The Chicken and the Ant

  By Scott Coner

                                                                            Nashville Recording Artist, Songwriter, Performer, and Author  

     Life lessons have a way of staying with us. Sometimes we forget about them, and they lay in wait until they need to be applied. Some of my own lessons come to mind. How about the time I asked a lady when “she was due” when she wasn’t due at all? Or what about the time I played on the men’s baseball team at church when I had never played a game in my life. The truth was, I didn’t know where to throw the ball, where to stand, or what to say to cover my embarrassment. Lesson learned I guess, but it would have been good to know that quite a few people show up to watch the game.

     When I was a little kid, my mom used to dress me in these weird outfits she called, “sun suits.” Best that I can remember, they weren’t anything more than shorts with a built in suspender type deal. The reason I say this, is to describe the time I was at the corner of my grandparent's yard in Florida playing with my match-box cars. Things seemed pretty innocent with no problems on the horizon. Just a kid in his sun-suit imagining he was driving a miniature Mustang. I noticed a small ant climbing along my thigh before the gates of hell opened up. I smacked at the ant, and that must have been a distress signal for all of the ants in Florida to bite my little boy parts in unison. There were several life lessons to be learned that day. First of all, those strange little sun suits are very hard to get off your body when your strapped in like a paratrooper. Secondly, when your parts are on fire, you need to have command of the English language so you can instruct your mom of the issue. And I would imagine another important lesson is to not find out you have turrets syndrome in front of your mom and both of her parents. They probably forget how cute you are. Yeah, that day was chalked full of little lessons.

     There was another time right around the same season of my life when I was savagely attacked by a rooster. My grandma had warned me not to be throwing rocks at the chickens, but I have never been a great listener. So, while the grown-ups are all inside having coffee, I found myself all alone throwing rocks at chickens because that’s the kind of kid I was. I was a terrible human being. Anyway, as I’m standing in the barn lot throwing rocks at the poultry, I look to my left as a very angry rooster is viscously flapping up my fat little leg. I was terrified. I tried to run, but the rooster was faster. I fell several times as I cried and screamed for my terrible young life. Was there a lesson learned? Not really a “life lesson,” but I wouldn’t throw rocks at chickens unless you’re wearing a full set of Car-Harts and running shoes. This might apply to glass houses too, if you happen to live in an aquarium.

     As we get older, I think it’s a natural thing to laugh at our little mistakes. We have hopefully evolved to some degree, but there is always room for improvement. I have learned not to play with ant- hills. I don’t throw myself into baseball games like I’m the great Bambino. And I avoid all eye contact with full-size ladies for fear of blurting out something insanely stupid. The thing is, I am still prone to doing and saying things I regret. If I have learned anything, I would truly hope I am finally smart enough not to say something that would hurt someone’s feelings. After all, it’s absolutely fine for me to share my own mistakes and make fun of myself. On the other hand, it’s never ok for me to hurt someone else’s feelings either by accident or on purpose. As I’ve gotten older, I have realized just how important every single person is in my world. Everyone I know truly has a reason for being there. It’s almost like every person is a puzzle piece. Many people have taught me some pretty applicable lessons in spite of myself. The most important one? I’m not sure, but maybe we shouldn’t take things so seriously.  

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Scott Coner is a country singer-songwriter who has worked in the studio with legendary artists such as Tanya Tucker, T. Graham Brown and Charlie Daniels. You can learn more about him and hear his music at his music page.         

Shades of Blue and Gray

 By Scott Coner

                                                                            Nashville Recording Artist, Songwriter, Performer, and Author  

     To me, the beauty of art is what it represents. I don’t know very much about painting, or photos, or anything like that. I know what I like when I see it. I know I have never wished I had some paintings of soup cans on my wall. To be honest, I probably like the photos of my family on the walls around my house than anything else. Like they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you like something, isn’t that what matters most?

     I don’t paint pictures. I do take photos with my phone sometimes, but for my own enjoyment. I write songs. I hear melodies. I hear phrases. I search my little piece of the planet for songs. I consider myself a serious songwriter because I truly do apply myself to the craft. I don’t align myself with too many of the publishers that look around for yet another song that “feels” and “sounds” like the last song they had on the radio. I just trudge along doing what I do. No matter what anybody says, I will not chase a train that has already passed me. I think if you consider yourself any type of artist at all, then you have to be yourself. For instance, just because Van Gogh used blues and grays doesn’t mean another guy with a brush can bring out the same beauty using the same colors. And just because some other song talks about how “country” it is to drink whiskey and listen to a train, doesn’t mean I am drawn to that theme.

     I had a conversation recently with a man from Nashville that is involved in my music to some extent. He truly believes that in order to be viable in today’s market that you need to listen to and study the other writers of current radio releases. I think there is some merit to that approach. I do believe if you copy other music, you might actually achieve something. If you listen to twenty minutes of today’s country music, you might walk away believing this approach is pretty popular. But, that’s not how I want to work.

