Good tune, good production. My daughters are 21 and 17...so I'm getting up there too. My oldest just got a degree in English. Count me in with you in the proud parents club!

Hi Herb!  GREAT tune!!!  Only one comment-  Country music is ALL about the lyrics...  so give yourself a little more makeup gain in your vocal compressor to get out front a tad more and tell that story in my face!  I had to struggle a little to get a few words..
 
Great job!

Terry , KS, and Clint: Thank you.
 
I mixed this mainly on cans I think with a check on the speakers so the verb may be a bit heavy.... next time I'm in the studio I will listen for that specific issue.
 
I love the mandolin and acoustic guitar mixed with fiddle and steel. I'm not a heavy blue grass fan but I do love the qualities each of those instruments have and especially when mixed together. I'm so glad I bought that mandolin.
 
Thank you again for listening.

Herb, are you sure your not really Willie in disguise!!!!!!!

lol Aklie.... nope , not the last time I checked...

Herb, I've listened to many of your tunes over the past several years. This one, by far, is one of my favorites. It's heart-felt, honest and to the point. You're a good songwriter, with the intuition that songwriters need, to write something that relates to us all. That being said, I feel you got a bit lazy with the second half of the first verse. Make it a bit more interesting. I'm pretty sure that you already know this. Lastly, I don't feel that the recording is going to get this song noticed, if that is your ultimate goal. I had to think on it for a bit. Your voice is rather unique, and you might get away with a more abstract vocal style, but I don't think that this is the song for it. As always, just my opinion. Take it for what it's worth.
Darin
 

DarinBad,  I appreciate you listening and your perspective on this tune and the recording.
 
The goal with this tune is accomplished by having written it. Nothing commercial intended, just a message to my daughters and some advice in song for them.
 
Thank you for listening and your comments.

My bad herb. I often skip reading the description of a song to avoid any preconception during listening to it. Maybe I should reconsider that practice...
 
I find your work interesting and would love to see you have some success with it, which I guess is why I listened to this song within the context of commercial viability. Sorry about that.
 
I should also clarify that I don't think the recording is bad at all. I like it overall. I do think you went a bit heavy on the reverb, but I really like the instrumentation you chose. My only real crit is the vocal performance. It's hard for me to put my finger on it exactly, but this particular take seems somehow disconnected from the song. It's not that you have a bad voice ( I like your voice) or did a terrible job at singing it, but somehow, it just doesn't seem to 'fit'. I'm at a loss as to how to adequately explain it. I assume it boils down to my own perception of how I hear it being sung that is preventing me, in a subconscious way, from accepting it as it is. I really don't know. One thing's for sure: It's entirely subjective. You're the one that needs to happy with it.
Darin

DarinBad....  no problem...  hey, I'm still waiting for them to release the George Strait VST vocal emulation plug in.
 
I certainly don't have that "Nashville" voice that seems to be a requirement for anything country (male) these days... More of a singer songwriter kind of voice if I do say so....
 
On listening to songs here: I often do the opposite. I start the song and read the comments of others to see what they are hearing and saying and listen for those things to see if I agree or not....and then comment accordingly. But, to each his own, and I just appreciate anyone who listens and then comments.....good or bad. The good is always appreciated but I tend to learn more from the "bad" comments.... that's how you find out what people don't like about the song, mix, performance, etc.... then, knowing that, you can move forward.
 
Ideally, I'd love to find a co-writer with a similar home studio, and,  who sounds like the next Garth Brooks. Any takers?

Good heavens, I almost missed this one and that would be a shame.  This is a beautiful song --- music and especially lyrics.  I am sure that your daughter(s) must appreciate this.  I love the mando/guitar lead break.  Doggone if you don't sound like Willie!  My wife and I have been together for over 40 years, so marriage can indeed work.