Feb 2022 bluesy folk acoustic girl-with-guitar
OMG...well after my DAW went poof 3 days ago along with this tune I re-tracked, salvaged and jigsaw puzzled my way back to what you'll hear today.
@berni1954 sent these very cool lyrics my way. They were unusual in meter and cadence and a good challenge for me. I hope I've brought a good template to the table and something decent for him to chew on. Enjoy!
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@sunnymae
Talk about worth the wait. This was beyond what I had hoped for. I have just got up, it's 8am. I am listening to this with tears in my eyes. I just couldn't have wished for a better take on these lyrics with their difficult rhyme scheme. Oh that rich voice of Sonya's was perfect for this tale of betrayal and pre-break up. I honestly couldn't have been more pleased and moved even if my long standing dream that Joni would somehow discover me and cover one of my songs were to come true. :-)
Don't Tell Me a Story
Lyrics- Berni Armstrong
Music-Sonya Heller
CHORUS
Don't tell me a story, I know it won't be true
Lies upon lies I have heard accrue
Till I don't recognise the person I once knew
What happened to the trust that I once had in you?
V1
Your brother rang this evening to ask me how you were
Talking of an illness that I wasn't aware
You had claimed to have
I said you're getting better, but I felt such a fool
You'd said you were going round there
When you'd finished up at school
Where you just having a laugh?
CHORUS
V2
I wouldn't mind so much if your lies could be believed
But they are as transparent and ill-conceived
As a poor soap opera plot
When you were late again last Friday night
I didn't have the strength to feel aggrieved
No point in starting a fight
I just had to accept "I forgot"
BRIDGE
Is this marriage still alive
Or should we write its epitaph?
How long can this farce go on
And when do we get to laugh?
V3
Was there ever any truth in the things you said
From the time we took our vows on the day we wed
Or has this all been a game?
Do the last five years make any sense
Can we talk of a love that seems to be dead
If all along it was just a pretence?
Should I feel hate or shame?
CHORUS
@katestantonsings Mar 2022
Two musicians I look up to--Berni & Sonya. You make a great team! The lyrics tell a familiar yet painful story. Sonya's voice and guitar = moving and beautiful! Glad I didn't miss this one!!
@nancycunning Mar 2022
Wow, you two. That’s beautiful. Feels like Joni Mitchell and Melissa Etheridge’s favorite niece decided to make a song from a great set of lyrics. So much emotion expertly applied.
@gm7 Mar 2022
I am glad that you salvaged this song. @sunnymae just a wonderful vocal and it has brought these lyrics into the shinning light.
Great vocals dynamics to highlight the lyrics and the guitar playing is stellar.
This is one of favs for this FAWM.... You have a winner collab!
@zeekle1998 Feb 2022
A little touch of awesomeness. There’s emotion poured into the lyrics and sung for us to hear. The guitar sounds gorgeous. I really liked the dynamics. Great listening.
@crisp1 Feb 2022
Sonya, you're getting very good at writing music for lyrics about failed marriages (says someone who knows well). This is one of my favorites from this FAWM, between your awesome singing and Berni's beautifully bitter lyrics.
@nadine Feb 2022
Yes this is worth the wait. The lyrics are damn good and I enjoy the performance. How did you come up with THIS phrasing? I wait for radio stations to pick this up.
@gardeningangel1 Feb 2022
The two of you together is even better than I could imagine. So much gritty, fiery emotion in the story so well told with an expertly-wielded acoustic and a powerful voice. "And when do we get to laugh?" is so bitter, redeeming, and perfect.
@natalie Feb 2022
Superb collaboration! The words are delightfully complex, yet they tell the story so clearly. And Sonya has set them to music seamlessly, with just the right energy in the guitar and vocals. Niiiiiiiice!
@dock Feb 2022
This is so powerful! The lyrics really shake me. The guitar and singing rattle my bones. This song speaks to the framework of my life! Direct hit!
@prsongsmith Feb 2022
What a terrific collaboration -- marvelous writing and a fantastic arrangement and performance. I've heard it said the bridge should be the best part of the song, and I have to say you've nailed it here: those four lines of poetry make the rest of the song soar. So well done. [And thanks for the kind words about "Kiss & Cry" @sunnymae -- lately a lot of my songs sound like they belong in a show; not sure why that's happening all of a sudden, but I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
@billwhite51 Feb 2022
bernie writes the script and sonya makes the movie, the passionate variety of musical expression cuts and edits these scenes if marital discord toge ther like a cassavetes film, with lyrical breaks like tje abrupt endings ti love and trust, and that performance,,,hello gena rowlands!
@kahlo2013 Feb 2022
Yes! Two of my favorite FAWMers together creating such a wonderfully poignant song. I love how Berni writes and really think the music is perfect. I love the builds in the music and the break down in the bridge.. the questions asked are relatable - hate or shame -powerful commentary about a relationship..,. Love those vocals!
@quork Feb 2022
The world needs more dance music, and I was dancing to this. Nice combination and nice song.
@wolfkier Feb 2022
indeed a good old fashioned dramatic "story". Makes me wanna jump in a truck and hit a backroad with a stoic look, all feely inside.
Those "lies upon lies" are beautiful, Joni level beautiful.
This really is a great listen, great, great, collab. Well done both of you!
Who's a-musing who here? :)