In the Key of K

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This song is yet another oldie from the 1997 catalog. This is song one, track one from my first album. It was the first thing anyone heard when they hit play on my first cassette tape. It was the tone I wanted to set for my music in 1997.

Similar to a handful of other songs from that era, I recut the vocals at some point a few years after the original. I don’t think I overdubbed them all just a verse or two. But I don’t really remember. Anyway, this time I have completely re-recorded the whole vocal track. I re-wrote some lyrics, mostly just adding things to avoid repeating verses (I did that a lot back then). Was it lazy writing or just someone eager to get work done—to have something to show for their art? It was probably both. The original four track music is being used, despite it’s flaws.

What is this song about? Is it about people who lie to themselves and others? I’ve met so many people that live in an alternate reality from me. They have an excuse against every irrefutable empirical fact despite all the evidence (much like a lot of politics today). Maybe the song is about being fed up? The snowballing effect that lies accumulate—sticks do little harm but stones do more and then it accumulates from there. It may also be a dig at the old saying “sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.” Words can do as much and more harm than sticks and stones. Words cause wars and inspire apartheid. We should always be careful with words. They can be thought provoking and dangerous but also give us more joy than we ever imagined. Conversely, this song could also be about day dreaming and people trying to stifle the creativity of someone staring at the wall while thinking–maybe I imagine it as a conversation between two people–the dreamer and the person trying to get them to align with a reality that the dreamer can’t understand. Is it a celebration of dreams, an attack on the dreamer, or an anthem against dishonesty? Maybe it’s all of that, maybe none of it.

All that being said, this song doesn’t really have that many words. Lots of repetition–it doesn’t make a lot of sense out of the song context. Not my best work lyrically but it is one of my favorite songs. 🤷‍♂️ This is one is all about feeling.

//

Sticks to Stones

I don’t know x6 and I don’t care.
You make it up x6 just shut up.
I don’t care x6 I didn’t care.
You make a dream x6

You make it a dream. 
Wake up!

It starts small x6 and then it goes on
Then it grows x6 and then it explodes
Remove it all x6 until it’s all gone
You make a dream x6

You make it a dream. 
Wake up!

A small branch x6 an olive branch
Try again x6 don’t try again!
Whip stick  x6 a stone to the head
You make a dream

You make it a dream.
Wake up!

It’s all gone x6 reality gone
What a mind x6 where’s your mind?
Far from here x6 so far from here.
You make a dream x6

You make it a dream. 
Wake up!
Yeah!
//

How do you play it?

The form of this song is ABCBCBCA. The “A” sections are the intro and coda. The “B” sections are the verses and the “C” sections are the choruses.

The A section–in between F#5 and G5 chord you strum fifth fret touch harmonics. Just touch over the metal of the fifth fret lightly with your left hand and strum with the right. Make sure your distortion is screaming and it’s pretty easy.
|F#5 G5 E5 E5|

The B section is nearly the same chords but with more of a golloping motion and no harmonics.
|F#5 G5 F#5 E5| 3x
|F#5 * B5 *| on the last repeat this is the first measure of the C section.

The C section is highly chromatic. It starts from the last measure of the verse. Note: the last F#5 to B5 is fast–eighth note fast.
|F#5* B5*|C*G*|Db5*Ab5*|
|G5 Ab5 G5 Ab5| Db5 Ab5 G5 F#5 B5|

I still love this song. It’s one of the few from the 90s that I’ve played consistently since then. It’s a bit of a left hand workout if your left hand is out of shape. Also, it’s pretty physically demanding to scream this one out—the few times I’ve played it live I’ve sang it more than screamed but it is supposed to be big voice, loud, and rude. This re-recorded vocal is tame compared to some of the original takes but the original was REALLY bad pitch-wise so, I think this balances everything well enough.