This Is Not The End

Didn't I give you money, didn't I give you love
Didn't I give you everything but never quite enough
So now I'm leaving, oh no no, I'm out the door
You used to be my baby, but you ain't my baby any more

I bought you a new automobile a Mercedes Benz
You drove it round the corner and sold it to your friend
So now I'm leaving, oh no no, I'm out the door
You used to be my baby, but you ain't my baby any more

Now I’m travelling down the open road you can call me all you want
Leave a thousand voicemails on my phone
Oh I just checked, perhaps you won't

You promised you were faithful, you promised you were true
But I caught you with my brother and my sister too
So now I'm leaving, oh no no, I'm out the door
You used to be my baby, but you ain't my baby any more

Now the scales have fallen from my eyes, it was positively Damascene
I was living with a sociopath but now it's time to break free

You Used To Be My Baby

My name is DJ Drowsy Drawers
You shall sleep forever more
Your eyes are getting droopy
You are feeling quite poopy

And all you want to do now
Is sit under the covers
Wiping your eyebrows

Because you're getting very sleepy
By DJ Drowsy Drawers
My beats will make you drowsy
And my hits will make you snore
You're getting very sleepy
By DJ Drowsy Drawers
My beats will make you drowsy
And my hits will make you snore

You are feeling quite poopy... poopy...

Because you’re getting very sleepy
By DJ Drowsy Drawers
My beats will make you drowsy
And my hits will make you snore

All you can do now is lie under the covers
Waiting for your beddie byes
And now you’re closing your eyes
Remember now, you shall have a nightmare
All that will be left is a little bit of despair

Because you’re getting very sleepy
By DJ Drowsy Drawers
My beats will make you drowsy
And my hits will make you snore
You’re getting very sleepy
By DJ Drowsy Drawers
My beats will make you drowsy
And my hits will make you snore

You're Gettin Very Sleepy (feat. DJ Drowsy Drawers)

Lyrics © Geoff Matthews

I see the shadows
I feel the longing
The black and the white
I’m always alone
In a room that is crowded
Deep in the night

I don’t know which way to turn
I always forget what I have learned
If there’s a way to be right
I’ll get it wrong
Yes, if there’s a way to be right
Then I’ll get it wrong

You were the light
But then I turned over
And I’ve lost my way
The word’s in my throat
The knot’s in my stomach
I’ve led me astray

I don’t know which way to turn
I always forget what I have learned
If there’s a way to be right
I’ll get it wrong
Yes, if there’s a way to be right
Then I’ll get it wrong

SOLO

I don’t know which way to turn
I always forget what I have learned
If there’s a way to be right
Then I’ll get it wrong
Yes, if there’s a way to be right
Then I’ll get it wrong

If I could recall
Some sepia memory
Of happier times
For the crust that is left
Won’t fill or sustain me
I’ve nowhere to run

I don’t know which way to turn
I always forget what I have learned
If there’s a way to be right
Then I’ll get it wrong
Yes, if there’s a way to be right
Then I’ll get it wrong

Your subliminal message
Got lost in translation
I’m not a reader of minds
I’m not a seer of signs 
Just give me some time
I’m not a reader of minds
Please give me some time

If There's A Way To Be Right (I'll Get It Wrong)

Here's my latest single 'Judy', an indie pop song about life, dreams & spreadsheets. All the important stuff, basically.

Check it out on:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4WnwbUC9pkhF5oJo2s5IcV
Bandcamp: https://davidtaro.bandcamp.com/album/judy
Youtube: https://youtu.be/BllYMQOmOS4

[UPDATE] Reviews are coming in for Judy!

