Not Sleeping A Bit

[up-fiddler]

I have been going strong (Almost manic!) for the last couple of days. At some point the creative juices will ebb and I will crash to my bed like Rip Van Winkle. Here is a simple guitar/vox version of yet another tune I did this morning.

It’s So Hard
c.2008 Dave Morehouse

The stars are out.
The night is warm
As I stare into your eyes.
We share a laugh
And then a smile
And reminisce of days gone by.

It’s so hard
To say so long.
But we both know it’s time.

The time flew by
Days into weeks.
Now a year has come and gone.
We sang the verse
And then the bridge
And now the ending to our song.

It’s so hard
To say so long.
But we both know it’s time.


We fill a glass
And raise it up
Now we share a special wine.
Our time is near
Our work is done
Shall we dance yet one more time?

It’s so hard
To say so long.
But we both know it’s time.

It’s so hard
To say so long.
Goodbye.


http://inthechipsproduction.com/blog/

 

[icystorm]

Good song, Dave. The acoustic guitar is my favorite instrument and your playing is quite good.

I read your blog about the song and the response from Julie. I take it she's your wife? Anyway, very cute comment from her! It reminds me of when my wife reads the lyrics to my songs and asks, "WHO are these lyrics for?!?!?!" I don't know if she believes me when I tell her they're completely abstract and about hypothetical relationships. Maybe someday I'll write a song for her. Heh.

Joseph

 

[ido1957]

One of your best Dave...

The only thing I would suggest is that you go the V at the end of the chorus then resolve back to the I (It sounds like you're in G so that would make it "D"). It would push it a little harder, if you know what I mean.... Just a suggestion of course...take it accordingly...I still think overall this is an excellent tune....

 

[gecko zzed]

Short, simple, and to the point; three excellent traits for a song, so we're off to a good start.

I wasn't sure about the lyrics. On the one hand, there's nothing devastatingly novel about them. On the other hand, the nature of the song is such that the lyrics don't need to be too compicated.

However, they were sufficient to motivate me to listen to the track, and the whole thing fits together pretty well.

For me, the underlying mood of this song is "melancholy acceptance", that "bittersweet" kind of thing, but there was a touch of jaggedness in the performance that, for me, detracted from this feeling. Perhaps it is the shortness of the phrases that does it. Anyway, I got my guitar out and played along to it to figure out what was happening.

I discovered that I naturally wanted to keep continuous D and G notes throughout the song, and maybe you could try this and see what you think. In other words, all D chords become Dsus4, all Cs become C9, and all Ems become Em7. I found that I wanted to repeat the chorus bit, with the last line not being sung the second time through. I also found myself wanting the chorus sequence to go D G Em both times (rather than D Em G).

I kind of like Ido's suggestion of going to the D at the end of the chorus, but I also wouldn't mind hearing an A (but, in keeping with the idea of having D and G notes running through the song, making this an Asus4 with an added seventh.

Anyway, these are only suggestions with the underlying thought of adding some unifying flow to heighten the melancholic mood. I'm not all that fussed. It's a pretty cool track.

 

[up-fiddler]

Much thanks .....

.....to all. I tried the high D drone thing and liked it. I also had tried writing the song with the chorus going to the V chord (Dmajor) but it ended up sounding too much like a cowboy tune to me. I agree the Aminor doesn't work as well as I would like. I have MANY dozens of songs like this in raw form. It is the rare tune that makes it into some sort of production. This one seems a likely candidate and for that I greatly appreciate the suggestions. Thaks to one and all. Anyone else looking to chime in?

 

[up-fiddler]

I read your blog about the song and the response from Julie. I take it she's your wife? Anyway, very cute comment from her! It reminds me of when my wife reads the lyrics to my songs and asks, "WHO are these lyrics for?!?!?!" I don't know if she believes me when I tell her they're completely abstract and about hypothetical relationships. Maybe someday I'll write a song for her. Heh. Joseph

Yes, Julie is indeed my wife of 37 years. Joseph! All the nice stuff you write and you have never written anything for your wife? Shame on you. (Besides, it's a great way to get laid.) Get busy my man and write something for your spouse!

 

[icystorm]

Yes, Julie is indeed my wife of 37 years. Joseph! All the nice stuff you write and you have never written anything for your wife? Shame on you. (Besides, it's a great way to get laid.) Get busy my man and write something for your spouse!

Thanks for the kind words, and yes, good point! My new motto will be to score a good song...to score! Heh.

Seriously, it's great to see stories of people married as long as you and your wife in today's world, my friend. My grandparents were married for 64 years before my grandfather passed away.

Regarding writing songs, I go into an abstract fantasy world when I write. I don't normally write about actual events in my life. I've never written a holiday song either, so maybe I'll write her a holiday song for Christmas.

Have you ever written a song with your wife?

Cheers,
Joseph