Allman Brothers at the Big House

Lyrics

[Intro]

Duane's Goldtop, you old friend,
that 1957 Gibson Les Paul,
worn gold finish scratched from endless nights.

[Verse 1]
I hold you now, in this room at 2321 Vineville,
the Big House wrapping us in its Tudor arms,
Gregg at the organ, Berry thumping bass lines,
Phil Walden listening from the hall.
October evenings, 1970, humid air thick with hickory smoke,
barbecue ribs and spilled beer on the floor.
You slide under my fingers, Coricidin bottle gliding,
bending notes like the Ocmulgee River curves.

[Chorus]
Oh, slide guitar, you genesis of Southern rock,
born on the banks here in Macon,
At Fillmore East capturing your wail,
Duane Allman, November 20, 1946, to that fateful day.
You lick for peace, eat a peach in Georgia,
echoing through Capricorn at 535 Cotton Avenue.

[Verse 2]
Late sessions, around 8 PM, crickets outside,
your metallic tang mixing with sweat and strings.
Berry Oakley, April 4, 1948, riding his Harley,
just like Duane's 1969 Sportster, chrome and roar.
October 29, 1971, 5:45 PM, Hillcrest and Bartlett,
the screech, the thud, autumn wind at 65 degrees.
You, guitar, left silent in the Big House,
but we pick you up, play on for them.

[Bridge]

Pet goat Stanley chewing cables in the hall,
jam sessions stretching to dawn,
Rose Hill Cemetery, 'I'm Free' on the stone,
guitar picks left by fans, pebbles too.
You, instrument of loss and legacy,
addressing the void left by motorcycle wrecks.

[Verse 3]
Gregg's voice, soulful, cross to bear,
from My Cross to Bear, 2012 words,
Phil's quote in Billboard, 1999,
we had something the world needed.
Your slide, Duane, innovative, bending peace,
on the Ocmulgee, under Otis Redding Bridge.

[Chorus]
Oh, slide guitar, you genesis of Southern rock,
born on the banks here in Macon,
At Fillmore East capturing your wail,
Duane Allman, November 20, 1946, to that fateful day.
You lick for peace, eat a peach in Georgia,
echoing through Capricorn at 535 Cotton Avenue.

[Outro]

Big House museum now, your strings still hum,
for Duane, for Berry, for the sound that started here.