Shortcuts & Wolves

From the Album, ‘Work in Progress...’

I wrote ‘Shortcuts & Wolves‘ when I hosted an Artists in the Round Series in Charlotte.  There were three rounds in which each artist would take turns performing a song or a poem. One round was a theme round and the artists knew in advance what the theme would be and were challenged to either write a song or perform a cover song related to the theme.  In one particular show, the theme was animals. I knew I wanted to write a new song, but I had no idea what about. I initially thought about Yetis, but that led to nowhere. Somehow, I landed on Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf.

My songs all have a message. I rarely ever write a song about nothing. I also like to do plot twists with my songs such as use a sad topic, but create a happy upbeat song with it. Since everyone knows of Little Red Riding Hood, I didn’t want to just write a song about the same old story. So I decided to make the wolf the focus of the song. Here are the lyrics…

She walked through the woods one day.
It was a shortcut to the way Grandma stayed.
But she lost so much time,
walking on the road where she was safe and fine.

But since you asked me I will say.
Matilda had it coming her way.
Shortcuts might be easy.
But it was a wolf that spotted her on that day.

In the woods. In the woods. In the woods. In the woods.

My name is wolf and I see you.
Trying to take the easy way is what you do.
Big eyes I have to see you with.
Big mouth I have to eat you with.

But since you asked me I will say.
Matilda had it coming her way.
Shortcuts might be easy.
But it was a wolf that spotted her on that day.

In the woods. In the woods. In the woods. In the woods.

I don’t really know what Little Red Riding Hood’s name actually is, so I gave her the name Matilda. Only because it rolls off the tongue easily when singing it.

The moral of the story is that in life there will always be ravenous wolves out there to devour you. Taking shortcuts and risks, trusting individuals, not listening to warnings or your gut instincts can get you into trouble. You can’t always avoid everything. But most things can be avoided with a little caution and wisdom.