Listen to the song; #10 on THE LIGHTER SIDE OF ME
1980 - While attending Cerritos College (a junior college in LA) as a music major, I had this history of music class and we had two song writing assignments. One was to write a traditional folk song and the other was to write a traditional blues song and I came up with this for the folk song assignment.
I was studying Karate (Go Ju Ryu) at the Rose Hills Police Academy under John Yamaguchi, a very prestigious master in the style. There was this bar called The Cowboy in Redondo Beach that was really hopping back then. The whole Western look and line dancing was just taking off. They had a mechanical bull- the first time I ever saw that. I met some pretty ladies there and me and my bachelor buddies had some really good times. One time I saw this girl who was watching the bull riders and I walked up and said, “You look just like Lauren Orloff”, which she did. Lauren Orloff was a girl I went to High School with back in Maine; one of those beautiful cheerleader types. So she replies, “How do you know my name?” We were both very shocked running into each other 5000 miles away from home. It wasn’t the only time I ran into somebody I knew from back home, but in a crowded bar, and she was very pretty… well it was memorable, although we just chatted for a while and went our separate ways.
My college career at Cerritos ended abruptly when I broke my leg skiing on Christmas day. Stauffer Chemical put me on disability for three months, and I went back to Maine for the better part of that time. I suppose that helped to heal some of the home sickness I was suffering from. But I regret not finishing out my college courses in music. When it was time to come back I gave my return flight ticket to my friend George's wife Sylvia Swift and drove back with Paul Lessard who had just finished his time in the Navy and had a job lined up in San Diego. As it turned out, a few months later I was hired on at the same place of employment, M. Rosenblatt & Son, and moved from LA to San Diego in early 1981.
For BROWN BELT’S LAMENT, the sound I had in mind was to have a chorus of men singing in unison. The lyrics deal with the struggle of wielding new power as a young karate student. It is said that a “Brown Belt” is the most dangerous since he/she has been trained in the techniques and has the power but lacks the control and psychological discipline of the more mature “Black Belt”. “Yoway in the dojo” was a phrase we used to describe practicing karate in the learning studio. The “Sense” is the master or teacher of the art.
BROWN BELT’S LAMENT
Words and music by Reggie Michaud © 1980
Traveled cross the country just a little green
Met a lot of people, many of them mean
Singing Hi-Yi Sense say, yoway in the dojo do it every day
Hi-Yi Sense say, yoway in the dojo do it every day
Had some really close calls but for me there was no fear
Thinking about the Master’s words while in my second year
Singing Hi-Yi sense say yoway in the dojo do it every day
Hi-Yi Sense say, yoway in the dojo do it every day
Saw a gnarly bear and he told me where to go
So I quickly did him in with three snap kicks and a blow
Singing Hi-Yi sense say yoway in the dojo do it every day
Hi-Yi Sense say, yoway in the dojo do it every day
Then an honery bulley while on my way to school
Tried to steal my money and he died a bruised up fool
Singing Hi-Yi sense say yoway in the dojo do it every day
Hi-Yi Sense say, yoway in the dojo do it every day
When I told the sense what happened on the way
Did push-ups on my knuckles while listening him say
Hi-Yi sense say yoway in the dojo never on the way!
Hi-Yi Sense say, yoway in the dojo never on the way
Hi-Yi Sense say, yoway in the dojo never on the way
Hi-Yi Sense say, yoway in the dojo never on the way
1980 - While attending Cerritos College (a junior college in LA) as a music major, I had this history of music class and we had two song writing assignments. One was to write a traditional folk song and the other was to write a traditional blues song and I came up with this for the folk song assignment.
I was studying Karate (Go Ju Ryu) at the Rose Hills Police Academy under John Yamaguchi, a very prestigious master in the style. There was this bar called The Cowboy in Redondo Beach that was really hopping back then. The whole Western look and line dancing was just taking off. They had a mechanical bull- the first time I ever saw that. I met some pretty ladies there and me and my bachelor buddies had some really good times. One time I saw this girl who was watching the bull riders and I walked up and said, “You look just like Lauren Orloff”, which she did. Lauren Orloff was a girl I went to High School with back in Maine; one of those beautiful cheerleader types. So she replies, “How do you know my name?” We were both very shocked running into each other 5000 miles away from home. It wasn’t the only time I ran into somebody I knew from back home, but in a crowded bar, and she was very pretty… well it was memorable, although we just chatted for a while and went our separate ways.
My college career at Cerritos ended abruptly when I broke my leg skiing on Christmas day. Stauffer Chemical put me on disability for three months, and I went back to Maine for the better part of that time. I suppose that helped to heal some of the home sickness I was suffering from. But I regret not finishing out my college courses in music. When it was time to come back I gave my return flight ticket to my friend George's wife Sylvia Swift and drove back with Paul Lessard who had just finished his time in the Navy and had a job lined up in San Diego. As it turned out, a few months later I was hired on at the same place of employment, M. Rosenblatt & Son, and moved from LA to San Diego in early 1981.
For BROWN BELT’S LAMENT, the sound I had in mind was to have a chorus of men singing in unison. The lyrics deal with the struggle of wielding new power as a young karate student. It is said that a “Brown Belt” is the most dangerous since he/she has been trained in the techniques and has the power but lacks the control and psychological discipline of the more mature “Black Belt”. “Yoway in the dojo” was a phrase we used to describe practicing karate in the learning studio. The “Sense” is the master or teacher of the art.
BROWN BELT’S LAMENT
Words and music by Reggie Michaud © 1980
Traveled cross the country just a little green
Met a lot of people, many of them mean
Singing Hi-Yi Sense say, yoway in the dojo do it every day
Hi-Yi Sense say, yoway in the dojo do it every day
Had some really close calls but for me there was no fear
Thinking about the Master’s words while in my second year
Singing Hi-Yi sense say yoway in the dojo do it every day
Hi-Yi Sense say, yoway in the dojo do it every day
Saw a gnarly bear and he told me where to go
So I quickly did him in with three snap kicks and a blow
Singing Hi-Yi sense say yoway in the dojo do it every day
Hi-Yi Sense say, yoway in the dojo do it every day
Then an honery bulley while on my way to school
Tried to steal my money and he died a bruised up fool
Singing Hi-Yi sense say yoway in the dojo do it every day
Hi-Yi Sense say, yoway in the dojo do it every day
When I told the sense what happened on the way
Did push-ups on my knuckles while listening him say
Hi-Yi sense say yoway in the dojo never on the way!
Hi-Yi Sense say, yoway in the dojo never on the way
Hi-Yi Sense say, yoway in the dojo never on the way
Hi-Yi Sense say, yoway in the dojo never on the way
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