Dave and Tommy Miller provide some insight into the background of the songs on the Tales From Foundry Town CD.
Alabama Key
Tommy explains: "When I used to live in Houston, I first heard “Alabama key” used as slang for a slim jim tool by one of the locals. Later, I wrote a song about a kid whose father taught him to steal cars using the Alabama key. The kid grows up to become a big city car thief – and ultimately - crime doesn’t pay."
Crazy
According to Dave: "The guitar hook intro was the genesis for the song. Rumor has it that a "taste of your love" may have some kind of sexual context to it, but if so, it remains the songwriters secret."
Wolf At Your Door
"Times are tough for a lot of folks out there," explains Tommy, "and this song was conceived as a peek behind the curtain of hard times. Life on the street is hard. Working for a living is hard. In light of this, hearing about white collar corruption is a very difficult pill to swallow. A lot of people can hear the wolf at the door…"
Where Do We Go From Here
Dave comments: "I came up with the line - I’ve been doing all the proper stuff but it doesn’t seem to be enough and the rest of the song flowed from there. Boy meets girl – awkward interplay – she's playing it very coy. He wants her so bad, but he's running out of ideas and time. It’s the ageless contest of the sexes – and in the midst of it all, he asks himself - what do I have to do just to get her near?"
Ghost On A Roll
"This song was inspired by the heartbreaking life of the homeless." explains Tommy. "It’s the story of the lost world of a street person including their inner thoughts and ponderings. This story could take place in any number of cities. I first started writing this song with our old buddy Brophy Dale (Guitarist for Lee Rocker) in LA. We were working on the song in Mark's studio and even though I was standing in LA, I heard this line in my head that says I got stuck down in Boston so that became the working first line of the song. I put the song away and didn’t finish it for years. I always liked the guitar line and I thought that it really fit the Miller Brothers sound so we tried it out and it immediately started to fly. Besides, we love a good shuffle. As we worked on the lyrics, Dave, Mark & I decided that the song should tell about the experience of life on the street so we created a character sketch of a guy who was down on his luck, ended up on the street and never figured out how to get back on his feet again. The story doesn't have a happy ending, but it's real..."
Things Will Get Better
"During a songwriting session, I was showing Dave the chord changes to a new song I had been working on," says Tommy "and out of the blue, I started to hear a melody and the words I know things look bad, but things'll get better from here so I started to sing that part - and it stuck as the chorus. That became the catalyst for the rest of the song’s lyrics and melody. Even though we read about world turmoil in the paper every day and see bad news on TV, somehow, we still have to believe that things are going to get better."
Out Of Control
Tommy explains: "This song is a tribute to the power of music. Music IS power – the engine definitely runs hot! Dave suggested the title."
Pain Comes Your Way
Tommy sighs and comments: "This song is about a young man who leaves his girlfriend and takes a train down south – he thinks he can run from his pain, but the pain is constantly with him. When you love the girl, you enjoy the love and the good times but when the relationship starts to sour, you start to feel the pain. And when the relationship ends, you think the pain will end, but, surprise, it gets worse. This song is based on personal experience."
Playin’
Dave smiles and explains: "This song is a tribute to many nights spent in roadhouses, bars and clubs playing music. This is an ode to the connection between the instrument, the music, the musician and ultimately the audience. It's a very special and very personal experience. When you’re playing music and everything connects, you end up in a zone where all the elements become one single powerful force."
Stand To Lose
Dave responds: "I had written this song with Erik Paulson (guitarist) and over time it evolved into a song about the end of a relationship and the second guessing that goes with it The first title was “Blues Anthem.” After I introduced it to the Miller Brothers Band, we played it live several times. We always liked it because it gave everyone a chance to stretch out including lots of guitar solo work. We eventually took Blues Anthem into the the studio and out came Stand To Lose. One of the lines in the original lyrics was I sing the blues which Tommy suggested that we change to I stand to lose."
You Don’t Know Me
Dave again: "The message in this song is that your partner may not really know you. Relationships go on for years, but many times what's missing that makes them truly special is actually knowing your partner - really knowing who that person is. Let's go, let's go - refers to the urgency of "what are we waiting for", come on let's get it on". Many relationships never get to this level. Wouldn’t it be great if they could…"
Rose La Rose
Dave smiles one of his smiles and says: "Legend has it that there was a nightclub in Toledo (Ohio) called Rose La Rose. All it took was a short drive down US-23 from Michigan to a land where 3.2 beer (Editor's note: 3.2% alcohol content) was legal if you were 18. Good times."
