HIVE OPEN MIC #161 (ENG/ESP): My Original Song - "Factory Town" by @jasperdick (Original)
(Ver la parte inferior de la publicación para español)
Hello everybody on Hive and especially the Hive Open Mic Community! My name is Jasper and I'm writing (and singing) to you from Cape Town in South Africa!
Welcome to Week 161 of the Hive Open Mic Challenge. The theme for the week is “My Original Song"! Wow, that’s going to be a tough one for some people, but I actually do write and perform my own original songs – either solo, or as a duo (called MobeyDick) with my friend @clairemobey!
I have actually posted a couple of original songs on the Hive Open Mic before, so I quickly went through my records to make sure I didn’t repeat myself! I (or we) have a funny habit when I play the occasional gig in public of wearing a “Cover Hat” when I do covers, and originals without a hat – hoping that the audience will know to sing along to covers and listen carefully to the new lyrics of an original! I carry this habit over to HIVE as well!
So, it’s quite nice to take the hat off on HIVE Open Mic for a change…
The original song I’d like to sing is called “Factory Town”! I am not a professional musician except for the occasional paid gig every couple of months. I actually studied chemical engineering and now work for a Renewable Energy Development company.
My very first job was working for a big South African company that can turn coal into a natural gas equivalent and then use that to make petrol (gasoline), diesel and all sorts of other products a normal refinery can derive (plastics, fertilizers, chemicals, tar, etc). Needless to say the factory was massive and smelly, and the town where we lived was small and located in pretty much the only ugly part of South Africa where the coal mines, power stations and mine dumps are located.
Needless to say, I moved back to beautiful Cape Town as soon as my year bursary had been paid back…
I wrote “Factory Town” imagining I had actually grown up in that small ugly town, and instead of wanting to work in the Factory like my parents, I instead craved freedom and adventure in the beautiful world beyond… The song has become a metaphor for bravery, taking chances and not feeling stuck in life… Even though I am back in Cape Town, I still need the reminder to be brave in other aspects of my life!
The one other thing to point out is that I do some guitar work between the verses in the song. There are times, especially towards the end, when my guitar work is inspired by a local South African Zulu traditional upbeat musical style called “Kwela”…
Lyrics for “Factory Town” by @jasperdick (original)
All my life, I've been waiting
For the day, that I turn eighteen
'Coz all my life, I've been held down
Growing up, in this Factory Town
No no no, Mother and Father, let me go
There is a whole world, I need to know
Mother and Father, don't drag me down
Life is just too short, for Factory Town...
All my friends, I've seen them come and go
Freedom is a word they'll never know
All the girls are factory secretaries...
And all the boys are factory employees
Oh no please, MoMother and Father, let me go
There is a whole world, I need to know
Mother and Father, don't drag me down
Life is just too short, for Factory Town...
This town won't drag me down, no I don't need no factory town
This town won't drag me down, no I don't need no factory town
This town won't drag me down, no I don't need no factory town
Shit town won't drag me down, no I don't need no factory town
(ESP)
¡Hola a todos en Hive y especialmente a la comunidad Hive Open Mic! ¡Mi nombre es Jasper y les escribo (y canto) desde Ciudad del Cabo en Sudáfrica!
Bienvenidos a la semana 161 del Hive Open Mic Challenge. ¡El tema de la semana es "Mi canción original"! Wow, eso va a ser difícil para algunas personas, pero en realidad escribo e interpreto mis propias canciones originales, ya sea solo o como dúo (llamado MobeyDick) con mi amigo @clairemobey!
De hecho, he publicado un par de canciones originales en Hive Open Mic antes, ¡así que revisé rápidamente mis discos para asegurarme de que no me repetía! Yo (o nosotros) tengo (o tenemos) la extraña costumbre cuando toco en público en un concierto ocasional de usar un “sombrero de portada” cuando hago versiones, y originales sin sombrero, con la esperanza de que la audiencia sepa cantar las versiones y escuchar atentamente. la nueva letra de un original! ¡También llevo este hábito a HIVE!
Por lo tanto, es bastante agradable quitarse el sombrero en HIVE Open Mic para variar...
