"Giving It All Away" is one of my favourite songs of mine. It is a quirky exercise in 7/8 and introspection which I posted in 2011, and is yet again appropriate for me. So far, it is the only one of my songs which has been "temporarily off line" at MJ. Anyway,
I have remixed it and re-sung it (mainly because the original vocal tracks had disappeared from my Logic files) in May 2016. It's a little crisper and sounds more like I had wanted when I first posted - ah, the joys of Ozone 5 and 7 :)
If you've heard it before, you may enjoy another listen, if not, then enjoy counting to 7 ........... a lot!
Me on everything. I added the chords so you can play along. :)
Oh, the lyrics are not what they seem.
Have a listen here: "Giving It All Away"
Giving It All Away
©2012 Neil Porter
Intro: |Am Em7|Am Em7|Am Em7|Am Em7|
Verse: |Am Em7|Am Em7|Am Em7|Am Em7|Dm Am|Dm Am|Am Em7|Am Em7|
Middle 8: |F|F|F|F|C|C|C|C|
I got time on my hands
My place in the sun
So much to do but it never gets done
I made some mistakes
And they play on my heart
So much to do but I don’t seem to start
I just have to have some clear direction
When there’s no reason I’m all at sea
Sometimes I get it right
Give in without a fight
Maybe I’ll give it all away
Doing my best with your obsessions
Sometimes they’re pushing me away
Sometimes I get it right
Give in without a fight
Maybe I’ll give it all away
Giving it all away
Giving it all away
Giving it all away
Giving it all away yeah
I lived a life of inhibition
Taking no chances – that’s not me
Sometimes I get it right
Give in without a fight
Maybe I’ll give it all away
So you can see the contradiction
Nose on your face as plain as day
Sometimes I get it right
Give in without a fight
Maybe I’ll give it all away
Maybe I’ll give it all away
Maybe I’ll give it all away
A lot of my earlier music was political protest - albeit usually in a tangential kind of way. The current state of Oz politics (and the refugee detention in particular) has inspired this one. Give it a listen here "Judgement Day".
Australia's detention policy regarding refugees is a national disgrace, with two self-immolations in one week (one fatal) in a detention centre on Nauru. The Minister currently responsible is Peter Dutton, an ex police officer - who continues the shamefully cruel approach of the previous minister, Scott Morrison towards refugees.
There's not a lot I can do personally about this situation except write a song.
This is for P.D.
"Judgement Day" refers in the first instance to the upcoming national election (although the other main political party appears to have the same attitude to refugee detention), but also to the biblical judgement day of course. Interestingly, these politicians profess to having strong christian beliefs - amazing!
It's a slow bluesy kind of song with obtuse words, but I think you'll get the meaning.
Lyrics:
Judgement Day
©2016 Neil Porter
Big fella’s got a good view waiting for the judgement day
You know he’s gonna see you waiting for the judgement day
On the judgement day
Yeah there’s a judgement day
Big guy blue sky pigs fly
gonna be a judgement day
Talk back, brain hack, back track
you take my breath away
I wouldn’t want to be you
waiting at the pearly gates some day
On the judgement day
Yeah there’s a judgement day
Big guy blue sky pigs fly
gonna be a judgement day
Stop boats, blue notes, get votes
you locked them all away
No voice, no hope, no choice
you took their lives away
On the judgement day
Yeah there’s a judgement day
Big guy blue sky pigs fly
gonna be a judgement day
Hard as steel and cold as ice
you’ll never get to paradise
I really hope you get what’s coming
on the judgement day
On the judgement day
Yeah there’s a judgement day
Big guy blue sky karma’s gonna get ya
on the judgement day
Karma’s gonna get ya On the judgement day
