Music Blog

Cool Dry Place

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for Jim Adams’ Song Lyric Sunday
post entitled ‘Doctor’s Day’ and the theme
of doctors and all the work they do.
Here’s my response to the challenge.

© Compass Storage

Today has been acknowledged as a day to recognize and honor doctors for their service; Doctor’s Day became a US National holiday approved by Congress in 1991 during the George H.W. Bush Administration. This week, Jim Adams at Song Lyric Sunday has challenged us in his post called “Doctor’s Day” to write about a song that mentions doctors, cures, healing, treatment or drugs.

Doctors …. the very word makes many of us nervous. No one wants to see the doctor but where would we be without them when we need them? I’d be in a bad place, for sure, if I was unable to get the surgical treatment I desperately needed. On a personal note, I’m proud to say both our daughters-in-law are in the medical profession – one as a doctor specializing in cancer patients and the production of chemotherapy and the other as a neonatal/pediatric intensive cardiac care nurse.

When you think of all the songs that fall into this theme, the number is legion, whether it’s physical or emotional health that’s involved; I can think of songs ranging from poison ivy to depression. Then there are the countless love songs about people suffering from broken hearts caused by failed relationships or lost loves ones. The choices are limitless.

Today I have chosen to eschew the serious and sometimes frightening and stressful side of the medical world by featuring a rather light-hearted song that deals in a humorous and ironic way with a frustrating situation for a very specific group of people. My song choice is a rockin’ little number that mentions the simple act of calling a doctor with a question …. but what’s the complaint?

I’ve chosen a song from a group I have loved since its inception in April, 1988. It’s a song written by a few friends who got together to have some fun during their down time and the group quickly became a sensation. If I was putting a band together, I’d want each one of these guys in it; that’s what I call a little slice of perfection. I’m talking about the Traveling Wilburys.

The Wilburys were a British–American supergroup consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. Talk about royalty! Originating from an idea discussed by Harrison and Lynne during the sessions for Harrison’s 1987 album, Cloud Nine, the five friends united to record a bonus track for George Harrison’s next European single. When the result of this collaboration, the song “Handle with Care” was deemed too good for such a limited release, the group agreed to form a band and record a full album, titled Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. Following Orbison’s death in December 1988, the band released a second album in 1990 which was titled Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 …. the name being a peek into the Wilburys’ collective clever sense of humor.

The project’s work received much anticipation given the diverse nature of the singer-songwriters. The band members adopted tongue-in-cheek pseudonyms as half-brothers from a fictional Wilbury family of traveling musicians.  George Harrison was “Nelson Wilbury“, Jeff Lynne was “Otis Wilbury“, Roy Orbison was “Lefty Wilbury“, Bob Dylan was “Lucky Wilbury“, and Tom Petty was “Charlie T. Jr“. Jim Keltner, the group’s widely-acclaimed session drummer, was not formally a Wilbury and so was given the name “Buster Sidecar”.

Vol. 1  was a critical and commercial success. In 1990, the album won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. Although Harrison envisaged a series of Wilburys albums and a film about the band produced through his company, HandMade, the group’s final release was in February 1991. The name Traveling Wilburys itself came from a joke during George Harrison’s Cloud Nine sessions, where he said “We’ll bury them in the mix“, referring to recording errors, and they used the term “Wilbury” for any small error in performance. 

Inspiration is key whether writing a story or a song; sometimes it is divine, other times extremely ordinary. As with the Wilbury’s song “Handle With Care” on their debut album, the song “Cool Dry Place” was inspired by the writing on the side of a box. “Cool Dry Place” is about the struggles musicians face keeping their instruments organized and in good condition, with Tom Petty lamenting the sheer volume of gear and the difficulty of maintaining it. The song even includes a reference to Jeff Lynne’s pre-Electric Light Orchestra band, Idle Race, which never achieved commercial success, adding a touch of self-deprecating humor which the incredibly down-to-earth Wilbury Brothers practiced so well.

This is “Cool Dry Place” by the Traveling Wilburys


LYRICS

Well I woke up this morning
The place was such a wreck
I couldn’t reach the bathroom
Thought I’d better clear the deck
I tried to call the lawyer
And ask him what to do
He referred me to his doctor
Who referred me back to you
And when you checked the manual
You kept inside the case
It said put it in a cool dry place
I drove around the city
Looking for a room
That was high above the water
Where my things could be in tune
There was no one to help me
Nobody even cared
I had to go through hell
To get those things up there
I paid my first subscription
Then I joined the idle race
and they said ‘Store it in a cool dry place’
I got guitar, basses, amplifiers and drums
Accordions and mandolins and things that sometimes hum
Cymbals and harmonicas, capos by the score
And lots of things in boxes laying all around the floor
Some places they get mildew
And others get too hot
Some places are so damp that
Everything you got just rots
All kinds of condensation
A direct result of the rain
There’s not much compensation
When everything’s been stained
Some have sentimental value that
Cannot be erased
Go store it in a cool dry place
🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶
We got solids and acoustics
And some from flowered board
And some are trimmed in leather
And some are made with gourds
There’s organs and trombones
And reverbs we can use
Lots of dx-7s
And old athletic shoes
I bought a great big building
It took up one whole block
I made an inventory
Of all the things in stock
The place was getting longer
I was up all night
I used up all my pencils
But I went on despite
The blurring of my vision
The sweat upon my face
I’ve got to put this stuff away
I mustn’t leave a trace
The landlord’s breathing down my neck
He says it’s a disgrace
So I said “put it in a cool, dry, place

Songwriters: Jeff Lynne/Tom Petty/Bob Dylan/George Harrison
Producers: George Harrison/Jeff Lynn

Doctors’ Day

Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another great Song Lyric Sunday this week and every week. Be sure to follow the link and check out Jim’s site.

