you sail on the Cumberland to stardom


Verse: (Same Chords)
A manager hears your song about the wild west and barroom fights
He signs you right there and then beneath the bar’s neon lights
Now you have got some money, some fame, a thousands miles up from Harlem
Still, a writer is never satisfied, even following the Cumberland to stardom

F maj Amaj Dmin Ab Bb
Ten years past, five gold records last, you’re about to go on at the Ryman
You see a young man, a guitarist who’s a big fan, you shake his hand
Gmin C7(b9) F Emin Dmin C Bb
Up on the stage, with everything made, you smile as the lights darken
Gmin C7(b9) Dmin Bb C
You found sweet success, with God’s bless, you followed the Cumberland to stardom
Yes, you followed the Cumberland to stardom.

Solace For Tonight (anti-Trump song)

SOLACE FOR TONIGHT By Jesse Scobie

Bmin/G Emin
I feel betrayed, deserted and dismayed,
Cadd6 D7
but I know it’s always darkest before the dawn
We were told to expect, then respect,
the first Madame President singing her song
Instead we reached and breached,
the boiling point of deep seeded anger
While the year saw the silence of voices
And a distorted reality of danger

Bmin7/G B7
I just need some solace for tonight,
Emin Cmaj7
I see cities crumbling down, it gives me fright
I just need some solace for tonight,
We’ve come so far, raising the bar
For our right to survive, and one day thrive,
but for now..
We just need some solace for tonight, some solace for tonight

Bmin7/G Emin
The days grow shorter, in the post-mortem of our prime
Cadd6 D7
Mothers and fathers tell stories of the better days
When we stayed stuck on those email lines, they gathered their troops and sailed away
Now they have landed here in DC, our leaders have changed, and time will only tell
Who will govern the land of free, life and liberty, who rose above and who fell


Bmin7/G B7
I just need some solace for tonight,
Emin Cmaj7
I see my immigrant friends, their eyes filled with fright
I just need some solace for tonight,
For the women, children and sick, we still fight
For their rights to survive, but for now…
We all need some solace for tonight, some solace for tonight