Started work today on a song called Mister Moan. Like many of my songs these days, it had no music and was written primarily as a poem, with the music to be added later. The words have changed a bit today. The first draft was:
Mister Moan (Draft v100)
Mister moan likes to moan
about the weather,
about the people that he'd like to know.
Likes to moan about his neighbours
his relatives and friends
he doesn't really like them
just pretends
Mister moan likes to moan
about the gov'ment,
about the lateness of the buses and the trains
He likes to moan about the telly
and his many aches and pains
he moans about the summer sun
and moans about the rains
Don't get him started!
I wonder if he thinks he makes the world a better place?
He probably doesn't care about himself or the human race.
Or realise that everybody moans about his face
When they see him coming
for to drone, that Mister Moan.
And one day, god with beams of divine providence
pointed down and out his life was snuffed
and everyone who knew him said how sad, he would be missed
but he liked to moan
he's probably better off six-feet under where he is.
Mister moan likes to moan
about the weather
about the people here in paradise.
Likes to moan about the service
as they roll angelic eyes
he's off again
it's no surprise
to them.
In my head, the music was a bouncy 2/4, something like Maxwell's Silver Hammer or, perhaps more relevantly, the oompah accordion music of Velvet Gelt which I was playing yesterday.
As I worked on the melody and backing, however, it seemed to lend itself to a piano ballad with a sad and romantic feeling, closer to Imagine (or, I may say, Calling Mister Wilson). I changed the words of the second half to fit the melody. The middle parts above were too awkward in scanning to neatly fit, so these needed re-writing.
Mister Moan, middle part (Draft v101)
...
And I wonder if he thinks he makes the world a better place
Perhaps at night he moans about himself
Does he realise that everybody moans about his face
When they spy
him on the way
to moan.
On one fateful day a holy bolt of lightning came his way
and out his life was snuffed, he will be missed (they said)
and everyone who knew him said he's better where he is
six-foot low
and in heaven's glow
... (3rd verse as above).
The touching middle parts added much more pathos to it, and the comic elements felt harmful, so I re-wrote the ending. The 3rd (current) draft is therefore:
Mister Moan (Draft v103)
Mister moan likes to moan
about the weather
about the people that he'd like to know
Likes to moan about his neighbours
his relatives and friends
he doesn't really like them
but still pretends
Mister moan likes to moan
about the gov'ment,
about the lateness of the buses and the trains
Likes to moan about the telly
his many aches and pains
he moans about the summer sun
and moans about the rains
Don't get him started
And I wonder if he thinks he makes the world a better place
Perhaps at night he moans about himself
Does he realise that everybody moans about his face
When they spy
him on the way
to moan.
On one fateful day a holy bolt of lightning came his way
and out his life was snuffed, he will be missed (they said)
and everyone who knew him said he's better where he is
six-foot low
where the
lonely go
Mister moan liked to moan
about the weather
about the people that he did not know
Liked to moan about his neighbours
his relatives and friends
We used to roll their eyes and say
he's off again
I've spent all day so far composing the words, melody, and the bass and piano parts. So far the new album is about half complete, despite many weeks of solid work on it. I now have a structural outline; a first half of character tropes and observations, and a second half with a cat sort of theme. I smiled that my Cat Phone Song may have been ideal for this album, as it would be nice to add a sort of folk jaunt to the mood for variety's sake, so I sketched out a new cat song in that mood, a somewhat saucy song with a nursery rhyme feeling called Have You Seen My Kitty Cat.
I must work solidly and get this music completed.
