DAISY DUKE

When I was young I’d sit and watch
Those sitcoms on TV
About seven stranded castaways
And the hills of Beverly
When I met my sweetheart
It all became quite clear
That the common thread through all those shows
Was one I held quite dear

Chorus

You’re my Daisy Duke and Mary Ann
My Ginger Elly May
My Dream Of Jeannie all in one
And I watch you everyday

There’s one about the Korean War
And Hot Lips Houlihan
And Jennifer Marlowe from ‘KRP
Was a lot for any man
Chrissy Snow had quite the show
And she always caused a smile
But none of them come close to you
By a country mile

Chorus

And what else can I say
Hey Daisy, Daisy Duke
Make me crazy with what you do
And Daisy it’s you, yeah

Pinky Tuscadero
Was a favorite of mine
But none were any finer
Than Agent 99
All those girls are memories now
And it’s been a lot of fun
Cause of all those girls in my world
You’re my favorite one

Chorus Words by Harley Carmen. Music by Harley Carmen / Ben Karlstrom.
Copyright © 2007 Harley Carmen / Ben Karlstrom (SOCAN).

LIVIN' IN THE COUNTRY

This song was specifically written about my move from the big city to this little place called Merritt, and how the difference in life style and surroundings just seem to fit so much better.

Standin’ in a line-up never made much sense to me
Rather just go into town and pick-up whatever I might need
Find my way back home just in time to go to sleep
Livin’ in the country livin’ where I wanna be

Never mind about that traffic in Vancouver B.C.
All that city rat race thing just wore right out on me
Rather stare across the valley see as far as I can see
Livin’ in the country livin’ where I want to be

Chorus

Really not sure what changed my mind
I guess I’m just not the city kind
Doesn’t really matter the reason or the cost
Long as you’re happy with what you’ve gained and lost

You can see the sun in the morning and the moons silver beams
Hear a meadow lark a mile away sing a song for you and me
Feel a cool breeze a-flowing as you’re drifting through your dreams
Livin’ in the country livin’ where I want to be

Chorus

Bridge

You can learn a lot about yourself sittin’ by a lake
Like it’s not so much how far you get it’s more the path you take
Watch your boys run and splash in water cool and blue
Hear the one that means the most to me whisper I love you,yeah, I do

Lead

They say that change is good for you
And I guess I would agree
‘Cause after all I’d have to say
It’s been good for me

Chorus

Words and music by Harley Carmen. Copyright © 2007 Harley Carmen (SOCAN).

BRING ME TO MIND

I wrote this song for someone who means very much to me. My hope is that some day she will hear it and realize just how much love there is for her.

I wonder if that’s really who you are sometimes
Or do you disguise yourself from me?
Although I’ll always love the person you’ve become
I’ll always miss the one you used to be
Not sure what I can do to make you better
Not really sure just how to ease your pain
But I would love to heal you up with all of my heart
But first of all you’d have to feel the same

Chorus

So here’s how I’d like to try to help you
The answer’s not always that hard to find
What you should do is know how much love there is for you
Every time you bring me to mind

We all need a shoulder to lean on sometimes
There’s very few exceptions to that rule
I guess there’s those strong enough to cry all alone
But I know it’s not me or you
So mine is not to judge or ask you why
The road is long and it’s easy to get lost
And I could travel some of those miles with you
But in the end we all have to bear our cross

Chorus

Bridge

This is not about forgiveness
It’s not about fault or who’s to blame
This is about hope and understanding
About all of us who love you just the same

Repeat 1st verse

Chorus

Words and music by Harley Carmen. Copyright © 2007 Harley Carmen (SOCAN).

PHONE CALL TO HEAVEN

One night at my niece's wedding I was sitting with my eldest sister talking about family, and how we both missed our mother and father so much since their passing. She looked at me and said, "Sometimes I wish I could have just one phone call to heaven." It was the next song I wrote.

When they left us behind, it cost many tears
Why couldn’t we have a couple more years?
Well the answer is written down in a book
But you can’t read the pages no matter how hard you look

Chorus

If I had three wishes I’d only need one
A phone call to Heaven from their youngest son
I’m not sure what I’d ask them, I’m not sure what I’d say
I think of you often I’ll see you someday

I guess I’d thank both of them for teaching me well
For the picture they painted and the story it tells
For the family they gave me and the happiness there
For the courage in life to be honest and fair

Are there angels to sing with, a piano to play?
A little brown church in the vale by the way
And how is your garden, are the strawberries sweet?
Do you still touch the souls of whoever you meet?

