As I said recently, the done have been coming thick and fast. This is a little self reflection piece about collapse, surrender, death and resurrection.
Warning: Some bad words for the easily offended
the final calling
This is a final calling,
the last shot in the dark,
So I’ll be heading homeward
Walking crooked as we part.
It’s time again for shovels
to dig inside my head
To resurrect the settled soil
which I had left for dead.
I watched the sky this evening,
As the birds headed home to roost
Like little thoughts that fear the day
they have to face the truth.
The saying goes you’ll find your friends
when you’re up to your knees in shit
Well I am fucking rancid,
you can taste the bones of it.
Come wash my earthly body
and lay it on a slab.
And sleep it will come easy
When I’ve settled all my tabs.
The headstone is erected.
The final words, complete.
The peace and grace of silence
Are glorious retreat.
The vultures, they will circle
and rest upon the stone.
And they will write the epitaph,
while cleaning off the bones.
For all the fault and failures,
For all the scars and scabs,
What you saw is what you got
We were just who we are.
Wait till the earth resettles,
put the flowers in the bin.
Confession boxes struggling
to digest all the sins.
Despite a growing sentiment
of inferiority
The biggest fear to greets them
Is that they’re the same as me
Set free the heavy burdens
For love will conquer all
And though I’m walking crooked
with my back against the wall
The saying goes you’ll know true friends
when you’re swimming in the shit
Well now Im fucking filthy
But still you haven’t quit
Well played and sung, sir. A lot to like here. Lyrically it plays heavily as a stream of consciousness song. A lot of well crafted and raw imagery with death, regret and struggle as major themes. Good vibes all the way around.
Pretty sure I’m repeating myself, but I think this is your best to date
Bowie’s guitar, to Mike Scott’s lyricism, sung with the gravitas of Chrishty himself.
Top drawer!
Bravo!
Terribly generous. I don’t know what to say really but thank you. The lyrics have been knocking around for a month but that arrangement only arrived this morning.
Thank you Clint. You are correct in your analysis. You read it as was intended.
Someone told me recently that when it comes to a song…
25% remember lyrics
30% remember the music
50% remember how it makes them feel
I focus heavily on lyrics as they are important to me but get bogged down translating my feeling into music. Like trying to find the right body for the right soul.
Stream of consciousness was in no way meant as a knock. Take a concept and explode it or roll with it. Many great songs take this path --as beginning, middle and end type of stories can get tedious (as too much of any one thing can), likewise with always having to deliver a clever hook.
It seems these days as I have been scratch-padding out songs on the brown couch, I’ve started to look at most songwriter advice as “do not” cautionary flags. Toss out the rule books and just write and play. There’s no stopping you, friend.
Note that I typically don’t listen to or comment on unlisted music. There’s no hiding in rock 'n roll! Put your music out there and let the world find out about you. If a fat fingered, craggy voiced dude like me can do it, so can you. It’s the only thing keeping me from subscribing to your channel.
In no way taken as a knock brother. I really appreciate the time you took to reply and to think about what I wrote. That’s amazing.
The song was written while taking a morning walk. Mostly unconscious of what I was writing but just going with your flow. If I’m to be fully honest it was after a dream I had the previous night where a guy I knew, who died that night encouraged me to get out there and let it flow. (I didn’t know he was dead)
Now I know that sounds completely off the wall mental but it’s the truth.
So I walked and I wrote. I didn’t know what I was writing but I wrote. 7am. Nobody around. I only realized afterwards that it was my story.
I can only write about the truth. I tried writing for writings sake and it didn’t work for me.
I get the unlisted stuff too. I’m not looking for stardom or recognition of any kind. I appreciate this small community we have here. I like playing with my brothers every week and if some passers by stop and take pleasure, great. There may be an element of fear that I don’t want to acknowledge but I’m chipping away at that bit by bit.
I do this for me. Partly for my children to leave something behind. Also therapy and love for how it makes me feel for myself.
Hey Dom,
Lots to like in your latest… I for sure agree with Clint’s comment above about images of death, struggle & regret.
But,
I’m not sure that I feel really comfortable with how it makes me feel. Being in my 60s, in generally ok shape but starting to feel more & more of the mortality that life has to end at some point, I tend to avoid songs that remind me of the frailty of this mortal shell that contains my consciousness, my feelings & my vitality.
On a related note,
This reminds me of W.W. Jacobs’ story “The Monkey’s Paw”. I think that often times one wishes for something wholeheartedly only to find grave disappointment after getting their wish.
All that said, I find this song disturbingly excellent - if that makes any sense…
As always, thanks for the share & kudos to you for being such a prolific contributor to our Community!
While it was an uncomfortable ride for you, I’m glad it created a feeling.
A lot of music, these days, leaves a vapid feeling inside me which is counter productive as I seek out stuff which drags something from inside of me, which can sometimes be uncomfortable but I’m ok with that. If we’re feeling, were alive.
I’m also perversely happy you found your own message in there, albeit not one you may have wanted.
For me, the song is a journey to the bowels of hell, confronting that idea, and coming out, not necessarily better but at least alive and that’s good enough. To not surrender despite the difficulties in our path.
As one of my weekly session buddies said to me this week… You’re not going to be booked for any children’s birthday parties.
)