“From start to finish this song packs a beautiful punch and encourages the listener to ultimately get out there and live their life to the fullest.” - Gifted Balance Records, The Study Lounge Blog
https://www.giftedbalancerecords.com/thestudylounge/davidtarojudy

“A beautiful and pretty sounding song with a stinger ending and a great, radio friendly length, Judy has all the elements needed for a huge hit that already sounds absolutely timeless. One of our favourites in a long time.” - Send Me Your Ears
https://sendmeyourears.com/david-taro-judy/

“Representing the London music scene, David Taro is a singer, songwriter, and multi-talented performer who’s put his signature essence on his latest, ’Judy’. Keeping things genuine in the song’s prowess to tell a compelling story through imagery-filled lyricism, there’s definitely an optimism that comes through by the final notes.” - We Write About Music
https://www.wewriteaboutmusic.com/reviews/david-taro-judy


Thank you for listening

LYRICS:

Judy wakes up
Sips from a cup of coffee
Runs for the bus
Same way she has forever
And if you don’t get too excited
Well, you won’t be sorry

Judy is bored
Largely ignored by colleagues
Chews on a pen
Turns back again to the spreadsheet
And if you don’t have dreams to start with
Well, they can’t get broken
And ah, they can’t get broken

Judy has friends
Katie and Ben and Emily
Known them for years
Drank cheap wine and beer in their company
But she don’t see much of them these days
They’ve all got families
And ah, they’ve all got families

Judy, if wanna live the way you wanna
Who am I to judge you
You don’t have to be like you get told to be like
Don’t need someone to love you

Judy comes home
Has dinner alone in her bedroom
Washes her plate
Stays up til late with the TV
And when she turns the lights off
Well, she won't be sorry
Ah, she won't be sorry
Ah, she won't be sorry

Judy

This is my first song for this year's 50/90 songwriting challenge! (https://fiftyninety.fawm.org/)

I've been thinking about little ones leaving the nest quite a lot recently. My kids are 10 and 7, so not imminent, but it still makes me feel a tiny bit sad (and a tiny bit relieved). I certainly know others with kids who are closer to that point, so this one's for them 🙂

When I'd finished my bits on the track, it felt like it was still missing a little something. So I sent it over to my man @nahlejmusic for some sweet percussive magic and, as always, he promptly delivered the goods. Thank you!

LYRICS & MUSIC © David Taro

Oh little bird standing on the edge
Of your nest, will you fledge
Are you ready for it yet?

Oh little bird do your feathers feel the breeze
In the leaves of the trees
Will you spread your wings and see?

Oh, little bird...

Oh little bird getting stronger ever day
It's okay, fly away
You were never bound to stay

Oh little bird, there’s a future yet to write
Taking flight out of sight
In the hazy morning light

Oh little bird...

Oh little bird, wherever you may go
You must know, though you roam
This will always be your home

Though you roam
This will always be your home

Little Bird

I've been noodling with this riff most of January, so it seemed a good starting point to build a song around today. It's kind of an open letter to myself aged 16. Back then I had a pretty catastrophic falling out with my friends (entirely my own fault I should add). It ended up being quite a sliding doors moment - I went to a different sixth form, joined a band which I'm still part of today, met my wife-to-be. Anyway, I distinctly remember feeling like the world had ended. And I wanted to sort of reach back and tell my younger self that, while it may be rubbish at that particular moment, you'll learn from the experience and... it will get better!

(Special thank you to my erstwhile friend and lead guitar maestro Fareed Sahloul for the screaming guitar solo on this one!).

LYRICS:

I know you feel bitter
I know you feel ashamed
I know you feel broken
I know you feel blamed
I know you feel compromised
I know you feel stoic
I know you feel sorry
But you’re too proud to show it

But boy this is not the end
This is only the beginning

I know you feel empty
I know you feel proud
I know you feel worthless
I know you feel cowed
I know you feel an aching
Deep down in your heart
I know you feel everything 
Is slowly falling apart

But boy this is not the end
This is only the beginning

I know you feel haunted
I know you feel mad
I know you feel reckless
I know you feel damned
I know you feel insecure
I know you feel branded
I know you feel something
But you can't understand it