Chorus

I could ask them to sing me the Old Rugged Cross
Or help me to find my way when I’m lost
Well maybe I’m dreaming but some dreams come true
This one would let me say “I love you”

Chorus

Words and music by Harley Carmen. Copyright © 2007 Harley Carmen (SOCAN).

LITTLE BROTHER

This was the first song I ever finished, and the first song I started to write after learning G, C and D on the guitar. It was also the first song I ever performed live. I did it for everyone at our family reunion in 2004. I have very special memories about being the little brother, and these are just some of them.

On my brother’s favorite ball hat
All it said was “Hag”
And when he sang those songs to me
It always made me brag
Another had a floating house
And in the summer time I’d stay
A place that seemed like paradise
They called Serenity Bay

The other lived not far from me
And him I saw the most
I learned an awful lot from him
With the others on the coast

Chorus

And I love ‘em like no other
‘Cause they call me little brother
It’s always meant everything to me
Some friends come and go
And brothers don't you know
The best friends in my life are family

I remember when I was eight years old
It was the fall of ‘66
My sister paid my way for me
She bought me skates and hockey sticks
The next to me looked after me
The first time I tried to be cool
She took me home in her boyfriend’s car
And I wasn’t even out of school

Chorus

And I love ‘em like no other
‘Cause they call me little brother
It’s always meant everything to me
Some friends come and go
And sisters don't you know
The best friends in my life are family

Now the two that made this family whole
Well they left some time ago
They’re always in our hearts
They’re in our minds they’re in our souls

Chorus

And I love ‘em like to other
‘Cause they made me little brother
It’s always meant everything to me
Some friends come and go
And I want everyone to know
The best friends in my life are family

Words and music by Harley Carmen. Copyright © 2007 Harley Carmen (SOCAN).

NOT A REAL COWBOY

I have always gotten a kick out of living in the “County Music Capital of Canada” and watching thousands of people show up every year for one of the biggest county music festivals anywhere and turn into “cowboys” for the weekend. I am self-admittedly one of them. There is something about a cowboy hat and Wrangler jeans that just brings out the “yee haw” in everyone. With all due respect to the real cowboys, of which there are many, I truly did grow up on a farm and did my share of shoveling.

I was born and raised in the country
And I was taught quite young what’s right and wrong
And I’ve played a lot of loud rock ‘n roll
But I always loved to sing a country song
I never rode the range or mended fences
I never put my brand on a herd of beef
I was always kind of partial to my sneakers
‘Cause them long pointed boots just pinch my feet

Chorus

And I’m not what you would call a Marshal Dillon
Never wrestled with a steer or did all that
Never broke a bronc or spit that Copenhagen
‘Cause I’m not a real cowboy, I just like the hat

Always had a soft spot for those critters
Never really liked the rodeo
And try as I might I just can’t two step
And never did learn how to dosey doe
But my mother always loved that cowboy music
And we’d all sing and dance, sometimes we cried
And the sounds of country music filled our farmhouse
The songs of Johnny Cash and Charlie Pride

Chorus

So technically I’m just a farm boy
But I don’t feel guilty not one bit
‘Cause I have been up to my knees in manure
And I have shoveled my fair share of it

Chorus

Words and music by Harley Carmen. Copyright © 2007 Harley Carmen (SOCAN).

MY FATHER'S BIRTHDAY

One night while talking to my producer's wife, Geri Karlstrom, she brought up the idea of us some time composing a duet. I was thrilled with the idea, as Geri is a great and talented singer/songwriter. I started telling her how I had been working on a song about my father's birthday. He had passed away in 1993. Sadly, Geri's own father had passed away at the end of 2006. When I told her my father's birthday had been February 22nd, she stopped and stared at me and said her dad's birthday was also February 22nd. Needless to say we decided right then and there that “My Father's Birthday” would be the song we would do together. This song is special, and touches me deeply. Thanks, Ger.