¡La canción original que me gustaría cantar se llama “Factory Town”! No soy un músico profesional excepto por algún concierto pago ocasional cada dos meses. De hecho, estudié ingeniería química y ahora trabajo para una empresa de desarrollo de energía renovable.
Mi primer trabajo fue para una gran empresa sudafricana que puede convertir el carbón en un equivalente de gas natural y luego usarlo para fabricar petróleo (gasolina), diesel y todo tipo de otros productos que una refinería normal puede obtener (plásticos, fertilizantes, productos químicos , alquitrán, etc.). No hace falta decir que la fábrica era enorme y maloliente, y que el pueblo donde vivíamos era pequeño y estaba ubicado prácticamente en la única parte fea de Sudáfrica donde se encuentran las minas de carbón, las centrales eléctricas y los vertederos de minas.
No hace falta decir que me mudé de regreso a la hermosa Ciudad del Cabo tan pronto como me devolvieron la beca del año...
Escribí “Factory Town” imaginando que en realidad había crecido en ese pequeño y feo pueblo, y en lugar de querer trabajar en Factory como mis padres, anhelaba la libertad y la aventura en el hermoso mundo del más allá… La canción se ha convertido en una metáfora de valentía, correr riesgos y no sentirme estancado en la vida... Aunque estoy de regreso en Ciudad del Cabo, ¡todavía necesito un recordatorio para ser valiente en otros aspectos de mi vida!
La otra cosa a señalar es que hago algo de trabajo de guitarra entre los versos de la canción. Hay momentos, especialmente hacia el final, cuando mi trabajo de guitarra está inspirado en un estilo musical alegre tradicional zulú sudafricano local llamado "Kwela"...
Letra de "Factory Town" de @jasperdick (original)
Toda mi vida, he estado esperando
Para el día que cumplo dieciocho
Porque toda mi vida me han retenido
Creciendo, en esta ciudad de fábrica
No, no, no, madre y padre, déjame ir.
Hay un mundo entero, necesito saber
Madre y padre, no me arrastres hacia abajo
La vida es demasiado corta para Factory Town...
Todos mis amigos, los he visto ir y venir
La libertad es una palabra que nunca sabrán
Todas las chicas son secretarias de fábrica...
Y todos los chicos son empleados de fábrica
Oh no, por favor, mamá y papá, déjame ir
Hay un mundo entero, necesito saber
Madre y padre, no me arrastres hacia abajo
La vida es demasiado corta para Factory Town...
Esta ciudad no me arrastrará hacia abajo, no, no necesito una ciudad industrial
Esta ciudad no me arrastrará hacia abajo, no, no necesito una ciudad industrial
Esta ciudad no me arrastrará hacia abajo, no, no necesito una ciudad industrial
La ciudad de mierda no me arrastrará hacia abajo, no, no necesito una ciudad de fábrica
▶️ 3Speak
Wowww
This is an amazing song
Your voice is lovely as well🥰
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!
Such a Flipping lyrically fantastic and lively song. Such an enjoyable listen!
Oh dear - I suppose my solo act needs to do a gig once in a while so I don't forget how to play these! Hahaha!
Or I need to get better at playing a whole song on my own and we can incorporate it all 😉😉😉 there are songs that work together and some that are uniquely ours. I think we do eachother a favour by uniting 😊😊 and we get the spotlight as solo artists and as MobeyDick 💕
Wow, that's brilliant!
I love your guitar playing and now I learned who inspired you to it! Fantastic!
I LOVE it when you say "ja", feels like home.. 😄
Great job as usual, Jasper!
Hahaha, there are some Afrikaans words that everyone, even the English speakers, in South Africa uses - "ja" for yes, "lekker" for nice, "braai" for barbeque and several others!
Yes, there are local styles of guitar-playing in South Africa! Maskandi and Kwela! Other instruments that are often played in conjunction with these styles are penny-whistle, accordion and even mouth-bow!
Ah, ja, das ist sehr lecker!! haha!
Ooooh, whistles and accordions! I used to have and play an accordion, but I didn't use it enough so I sold it, but it was lovely..
A mouth-bow!! I just looked what that is, brilliant! ❤️
Ah man, where would I put all the instruments I would LIKE to have? Hahaha... I might even have to try making some myself one day!