But boy this is not the end
This is only the beginning

(Let me tell you 'bout the future...)
Some dreams they happen
Some dreams they don't
Some days you'll be happy
Some days you won't
You're gonna have family
They're gonna fill you with you love
Not gonna get everything
But you're gonna get enough

And boy this is not the end
This is only the beginning

Everybody falls
Everybody falls
Everybody falls
It's how you come back

This started life with me messing about with a capo on a high fret of my nylon string guitar. My first attempt at words was genuinely awful. "You make the dinner and I'll pour some wine...." sort-of-thing... BLEURGH. As with many slow numbers, I found that going darker with the lyrics unlocked the song. Disclaimer: I don't think anyone would actually be like this in real life, I just rather enjoyed the metaphor (and the title, I like the title).

LYRICS

You strike a match
And I'll toss it in
We'll watch together
As the fire begins
It's a kind of addiction
We both know is a sin
But who cares

Stand in the moonlight
Watching the flames
The innocent victims
With unmemorable names
And sooner or later
We'll do it again
So who cares

There goes our love again
There goes our love again

Your friends think I'm crazy
I'm poison for you
I'm weak and I'm lazy
Hell, most of it's true
But deep down they know
That you're built like that too
So who cares

When we're together
The flames never cease
We’re both like a jigsaw
With one missing piece
I guess maybe someone
Should call the police
But who cares

There goes our love again
There goes our love again

Oh, I know it’s crazy
But I love to watch it burn
So let’s burn it down again

There goes our love again
There goes our love again
There goes our love again

The Arsonists

Ok, first let me address the elephant in the room. This is VERY John Lennon. When the first line popped into my head and I started humming a tune (taking the kids to a swimming lesson, for what it's worth) my immediate thought was, "Oh, I appear to be writing 'God' by John Lennon". The sentence structure is basically the same, and I'm also aware he wrote a song which features the words 'Love is...' quite frequently!

Anyway, I ultimately came to the conclusion that I DON'T REALLY CARE. When I was a kid I had a poster of (Instant Karma period) Lennon on my bedroom wall. Then through my 20s and 30s, I went a bit cold on him. I thought he was spiky, obnoxious, a contrarian. And then watching the Get Back documentary, I kind of fell back in love with him. Yes, he was still some of those bad things, but also a beautiful, very gentle human too. 

Think of this, therefore, as a love letter to John Lennon. A bit weird on Valentine's Day, I know, but that's where we are.


LYRICS

Love is the answer to the question of why we carry on
Love is an expression of an instinct to belong
Love is the only thing that keeps us weak or makes us strong
Love is the reason for this song

Love is the moment when you really understand
Love is the universe, love is written in the sand
Love is the only thing that’s ever worth a damn
Love is not judgement or demand

Love is me
Love is you

Love is the acceptance of the routine and mundane
Love is the knowledge that life will never be the same
Love is the only thing left standing in the hurricane
Love is just being here with you again
I said, love is just being here with you again

Love Is...

For my sister, and the many other strong women that we all know. Backing vocals and co-write courtesy of the inestimable @sonya-heller.

LYRICS:

There are times
When I forget myself
And all the trouble in this world
Then I feel guilty
For feeling happy
I know it sounds absurd

But when I think of you
Things you’ve been going through
All I really want to say is

Sister, oh my sister
You are strong
Stronger than I'll ever know

You’ve been dealt
Your share of hardship
Oh, but in the face of yours
You walked for miles
Across the desert
Now you're running many more

So when I think of you 
And every sister too
All I really want to say is

Sister, oh my sister
You are strong
Stronger than I'll ever know
Sister, oh my sister
You are strong
Stronger than I'll ever know

Oh sister
If the truth be told
I don't know what the future holds
But, it's like we've learned to say
Don't do tomorrow
What can be done today

