April – One More Song
Sorry Mum and Dad (and Tyrone), I know you were hoping for another upbeat, feel-good type of tune to help ease into winter (let’s face it), but there’s still some depths to plunge. Jump into the claustrophobic little submarine of human experience with me. We won’t get lost down there for long, promise. But it exists, it’s worthy of exploration. We need to interrogate the mussy dark at times, else risk becoming slave to the avoidance of the uncomfortable, to safety in habit (boring), to our fears…. right? Anyway, the scientists say it’s good for us to listen to sad songs. So let’s go – our future selves will thank us…
“One More Song”, by Jane McArthur
…as a songwriter, when painful things happen (like break-ups) I find that common counsel from friends and strangers is: ‘great material though, at least you’ll get a few good songs out of it’… which got me thinking, perhaps in this instance I would prefer to have a functioning relationship in place of One More Song.
And there is our constant companion, complexity. Even when things are very bad, there is always the hope that the bad thing will get better and the risk that things might be even worse without the bad thing. Even though it’s almost wrecking us completely, don’t go because maybe it’s the pain that’s keeping us breathing? And what will be left at the end anyway, except another little bittersweet melancholy country tune playing in the background on a radio with bad reception….?
One More Song (mp3 download)
One More Song (flac download)
One More Song (wav download)
One More Song (c&p Jane McArthur, 2015)
I’ll never write another song babe,
I’ll never write another word.
I’ll stop all the fuss and carry-on babe,
Fly high above concern like a bird.
I’ll give it all away. The price too dear to pay
For one more song of love gone wrong.
Don’t want to summarise the throes of our demise.
I’ll turn my head away, shut tight both my eyes.
Seems grief and sorrow are our only constants,
But don’t it keep us focussed to the task
Of keeping our ending un-written?
Smelling salts to our battered hearts.
Stay here in my life, aching as the knife
Pressed keen against the near dead-man’s throat.
Stay here by my side, the raging rivers wide
Might spare us once again, we’ll keep this love afloat….
Don’t leave, don’t turn into a song-
The type that lonely folk sing when the nights are cold and long.
Don’t leave. If we don’t write the ending down
We can still pretend there’s hope we’ll turn this love around.
Don’t leave.
History is written by the winner
So what if no-one really won?
What will be deemed unimportant
Or valued when the writing has begun?:
The nuance in a gaze, the subtle light and shade
Found in unexpected corners of a life.
The trivialities our protagonist can’t see
That cause a heart to lift or cause a soul to weep….
Don’t leave, don’t turn into a song.
I won’t do it justice, I’m bound to get it wrong.
Don’t leave. If we don’t write the ending down
We can still pretend there’s hope we’ll turn this love around.
Don’t leave, don’t turn into a song-
The type that lonely folk sing when the nights are cold and long.
Don’t leave. Tell me why’d it have to end-
One more time help me get it through my head.
—————–
Written and sung by: Jane McArthur
Rhythm guitars: Jane McArthur, Fraser Montgomery
Lead Guitar: Nicholas Lam
Pedal Steel: Ben Franz
Bass: Tim Keegan
Drums: Ryan Brewer
Backing Vocals: Brooke Russell
Produced, Mixed and Recorded: Fraser Montgomery (The Aviary)
Assistant Engineer: Nick Edin (The Aviary)
Mastered: Adam Dempsey (Jack The Bear Deluxe Mastering)
Downbeat never sounded so damm good! Keep them coming Jane.
Ace last section is my favourite part from Don’t leave on 😉 as Tyrone said keep them coming Jane 🙂
Another fabulous piece Jane, love the guitars.Ditto to what Tyrone & Raven said!