Thanks for stopping by and spinning some tunes.

That’s all she wrote. See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2025

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy’s Notes 🖊️🎶, The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk, The Rhythm Section, et al., and are not for use by anyone without permission. NAR©2017-present.

52 thoughts on “Cool Dry Place”

  1. I had to see where that 1/4 of The Beatles came in and there he is! Whenever I hear the word “supergroup” used I take it with a grain of salt and the thought, “Yeah, but they’re not the Wilburys”. One thing I never understood is why they changed names between vol. 1 & vol. 3?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Yeah but they ARE the Wilburys! And you’re right …. they did change their Wilbury names between Vol 1 & 3. After Roy Orbison died and the group’s lineup changed to a quartet, the new pseudonyms were chosen as a way to acknowledge Orbison, going on without him and continuing their playful, tongue-in-cheek nature. It was a nod to Roy. What a fantastic little supergroup this is! Thanks, Fishman.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Thanks for the explanation! About supergroups, I judge all of them by whether or not they can compare to the Wilburys. With the exception of some jazz outfits, supergroups begin and end with them for me! Although now that I’m thinking about it, there are quite a few rock groups that I think would be considered supergroups and that might make a good blog post.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

          1. This was a fun assignment and a enjoyable rabbit hole to crawl down into. It was sadly amazing how many people I wanted in this band are dead 😦

            It took a while to fill some positions (like lead vocals) but here’s my list. Some of these people are old and retired but I figured as long as they’re here then they can be in the band. I maybe kind of went a little overboard so it’s kind of a large outfit.

            Rod Stewart, vocals
            Adele, vocals
            Jackson Browne, vocals, guitar
            Sturgill Simpson, vocals, guitar
            Waddy Wachtel, guitar
            Derek Trucks, guitar
            Carol Kaye, bass
            Bruce Hornsby, piano
            Edgar Winter, organ, synthesizer
            Ian Paice, drums
            Bill Kruetzmann, drums
            Greg Adams, trumpet
            Randy Brecker, trumpet
            Trombone Shorty, trombone
            Fred Wesley, trombone 
            Jeff Coffin, sax
            Ernie Watts, sax
            Howard Levy, harmonica
            Tim Carbone, fiddle
            Anders Beck, dobro
            Bonnie Bramlett, backing vocals
            Grace Slick, backing vocals
            Linda Ronstadt, backing vocals

            Liked by 1 person

            Reply

            1. Wow, you win, Fishman! 🥳
              You really took the ball and ran with it! That’s a huge band! I wasn’t even thinking of a group that size. I was staying true to the TW and added to Jeff Lynne and Bob Dylan with Elvis Costello, Daryl Hall and Rob Thomas. Jim Keltner or Dave Grohl on drums. Thanks for jumping into the fun and sharing your thoughts!

              Liked by 1 person

              Reply

              1. Once I got started I couldn’t stop! And it’s also large because I couldn’t make up my mind and I like horn sections. I also had Elvis Costello in my original band but replaced him with Jackson Browne. And I replaced Dave Grohl with Bill Kruetzmann. Paul McCartney and Billy Joel didn’t make the cut because I figured they wouldn’t be interested. I have no idea what songs/music this band will play!

                Liked by 1 person

                Reply

                1. You probably couldn’t afford Joel or McCartney anyway! 😂 I dig a rockin’ horn section, too, so the dudes from Ides of March would be a good fit. As far as what kind of music they’d play …. whatever they want would sound good to me! 🎶

                  Like

                  Reply

    1. The whole concept makes me smile, Lisa. They seem like a terrific group of friends who would be fun to just hang around with. I bet they loved being together, making music, and having a lot of laughs. What a great group! I’m delighted to know you enjoyed my write. Thanks so much!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. Thank you for this great song Nancy. It’s a fun one. ☺️❤️ Did you know they were named after a slang term that George Harrison and Jeff Lynne gave to studio equipment? The pair referred to equalizers and limiters as “wilburys,” as in “we’ll bury that mistake in the mix.”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. I am glad that I am not the only person who was new to this song, because it is fabulous and coming from the greatest group of all time. I never had a Wilburys album, so basically, I know their hit songs and I would love to dig deeper into their music after reading your lovely post, Nancy. great choice for the theme, and thanks for rocking it.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Great comments, Jim! Thanks so much! I was banking on few people knowing this song or perhaps even the Wilburys themselves, which is why I went with it. This song was my first and only choice today and I’m thrilled to introduce it to you and the group. My only regret is that this incredible group didn’t last longer …. what a bunch of talent at one time!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  14. This was a new one on me, but I really enjoyed it. The lyrics are great, the tempo of the music upbeat and engaging and what is not to like about the vocals being done by Tom Petty. Great selection, Nancy!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Tell me what you're thinking. 🖊️