Sister, oh my sister
You are strong
Stronger than I'll ever know
Sister, oh my sister
You are strong
Stronger than I'll ever know

Stronger, stronger
(Stronger than you'll ever know)

Sister

String arrangement (and song title) courtesy of the brilliant Brisk aka Hypnotist aka Yeslessness... go check him out immediately (https://yeslessness.bandcamp.com/)

This one is all about loving someone, whilst also acknowledging you are sometimes powerless to help them 💔

LYRICS

Love, love is not the answer, child
There was a time perhaps I thought it was
When I gave you my heart
(He gave you his heart)
But a heart could never hope to fill the void
And there are things a loving heart simply can’t provide

If I could, I would give you
The whole white moon
But I can’t, and that’s what breaks my heart

Time is a cruel, cruel master
And innocence exists to be lost
I wish I could give you some answers
But they come at a cost

Faith, faith should be unshakeable
There was a time perhaps I thought it was
When you fell from my arms
(You fell from his arms)
And I could not defend you, though I tried
Now I see a sadness linger in your eyes

If I could, I would give you
The whole white moon
But I can’t, and that’s what breaks my heart
No I can’t, and that’s what breaks my heart

Whole White Moon

For all my Soundcloud friends who've had to put up with me posting nearly a song a day for the last month, this is the last one I promise!! Will be switching back to more of a listening and liking/reposting kind of mood for the next couple of months :)

LYRICS:

There’s a ballroom on 110th Street
Where the band’s been playing since the turn of the century
I don’t know how they keep up the rhythm
Guess even a musician’s gotta earn a livin’

And if they stop or stumble
The whole damn edifice will surely crumble

So keep dancing, keep dancing
Keep dancing, 'cause if we stop
We may never start again

Across the floor, everybody greets you
From the Dalai Lama to your great aunt Rita
Karl Marx and Brigitte Bardo
Your second cousin Roger and Vincent Van Gogh

But  if they stop or stumble
The whole damn edifice will surely crumble

So keep dancing, keep dancing
Keep dancing, 'cause if we stop
We may never start again

We'll have some good times we'll have some bad times
We'll have some sobbing into our cocktails kinda sad times
We'll have some running up the street naked mad times
The trick is to never stop dancing!

So keep dancing, 'cause if we stop
We may never start again

The night is over, you head for the door
But the doorman says, “Hey, man, what you leaving here for?
We ain’t closing, there’ll always be another
And another and another and another and another...

And if they stop or stumble
The whole damn edifice will surely crumble

So keep dancing, keep dancing
Keep dancing, 'cause if we stop
We may never start again
 
[Repeat until fade...]

Keep Dancing

Here's the first of two older tracks that I've re-recorded to go onto a potential album later this year. Hope you enjoy!

LYRICS

Daniel, you could get away with anything
Cos the world seems so much brighter when you’re smiling
Daniel, when did you get so big?
You're running round the garden with those older kids

And you’ll always be my baby
But it’s crazy how you grow
Daniel we were young
But now we’re getting old

Daniel, seems like no time at all
Since I held you to my body in the hospital 
Daniel, I never want to let you go
But I know I'm going to have to, it's inevitable  

And I'm watching all the changes
They're amazing to behold
Daniel we were young
But now we’re getting old

I took a picture, put it in a book
Maybe in fifteen years you're gonna take a look
And then in fifteen more you’re gonna look again
Remember just how much I loved you, my friend

Daniel, you could get away with anything
Cos the world seems so much brighter when you’re smiling
Daniel, I never want to let you go
But I know I'm going to have to, it's inevitable

And you’ll always be my baby
But it’s crazy how you grow
Daniel we were young
But now we’re getting old
Daniel we were young
But now we’re getting old
Daniel we were young
But now we’re getting old

Daniel

Archive track no. 2, re-recorded for a potential album later this year...

