Let’s Ride

02 / Know

Know the Story

By the time we ride, the work is already done.

This is the stripped-back Soul version of the lesson I learned from Macca, the trusted Army mate and diesel mechanic whose knowledge gave the words their authority.

Like Macca said: before we begin, every ride starts with discipline.

Why Macca’s voice begins the song

I met Macca at Army basic training in Kapooka more than twenty years ago. We went through the School of Signals and were posted to Darwin, where I learned that he was the mate who would pull me out of trouble and still be standing beside me afterward.

Macca later changed corps, became a diesel mechanic in Engineering and rebuilt a 1943 Harley-Davidson 42WLA and a 1959 BMW R60. He knows the machinery, but I listen because I also know the man.

Enjoy the Ride was the original track I wrote for him and his philosophy: ‘If it ain’t broke, maintain it.’ West Coast Ride added my grittier Chicano Soul treatment. Let’s Ride takes the lesson the other direction, removing more of the machinery around the song until it lands on a Soul note.

Macca’s voice remains at the beginning of every version: ‘Before we begin, every ride starts with discipline.’ By the time this version says let’s ride, the work has already been done.

03 / Feel

Feel the Soul

What I want you to feel

Discipline is not the opposite of freedom. It is the preparation that makes freedom possible. Looking after the ride before it breaks is how you earn the chance to enjoy where it can take you.