The Times They Are A-Changin'

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'



Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who that it's namin'
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'



Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside and it's ragin'
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'



Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'



The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin'
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'



The Times They Are A-Changin’
Copyright 1963 Bob Dylan
Renewed 1991 Special Rider Music
From the 1964 Columbia album
The Times They Are A-Changin'




Gallery Focus: Tributes & Memories Gallery #7 Bob Dylan
There were three kings and a jolly three too. The first one had a broken nose, the second a broken arm and the third was broke. “Faith is the key!” said the first king. “No, froth is the key!” said the second. “You’re both wrong,” said the third, “the key is Frank!”

Only A Pawn In Their Game

Liberal democrats and mainstream media mouthpieces in Canada and the United States currently expounding on the need for the west to revert back to the days of "peace" agreements in war torn Israel and Lebanon is like listening to the frantic shipwrecked survivors of the "Minnow" on Gilligan’s Island devising their silly plans to be rescued.

We all know the fate of that fearless crew.

Yet, elitist pundits are desperately trying to figure out how America can best be rescued from the wreckage of an evolving Middle East situation which, given the radical sea changes now occurring in that part of the world, will more equitably balance the equation against Islamofascist terror in its drive to reign over the entire middle east.

Of course, leftist pundits, without any actual connection with the real world beyond their isolated little Islands in the stream, remain hopelessly lost and adrift in the remote shallows of their doctrinaire equivalency ideology with no tangible hope for a safe return to the Promised Land where everyone's still "thinkin’ about tommorrow".

Luckily, there's no way at this point that the west will return to the suicidal accommodations of such a treacherous status quo solution.

The old models have been irrevocably destroyed forever and nothing in the world will ever be the same again. Nor should it be. The game is up and malevolent terrorist strategies have been clearly exposed for what they've been all along. The Palestinian issue is a convenient wedge for opportunistic state sponsors of terror whose aim it is to completely dominate life as the major power in the middle east.

That deceptive wedge is finally realized as only a pawn in their game.

Islamofascist Jihadists consider their fellow Muslim brothers and sisters as nothing more than cannon fodder for their deadly cult whose aim is the destruction and annihilation of western civilization.

Terrorist organization Hezzbolah is in control of Southern Lebanon and acting upon direct orders from its terrorist state sponsors Iran and Syria. They have proclaimed full, all out war against Israel and America. Terrorist threats of Hezzbolah and Hamas are not about creating real hope for Palestinians any more than they are about providing a lasting peace for Lebanon which is a weak structural alliance of competing religious and secular factions within Lebanon's ad hoc governing coalition providing the greatest opportunity for terrorism to become irrevocably entrenched as the dominant ideological and political force in the entire middle east.

Hezzbolah and Hamas are mere knights and rooks in the apocalyptic nightmare adventures of Islamofascist Jihadist states Iran and Syria.

The cause of Palestinians is only a pawn in their game.

Today, Medgar Evers was buried from the bullet he caught
They lowered him down as a king
But when the shadowy sun sets on the one
That fired the gun
They'll see by his grave
On the stone that remains
Carved next to his name
His epitaph plain: Only a pawn in their game

Only A Pawn In Their Game
Copyright 1963 Bob Dylan
Renewed 1991 Special Rider Music
From the 1964 Columbia album
The Times They Are A-Changin'

Talking Points: Finally, the world is accepting that the Middle East problem was never about so-called occupied land -- but only about the existence of Israel itself. Hezbollah and Hamas, and those in their midst who tolerate them (or vote for them), didn't so much want Israel out of Lebanon and Gaza as pushed into the Mediterranean altogether. And since there will be no second Holocaust, the Israelis may well soon transform a perennial terrorist war they can't easily win into a conventional aerial one against a terrorist-sponsoring Syria that they can… The Washington Times

Discover more illuminations and insights… Victor Davis Hanson

h/t small dead animals

Spotlight: Former leftist radical turned brilliant conservative activist David Horowitz is a creative force for good with his positive efforts to educate people regarding the true nature of the real evils we face in our troubled western civilization. David's Front Page Mag website is one of the best resources for comprehensive cultural information and intellectual argumentation concerning the most vital and deeply important issues enveloping the world today. Help support the right cause in our collective fight for freedom & justice in the world by contributing to Front Page Mag at this time. Our support is needed.

I am pledging at the $100.00 level to David Horowitz at this time as I truly believe in his sincere and rightful purposes at Front Page Mag.

Read David Horowitz's urgent message at this Newsmax link

God Bless David Horowitz and Front Page Mag for the tireless work he and his site perform in exposing the networks that seek to destroy our American freedoms and our traditional way of life. Freedom is never free. Something worth remembering at this point in history.