LYRICS

Cool kids on the promenade
Know they're going nowhere fast
I make a note on a postcard
Says, "I'm leaving but I won't get far"

In a field by the fairground
I just came to take a look around
There’s a song in the background
The singer makes a sound like

Hold me baby, hold me baby
Hold til I'm a little bit stronger
Hold me baby, hold me baby
Hold me just a little bit longer

Maybe we’re all just skin and bones
Hearing voices on the radio
Maybe we’re all just skimming stones
While our dreams sink into the foam
Maybe we're all just waiting
Don't know what for, but waiting
Maybe we’re all just skin and bones
With these voices on the radio

See the thing about this ghost town
Is you're always on the way down
So when the kids hear a new sound
They'll all be going round like

Hold me baby, hold me baby
Hold til I'm a little bit stronger
Hold me baby, hold me baby
Hold me just a little bit longer

Maybe we’re all just skin and bones
Hearing voices on the radio
Maybe we’re all just skimming stones
While our dreams sink into the foam
Maybe we're all just waiting
Don't know what for, but waiting
Maybe we’re all just skin and bones
With these voices on the radio

You can lose yourself for hours and hours
Doesn’t matter when it’s ours, all ours
Yeah, but when the sun goes down
You're still stuck in this old town
So maybe I’ll stick around after all

Hearing voices on the radio
Hearing voices on the radio
(Hold me baby...)

Maybe we’re all just skin and bones
Hearing voices on the radio
Maybe we’re all just skimming stones
While our dreams sink into the foam
Maybe we're all just waiting
Don't know what for, but waiting
Maybe we’re all just skin and bones
With these voices on the radio

Voices On The Radio

This one was a late-February idea that didn't get over the line a) because it felt very heavy, and b) I wasn't convinced it was particularly good. It's still heavy, but I'm liking it a lot more now :)

The pause in production also meant I could use my recently purchased Boss DD-200 delay pedal. And use it I have. Probably too liberally, but never mind.

LYRICS

Sarah, all I have are questions
I don’t have the answers yet
Even with the best intentions
We were running up a debt
Until the time had come to pay it
I guess that’s what you get
At least we’ll always have Berlin
Strolling through the Tiergarten last Spring

Sarah, all I ever wanted
Was to see you smile
Instead of always looking haunted
The defendant in a trial
But every time I tried to solve it
I just made it worse
At first I didn’t see it, now I do
I only wish that you could see it too

And I don’t have much to say
But I’m going to say it anyway
Even if I hesitate
To set it down
To set it right down
It’s three o’clock at night
I stare into this square of light
Try to find a way to write
To tell you why
I just can’t say goodbye

You were standing in the garden
In that dress your mother made
The leaves were pale and golden
As the light began to fade
I could see that you’d been crying
In that understated way
That Sarah, you would always do
As if you hadn’t really wanted to

And I don’t have much to say
But I’m going to say it anyway
Even if I hesitate
To set it down
To set it right down
It’s three o’clock at night
I stare into this square of light
Try to find a way to write
To tell you why
I just can’t say goodbye

I can’t say goodbye
I can’t say goodbye...

Dear Sarah

I *absolutely* loved these @km-songs lyrics when I first read them, and also had a feeling they'd work well as a duet. So I enlisted the help of the brilliant Serene Sunderland (@user-846248422), who has made the song about a million times better with her presence. Musically, I was aiming for something Gershwin-y, but it's ended up in Randy Newman territory. Ah well...