     I instead believe that any genre of music needs to come from somewhere close to the heart. I think it needs to feel good when you play it all alone with just an acoustic guitar or piano. I think it should take you somewhere in your mind. I like the “no-rules” approach to writing. I don’t have a pre-conceived idea of where I want to go with a song. I follow it. It doesn’t follow me. The music getting radio play is something I don’t spend a lot of time following either. I compare trying to figure it all out to understanding the highs and lows in the Wall Street market. I think if you stay true to your own sound, you might make some headway, but I’m not certain of this. When it’s all said and done, it only makes sense to do things your own way.

     I approach music the same way I try to approach life. I don’t compare myself to others. I am comfortable with who I am. I write from my point of view. I live by my rules, not someone else’s. And I strongly believe this is the direction I must take in order to be whole. Have you ever made the mistake of looking at someone else’s set-up and wished it could be yours? I have, but thankfully I came to my senses pretty quickly. I have had some success with my music, but not enough to fulfill me. I have had visions of where I want to go, and I will follow those visions all the way to the end. Like they say, the destination isn’t the fun part. It’s the journey. I have weak moments. I have times when I wish I hadn’t picked up that first guitar. But, I am what I am. We are who we are.

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Scott Coner is a country singer-songwriter who has worked in the studio with legendary artists such as Tanya Tucker, T. Graham Brown and Charlie Daniels. You can learn more about him and hear his music at his music page. 

   

November Rain

By Scott Coner

Nashville Recording Artist, Songwriter, Performer, and Author

     We are living in a moment of history that is so important! I believe that our society is at a crossroads. The lines are already drawn, and each of us is going to need to decide what side we want to stand on. For instance, do you believe that we can co-exist with Isis? Are you ready to give up your guns? How do you feel about protecting our borders or giving financial aid and voting rights to people that are not legal citizens? What about this continued process of treating veterans so terribly? Teachers unions? How about a woman being a proven liar that has actually lied under oath and still being a front-runner for the nation's highest office? The list goes on and on.

     We all have the right to believe what we want to believe. We have the right to voice our opinions. We even have the right to turn our back on the American flag I guess. Yes, living in a free country allows you to be and act like an idiot. You are given a pass on whether or not you want to appreciate the American blood that has been shed on battlefields all over the world giving you the right to behave badly. To me, though, it is such a shame that those of us that have Christian views are being treated like a problem rather than an answer. The news media wants us to feel like we are foolish for not recognizing their liberal agenda as the new world order. We should close our eyes and ears and accept whatever lie they insist we believe. They want us to be sheep. I don’t think that I’m alone when I say, “I’ll pass on the stupid. But thanks anyway.”

     I would never tell you what you should believe as far as politics go. For me, it is very important that everything aligns with my faith when it comes down to a voting booth. I think both parties have changed to the point that it is hard for me to recognize either one of them. The Democrats are certainly not the party of the old south that my family would have originally sided with and voted for years ago. The Republican Party has been telling us for years that they are in line with Reagan’s ways but they have been lying like dogs. Instead, they have been trying to build a bigger government and gain more and more power. Should we choose our poison and drink up? I don’t believe so. But that’s just me.

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     I predict that millions in our country are wide- awake. We are sick to death of the direction our nation is headed. We are sick to death of walking on the eggshells of political correctness. We truly want to see Isis destroyed forever, and we have no problem with calling out an extremist. We want to repair our broken health care system with something that actually works and helps our people. We want to our borders protected. We want our veterans helped and appreciated in every way possible. We want honesty back in the white house. We want the lies to stop. And we want God back in our schools, our universities, our government, and our nation.

     We are going to prove this sooner than later. November is just around the corner and we the people are going to storm this land with a like -minded vote. Both parties are going to feel this. If you’re a politician and aren’t working for the betterment of America, then you will be fired. We deserve better. Our people deserve good paying jobs with nice futures ahead of them, and this certainly includes the people in the inner city. Change is long over due. Nobody signed up for what we have now, and both parties are to blame. Our country has always been great, but we are about to become much greater. But first, we need to take the trash out.     

    

 

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Scott Coner is a country singer-songwriter who has worked in the studio with legendary artists such as Tanya Tucker, T. Graham Brown and Charlie Daniels. You can learn more about him and hear his music at his music page. 

       

Speaking In Tongues, Eating Fried Chicken, and Chasing Dreams

 By Scott Coner

Nashville Recording Artist, Songwriter, Performer, and Author 

Years ago, I did a paper while in college about glossolalia. Basically, glossolalia is the gift of speaking in tongues. I found myself in a Pentecostal church for a while, but I’m actually a Baptist. I know plenty of people that feel it is pretty important to receive this gift. I don’t speak lightly of it because I do believe in the gifts of the Spirit. I believe that God can do anything He wants so, I’m certain he can allow someone to speak in a foreign tongue or a dead language if it glorifies Him in some way.