Visit Front Page Mag in my Scribes & Illuminators sidebar area.

Bucko Trainor

Wes "Bucko" Trainor was Prince Edward Island's lone contributor to the National Hockey League during his era, and only the third Islander to enter the NHL, performing at centre ice for the top forward line of the New York Rangers.

As centre man and right winger, Bucko Trainor achieved the Big Time with the 1949 New York Rangers, wearing number 14. In the words of Rangers coach Lynn Patrick, "If all the boys hustled like Bucko Trainor, this team wouldn't look so bad."

Learn more about Wes "Bucko" Trainor at PEI Sport Hall of Fame.

Gallery Focus: There is something undeniable in the Trainor genetic code that compells our tough lineage to aspire to great heights of achievement and success despite impossibly difficult challenges.

Check out the first installment of our new Gallery Focus feature.

Hangin' Tough is from Nashville Gallery [#5] at franktrainor.com

Life in Nashville was good. I was enjoying meeting so many great and talented people, I was writing songs for a living, performing at The Bluebird Cafe and other live venues, enjoying a very happy family life and scoping out career prospects which were slowly beginning to take shape. At a certain point however, Combine was sold to a larger New York publishing corporation known as SBK. Priorities began to change drastically from within the corporate environment as well as within myself. I was beginning to feel less and less inspired as a corporate songwriter and more motivated to expand boundaries of my own vision... Read the whole story at Hangin' Tough

Have Gun Will Travel

"I gotta lotta respect for a gun" - Jack Fate












Not only did he always vanquish his foe in a gunfight, Paladin often decided beforehand whether he would merely wound the unlucky man or kill him! If his opponent was evil enough, he'd be wasted; Paladin accepted the fact that he had the power of life and death -- he quite clearly played God, and did not take that responsibility lightly. It's also clear that he was, for all practical purposes, as talented at his craft as anyone. On occasion he would get wounded in a fair fight, but if he did, you could be sure his opponent would be shot dead. Based on his demeanor and his deeds, Paladin obviously knew he need fear no man; he reigned at the summit of the gunslinging food-chain, and he understood that truth completely. Paladin... hgwt









Have Gun Will Travel

One of these days you'll wake up in a world not standing still
To see that weeds have grown beyond your window sill

All the paint upon your silos then will be cracked & chipped & peeled
And all your heavy tools of harvest will be rusting in your field

I'll be movin' on down a clear cut road towards the risin' sun
To find that brighter mornin's work that's never done

I've tilled my soil in season here but I won't reap my season's run
Until I pack this ground beneath my feet and load my travellin' gun

Have gun will travel
Bad news for Babylon
This Troubadour moves on
With every song
My mark is seldom missed
My target's emptiness
Five bullets for its nest
And one between its eyes

Have Gun Will Travel
copyright 2006 Frank Trainor

This Human Passion

Ain't got no time for wastin' time no more
And I got no reason for evenin' up the score
Just one more day and I'll be in my sweet Heaven
Just one more night of livin' with this human passion

"This Human Passion"
Copyright 2005 Frank Trainor/Road Skolar Music Publishing
from the InDepth Records CD The Comfort Sound Sessions

Something completely unexpected happened to me this past week which had a truly profound impact on my sensitive artist’s soul.

I was emotionally catapulted back to when I was a young songwriter just beginning my professional music journey in the very early 1970's.

You see, I'm secretly teaching myself to play lead guitar these days by playing along with the music programming on digital TV channels. This is very unusual for me as I have never really been compelled to play lead guitar as a songwriter/artist. I’ve always sung and played rhythm guitar, so the idea of actually sitting down and struggling to learn this new single note approach to the instrument after 35 years of songwriting and playing music on guitar my whole life feels a little bit strange at this late point to say the least. I’m totally self-taught.

So there I was, fumbling around on the frets like a rank beginner searching for mystery scales previously undiscovered and switching around on the channels between rock, country, folk, blues, adult alternative and songs from the 70's and 80's. I had just landed on the country station when out of the blue a song came on that sounded strangely familiar to my ears. So, I located the key and the chords and started to play along. Suddenly I realized that it was a song of mine that I had written 35 years ago and which Canada’s top country group of that time, The Mercey Brothers, had a hit with in 1973.

My heart skipped a beat as I realized I was trying to play along to a song that I had actually written myself when I was only 17 years old.

The experience stunned me as it made me consciously aware of just how long I've been at this game of songwriting and how long I've been at home on this long highway journey called the road of life. My very own early days song, performed by a now long since retired & famed country band, playing to me alone in my living room on the digital TV channel while I patiently searched around for the lost chord. Unreal.

