I’ve had this song on my mind all day. “The Man Who Couldn’t Cry” written by Louden Wainwright III in 1973—the year I was born—and later recorded by Johnny Cash in 1994.
So I listened to it a few times this morning. Then, while I was making dinner tonight, I put on my headphones and had it on repeat for about an hour nonstop.
After dinner, I went into the studio… aka the Bathroom. 🚻😛 I tried it for the first time, and this is the result.
Mike Ness has lived a life most people wouldn’t have survived. He was kicked out of his parents’ house at just 15, and that’s when he started learning guitar. Not long after, the band’s original drummer, Casey Royer, handed him a distortion pedal, and that simple moment inspired the name.
At 16, Mike put together the first lineup of the band. By 17, he had dropped out of high school as Social Distortion started gaining speed in Orange County’s growing punk scene.
But success didn’t come easy. The early years were filled with chaos, drugs, jail, and rehab. By 1984, Mike was the only original member still standing. Everyone else had either quit or been kicked out. In the late ’80s, his heroin addiction nearly took his life.
Somehow, he kept holding on. He never let go of the dream, the band, or the music. He fought his way back when it would have been easier to quit. Decades later, Mike Ness and Social Distortion are still going strong. To me, that’s what makes their music hit a little differently. It’s not just songs—it’s the story of a guy who refused to give up.
Here are two great songs from 2oO4 “Footprints on My Ceiling” and “Nickels and Dimes.”
I also included an early years interview and a short behind-the-scenes video with Mike. I think it’s really cool to see him back then as a rebellious young guy trying to figure life out, and compare that to who he is today—a seasoned veteran who has lived through it all. It’s pretty amazing to see the journey.
One quick note “Footprints on My Ceiling” has the F-word in it. I’m not a fan of bad language in music, but it’s such a great song—and one of my favorites—that I look past it. 😄
What’s a song lyric that has stuck with you forever?
Umm… all of them? 🤷♂️
Being a musician that has specialized in covers from many different genres for more than 40 years now, it’s hard for me to give you just one. Most days I wake up with a different song on my lips and in my heart. Throughout the day, more lyrics come to me. I’m like a human jukebox with thousands of songs memorized.
I’m the same way with books, poems, and literature. I’ve memorized so much over the years. For example, when I first read Julius Caesar by Shakespeare as a teenager, I memorized the parts I really liked. In 7th grade, I auditioned for All-State Chorus and had to sing a solo. I chose the song version of Thomas Ford’s poem, There Is a Lady Sweet and Kind.
The Bible is no different for me. I have many chapters memorized in several translations. Psalm 91, for example, I know in three different translations and recite almost every day.
The reason I mention all this is because, to me, songs and lyrics are just like reading a book. You often hear writers and others talk about how important reading is. Well, I think songs are the same. They tell stories, they make you feel, they paint pictures with words, and I believe they can even help you become a better writer.
I’m constantly walking through lyrics, poems, Scripture, and literature in my mind. It’s always changing, always flowing. I’ve always been like this.
But I don’t want to send you away empty handed, so here’s some lyrics I’ve been thinking about some today… Jackson Browne, In the Shape of a Heart. I’ll probably cover this one soon.
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People speak of love, don’t know what they’re thinking of Wait around for the one who fits just like a glove Speak in terms of belief and belonging Try to fit some word/name to their longing
People speak of love, don’t know what they’re thinking of Reach out to each other through the push and shove Speak in terms of a life and the learning Try to think of a word for the burning
People speak of love, don’t know what they’re thinking of Wait around for the one who fits just like a glove Speak in terms of a life and the living Try to find the word for forgiving
So these next two are my very first ones that I did in the bathroom, both are a little more lo-fi and raw, before I started using Lexis Audio Editor… and before I knew I’d be posting them for everyone to hear. 😁
Social Distortion’s story is pretty unique. Mike Ness is a unique guy. A lot of his roots are in old country music. He’s also got a solo record where he covers many old country songs.
But when he started the band in 1978, they were full-on punk, rebellious teenagers—completely immersed in that music scene.
Over the years, though, you can see the evolution. The country, rock, and blues slowly made its way into their sound, and it’s just so cool to see them still at it today.
Much respect.
Here are two from the later years.
🎧 Bakersfield
🎧 Can’t Take It With You
From the album Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes 2o11
I’ve also included a recent ½ hour performance from a few months ago for a small audience at a radio station in California promoting their new record, Born to Kill.
I started playing guitar in November of 1988. I was 14. I had no intention of learning, but after the tragic death of my best friend, a guitar found its way to me one night and somehow made a way for me—a way to face things.
Music has always been the heart of me.
But a handful of years ago, I arrived at a place inside where it just didn’t matter anymore. Life was hitting me hard. I lost the fire. The desire for it. So I stopped playing completely for over three years and honestly wasn’t sure I’d ever play again.
Then recently, something started bubbling up in me. I could feel it coming back, strong.
So about three or four months ago, I picked it back up, and I honestly feel like that kid again. Maybe even more than before.
Since then, I’ve been playing most every day for a few hours, conditioning my fingers and getting my calluses back. A few people close to me have been asking me to record and share some songs with them, so that’s what I’ve been doing.
I started recording in my room but eventually moved to the bathroom because the acoustics are much better. It’s nothing fancy—just me, my guitar, and a simple app on my phone called Lexis Audio Editor.
As the recordings started piling up, I decided to make it a series. A few people here on WordPress had also been asking me to share, so here we are.
Honestly, these posts are nothing more than me sitting around doing what I normally do. They just happen to be captured this time.
Also, many of these are recorded late at night while others are sleeping. So I try to play and sing loud enough to make it decent without waking the dead. 😁
Hey yall… I was thinking. I’ve got so many recordings from the past few months, and I’m adding to them almost nightly. So for now, I think I’ll do two posts a week. If it gets to be too much, I’ll stop haha.
So I decided to start this series because I thought it would be fun to share and let yall see what I’ve been up to over the past couple of months.
I started doing these recordings about two months ago. A mix of Christian and secular. During the first month, I was just using the WhatsApp recorder, so the sound quality is pretty rough—very lo-fi—but on some of those I still managed to captured some cool moments.
About a month ago, I downloaded Lexis Audio Editor, and the sound quality is a lot better. This week I have two songs for you… Cruise by Florida Georgia Line and Your Winter by Sister Hazel, which I recorded last night. I also tried singing it in the key of D for the first time.
Anyway, I hope yall enjoy them. Thanks for listening.🎙️
Heart of Loia `'.,°~ 