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This song, the third on The Year of Longing Dangerously, was one of my favorites until I accidentally wrote the last line. Then it became my favorite ever.By the way, it started out as “Hey radio/ Hey telephone/ Hey suicide”. I have a wildly different demo recorded with those lyrics and a slower, more insistent rhythm. When I start posting more audio next month I’ll put it up.

Hey beautiful, what you trying to do?
Make me sad and lonely, break my heart in two?
When I’m lost in your gaze I long for the haze
That hung around my head in the halcyon days.
Hey beautiful, what you trying to do?

Hey beautiful, why you looking like that?
Turn me inside out with a grin like a storybook cat.
You got a smile like a crocodile…
Makes me feel things I ain’t felt in a while.
Hey beautiful, why you looking like that?

How could there be anyone else?
Everyone else is just someone else.
How could there be anyone else?
Everyone else is just someone else.

Hey beautiful, want you to help me forget.
I done a lot of crying but I don’t think I’m finished yet.
I miss her lips and her fingertips
And the way that she looked with my hands on her hips.
Hey beautiful, want you to help me forget.
Hey beautiful, want you to help me forget.
Hey beautiful, your money’s on the table by the bed.

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OK, this week’s project is getting the rest of the lyrics up for The Year of Longing Dangerously, the concept record or song cycle or whatever you want to call it I released in 2004.

Over the next five or six days you’ll see 8 slices of unrequited love. Hide the sharp objects.

Anyway, this one, is as simple as it is, proved almost impossible to write.

Blah the blah. Blah the blah. Do you know how hard it was to write this P.O.S. and not repeat anything?

Don’t believe anyone who says they wrote a song in 10 minutes.

Make some toast. Read the news. Comb my hair. Shine my shoes.
Brush my teeth. Press my pants. Walk the dog. Water the plants.
These days I’d do anything to keep my mind off of you….
I’m trying to be too busy to be blue.
Call my mom. Make some tea. Skim a book. Watch TV.
Learn some french. Fix the car. Move the couch. Wish on a star.
These days I’d do anything to keep my mind off of you….
I’m trying to be too busy to be blue.
When I lost your heart I lost my motivation.
Now I try to lose myself in procrastination.
Feed the fish. Pay the bills. Cry a bit. Take some pills.
Go to bed. Sleep too long. Wake up late. Write you this song.
These days I’d do anything to keep my mind off of you….
I’m trying to be too busy to be blue.

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I’ve been having some trouble with the blog all weekend, kids, so bear with me while I sort things out.

It was those wacky tags. Seems one of them was getting too big for its britches and messing up the design of the whole page.

Ahhhh, web sites. Can’t live with ’em… 

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These seven minutes are probably more responsible for me wanting to play music than anything else.

There’s no way I could have seen this in its first run, since I wasn’t even born until the next year. So I’m not sure when I actually caught it. The memories I have of it lead me to guess late ’70s, very early ’80s.

Thinking back on it now, I realize I thought — although I didn’t have the words to express it at the time — “Holy shit. I need to do that.”

The ironic thing is this is the sort of bad influence my parents were trying to keep me away from by sitting me in front of Sesame Street in the first place.

Sedition Street was brought to you today by the letter F, and the letter U.

Stevie Wonder — Superstition (Live On Sesame Street)

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At first the two versions of “You Should Be With Me” on The Year of Longing Dangerously competed with each other. I kept trying to rewrite them so only one said the title. Then one day I put on Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) at the right time and the rest is, as they say, history. Or histrionics. Or something.

Things are looking pretty bleak.
I don’t know how I’m going to cope.
I wonder if I’ll last the week.
I’m trying not to but I’m losing hope.
Let’s not call it quits…
We’ve got something we can save.
I’m so lonely I’m having fits.
I know you swore you’d never cave,
But on my mother’s grave,
I promise I’ll behave.

You should be with me. You should be with me.
You should be with me. You should be with me.

Things are looking pretty grim.
I see dark clouds overhead.
I don’t know what you see in him,
But can’t you see the same in me instead?
Give me time to show
I can be the better guy.
You said your patience is running low,
But cross my heart and hope to die,
Stick a needle in my eye,
I promise that I’ll try.

You should be with me. You should be with me.
You should be with me. You should be with me.

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Two things you should know about me — I’m obsessed with Mike Nichols’ The Graduate, and I’m even more obsessed with exploring unrequited love.In fact, this puppy is the lead-off track on a whole album about the unrequited stuff, The Year of Longing Dangerously. This If I had a shrink, he’d have a heyday.

I won’t replay for you the final scene from The Graduate.
I will not scream your name and beg you not to go through with it.
But I’m getting antsy… how ‘bout a change of plan?
Tell me have you ever thought about walking out on your man?

I know that once upon a time the two of you were pretty tight.
But can’t you hear the little voice that tells you something isn’t right?
What’s he got that I don’t? What’s the difference?
The grass is greener on this side girl. Stop sitting on the fence…

You should be with me.
You’ve got a choice so make a choice — pick someone else entirely.
Don’t you want to be with me?
You should be with me.

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Inspiration for today: if you tell yourself something a hundred times, it has to become true.

Sunlight, I need a little help.
Can you shine on me another day?
Sunlight, I’ve got a favor to ask.
I need one more day to be with her by her side.
All I need’s another day!

It’ll work out. I’ve got a feeling that it’ll work out.
It would be sad if things didn’t work out.
Someday soon we’ll be together.

Sunlight! Are you listening to me?
I don’t want much. All I need I can get
from her loving kiss.

It’ll work out. I’ve got a feeling that it’ll work out.
It would be sad if things didn’t work out.
Someday soon we’ll be together.

It’ll work out. It’s got to work out.

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I’ve lost track of how long ago I wrote this, but I figure it’s been at least 10 years.

If memory serves (and it’s not this morning, sorry) I recored an a capella version up in Kitchener with Nelson. Let me get on trying to dig that up. In the meantime, here it is for your edification.

Open up the lines: I want to speak.
I haven’t said a thing in well over a week.
My mind is full and I have got to let my thoughts fly.
My parrot genius is foaming at the beak.

Open up your eyes to the sadness there.
Daddy’s little princess is growing out her hair.
She’s getting bored and she has places she would rather be,
And other people for whom she’d rather care.

Someone? Anyone? Help me someone…
My wax-winged shadow is rising to the sun.
My wax-winged shadow is rising to the sun.

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This song may still see the light of day. In its current state it’s a little Sam Roberts-y, which hasn’t really been my thing in the past.

But, as they say, stranger things have happened. Maybe when I make The Great Canadian Rock Record this’ll lead off side two.

Listen to you carrying on
Like you’re the only one who’s ever had good things go wrong
You gotta want it — you gotta want to change your life
As soon as you want it, everything starts to turn out right

Looking at you is bringing me down
Licking your wounds in the corner, wond’ring why you get kicked around
You gotta want it — you gotta want to change your life
As soon as you want it, everything starts to turn out right

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Lupe on Letterman the other night reminded me of the last time he was there.

This clip is great. Absolutely fantastic.

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