The Lay . . .

. . . of the land evokes images, in my mind, of old cowboy movies replete with ten-gallon hat, many horses, six-shooters and lots and lots of wide-open spaces; the proverbial 'back forty.' In my current reality, the lay of the land means adjusting in terms of where to find what, and learning exactly how to get there. . .


(http://grammarist.com/idiom/lay-of-the-land-or-lie-of-the-land/)
Lay of the land is a phrase that figuratively or metaphorically means the current state of affairs, how something is organized. Literally, the lay of the land is the arrangement of features upon the land. One usually assesses the lay of the land in preparation for action. The idiom lay of the land is first recorded in 1819. A related idiom is the British phrase how the land lies, a usage that turns up in about 1700. According to Google Ngram Viewer, the use of the term lay of the land peaked in the early 1900s. Lay of the land is a North American phrase. . . Lie of the land is the British phrase that metaphorically means the current state of affairs, how something is organized. Literally, the lie of the land is the arrangement of features upon the land. In fact, lie of the land and lay of the land mean the same thing.

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Cowboys . . .

(http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/01/03/3735647/malheur-lake-oregon-militia-explainer/)
". . . Dwight Hammond Jr., 73, and his 46-year-old son, Steven, are due to report to federal prison on Monday to serve five-year prison terms. The men were convicted by a jury of their peers in 2012 on arson charges stemming from a pair of fires (The Hammonds set ). . . that ultimately burned 139 acres of BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land. . . the federal anti-terrorism law that prosecutors used to punish the fires includes mandatory minimum sentences of 5 years for fires that damage public property but cause no injury or death. After a series of appeals, the Hammonds were re-sentenced in October of 2015 to the full five years required by that 1990s statute . . . Militia members have taken over the tile-roofed stone cottage on the south shore of the lake that serves as headquarters for the refuge . . . While frustrations and friction between federal land management agencies and ranchers are widespread, the vast majority of private citizens from communities affected by these issues do not share the radicalism that animates Bundy’s armed occupiers. . . The idea that federal authority over public lands is illegitimate has caught the attention of a variety of extremist groups that are convinced the government will sooner or later turn arms against its own people. . . "



Company Man
© 1995 Raymond M. Jozwiak, demo recording by Ray Jozwiak




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My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music is now available at - Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
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Sing It . . .

Cowboy . . .


Is there something new
That's happening between us
Or has
Something gone away that used to be

It's a mystery
Comes out of the blue
Just some evening
Words exchanged between we two
Starts out simply
Ends up blistering

Is there something new
That's happening between us
Or has
Something gone away that used to be

Maybe harmless stuff

About the weather 

Or some such

Dinner's fabulous

The company 

Was so intoxicating

Is there something new
That's happening between us
Or has
Something gone away that used to be

I'd like to talk
About what's happening
But when I do
I find that
I'm the one to blame

We've got to try
To see this through
We've been
Through so many things
And worse things too
The answer's
There to see

Is there something new
That's happening between us
Or has
Something gone away that used to be

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html  or at
http://www.ohomusic.com 


OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak.  Please Visit http://www.ohomusic.com 


My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music is now available at - Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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Diplomacy? . . .

(from wikipedia.com)
". . .Cowboy diplomacy is a term used by critics to describe the resolution of international conflicts through brash risk-taking, intimidation, military deployment, or a combination of such tactics. It is criticized as stemming from an overly-simple, dichotomous world view. Overtly provocative phraseology typically centralizes the message. One of the earliest known applications of the term was in 1902, when it was used by Jackie Lawlor from Westford, Massachusetts and the American press to describe U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policies. Roosevelt had at the time summarized his approach to international diplomacy as "Speak softly and carry a big stick", an adage that was engraved on a bronze plaque on Donald Rumsfeld's office desk in the Pentagon and has set the modern precedent.

The term has since also been applied to the presidential administrations of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. . ."


. . . living through it got me thinking . . .


Cowboy Justice
©2006 Raymond M. Jozwiak
from Put A Finger On It
available at CD Baby
 



What do you think?
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OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak

My latest solo release, '2014' of original, instrumental piano music, can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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Exactly . . .

. . . what we need?????


