MIke- I saw Stephen W's great lyric to 'a little learning' and asked if I could set it to music- and said that I wanted to change the verses a little bit and make them less wordy and more singable, and maybe have him write some additional choruses. I sent him a draft of the lyric changes which he approved and he added a few more chorus couplets, -its amazing how he can just generate this stuff that is so on target, witty and wise with a seeming ease. Anyway, I've been meaning to do another collab with him for a while, our last one was a few years back.
Pulled out the wood-body Beard lap-style dobro for this, as well as acoustic guitar and harmonica, and did the whole country-roots thing. Had fun!
S-
I will not put that poison in my body
Said the vaper out smoking with the guys
We don't know what’s in it, he insisted
as he lit up that chemical surprise
Your words bounce off like waves on tinfoil hats
He's done his research, friend, and that is that
Stop hurting all our children, said the lady
blowing nicotine in her daughter's ear
Don't buy the lies and educate yourself
all them doctors are just trafficking in fear
The jet fuel of the evidence you find
Can't melt the beam of steel that is her mind
The sign she held cried Love for Everybody
As she screamed at a nurse so close
The nurse was at the hospital with dying patients
Who were there because they didn’t want the dose
She was frankly getting too long in the tooth
To live inside this world we call post-truth
I will not put that poison in my body
yelled a tattoo’d man with a frown
Who just that morning punched a civil servant
Held him responsible For locking us all down
But should the mandate cause you to revolt
Its maybe not the stats department’s fault
A little word of wisdom now I bring
A little learning is a dangerous thing
And one more little word to end this verse
some people’s little learning is worse
lyric- SW
music & performance- MS
@ambroise Mar 2022
The western rythm guitar made me smile. The slide guitar widened the smile. The harmonica solos just finished the job.
Brilliant lyrics. Not a cool time to be medical worker.
#tit4tat, Stephen.
@helenseviltwin Feb 2022
I love the energy of this track. Lyrics are astute and flow so well that Mike was able to just make it roll so fast through the song. Love it.
@acousticmaddie Feb 2022
Yea great and catchy. You guys are an excellent pair when it comes to collabs. Awesome
@jorh Feb 2022
That first verse is awesome - love the ‘chemical surprise’ line! And a great story to point out the contradictions that are all too familiar. Very much enjoyed the country setting of the lyric - a great genre for the this story-driven lyric. The harmonica sounded lush too. Fab collab - all the parts fitted together like a glove
@henika Feb 2022
Brilliant! The lyrics hit the nail on the head and the setting is just right too. Really enjoyed this.
@n24 Feb 2022
These lyrics are fantastic, they capture the hypocrisy but do it with a great humour as well which I think is extremely difficult. The delivery is excellent, there's a lovely dryness to it which keeps it witty and doesn't over burden the message. I'm sure I've said this on one of your other tracks Mike but there's definitely a healthy dose of Bob Dylan in the delivery which I'm really enjoying. I love so many of the lyrics it's hard to select one but I did find 'who just that morning punched a civil servant, held him responsible for locking us all down' was particularly amusing for me, perhaps it's the narrative element all captured in that little couple of lines.
@cheslain Feb 2022
Great work! Cool guitars and vocals emitting a catchy tune. Those satirical lyrics are spot on. Jet fuel and steel beams line is pure genius.
@coolparadiso Feb 2022
i absolutely loved this lyric and was pleased to see you picked it up! Nicely brought to song in the world! yup so many uses of the idea
@tseaver Feb 2022
Fun write! Love the image of words bouncing off the tinfoll hats. Fun bounce in the guitar, and the expected smile-inducing harp solo.
@metalfoot Feb 2022
Well-aimed social commentary and an enjoyable musical package. Good collab!
@stephenwordsmith Feb 2022
It's interesting - the original lyric was set in the context of one specific protest, but the small changes here have made it a bit more universal, which I feel works well. It's about ideas rather than people, in the end.
Always a pleasure to hear the classic Skliar magic being worked. The deadpan delivery is good for helping the listener draw their own conclusions - I wonder if the contradiction in the tattoo verse may slip past someone.
I also think you fixed the final line. The original message probably got a little lost in my reaching for synergy between the last and antipenultimate lines.
@mandolinda Feb 2022
Wow, when I read the lyric, I didn’t think of this style. But I love it @mikeskliar great collab. @stephenwordsmith wonderful edits to country-fy.
@kenmattsson Feb 2022
A great song all around with Stephen's always stellar lyrics and Mike's always driving playing and singing. Nice collab