For a while, I remember being troubled that I didn’t ever have such a gift given to me. I think a lot of people probably thought I wasn’t living clean enough to meet the standard. They might have been right. I just don’t know. But, now all these years later, I look back and see a flaw in their approach. I think maybe they were trying to put the Power of God in a box. They knew a few utterances that they seemed to provide to the church body every single Sunday during the service, but that was about it as far as I could tell. They might hop around a little with a tambourine, but I am not for sure that was the Spirit. I think most of it was overkill. But you know, it’s not for me to judge. I was just a guy trying to find his place in the world and apply a little bit of Truth along the way. I remember wishing they could try to get a handle on things before the lunch lines in town got so long. It seemed to me that just about every Sunday during final prayer so and so would want to start winding up about some sin someone’s husband was involved in and jack up my cafeteria time. 

I find my quiet time alone is usually when I can think the clearest. I can pray. I can thank God for what He has done and continues to do in my life and in the lives of those that I love. I have also found that songwriting is probably His gift to me. Songwriting has allowed me to better understand myself through the years. It has allowed me to process certain things that have happened and given me the chance to measure my own response and how I choose to live. I’m not perfect. None of us are. But I think as we get a little bit of age on us we begin to look back and see certain things may have happened for a reason. Other things happened, and we made the best of whatever it was. And sometimes life throws curve balls that make no sense at all and never will as long as we live on this earth.

I have found quiet moments with some paper and a guitar and allowed my mind to go over to that place that speaks for me. I may sit there and play some chords and all of a sudden a melody or a phrase just presents itself. I follow the rabbit as it leads me down some unknown path and sometimes it can be quite surprising. The very concept of a song may speak to me on a personal level that allows for some explanation that I can apply to my own thought process a little bit later. I feel like that is a gift from God. He works through some very limited vessels sometimes I am told.

There are those around my hometown that grumble a little bit as they eat their fried chicken in their polyester flower print dress. They talk about how I have wasted my life because every single song I sing and write isn’t always about God. They seem to like the idea that I am probably miserable, and there is no way I am happy.  Well, I would be lying if I told you that I care even a smidgen about what those people think. But let me tell you what the whole thing is about. I have written many songs about my relationship with God. I have written about my beliefs and understanding, and I am proud of those songs. But, I have been living a life while those church ladies have been talking me down while eating fried food. I have fallen in love. I have raised kids. I have made mistakes. I have accidentally hurt hearts that I care about. And I have pursued a career in music that allows me to share my songs with a lot of people at a level that has surprised me more than you could imagine. Mostly, though, I have found happiness.

You see, I think God gives us all kinds of special gifts. If we look around, it doesn’t take long to see them. I was in the back of our farm today by the creek. The sun was coming through the thick leaves of the trees. The birds were making all kinds of cool sounds, but in the midst of it all there was a dove hidden somewhere that continued to make his song speak to me. This is just one little moment when I can feel the presence of God. The warmth of the sun, the beauty of the water and the woods, and the breeze that we can’t see are all reminders of His hand.

The music that is in my life is just one component. It is important, but there are many pieces and parts that make up my life that I want and require. Your life is just like mine. We may not have the same interests or backgrounds, but we are still pretty much the same. The Gift of the Spirit is what is living and breathing in our world. Yes, I am sure if you want, you could receive the gift of “tongues”, but there is so much more. I wrote a song years ago that speaks about the presence of the wind itself. You can feel a cold wind, can’t you? But you can’t see it even though you know for sure it’s there. Music is my thing. I love to listen to it. I love to write it. And I love what it has allowed into my life. I truly hope that you have something in your life that is just yours. It can be anything. But just remember to take the time to allow whatever it is to flow through your world. Let it give you the enjoyment that you need and deserve.

Man, sometimes I read my blogs, and I think I might be Joel Olsteen without the giant smile. But I swear to you that what I’m telling you is important. Life has so much to give, and I don’t think we take the full helping sometimes. Maybe we feel a little bit guilty. Maybe we think we have as much as we can handle. Or, maybe we don’t feel like we even deserve anymore because of past mistakes. I’m here to tell you that all of those thoughts are wrong. We all have it in us to be more than we are. We all have it in us to chase our dreams and grab those suckers by the throat. You go grab a hold of what you want!

And let me say one last thing. If you are that person that had his ears perk up a little a ways back when I was talking about speaking in tongues, I’m going to tell you about a shortcut. Go outside and slam your hand in your car door. It will be like magic. You will find yourself speaking in a language nobody else can interpret, and you may actually even see God. You are welcome. 

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Scott Coner is a country singer-songwriter who has worked in the studio with legendary artists such as Tanya Tucker, T. Graham Brown and Charlie Daniels. You can learn more about him and hear his music at his music page.