about
Over the last few years, Satellites (A Short Drag) has become my "single" of sorts. My latest band, The Red Season, performed a version of it, and it was covered by our friendly rivals Fortune & Spirits. This is the original though: written and recorded in my bedroom.
An interesting piece of trivia about the song: I recorded two vocal tracks for this song and mixed back and forth on which one I liked more for specific verses. After I recorded the vocal tracks, I started to feel really drained and tired. Then I got a really bad sinus infection for the next 4 days!
That's how HxC this track is. It gets ya sick!
lyrics
You told me in confidence,
like it were a conspiracy
that the clock has got you chained down;
but you stay up late anyway,
defiantly
standing your ground.
You examine your coffee.
You use it as a shield
to protect you from the violent blows
that come with over-exhaustion;
that come with a job you despise;
that come with an alarm like a bad friend,
who, when you need him the most,
is never on your side.
And we sit around thinking
with all these years,
with all these protest songs
there's got to be a better way.
But at least we're working for something,
at least some inspiration
we scribble on the page
before our imagination dries up
like the ink in these ballpoint pens.
And we try to find a metaphor,
or just write it straight like it is --
we just need a fucking outlet.
We can't keep it pent up like this, no;
we can't keep it pent up like this.
Because sometimes
we get so caught up in the world
we can't find
our way out of this dirge.
Surrounded by gray clouds,
we're letting monotony take us down.
But we've just got
to try our best
to shine bright enough to lead us home again.
And we can sing out loud,
like drunken sailors
shouting proud:
"we've always got our sea-legs
and we're not gonna fall down."
And sometimes our diplomas feel like
just decoration on some white wall;
and if you don't got one
they say you're useless,
but don't ever listen to that.
Don't ever fucking listen to that.
Because if you find
love for these little things
in your life,
well, you're beating most it seems.
They just work themselves to death,
and buy pretty toys
they can shove in their caskets.
But we've just got
to try our damn best
to shine bright enough to lead us home again.
And we can sing out loud,
like drunken sailors
shouting proud:
"we've always got our sea-legs
and we're not gonna fall down.
And even if we never find solid-ground,
we've got our sea-legs
and we're never, ever, ever
gonna fall down."
credits
from
Drunken Sailors,
released December 9, 2007
Written and Performed by Mike Goldense
Trumpet by Chris Fleming
license
all rights reserved