CLICK HERE TO HEAR SONG (VERSION 2)
What I'd give up to be with you,
I'd give up my looks, my money, my youth,
I'd give up my God, I'd give up my faith,
I'd give up whatever, you chose to take.
I'm an old man encircled by years,
Count all my blessings and discard my fears,
Try to remember, not to live in the past,
Not hold on to something I know that won't last.
I try to look busy when really I'm not,
The religion I compose between whiskey shots,
The tide of the laughter that leaves with the moon,
I bid 'Farewell my friend, see you again soon'.
Time is my teacher and love is my rule,
Sometimes it's hard, and sometimes it's cruel,
But one thing's for sure the hours slip away,
And the dishes in the sink can wait another day.
2 comments:
Two versions -- I love it! (Reminds of Dylan's two versions of "Forever Young" on Planet Waves). I think I prefer version 1 -- even though I very much appreciate the harmonica in version 2. Version 1 is a bit peppier. The song is catchy, but it seems like it's being narrated by an unreliable narrator. He is willing to give up his youth, but he then reveals that he is an old man! He is willing to give up his religions, but he later tells us that he "composes" his religion "between whisky shots". Maybe he wouldn't really give up anything in the end "to be with you"?! Maybe it's an exercise in irony?!
I would have bet that you'd prefer Version 2, because it's rawer. I prefer it. I was unhappy with the first version that I worked on for hours and then threw down Version 2 in like an hour. I like what you say about the irony of the song. The lyrics too went through many iterations, because I wasn't happy with them. I thinkthat's what you're picking up in all the contradictions in sentiment. In the end, I left them in on purpose hoping they amount to something meaningful.
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