“Spending My Time” - a song about friends
One side of a story always feels like a half cooked meal.
Backstory
I have a couple songs that I play out that mentions the devil (he always seems a favorite character in old blues and folk songs). The way I like to portray him is as something misunderstood. I have a song called “Pockets” where the verse is:
I sat down with the devil,
And we talked for quite sometime,
Poor dog he’s just misunderstood,
Shared some whiskey and a couple words to rhyme
Thinking about that song led me to this one, where I wanted to flesh that out a bit. I wanted to write a song about becoming a friend with an outcast, who’s biggest regret/fear is losing his friends or his place in the world. Now while that is a stretch for the biblical character we know, it wouldn’t be for someone who has been pushed out of a circle or a group because they don’t get along with a leader or an outspoken person.
We all know people that stopped coming around, or friends that we had a tiff with and we never really connected back the way that used to be. Then when you see them or they see you there is this mix of dissapintment, anger, or longing. I wanted to try and put that into what the devil must feel for being pushed out of heaven, and never given much of a chance to tell his side of the story.
** I am not getting religious (or sacrilegious) here or trying to start anything, just taking well known characters and flipping the script a bit **
I think the idea of this song is going to encourage me to bury a hatchet or two I may have floating around, and my hope is that someone else may think of it that way.
Writing Process
This one came in two parts. I started by expanding the verse from the song “Pockets” and the want to establish a camaraderie. I felt that the picture of two people drinking from a bottle and complimenting one another is a very intimate and friend based activity. I wanted to two to meet, then go out together, then have to separate but assure each other. So I pulled the lyrics in that way.
The part of this song that gave me the most trouble was that section that walks up at the end of each verse. I had no clue what chords to do, just the bass line. Maybe I would have eventually figured it out, but props to Dan Socha for showing me the inversions to use (I may still be writing the song otherwise).
I stupidly wrote the lyrics for this one on a piece of paper that I have since lost, so I don’t have the original lyrics. However this song was a bout half finished before this year. Then on our way down to New Orleans in February, the swing feel and kinda of jazzy syncopation of this song bubbled back up and it needed finished. That’s when the final verse snapped into place. I liked the idea of nodding to the 40 day trip that the Devil and Jesus took into the desert (40 also feels nice to sing), and also since we were on the road, my head was in that frame of mind.
** A side note, I think that travel and getting out of our routines and familiar spaces is one of the fastest ways for an artist to be inspired. We need new and fresh experience to translate that into what we make (an opinion).
Lyrics
I’ve been spending my time with the Devil
Sitting there singing my Praise
Passing around that bottle
For what seems like days
He's been telling me his darkest secrets
How he's missing on all of his friends
But he wouldn’t trade a drop for a seat at the top
No he can’t go back there again
I’ve been spending my time with the Devil
Haunting his favorite spots
Dressed up to a T, going out feeling hot hot hot
He’s a pretty big hit with the ladies
The fellas are right there too
Wouldn’t trade a night for that everlasting light
Look out were coming through
Ain’t no sinners, ain't no saints
Somewhere in between, I think your about the same
Break -
Ain’t no sinners, ain't no saints
Somewhere in between, I think your about the same
I’ve been spending my time with the Devil
But now we’re parting ways
Says he has to take a trip for 40 nights 40 days
Don’t you worry brother, I can see your feeling down
I wouldn’t trade my friends to make amends
Call me when you’re back in town
I’ve been spending my time with the Devil
Singing my praise
Passing round that bottle
For what seems like days