From the recording (If I could) Play Like Bob
I had the privilege of bringing Bob Bennett to our little town to do a series of shows one weekend in 2009 and got to spend a little time with him. Not one that has ever been “star struck” it was still a treat for me, having been a long time fan, just to help prepare things for the shows, drive him around and share some meals. Humble and unassuming, a nicer guy I had never met than Bob.
We all have our gifts from the Lord and though at the moment it still remains to be seen if I have truly found and make good use of mine, I have always believed that God gives us a love and a talent for certain things so we can use it for His purposes. I would like to think it is so with my love of music.
Bob ministered to me through his recordings for years before we ever met and to say that I admire his talent and gifts would be an understatement. I listened intently to passages of certain recordings trying to determine just how to mimic what I’d heard and incorporate such into my own style of playing. But I am not Bob Bennett and play as I play. Bob shared a personal story of having much the same feeling concerning another guitarist that he admires, so I know I’m not unique in that however good we are - we enjoy, admire, and at times secretly covet the different abilities of others we look up to.
I came to this late in life and still struggle between the regular job that pays the bills and raised the family and the joy I get from feeling like occasionally that someone “gets it” and takes something away with them from a song that I have written. In this vein, I sometimes get frustrated at the things I “hear” in my head verses what I am able to transfer to the fret board of a guitar or manage to convey in a recording. So this little song came as an amusing exercise in exploring a bit of that. But (at least to me) the underlying feeling is that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” and though I strive to improve my talents and present them as best I can, I know that it is He that blesses and gives the increase. And I can’t go wrong with that.
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Lyrics
(If I Could) Play Like Bob
( R. P. Maddox © - 2014)
Many things I like to do often conflict with things I should
I played it safe but wonder if I served the ‘greater good’ . . .
A dream still lives inside me and though some may find it odd
I wish that I could play like Bob
He’s an artist on the fret board and I love to hear him sing
His words will reach into your heart – he makes a guitar ring
That’s how I’d make my living and I’d always love my job
If I could only play like Bob
Bob will minister to those who hear him sing and watch him play
But if I were to ask him I am sure that he would say
"It’s rarely fame and fortune in this life when serving God"
Still, I’d love to play like Bob
A virtuoso on the fret board – fingers dancing on the strings
He’ll touch you with his lyrics while he makes a guitar sing
That’s how I’d make my living and I’d always love my job
If I could only play like Bob
I'd do this for a living and I'd always love my job
If I could only write like . . .
If I could only sing like . . .
If I could only play like Bob
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