Michael O'Neal-Dark Side Of A Small Town

Michael O'Neal

“Dark Side Of A Small Town”

by TxLogCabin

Dark Side of a Small Town is moody, bluesy, and full of angst. This is a great listen for a Sunday when you need to sober up, contemplate life, and thank the good Lord that your life in no way resembles the subjects and sentiments this CD brings to life. The music is beautiful and moving, but very dark, raw, and sinister. Don’t listen to this on the way to an outing with friends. You’ll detour and find a nice depressing place to commit suicide. The tracks are all original tunes by O’Neal, except for 2, authored by friends, Teague and Blair.

The opening track, "52 Les Paul", is beautifully done with a wonderful, mournful acoustic guitar and almost talking lyrics (as are most of the vocals). The dark story of a grandfather’s passed-down classic guitar when it makes it inevitable appearance in the local pawn shop. Not your typical granddad, nor your typical grandson.

"…from drunk old men
that wanted my granddaddy dead
and seen him kill a man one night
in the Longhorn parking lot
I still hear those screams in my dreams
...thanks a lot

Since I’ve turned sixteen
I’ve been arrested fifteen times
I was well on my way
down a long hard life of crime
Mississippi Sate Penitentiary
been my home the last eight years….

Yeah, I thought you might know my granddaddy
being how he’s from this here town
and I could sure use the money Mr.
Cause I’m trying to settle down
yes sir a 1952 Les Paul
still in it’s original case
the only thing I ever seen
put a smile on my granddaddy’s face"

"The Promise Ring" should be a song on the lighter side. The tempo is a little lighter and has a rolling rock beat. The tale is about O’Neal’s parents and the lasting love they share. But even here, O’Neal takes a heart-lifting tale like a promise ring used as a wedding ring for over 10 years before it’s replaced with a genuine gold band and shows you the dark and mournful side of that span of years.

"There’s no quit in my daddy’s eyes
and my momma always walks an extra mile
and I know that they’ve had many bad times
and they’re always coming out just fine

Thirty years together
and lots of nights of bad weather
but it don’t out weigh all the sunshine
that they’ve had from all the good times
now life has got em spread apart
but they’re still hooked up at the heart
that’s why they always seem to me
as the strongest thing that I’ve ever seen"

"Luke" is a twisted tale about running ‘shine. Things get dark and despairing before the predictable end of this tale. The evil grandpa and the twisted boy/man.

"his granddad was waiting up on him
he came running outside
he said damn boy
can’t you do nothing right

He made Luke drag the body
back in to the woods
the whole time he was kicking and cussing
telling Luke he wasn’t no good
something snapped inside Luke
I guess he never really understood

Luke came out of them woods
bout day light
he looked like a man who had been in
one hell of a fight
Luke was busy digging
two graves that night"

"Hey Momma" is a tribute to Mom and how she morally supports her son. The gorgeous acoustic guitar is back in this one and it gentles the mood. The boy is determined to go bad, but you think he might make it after all.

"Then I turned seventeen
and I thought I knew it all
I had an S-10 pickup truck
and I had a strut when I walked
and one night on loop 286
I got hauled in for drinking bear
and I had to call you momma
while I was fighting back tears

Hey Momma, I ain’t coming home
Hey Momma, they won’t let me come home

Hey Momma, can I come home
Hey Momma, will you let me come home

The days and weeks all run together
and the months blow by like windy weather
and sometimes momma, I want to throw in the towel
but thanks to you I don’t know how"

"Halfway House" tells the story of a friend in a halfway house that is allowed visitors and junk food only for a half day on Sunday. But the moral of the story is he just can’t break the cycle and before long is back in trouble, but Momma still comes to see him once a week and he has his junk food.

"They found me a job, and I found me girl
and everything’s been doing just fine in my brand new world
then I got laid off, then I lost my girl
yea counselor says I got to be ready cause life just might spin my ass in a twirl
Now my hands are shaking, and I’m trembling inside
it’s four in the morning and I been driving since midnight
and see them flashing lights right behind me
I pull over to the shoulder, and I pray Lord please don’t let em look under my seat

Four hours on Sunday, I’m a free man
all the cokes and candy bars that I can stand
momma just cries, momma holds my hand

"Cocaine Blues" is bluesy rock with good electric lead and continues to focus on the darker nature of man.

"Dealing and stealing is the life he chose
with all his potential going strait up his nose
and he trade his body just to answer the call
from the demons that hold him with his back to the wall
Deep down in the depths of a wrenched mans soul
where the sweet rock of ages would just love to take hold
the graveyard or the prison would suit this boy fine
cause he would run over Jesus just to do one more line"

"Steph" was written for O’Neal’s wife and is one of the best selections on this CD. That acoustic guitar is back and the tone of the tale is considerably lighter than the rest of the music. Still very deep and thoughtful, but with a positive twist that is surprising compared to the rest of the selections.

"So baby when I’m old and blind
and the memories crowd my mind
will you help me sort em through
and when your hearing’s gone
and you can no longer hear my songs
I will write em all down for you

Baby I’m so glad we never quit on what we had
after all that we been through
and fifty years from now when we’re sitting around the house
I will still be singing to you
I will still be loving you"

"The Lost Train" is another darkly beautiful tale of a dream, or is it?

"And right about then that lady gave me
the warmest smile that I’d ever seen
she said where your going you’ll fit in fine
cause everybody there is mean
so I pulled the trigger
and I pulled it again, and I pulled it one more time
and that lady never lost her smile
as a matter of fact she began to shine

Now I’m scared to death, I took two steps back
and I stopped and I turned to run
I seen fifty more people
and everyone of em had a gun

And I woke up laying soft and still
in the middle of my bed
heart jumping through my chest
and sweat pouring from my head
Thank God this is all a dream
I ain’t on no train heading for hell
I still got a few choices left
far as I can tell"

"Rob’s Blues" is a beautiful selection that has such a dark message. That acoustic guitar is back (it’s become the highlight of the CD) and grabs your heart strings.

"And I want to thank you for the pain
cause with out it Lord, I’d never be the same
and we’re only here for just a little while
I gotta set my demons aside
and find a new way to get high"

The music is beautiful in it’s simplicity and pull. The dark messages are an acquired taste that grow on you. Dark, depressing, moving, and grim doesn’t mean it’s not a work of art. After all, life is not all sunshine, roses, and goody-2-shoes. This darkness is there, too. Everybody just tries to smile through it.

Written by Cheryl Arthur, August, 2005

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