LYRICS © 2023 Kristi McKeever

Would you sing the alphabet
Backwards from Z
Make up a dance
Try to impress me

Would you keep a secret
If I told you one
Play a few games
Have a little fun

[ch]
You say absolutely
I say all right
You say certainly
All day, all night
It would be a pleasure
An honor, delight
You say absolutely
I say all right

Would you take a ride
On a tandem bike
Go treasure hunting
In the countryside

Would you save the last piece
Of chocolate cake
Stay up for a chat
Watch the daybreak

[ch]
You say absolutely
I say all right
You say certainly
All day, all night
It would be a pleasure
An honor, delight
You say absolutely
I say all right

[br]
You’re never old when you’re being bold
Never tired if you’re inspired
State of mind is all we have
So why not play and share a couple laughs

Repeat ch

Absolutely (feat. Serene Sunderland)

For the Soundcloud peeps, apologies, after a long hiatus I'm going to start spamming you with songs as I'm once again embarking on FAWM (February Album Writing Month). I can't recommend it highly enough if you're a songwriter, it's simply the best part of my year!


LYRICS

There is no good news anymore
Only horror piled on endless horror
I can’t lift my eyes up off the floor
To take in this hellscape by Goya
My brain shuts down
I can’t hear the sound
Of the stoney-faced woman on my TV

And I want to believe that there’s love in this world
I want to believe that there’s good in my soul
But looking at what’s going on
I ask myself can someone good be so numb?

I make my round of charitable donations
But it never really feels enough to me
Marching past the young charity workers
Pretend I’ve got an urgent place I gotta be
‘Cause my heart can’t cope
In this vacuum of hope
I just stare into the middle distance

And I want to believe that there’s love in this world
I want to believe that there’s good in my soul
But looking at what’s going on
I ask myself can someone good be so numb?

And my brain shuts down
I can’t hear the sound
Of the stoney-faced woman on my TV

And I want to believe that there’s love in this world
I want to believe that there’s good in my soul
But looking at what’s going on
I ask myself can someone good be so numb?

Can someone good be so numb?
Can someone good be so numb?

Numb

February Album Writing Month, Track #2! Lyrics © @pattylakamp

V1
I fell hard for a firefly
Mistook her for a flame
Thought I’d found forever
But a spark is not the same

V2
She stuns me like a lightning bolt
And sets the night on fire
She dazzles in her lovelight
But only for awhile

Ch
Oh, Firefly
Firefly
Don’t fly away
Firefly
Firefly
How can I
Entice you to stay

V3
Our romance has a magic glow
Our nature dooms us both
She can’t change her spirit
And I can’t let her go

Ch
Oh, Firefly
Firefly
Don’t fly away
Firefly
Firefly
How can I
Entice you to stay

Br
My world is dark without her
I need her luminescence
When she walks in the room
My skin can feel her presence

Ch
Oh, Firefly
Firefly
Don’t fly away
Firefly
Firefly
How can I
Entice you to stay
Oh, Firefly
Don’t fly away

Firefly

🚨 Gratuitous melancholy alert 🚨 

This one couldn't quite make up its mind what it wanted to be, and I'm rather attached to it as a result. In my head, the verses are Jason Isbell-style dark indie folk, the chorus is straight-up, heart-on-sleeve balladry and the bridge goes all Meatloaf. I will leave it to you to decide if the combination works 😂 

Thematically, it's about someone who's very fatalistic about the relationship they're in because they think the other person's too good for them. And so maybe there's an element of wanting to self-sabotage the thing, because they're convinced it'll happen sooner or later anyway. That's the back story in my head, for what it's worth!

LYRICS

You’re too perfect and you know just what I mean
I try and hurt you, try and rip apart your seams
But you just stand there like a medieval queen
I can’t do this, no, I must be in a dream

I don't know what to say to that
I don't know how I'm supposed to act

Oh, when you gonna break my heart?
Oh, when you gonna tear it all apart?
Oh, when you gonna break my heart?
Maybe I should break it before you do
Maybe I should break it before you do

I did warn you there are demons in my past
I can’t hide you from the shadows that they cast
So don’t kid yourself that every storm shall pass
We're all drowning, yeah we're disappearing fast

I don’t know what I mean by that
I don't know how I'm supposed to act

Oh, when you gonna break my heart?
Oh, when you gonna tear it all apart?
Oh, when you gonna break my heart?
Maybe I should break it before you do
Maybe I should break it before you do

It’s not a question of if, it’s a matter of when
You keep asking me why, why do we ever do anything?
And if I told you, you were everything
I've ever been looking for or ever been trying to find
Would you believe?