Cowboy justice
Is just exactly what we need
Twice as effective
As mercy now for which they plead
If I can't get you
To see things the way I do
Something happens
I start the process see it through
It's what I've been taught to do
And I'll teach you

No one tells me
Just what I can or cannot do
My advisers
Some say are keepers of this zoo
I don't mind if
You think that what they say is real
I'm in charge here
At least that's how they make me feel
That's a part of the deal
And it came true

Gotta see it my way
I'm giving the people what I want
It's a price I must pay
We cowboys know how to be gallant

There's no question
Of right or wrong here to debate
Disagree though
You'll be subjected to the hate
That's inflicted
On members of the team like you
Cause we cowboys
Will never worry if we're few
Our justice is true
Make no mistake


Cowboy Justice
©2005 Raymond M. Jozwiak (copyright demo recording) 





What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html 


OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak

My latest solo release, '2014' of original, instrumental piano music, can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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Too Many . . .

. . . Cowboys. . .

Why don't you grow up
just as fast as you can
All of your innocence
Is a flash in the pan
It's overrated you say
Tryin' to be a nice guy
It's so much easier this way
So why even try
Too many cowboys

Everyone's watching
So you think all the time
Maintain the image
But it's all in your mind
What's so damned special about
Being hard as a nail
Banishing subtlety
Sets yourself up to fail
Too many cowboys

Just too many cowboys
Not quite enough men
Who will listen
Rather learn than
Only just pretend

You wear a big hat
It's a Stetson of course
Chew some tobacco
Take a ride on your horse
You've got some buddies I see
Just a little hard-boiled
They've got some dirt on their hands
They all dabble in oil
Too many cowboys

Can't say you're sorry
Can't say you're wrong
God is on your side
He's been there all along
It doesn't matter to you
If they're hurt or they're dead
You've been above it so long
I'll stick by what I said
too many cowboys

Just too many cowboys
Not quite enough men
Who will listen
Rather learn than
Only just pretend

Get in your big truck
And just drive away
You have no interest
in the things that I say
Nor did you ever
Listen that much at all
You set yourself up
For some big kind of fall
Too many cowboys

And just like a cowboy
Just the kind that you are
Virile and macho
But without a guitar
Into the sunset you rode
And the credits did roll
Not a regret did you feel
But you've taken your toll
Too Many Cowboys

Just too many cowboys
Not quite enough men
Who will listen
Rather learn than
Only just pretend



Too Many Cowboys
©2009 Raymond M. Jozwiak





What do you think?
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My latest release, Black & White Then Back,
can be downloaded digitally at:

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Heart, soul . . .

. . . warmth, grit, poetry. . . Mark McKay

But listen to what some others say. . .

"Surrealistic cowboy poetry. Springsteen on mescaline. Steve Earle on a literary jag. Wilco with grit. . . expansive, exotic Americana, urgent, whiskey-fed melodies topped with lyrics that often seem to consist of a string of vivid images and striking non sequiturs . . . "  - Jason Warburg , The Daily Vault

". . . punchy roots rock fit for prime time. In their incarnation on Hotel, some of these tracks displayed a raw beauty that tended toward sprawl. . . "  - Nick Zaino III , Paste magazine

". . . Combining many traditional American styles, including rock, bluegrass, country, and even a smidge of blues, Mark McKay, continues his style of mellow and melancholy acoustic (or acoustic-type) rock with heavy country influence . . . "  - Sarah Kantor , Emmie Magazine

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ANOTHER SHOT
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Cowboy Justice. . .

. . . is something that we really need. Twice as effective as mercy now for which they plead. If I can't get you to see things the way I do, something happens. I start the process. See it through. Its what I've been taught to do. And I'll teach you.

No one tells me just what I can or cannot do. My advisors, some say, are keepers of a zoo. I don't mind if you think that what they say is real. I'm in charge here, at least that's how they make me feel. That's a part of the deal and it came true.

Gotta see it my way. I'm giving people what I want. It's a price I must pay. We cowboys know how to be gallant.

There's no question of right or wrong here to debate. Disagree though, you'll be subjected to the hate that's influcted on member of the team like you. 'Cause we cowboys will never worry if we're few. Our justice is true. Make no mistake.

COWBOY JUSTICE
©2006 Raymond M. Jozwiak

An instrumental rendition of COWBOY JUSTICE
appears on the CD PUT A FINGER ON IT
©2008 Raymond M. Jozwiak
COWBOY JUSTICE sample




Download your
very own copy of
ANOTHER SHOT
by Ray Jozwiak

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