Recording and Mixing Dates: Recorded February 16 & 17. Mixed February 18, 2016.
Genesis: This recording is a birthday present for my wife, Theresa Lippert, who was born on February 19. Theresa has been the inspiration for many of my songs and is my biggest supporter. She loves this song, so I decided to give it a whirl this week.
Every few years the cottonwood trees in our neighborhood release their seeds in cottony strands. The wind blows them here and there, covering our yards like a dusting of snow. I jotted down the title “Cottonwood Dreams” in the early 2000s. On July 1, 2009 I found some facts about cottonwood trees on the Internet and wrote the lyrics in one sitting. I could not find music to fit the words, so six years ago yesterday I sent the lyrics to my friend Tom Ryan, asking if he could come up with a tune.
Tom stunned me when he emailed an mp3 the next day. He created an evocative melody but he also produced a beautiful arrangement that included acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, and a harmony vocal. (A link to his recording can be found below.) AND he tightened up the lyrics.
My arrangement is totally acoustic and it has a folky swing feel to it. The mandolin lick that serves as the instrumental glue to the song came to me out of the blue. I harmonized it with another mandolin part higher up the neck.
Production: Acoustic bass, acoustic guitars, ukulele, and mandolin.
Tom Ryan Version
Lyrics
Cottonwood Dreams
Cottonwood snow
On the grass in my yard
Can’t rake it up
It’s much too hard
Have to be calm
Wait for the day
When the rains come down
Melt it away.
CHORUS
Cottonwood Dreams
Blowing over the plains
Pushed by tornadoes
And midsummer rains.
Cottonwood blows
All over the land
From the great North Woods
To the Rio Grande
They live till a hundred
Go 60 feet high
Suck out the water
Till the wells run dry
Cottonwood lumber
It’s cheap and it’s coarse
Like a lover’s apology
No remorse
CHORUS
When the wind rustles
Those cottonwood leaves
The humming bird listens
The mockingbird grieves
I’ve made resolutions
Hatched crazy schemes
They’ve all blown away
With my cottonwood dreams
Cottonwood seeds
On the soles of my boots
Planting new trees
Yes, I’m in cahoots
Old Mother Nature
Sure has her ways
She’s like a good coach
Everyone plays
CHORUS
Copyright 2010 Fred Grittner and Tom Ryan All Rights Reserved
52 tracks blog 
This little song just keeps seeing the light of day, doesn’t it?
Damned proud of our collaboration —
Cath had an interesting take (and of course, loved the fact that you included an Uke); my version reminded her of a prancing horse…yours of a rocking horse.
Interesting how music affects us all
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Updated the blog post to make clear you tightened up my lyrics. Thanks again, TR!
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Your very kind but all I did was change a couple of words…made ’em better. But it was a tweak, at best. A good dual effort, my friend.
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Great job! Perfect marriage of lyrics and melody.
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Lovely. Floats throught he air like cottonwood seeds.
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Beautifully interpretation. Beautifully played.
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