Ooooh, you should!! 😃
Hey Jasper, it feels good listening to your composition again here. The quality is overwhelming and the talent is rare. This is nice. Weldone sir
The inspiration to write this song is amazing, it's like a self-hymn we could say, it's very cool Jasper I congratulate you 🤜🤛!!!!!
I really liked your lyrics and the chords you used to give it an enjoyable rhythmic and hey, that's a good psychological strategy what you say about the hat, I assume it works for you here and live mainly 👍!!!!
I thank you for coming to the call this week, I appreciate it very much personally... many successes to you 🙌😀💛... You Rockkk!!! 👊😎🔥🎙️🎸🎶❤️🌟🍻💥💫💯
Thank you so much for picking the theme!! I hope all sorts of original songs are showing up from all over the world!!
Waooo amigo un tema muy bonito, y de inspiración gran trabajo 🤠🤝🎶🎵🇻🇪
Nice upbeat tune dude, like the little twiddly riffs here n there :)
Do you play open mics etc in Cape Town bars etc? What’s the scene like there?
Hi! It's tough to be a professional musician in Cape Town but @clairemobey and I do a gig every couple of months or so...
Our paid ones are at the Cottage Club and the Alma Cafe, which are lovely intimate venues with great sound - perfect for the acoustic folky stuff we do to an audience of 30-50 people... Usually family, friends and their friends in turn!
There are some nice open mics and open stages as well... Our favourite is the Barleycorn Music Club, which has been promoting local original music since 1976... I used to be on the organising committee when I was a student...
Beyond that, we are still actually trying to work out where else to play ourselves if I'm honest!
Yeah totally, I think I’ve actually made moneys on @Hive than I have any paid gig or event I’m my whole music career 😂 which is fkn amazing!
It’s place we can be professional in our own way and still get paid for it without having to trundle equipment around expecting a music career hehe,
That sounds really cool man! Lovely, Sounds similar to here in some places, but recently a lot of the music scene where I live is fading fast, and I’ve done all the pubs, bars etc and having a good break just teaching guitar at the moment and blogging :) but maybe the scene is missing me?
Visit Scotland! Bring your sunny good vibes over here!!! 🙏 😎🤟🏼
Yeah, I've played cover gigs at venues for a bit of money... But if music is just a bonus and people are more interested in the food, drink, view, chatting, it can be a real chore where you land up wondering why you aren't back home playing to yourself... I don't need the money THAT bad, and that kind of thing is better suited to specialist cover artists who bring in backing tracks and the like...
So, yeah, long story short - I only have time for the odd gig, so I try to make it a nice worthwhile one where the sound is good, and music is the focus... We're lucky to have a few of those places left, where we can slowly improve and hone our craft...
It reminds me of the meme about one of the best concert violinists in the world going busking in a busy subway and making minimal tips because he was in the wrong place and the average person doesn't actually have time and mental capacity to focus on and judge music...
Aw yeah for sure man i feel ya, I’d rather be at home just now doin ma thang’ 🤟🏼 Haha. Gigs and open mics can be very tedious at times, still fun none the less!
Yeah that’s it man, as well it’s hard to come by a good venue and set up regular-goes well-pays well… any gig and open mic is a practice ground to me, haha, been stagnant recently like I said, I like small crowds for now.
Yeah I’ve seen a few videos based on that idea of celebs etc disguising and show talents and they are bypassed, just goes to show it’s all in the media, image, and money making ability, much like the popular blogging site we use right now ;) haha
Excellent as always dear friend, a brilliant song. Your voice and guitar playing always leave me with an incredible feeling.
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Tu si que sabes interpretar los temas, qué lindo de verdad me gustó mucho como lo hiciste
It is a hymn for a dreamer. Excellent my brother! 😎
The cover hat of shame 😆
I love this!!! Sending to both my kids 👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
You're a very talented human, J. Good thing for us that you left that town and went with your passion
Keep shining! 💥
And yeah. That sounds like home. We have a great sound. Many of 'em! Kwela's a vibe and a half. 😁
I've just been nodding my head sinceee. This is really beautiful Sir. Nice