I love to write songs. You can find rough versions of them on my YouTube channel (oddly enough, called “Monte Dutton”), mostly videos from back when I was occasionally playing little gigs at places near NASCAR tracks.

This one, “Nasty Habits,” is the first one I’ve written in about six months. I love writing songs, but I only occasionally play them in front of a crowd (the next time, to my knowledge, is October 14. (Details to come.) Also, I’ve got those pesky novels and short stories to write.

Anyway, I scribbled (then pecked into my iPhone) the simple chorus about three weeks ago. Then I worked out a chord pattern for the verses, and, every now and then, when I was through with some task and not of a mind to go to another quite yet, I fiddled around on my guitar, but late this morning, I declared myself ready to get it done.

As a boy I followed the Golden Rule

Never went along when my friends cut school

Did my homework, tried to make straight A’s

Limited my violence to video games

And such

But being fine and dandy takes a toll

And the life of a role model gets damn old

Everybody staring most of the time

Hoping you’ll do something that ain’t sublime

Or what

 

Drinking is a nasty habit

Smoking is a nasty habit

Sex is a nasty habit

Eating barbecue’s a nasty habit

Everything’s a nasty habit

Join the crowd

 

Once I reached a conclusion it was all a shame

Like Trump and Nixon and Vietnam

I literally became a figurative man

Never trust a man with a year-round tan

In a suit

I stopped just assuming certain things on sight

If everybody believes it don’t make it right

When you try to ram words down my throat

I’ll spit ‘em back long before I choke

Or inhale

 

CHORUS

 

At this point I try to stay out of the way

Limit ambition to what I get done today

Hoping, somehow, I can find a niche

Without running my car into a ditch

So to speak

I’m less confident virtue prevails in the end

But I’m willing to ignore my doubts and pretend

I don’t go to meetings so I can still create

And I don’t put myself in the hands of fate

Or luck

 

CHORUS

 

My third novel, Crazy of Natural Causes, is available here. It’s both good and good for you. One of the characters, Zeke Runnels, is a musician.  http://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Natural-Causes-Monte-Dutton-ebook/dp/B00YI8SWUU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1436215069&sr=1-1&keywords=Crazy+of+Natural+Causes

My first novel, The Audacity of Dope, was about a songwriter. Don’t get carried away. It’s obviously not autobiographical. It’s just a story of an unlikely hero. http://www.amazon.com/The-Audacity-Dope-Monte-Dutton-ebook/dp/B006GT2PRA/ref=pd_sim_351_14?ie=UTF8&refRID=0XBABANWJXB87X59TEF5

Here’s a video of me performing “Your Independence Day.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q32i0dUWEU