About a week ago, I got a melody in my head. Often when songs come to me, I hear them played on other instruments but I ultimately translate it to guitar. This song I heard as a piano song and when I took a shot at doing it on guitar, it was both thin and difficult to play. I'm no pianist. I could pick out a tune if there was a gun to my head, but I don't spend any time practicing it. And any times I've recorded keyboards on my songs it's never been the primary instrument; more a noodly background buzz.
Anyhoo, this song simply has to be a piano song. Now I don't actually have a proper piano - just an electric wannabe. But for the purposes of this 'proof of concept' demo, it's sufficient. With a little rigging, I've put together a fairly listenable rendition of the noise I've had in my head for the past week:
There's a few more parts I didn't have time to get together. I'll post the finished song whenever I get around to it. If you're interested, here's the lyrics. I tell the story of a hopeless lonely fella who sits in the bar night after night and, having given up any hope of finding companionship himself, has found a sense of superiority as he watches others on their desperate search for love:
Last Call
You see the weak and lonely ones
Their desperation entertains
You see them come and go and come
Just to go and come again
-
You see yourself above the fools
Far beyond the dirty ones
You keep your distance from their claws
Safe and sound alone
-
From the first round they escape the silent room
Until the last call
So they don’t leave cold back to their quiet tombs
Until the last call
They’re all so afraid
-
You hold your cards close to your chest
Trust withheld from everyone
So sure that they can’t comprehend
Not a glimpse for anyone
-
And still they circulate false smiles
Radiate their welcoming
To greet a wink with open arms
Open knees and hearts
-
From the first round they escape the silent room
Until the last call
So they don’t leave cold back to their quiet tombs
Until the last call
They’re all so afraid
-
When all is said and done you pack your things
Head back to your soft empire
Kept company by the judgments in your head
Cleanse your soul of old desires
-
Sometimes you call
She doesn’t speak
To reinforce
She’s strong/you’re weak
But not afraid…
-
I don’t need the want, I don’t need the pain
I don’t need the tears, I don’t need the shame
I don’t need disease, I don’t need the fear
I don’t need the risk, I don’t need it clear
I just need the one, the one who holds me in
The one who chains the doors, the one who won’t
begin
To tell me that I’m wrong, or tell me that I’m small
Or make me insecure, when faced with the last call…
