… Read Full Bio ↴I got tired of seeing my dated bio on here, so this is how it is...
I've been immersed in music since conception. It's all I've ever been interested in. Ever. My entire family on my fathers side all play and sing and half write their own material. They don't even know how far it goes back, but they believe that during the civil war, one of our ancestors was a prisoner of war in Andersonville Confederate Prison. He played the fiddle and as the story goes, he played for the soldiers which allowed him to get enough food to stay alive.
I was raised on a tobacco farm in Taylorsville Kentucky. Looking back, it was almost a Kentucky-story-book kind of life with Country and Bluegrass music all around. But we listened to EVERYTHING, so collectively, it was as diverse as you can imagine. I worked in tobacco with my family from the age of 4 until I was 21, and, at the time, couldn't wait to get away, so that's what I did.
I moved to Louisville Kentucky in 1988 and illegally worked the night joints, due to the fact I was underage. My first STEADY music job was a solo gig at the Granville Inn on 3rd street. Three months later, I was hired by a south side Chicago native, a black dude that called himself "Tophat".
Top was a KILLER backbeat/blues/motown drummer. Funny thing is, he fronted the band with a saxaphone that he'd sqeek and sqauk around on and only played the drums when he couldn't find someone else to do it. He was one of the last "chitlin' circuit" style performers I've seen. It was like stepping back in time.
This was where I REALLY learned how to survive as a musician. This guy hustled gigs out of thin air. He'd talk his way into places that didn't hire live music. He'd book a show without even having a band put together, then go to a blues jam and round up a bunch of guys he had just met to play the gig, without any rehearsals. He'd lead the whole band through every song (showing them where to build, stop, punch, etc.) all while playing sax, singing and entertaining (even did the splits every now and then). What amazed me MOST was his abillity to always pull it off. He actually ended up hiring ME at a blues jam (and bummed a ride home that night to the other side of town). Everything he did was by the seat of his pants, but he was always a professional. He taught me the "old school" etiquette of stage and band management. He introduced me to all the black clubs and players in Louisville. My two favorite being Smoketown Red and Kush Griffin. Kush was with James Brown as one of the horny horns and Parliment in their prime. He also was responsible for introducing me to my life long friend "Portland" Johnny Hayes on the drums (bad M.F.) who played with me for most of my stint in Louisville. Johnny was also a Tophat protoge. All of this was my schooling. I owe these people a lot, but especially Top.
I eventually drifted back to my roots of bluegrass, folk and country and started an acoustic band called the Galoots. The first version was Todd Osborne and Dennis Talley. We really had a unique blend that fell into place easily. Eventually, as bands do, we drifted appart and the second inception of the band took place. Comprised of Steve Cooley, Mike Shroeder, and Larry Raley. That band ramped it into more of a moshgrass scene. That did what it did and I decided I had to go to Nashville in '98.
I did three shows at the Station Inn with the second version of the Galoots and ended up with production and publishing offers. I took the publishing, not being a fan of production "deals". Publishing led to demo, demo led to pitching songs to label for other artists to cut, pitch led to "who is this guy", "who is this guy" led to showcase, showcase to deal, and there you have it. I signed with MCA in 2000.
Later, left MCA and eventually went to Equity. Left Equity and joined MUZIKMAFIA. Since then I've gotten several cuts on other artists, writing a lot, playing a lot, producing a lot, and having fun alot. -Shannon Lawson
Bad Bad Bad
Shannon Lawson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She somehow knew my name
And I knew that she was trouble
But she had me just the same
And it was bad, bad, bad, bad
It was bad, bad, bad, bad
She saw the devil in her eyes
And she said, ?Son, my only son
You better run for your life?
'Cause she?s bad, bad, bad, bad
Forbidden fruit it tastes so sweet
I had so much it made me weak
And all the good times that we had
Were just bad, bad, bad, bad
Now the trouble, Lord the trouble
That, that girl she got me in
And I?m prayin', Lord I?m prayin?
That I never see her again
'Cause she?s bad, bad, bad, bad
Forbidden fruit it tastes so sweet
I had so much it made me weak
And all the good times that we had
Were just bad, bad, bad, bad
The lyrics to Shannon Lawson's "Bad Bad Bad" tell the story of a dangerous love affair that quickly spirals out of control. From the first moment the singer lays eyes on the woman in question, he knows she's trouble. But despite his better judgement, he becomes involved with her and soon realizes that she's a forbidden fruit that's impossible to resist. Their relationship is passionate and intense, but ultimately destructive, as the singer's mother warns him that the woman has the devil in her eyes and he should run for his life.
The singer acknowledges that the woman has him completely under her spell, but that their love is a "bad" kind of love. It's a love that leaves him weak and drained, with all of the good times they share tainted by the knowledge that it can't last. The final verse sees the singer praying that he never sees the woman again, knowing that he needs to cut ties with her to save himself from further harm.
Overall, the lyrics to "Bad Bad Bad" paint a vivid portrait of a doomed romance that's both thrilling and dangerous. The singer's clear-eyed understanding of the situation is matched by his refusal to walk away, despite the consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, the first time that I saw her
At the time that I first laid eyes upon her
She somehow knew my name
Without introduction or an exchange of pleasantries, she knew my given name
And I knew that she was trouble
An effortless understanding that she would pose difficulty and strife
But she had me just the same
Despite the potential chaos, I found myself completely enamored
And it was bad, bad, bad, bad
The result of the attraction was both alluring and catastrophic
It was bad, bad, bad, bad
The situations that arose as a result of the aforementioned attraction were unredeemable
Well my mama, bless my mama
My dear mother, bless her heart,
She saw the devil in her eyes
She was able to recognize something sinister in the other's gaze
And she said, ?Son, my only son
In a dire warning to her child
You better run for your life?
She advised me to leave the situation immediately
'Cause she?s bad, bad, bad, bad
The woman was fundamentally troubling, and posed a continuing risk to personal wellbeing
Forbidden fruit it tastes so sweet
Indulging in something that is prohibited in some way can be deeply alluring
I had so much it made me weak
I partook of this bitter fruit to such a degree that I became weakened by it
And all the good times that we had
Despite the joy we experienced
Were just bad, bad, bad, bad
It could never outshine the perpetual negative situations
Now the trouble, Lord the trouble
The issues that arose from the ill-fated relationship
That, that girl she got me in
I was lured into this unfavorable predicament
And I?m prayin', Lord I?m prayin?
I am pleading to the divine that I can avoid the situation in the future
That I never see her again
I hope to never have contact or communication with her in the future
'Cause she?s bad, bad, bad, bad
The harm caused by this person was long-lasting and irreparable
Forbidden fruit it tastes so sweet
The risk of an illicit inebriation can be unduly appealing
I had so much it made me weak
My indulgence led to my own weakness
And all the good times that we had
Despite any fleeting bliss
Were just bad, bad, bad, bad
The relationship was intrinsically flawed and couldn't be redeemed
Lyrics © AMPLIFIED ADMINISTRATION, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DEL GRAY, SHANNON LAWSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Darron H
on Rainy Day Whiskey
any body have the lyrics and guitar cords for rainy day whisky?