The Three Guitar Blues: Finding Silence in Quintana Roo
Anne and I recently found ourselves at a small, intimate social gathering right here in Puerto Morelos. The evening took a wonderful turn when another musician got me in the groove for some twelve-bar blues. It’s funny how a moment like that can stir up the soul, yet leave you completely drained of creative energy the next day. Later that evening, as I sat in our rented space on the Colonia side of town taking in the heavy, humid Quintana Roo air, I couldn't help but think about my own ironic predicament.
Over the course of our three-month stay here in Mexico, my corner of our temporary home has slowly turned into a makeshift music shop. First, a generous friend lent me a beautiful red Fender Stratocaster to use for the duration of the trip. Then, just two weeks ago, I ended up buying an inexpensive classical guitar bearing the famous Paracho name from a music shop up in Cancun. To top it all off, another friend dropped by with a lovely Sigma steel-string acoustic for me to use during our stay. Here I am with three guitars—one of each kind: electric, classical, and acoustic—and I'm hardly playing them.
Despite being surrounded by all this musical potential, I was just sitting there, sipping a mezcal and thinking about my sweetie of 50 years enjoying her Corona being served with a vaso con hielo (glass with ice), feeling the weight of the unplayed strings. It is deeply ironic to me, because many years ago I wrote a song called “The song is finally here,” which was entirely about the agonizing inability to come up with lyrics and a melody. It turned out to be a favourite song of some of my friends. Now, I have a matching companion piece: a song about having an abundance of instruments but absolutely no motivation to pick them up. I decided to embrace that beautiful, lazy silence, and that's how “Three Guitar Blues” came together.
Over the course of our three-month stay here in Mexico, my corner of our temporary home has slowly turned into a makeshift music shop. First, a generous friend lent me a beautiful red Fender Stratocaster to use for the duration of the trip. Then, just two weeks ago, I ended up buying an inexpensive classical guitar bearing the famous Paracho name from a music shop up in Cancun. To top it all off, another friend dropped by with a lovely Sigma steel-string acoustic for me to use during our stay. Here I am with three guitars—one of each kind: electric, classical, and acoustic—and I'm hardly playing them.
Despite being surrounded by all this musical potential, I was just sitting there, sipping a mezcal and thinking about my sweetie of 50 years enjoying her Corona being served with a vaso con hielo (glass with ice), feeling the weight of the unplayed strings. It is deeply ironic to me, because many years ago I wrote a song called “The song is finally here,” which was entirely about the agonizing inability to come up with lyrics and a melody. It turned out to be a favourite song of some of my friends. Now, I have a matching companion piece: a song about having an abundance of instruments but absolutely no motivation to pick them up. I decided to embrace that beautiful, lazy silence, and that's how “Three Guitar Blues” came together.
Three Guitar Blues
(Verse 1)
Behind concrete walls on the Colonia side of town
The Quintana Roo sun is slowly beating down
Got my sweetie of fifty years right by my side
Letting the lazy afternoon quietly glide
(Chorus)
I've got the three guitar blues, staring at the wall
Three different voices, but I can't answer the call
Yeah, the three guitar blues under a heavy, humid sky
Got the strings all tuned, but the music's run dry
(Verse 2)
She’s sippin' Corona in a vaso con hielo
Got my mezcal, feeling easy and mellow
Over in the corner sits my Fender Strat
Electric and quiet, sleeping like a cat
(Verse 3)
Beside it is the Sigma, steel strings getting warm
Waiting for a rhythm, waiting for a storm
And resting on the sofa is the Paracho wood
Classical and hollow, looking mighty good
(Chorus)
I've got the three guitar blues, staring at the wall
Three different voices, but I can't answer the call
Yeah, the three guitar blues under a heavy, humid sky
Got the strings all tuned, but the music's run dry
(Bridge)
Half a century together, she knows my every mood
Smiling from the patio, she knows I've lost the groove
A gathering of timber, just begging to sing
But I'm soaking in the silence of an unplayed string
(Outro)
So I’ll pour another drink, let the evening fade
Listen to the quiet that the three guitars made
Down in the Colonia, with nothing to prove
Got the three guitar blues, and I just can't move
Yeah, the Strat, the Sigma, and the Paracho too
Just the three guitar blues... fading in Quintana Roo.
(Verse 1)
Behind concrete walls on the Colonia side of town
The Quintana Roo sun is slowly beating down
Got my sweetie of fifty years right by my side
Letting the lazy afternoon quietly glide
(Chorus)
I've got the three guitar blues, staring at the wall
Three different voices, but I can't answer the call
Yeah, the three guitar blues under a heavy, humid sky
Got the strings all tuned, but the music's run dry
(Verse 2)
She’s sippin' Corona in a vaso con hielo
Got my mezcal, feeling easy and mellow
Over in the corner sits my Fender Strat
Electric and quiet, sleeping like a cat
(Verse 3)
Beside it is the Sigma, steel strings getting warm
Waiting for a rhythm, waiting for a storm
And resting on the sofa is the Paracho wood
Classical and hollow, looking mighty good
(Chorus)
I've got the three guitar blues, staring at the wall
Three different voices, but I can't answer the call
Yeah, the three guitar blues under a heavy, humid sky
Got the strings all tuned, but the music's run dry
(Bridge)
Half a century together, she knows my every mood
Smiling from the patio, she knows I've lost the groove
A gathering of timber, just begging to sing
But I'm soaking in the silence of an unplayed string
(Outro)
So I’ll pour another drink, let the evening fade
Listen to the quiet that the three guitars made
Down in the Colonia, with nothing to prove
Got the three guitar blues, and I just can't move
Yeah, the Strat, the Sigma, and the Paracho too
Just the three guitar blues... fading in Quintana Roo.
Scan to read on mobile