I put the guitar down and thought about all the years in between.

This was my first ever recording of one of my very early songs.

Indeed, I have mostly forgotten about it in the years since it was a radio hit. The fact that it was even getting airplay at this late point surprised me to tell you the truth. But, there it was and there I was. Curiously unaware that it was even my own song for a second or two.

It was a very strange experience especially since I’ve been used to hearing my songs and my records played on radio for many years.

This was different. This was a ghost from my long ago past wearing a disguise as an old gold country hit. That spirit reintroduced itself.

It caused me to pause and appreciate all the things a man ought to be eternally grateful for and it made me reflect on my long journey in life creating magic with these God given gifts of songwriting talent and music. The art and craft of forging melodies with tuneful lyrics.

I am truly blessed.

The song was called Our Lovin' Times and it was written way back in 1971, recorded by The Mercey Brothers and released to radio on the RCA Victor label. It was a country radio hit in 1973 and is included on a Greatest Hits RCA album called The Best Of The Mercey Brothers.

Merle Haggard was singing by the time I snapped back into this present dimension "...are the good times really over for good..."

Not quite yet, Merle...the highway's still my home.

The Road Skolar

I Read The News Today, Oh Boy

One of the most interesting and authoritative new sites focused on The Beatles and their legacy is Beatles Today. Beatles Today is the world's only Beatles News and Opinion Magazine on the Internet.

With regular columnists such as Mersey Beat founder Bill Harry and noted Beatles historian Martin Lewis, Beatles Today provides its readers with news and opinion on The Beatles from the most richly informed and historically balanced perspectives that one could ever imagine. Beatles Today relates first hand experiences and direct involvement with The Beatles and their management/support team as well as providing current Beatles related news and important Beatles information and items of interest from around the world.

Beatles Today contributing columnists include Mitchell Symons [British writer and journalist], Bruce Spizer [Beatles author and historian], David Haber [Beatles Webmaster], Paul Saltzman [photographer, filmmaker, author of The Beatles In India] and Seth Swirsky [hit songwriter, author and recording artist].

Beatles Today is a relatively new venture which I've had linked in my sidebar section called The Box for quite awhile now and I've thoroughly enjoyed reading it on each and every visit. It's great!

Seth Swirsky is also a regular contributor to Real Clear Politics among other pages as an opinion writer. A recent column of Seth's on the contrast between George Bush's decency and class compared with the incivility of Democrats caught my attention recently.

Here's that link: Bush's Decency Highlights Democrats Incivility

Seth is a Beatles fan obviously [he is a pro songwriter after all] and we songwriters get The Beatles "up on another level" as Bob Dylan might put it. But Seth is also a writer of books and seems a refined and respectful artist with a love of family and a fond appreciation of cool baseball memorabilia among other interesting pursuits.

Check out Seth’s unique site and read some of his great stories.

Especially enjoy the one about his meeting George Harrison.

I'd love to have that one stored in my own memory bank.


Talking Points: Here's two Beatles related links from The Box

Being There

The Lost Beatles


Spotlight: On New Things. Kindest thanks this week to two fellow intellectual conservative religious bloggers for adding FRANKtalk to their sites. Rerum Novarum is a wonderful in depth forum on topics ranging from politics and war to traditional Catholic faith, theology and Church history among other things, not the least of which is Shawn McElhinney's love of blues guitar music and its progenitors.

Shawn kicked off his Rerum Novarum blogpost of Wednesday, June 28, 2006 with his regular Points to Ponder feature by quoting a line from a song of mine called When The Tide Comes Rushin' In taken from my current Grace & Gravity CD. Here's the line: "It ain't the time to learn how to swim when the tide comes rushin' in…"

FRANKtalk is now linked at Rerum Novarum.

Thanks for the links and kind appreciations Shawn. Rerum Novarum is the definition of a true intellectual conservative vision with a traditional Catholic theological basis. For those with the requisite hunger and the acquired taste, a veritable smorgasbord. Enjoy!

Another new link partner to FRANKtalk is Western World Politics now known as WWP.com based in Manchester, Lancashire, UK. The new web home of WWP. Discussion of news, current affairs, the war on terror and developments in the culture war. Proudly pro-family, pro-American and pro-freedom. Comments are strongly encouraged.

Thanks to WWP editor Michael for his kind respect and appreciation in adding FRANKtalk and franktrainor.com to his website as well.

Quote of the Month-- "It occurred to me by intuition, and music was the driving force behind that intuition. My discovery was the result of my musical perception." - Albert Einstein (when asked about his theory of relativity). Very perceptive Albert…ain't it the truth.

Frank Trainor