I still smell those pancakes Sunday morning
Hear him get up first and start the fire
I still feel his big hands on my shoulder
He was everything that I admire
We moved out to a farm on the lake
He moved us there in 1963
He taught me how to love those thirty acres
Taught me all the best things are free

Chorus

Tomorrow would’ve been my Father’s birthday
But I lost him in July of ‘93
And I still hear him whisper let’s go fishin’
Sometimes I swear he’s still here with me

Daddy was a preacher Sunday mornings
Saving souls with tears in his eyes
He taught me ‘bout compassion for my neighbors
He was everything that I admired
He built us a house out in the country
Workin’ many jobs to just get by
Canning pickles summertime at midnight
He loved to see his oldest daughter smile

Chorus

Tomorrow would’ve been my Father’s birthday
In late 2006 we said goodbye
And I still hear his laughter and his joking
Sometimes I swear he is still alive

There’s days when I feel lost and unrewarded
Some days when there’s no place left to hide
And the days when I have no one left to turn to
Are the days I let his memory be my guide

Chorus

Tomorrow would’ve been my Father’s birthday
But no one ever said that life is fair
You can never say too many times I love you
And nothing’s worth more than the time you share

Tomorrow would’ve been my Father’s birthday

Words by Harley Carmen / Geri Karlstrom. Music by Harley Carmen.
Copyright © 2007 Harley Carmen / Geri Karlstrom (SOCAN).

GOO BOYZ & GOO GIRLZ

This song is inspired entirely by my relationship with some of my best friends, my pets. They are all named after music stars, like Angus and Malcom Young from the rock band AC/DC, Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac and Yoko Ono... well, we are not sure how Yoko got in there, but she is part of the group. 
 It never ceases to amaze me how each one has their own unique personality, strength and fears, and how we, as humans, could afford to learn a great deal from their innocence and charm.

Goo boyz and goo girlz
The very best of both worlds
Never miss a day on the job
Watch over the yard and sound the alarm
Should we be threatened by our neighbor Bob

Well they’re always around if there was a sound
They always know just what to do
Should Johnny show up unannounced in the drive
They wag their tails and then lick him blue

Chorus

But no matter the day or how bad the pay
They’re so happy when I drive in
But there’s nothi’n as good, as when I point at my truck
And say, okay you goo boyz get in

Well we named them like stars
But there’s one there form Mars
And she can spaz right out any old time
And the other they say, knew John Lennon anyway
Together they get by just fine

Well there’s another disaster by the damn Turbocaster
And I swear my patience is near
And just one more hit of that primo catnip
And all night long they purr in my ear

Chorus

But no matter the day or how bad the pay
They’re so happy when I drive in
But there’s nothi’n as good, as when I open that door
And say, okay you goo girlz come in

And there’s nothi’n as good as when I drive through my gate
And all four of them welcome me in

Words and music by Harley Carmen. Copyright © 2007 Harley Carmen (SOCAN).

THAT I DON'T LOOK BACK

I have a special feeling about this song, mainly because it reminds me of some of those friends that I used to be so close to, but have not seen in a very long time. I think this happens to most people, and life somehow has a way of pushing us down separate roads. It's not really anyone's fault, but sometimes, with a little courage and effort, those paths can cross again.

Talked to a friend just the other day
Said he’d heard you’d passed through this way
Sorta seems sad that we never get to say hello

I lost a lot of friends to the hands of time
Or just misplaced and they’re still mine
All things aside, I wonder where are they now?
How many kids and what’s their names?
It’s been a long time and how things change

Try to make promises that I can keep
But good intentions make it hard to sleep
I really don’t mean to, but somehow I just lose track

They say that friends can measure a man
I'm really not sure where I’d stand
I guess I should get the guts to make the call
The longer you wait
The bigger the step gets to take

Chorus

But maybe true friends are never lost
Like old love letters that don’t get tossed
There is no blame, we’re all just living
But somehow I need to be forgiven
Seldom a day passes by
That I don’t look back

Lead

It’d be nice to sit with no regrets
And talk about times we can’t forget
Sunshine Bay and the ones that got away

I’ll always remember, you’ll always be here
The memories I have cannot disappear
Even if we never got to speak one word again

Always makes me wonder what might have been
If I’d tried a little harder, can we try again?

Chorus

Words by Harley Carmen. Music by Harley Carmen / Roy Code.
Copyright © 2007 Harley Carmen / Roy Code (SOCAN).

MERRITT SONG

I originally called this song “County Music Capital”, but when people heard it, it just became known as the "Merritt Song." It was adopted as the official song of this little place I live in, and I am quite proud of that.