Oh, when you gonna break my heart?
Oh, when you gonna tear it all apart?
Oh, when you gonna break my heart?
Maybe I should break it before you do
Maybe I should break it before you do
Before you do

Break My Heart

After a couple of very gloomy songs recently, I decided today's task was to write something I very rarely write: a straight-up love song...

LYRICS

Sometimes
I wish I told you that I love you
Every day instead of just
Sometimes
I wish I made you feel special
Every time you walk in the room
Isn’t that what lovers normally do?

But then…
Some days
It gets so busy in the morning
Everything is crazy and
Some nights
We’re both so tired in the evening
All that we can practically do
Is be together in a comfortable room

Ooooh, baby
You get so worried I don’t love you the same way
Ooooh, baby
So maybe I should tell you over and over again
(Oh, I love you)

Somehow
We have always stuck together
Through the stormy weather
For years now
And though we’re both a little older
Some things stay impossibly true
So hold me and I’ll hold on to you

Sometimes, sometimes…

Ooooh, baby
You get so worried I don’t love you the same way
Ooooh, baby
So maybe I should tell you over and over again
(Oh, I love you...)

Sometimes

FAWM Track No. 5. Had a shitty day at work. Wrote a song on the train home 😂

LYRICS

Feel like I’m in a washing machine
The world won’t stop turning
Rinse and spin may make me clean
But it don’t seem to be working

I’m spinning all around
I’m spinning

Feel like I’m on a hamster wheel
And I just got to keep on moving
Every step I take, it’s starting to feel
Like I don’t know what I’m doing

I’m spinning all around
I’m spinning

Feel like I’m on a fairground carousel
With lions, tigers and dragons
Light trails and screaming carry me to hell
It's all so much worse than I’d imagined

I’m spinning all around
I’m spinning

Spinning

FAWM tune no. 6. This is a response to a 'movie title challenge' prompt. Not having watched Something Wicked This Way Comes, I've opted to reappropriate some words from Macbeth, as that's where the quote originally comes from...

LYRICS

Fillet of a fenny snake
In the cauldron boil and bake
Eye of newt and toe of frog
Wool of bat and tongue of dog

I thought I was dreaming
But I was wrong
By the pricking of my thumbs
Something wicked this way comes

Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting
Lizard’s leg and howlet’s wing
For a charm of powerful trouble
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble

I thought I was sleeping
But I was wrong
By the pricking of my thumbs
Something wicked this way comes

O, feels like I’m running
O, but I can never get away
O, well done, I commend your pains
And everyone shall share the gains
And now about the cauldron sing
Like elves and fairies in a ring
Enchanting all that you put in

Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf
Witch’s mummy, maw and gulf
Of the ravined salt sea shark
Root of hemlock digged i’the dark

I thought I was falling
But I was wrong
By the pricking of my thumbs
Something wicked this way comes

Something wicked this way comes…

Something Wicked This Way Comes

FAWM track no. 7. A collab with the magnificent Bill White.

Lyrics: Bill White
Music & production: David Taro

Skippin Stones

A collaboration between:

Brisk @hypnotist: Lead vocals, drums, bass
Rich Joseph @user-831068061: Lead guitar, duuuuuurty backing vocals
David Taro: Lap steel, keys, synths, backing vocals, production

Dirty (feat. Brisk & Rich Joseph)

This one's a co-write with the excellent @thepannacottaarmy, who you should definitely go and follow if you don't already!

