[James Nighthawk]

Hey All. This song was written as a duet from the start. It is composed (loosely) as letters sent back and forth between old friends that have lost touch. I found that I was getting back in touch with old school friends at the time. It was so rewarding and lovely to see that real friends never really leave you and you can often carry on from where you left off years later. You can share, console, and tease each other as if no time has passed at all  

Musically this is a little more simple than my last few posts, it is a story song and more about the words. As such, lyric lovers, if you could read along rather than ahead when listening that would be awesome

http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_11892368

One hell of a time
   
Good day my dear friend, I hope you are well
This silence we break for the stories we tell
I hear life has dealt you a rough hand or two
I hear life is no fun for you

Where is the smile that would brighten each dawn?
The laughter we shared on a warm summer’s morn
The breeze through our hair, the sun on our face
The glee, the beauty and grace

Come hither lady, come stay a while
We know time is wasting, so why not waste mine?
Our kinship is steady, so pass me the wine
And let’s drink to one hell of a time

REFRAIN

Good day my dear friend, it’s been many a year
For this I am sorry, I tell ye sincere   
Indeed times are strange, but when are they not?
No excuse, for memories forgot’

The smile that you seek is now hidden ‘neath mire
The laughter is choked by a haunting desire
To run free and far from the choices we make
To sleep, and never awake

So come this way man, come give me a smile
We’re told love is fleeting, we all crave the style
Our honour is steady, ourselves we deny
But we all had one hell of a time

REFRAIN

Hello once again, Missus ‘Woe betide’
Who is this young lady, ensconced in her pride?
We’ve sure never met, I doubt we’d get on
I guess, all hope has long gone

Wake up and remember we still have our say
The choices we make we’re still making each day
Although some backfire, and some may explode
We travel our own chosen road

Come hither lady, come stay a while
We know time is wasting, so why not waste mine?
Our kinship is steady, so pass me the wine
And let’s drink to one hell of a time

REFRAIN

Hello Mr Man, a hearty hello
You sure made your point, I guess you should know
A slap in the face, would have more than sufficed
Point taken, so please now, be nice?

I guess as we grow we learn more than we should
And much that we learn is misunderstood
I guess I need time to be still and take stock
To cherish, the things we forgot

So come this way man, come give me a smile
We’re told love is fleeting, we all crave the style
Our honour is steady, ourselves we deny
But we all had one hell of a time

REFRAIN

Now we’re all grown up, everything’s wrong
Everything’s vital, nowt is just for fun
And innocence lost is a lesson begun
If he, was never the one

So let’s take a walk by the old forest lane
And talk of young love, the young men we would tame
And laugh at our stories, our tales so sublime
And give thanks for one hell of a time

[cheff daniel]

sorry james i just don't like your songs i guess. for me its just too smooth, too corny lyrics full of cliche's, and as a song it tires very quick. the subject is a nice one and i can imagine you can get much, much more out of that.





gr.  Dan

[James Nighthawk]

@Cheff

Yup, we have established that I am not to your personal taste, but as such I still very much appreciate you listening

There are a few more cliches than I generally permit myself in this track I agree. Its a product of writing to a style a bit too much admittedly, and also having such a wordy song I think I "fell back" on them a few times. I think the song works despite this, I think sometimes a cliche can be a "cosy" thing to employ, and I wanted a warm song. It is all about the balance though, and songs I am writing now a year or so later are written with the cliche alarm set more sensitively 

[estreet]

James, I've got to admit that I struggle with the medieval slant to the language in this.  I guess it's all a question of influence and context.. If you come from the world of folk music, then I guess it's an OK thing to do. I do love a bit of Shakespeare and I can really imagine this being used in a production of 'Much Ado About Nothing' or one of the other comedies, and in that context it would be fine, but for general listening it turns me off somewhat. It's nicely played, sung and recorded - just not my bag. I think maybe your voice is a little too compressed; the 'breathiness'  is a little overpowering to my ears. Full marks for getting the word 'ensconced' into a song though!

[Dutchbeat]

this does have a warm and nostalgic feeling,

it is sweet, but it works for me

i wish i could give tips for what to improve, but it seems a very finished and smart song to me

[Kafla]

I actually quite like this - one of the best you have posted for me

I do think you could tweak the lyrics - in the past I have commented that your lyrics can be quite contrived and here they are perhaps to cliched - in bewteen and you have the perfect balance

But the song is loveley indeed although it's not quite at full potential in my opinion and it is a bit long

You have it all there - melody , chords , sexy female whispering melodically in tandem  

I think it could be slower , even more stripped , sparser guitar & slow burning strings , remove the story and keep some of the lyric - make it more mysterious

The ' one hell of a time ' is a huge hook and would really work well in the Kafla version  

But I like this overall very much

[James Nighthawk]

@estreet
Oddly I take everything you have said as a compliment! I adore language as many on here know, and I read a lot of classics (On a Bram Stoker at the mo, recently been reading Oscar Wilde). As such do put olde Englishe into my tunes unashamedly, its part of my way . The vocals aren't particularly compressed, but they are very close mic'ed. I went for imtimate and breathey here so I am happy you noticed that even if it isn't to your taste
And ensconced is an ace word

@Dutch
Thank you kindly sir

@Kafla
I do think you could tweak the lyrics - in the past I have commented that your lyrics can be quite contrived and here they are perhaps to cliched - in bewteen and you have the perfect balance
A very good point and a major part of my development as a writer. I need to find my happy place, so good observation there. It's fun looking for it and experimenting however:)

"Remove the story and [cut in down in length]"
Not a chance hehehe. This is the first and only time (so far) I have tipped 5minutes on a song and I like the story; it means something to me and is about one friend in particular - it was written about the lass singing it! As such the stubborn artist in me says no! 
 

[Kafla]

It's got a very catchy melody , I am sitting here humming it

Kind of symmetrical up then down each line

Very catchy 

[Mr.Chainsaw]

Your use of bass and shakers to build up layers is really clever, bud.

I see this as your "All My Rage" track

Peter

[flossie]

This song turned me off at first and then grew on me and then it lost my interest towards the end!  How bizarre!!!

I think you write well and I loved the fact you have written a duet, and I reckon you had loads of fun writing this one with your 'friend' 

Over all I think this is a good song, it is too long but that appears to have been deliberate see above!!!

[estreet]

it was written about the lass singing it!

Ahh, the old 'Fleetwood Mac Syndrome'

[James Nighthawk]

"Friend" needs no inverted commas as a closer reading of the lyrics should make clear

[flossie]

oh do you mean this part

And talk of young love, the young men we would tame

[James Nighthawk]

Mr Holmes has nothing on you Flossie

[flossie]

R u calling me fick? 


Anyway estreet thought it was Fleetwood Mac syndrome