Beau Mansfield--'Musician,' from 2018 Brent Mydland tribute album, Fair To Mydland

On the surface, the original song is kind of like the opposite of "Don't Worry, Be Happy," but in my Caribbean-influenced mind, they're very similar. We all have to put across being more stable than we are, unless we're born really lucky. Music--whether somber or dance-oriented--is one way of dealing with that pressure.

Evan Jarvicks--ukulele, ukulele-derived percussion
Beau Mansfield--bass, vocals
John Thomas--bass

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"Musician (It's Not An Easy Life,)" by Brent Mydland

LYRICS:

The rent's due tomorrow
Haven't got a penny to my name
Been trying to build me a lifetime
Think I better start a new frame

CHORUS

And I think I'm learning firsthand
About what it's like to be
To be a musician
And I can see
It's not an easy life
It's not an easy life to live

Guess that I chose the hard road
No use wondering why
I had hopes I would make it
Guess I must have had my hopes up too high

REPEAT CHORUS

Outside I'm smiling, ooh, smiling
Yes, I'm smiling, to hide the pain
Inside I'm crying, ooh, crying
And it's hard
It's hard to explain

REPEAT CHORUS