When I was between the ages of 16 and 17 one of my very best friends
was a fellow named Don Ball. We hung out together a lot. We partied
often with friends…
We even—with some friends—drove from Phoenix to Colorado in
June of 1971 to attend the infamous Jethro Tull concert at Red Rocks.
From there three of us thumbed to Sandstone, Minnesota to work
on his uncle Sven’s farm for a few weeks.
Back in the Phoenix area again we gradually drifted apart. If memory serves,
this was partly due to his dating my ex girlfriend, but mostly due to my
increasingly heavy drug use.
We lost touch for decades. I thought of him now and again over the years
—I never forget my friends—but had no clue as to his whereabouts.
And then… one day… I got a phone call. It was Don… He had found me!
Since then—although we live in different states—there have been almost
yearly visits, and I feel closer to him now than I ever did when we were
teens.
Ain’t life funny?
This song is for Don, and is about the gift of true and lasting friendship.
Ours is a friendship that we both believe will spill over into the afterlife,
thanks to our Savior Jesus Christ, Who rescued us both from ourselves.
PS:
Back in 2010 or 2011 I did a demo of this song, but was unhappy with the
end result EXCEPT for the instrumental interlude in the middle. I had
mellotron software on my old Mac and used it to back up the acoustic
guitar solo.
When I got my new Mac in 2017 it turned out that the mellotron software
was not compatible with the updated LogicProX. When I re-recorded
the song I couldn’t duplicate that mid-section so I cut and pasted the
original into the new version. (And I did it all without resorting to AI!)
BTW, I had a helluva time singing these vocals, and it shows in places. I tried
playing and singing in a lower register, but it came out even worse! So
what you hear is what you get!
RE the photo: Don is the one in the the tie-dye shirt. LOL…
Be well all!
Released:
06-May-2026
Category:
Rock
Application:
Logic Pro
File type:
mp3
File size:
10.3 Mb
Plays:
7
Downloads:
0
Weekly plays:
7
Weekly downloads:
0
License:
No derivative works allowed
AI assisted with lyrics:
No
AI assisted with music/production:
No