We’re a little place called Merritt
And we stand quite tall and proud
Biggest for our size
And we’re the loudest in the crowd
And there’s a sense of community
Lined our streets with stars
Put ourselves on the map
And we’re proud to call it ours

Chorus

And when you come and visit us
It’s like playing in a family band
We’re the Country Music Capital
Of this entire land

Now music in the western air
Well it carries far and wide
Don’t feel like a stranger
Just come on inside
And there’s a spirit in this town
Shows right from the start
It’s not your population
It’s the size of your heart

Chorus

We’re a little place called Merritt
And we stand quite tall and proud
Biggest for our size
And we’re the loudest in the crowd
And we’ll set a place for you
At the table every night
Don’t even call ahead
Just show up for a bite

Chorus

Words and music by Harley Carmen. Copyright © 2005 Harley Carmen (SOCAN).

PLEASURE TO SERVE

A couple of days before Remembrance Day, 2006, I was watching an interview with Dick Hartwick, my wife's grandfather. He was revisiting the battlegrounds and cemeteries of Italy where he had fought during the Second World War. His stories of personal sacrifices and hardships, and his experiences the horrors of war were very gripping. I was a bit intimidated, to say the least, by the thought of writing a song that would do him justice--I can only hope it has. I salute you, Sergeant Hartwick.

He was bigger than life to all that he knew
And his word was as good as you could get
His honour was as thick as the shell of his tank
And on that your very life you could bet

He left behind his bride and went off to fight the war
Said goodbye to a son he’d hardly seen
Gave up five long years for his country
And stood up for what he believed

Chorus

He was a soldier of war, a soldier of life
And he led with a calm steel nerve
His words they chiseled in stone when he died
To you all it was a pleasure to serve

He never counted himself a hero
Never doubted the job he had to do
He was proud to do his duty and proud to do it well
Every order that they gave, he’d carried through

He said I’m not sure why I made it out of my tank alive
When I visit the graves of my men
I guess faith plays a part in all of our lives
For that I’m thankful to God and them

Chorus

I heard him say it was worth every minute
All the scars and all the sacrifice
Just to know his family had their freedom
Would not trade that at any price

Chorus

Words by Harley Carmen. Music by Harley Carmen / Roy CodeIntro instrumental music by Ben Karlstrom.
Copyright © 2007 Harley Carmen / Roy Code (Socan) Ben Karlstrom (SOCAN).

OWED TO FANNY AND AL

In February 2006, an elderly couple from Rossland, British Columbia, were both admitted to the Trail Hospital. Fanny Albo was 91 years old with heart ailments, and her husband Al was 96 years old, with a compression fracture in his back.
 Fanny and Al had been married for 69 years, and in that time had never been apart. Due to the lack of facilities in Trail because of recent closures to long-term care units, the Interior Health Authority unceremoniously separated the pair, sending Fanny to the Extended Care Unit in Grand Forks about 100 miles away. After nearly 70 years together, the couple were not even given the chance to say a proper goodbye to each other, and Fanny passed away two days later. Al died about a week after that. Although no one can say for sure that the separation caused their deaths, there is not a doubt in my mind that it hastened their demise. 
 This story hit a nerve in me partly because my own grandparents were from Rossland, and I am originally from the Kootenays. Some songs need to be written. Maybe this is one of them.

They offered each other their lifetimes
The year was 1936
Some things just come so natural
Some things you don’t need to fix

They were soulmates from the very beginning
They were always each other’s best friend
But no matter how much you wish it could last
All good things come to an end

They were married so close to 70 years
That the two of them fit like a glove
And it made little difference when they both became ill
It felt like their first day in love

They put their faith in a medical system
Never dreamed it would do them wrong
But it tore them apart and that broke their hearts
Two days and sweet Fanny was gone

I only knew them from the newspaper
Never did meet them personally
Only what I was told when it was printed in bold
And from what I saw on the TV

Questions were raised, excuses were made
We make mistakes like that now and then
About a week to the day and Al passed away
At least they are together again

Death is as sure as tomorrow
Certain as another daybreak
But dignity’s owed to the ones who grow old
For theirs and all of our sake

Apologies to the family were offered
But it seemed like a pretty hard sell
‘Cause if they ever owed their deepest regrets
They owe them to Fanny and Al

Words and music by Harley Carmen. Copyright © 2007 Harley Carmen (SOCAN).