LYRICS:

Our love isn’t what it used to be
Our love, it’s become a travesty
And there’s no turning back
On this dead-end track
No, our love feels like history

No time to figure out what we should do
No time, I can’t even talk to you
Another door slams shut
Death by a thousand cuts
No, our love will always be blue

Because our love will never be good enough
Oh, our love was never built to last
You know our love, will always be a part of us
But now our love is only in the past

No need for us to part as enemies
No need for all this animosity
‘Cause in a year or two
When you’re with someone new
Our love will be whispers on the breeze

Because our love will never be good enough
Oh, our love was never built to last
You know our love, will always be a part of us
But now our love is only in the past

Only in the past…

Our Love

If the cover doesn't already make this plain, let me just say that this is all rather tongue-in-cheek. I've no idea why a Latin cha-cha popped into my head. All I can say is that I probably shouldn't be allowed to write songs on a classical guitar...

Many thanks to @thepannacottaarmy for pitching in with drums, percussion, piano, horns, bass... couldn't have made this without you!

LYRICS

I always told my mama I would be a saint
Live by the word of Christ
Now I’m just a sinner like the other boys
Baby, I’m lost in your eyes

And all it would take is an invitation
I long to hear your reply

Cuando, cuando, cuando mi amor
Cuando, cuando, cuando mi amor
Cuando, cuando, cuando mi amor
Cuando

I saw you from my window on a Summer’s night
Laughing with friends in the square
I worried that the stirrings of my wicked mind
Were as black as the curls of your hair 
But now I am lost as a shipwrecked sailor
Waiting for love to appear

Cuando, cuando, cuando mi amor
Cuando, cuando, cuando mi amor
Cuando, cuando, cuando mi amor
Cuando

But baby, how long must I wait for your love?
Cuando… cuando… cuando…

Today I wrote a letter I addressed to you
Slipped underneath your door
It’s twenty seven pages, give or take a few
I could have written much more

And now I must wait for your invitation
I long to hear your reply

Cuando, cuando, cuando mi amor
Cuando, cuando, cuando mi amor
Cuando, cuando, cuando mi amor
Cuando

Cuando

FAWM No. 11. This one's a collaboration with the brilliant Dan Vaillancourt. Go check him out here: https://danvaillancourt.bandcamp.com/

David Taro - Vocals, Guitars, Piano
Dan Vaillancourt - Bass, Guitars, Tambourine, Handclaps, Washboard, Backing Vocals, Lyrics
Mason Rosenfeld - Drums

Trophies Uncollected

FAWM no. 12

Lyrics: Vaughan Daniel (@vaughanraydaniel) & David L Graham (@mctownmusicnew)
Music: David Taro

A Witch Come True

FAWM no. 13... a cheery song about a dystopian, apocalyptic future that may or may not be based on recent climate summits 😬. Wanted to go full orchestral on this, a bit like if Randy Newman had done a song with ELO...

LYRICS

Out here in the desert
We’re turning off the lights
We had a good time, baby
Now the pipes are running dry
Back in 2023, we said it would all be fine
I guess that we were wrong
And you were right

Towers in the distance
Tremble in the heat
We built our Babylon
Out of oil and concrete
Now join us on the hundredth floor
As the waters rise
Watch the little people tryin’ to survive

And it looks like the end of the world
And everyone knows it’s
The way we all chose it
And if it’s the end of the world
It can’t be denied
We all had the time of our lives

These days you will struggle
To find somewhere that’s free
From fire, flood or famine
And human misery
London’s underwater, L.A.’s smoke and dust
Seven billion vehicles slowly rust

But don’t you worry, baby
Baby, don’t despair
You didn’t think this story
Really ended there
For the lucky few (and hey that’s you!)
There’s a colony on Mars
I hear the shuttle’s waiting to depart

And it looks like the end of the world
Everyone knows it’s
The way we all chose it
And if it’s the end of the world
It can’t be denied
We all had the time of our lives

It’s been quite a ride
Now kiss it goodbye….

The End Of The World

Featuring:

Dan Vaillancourt: Vocals, lyrics, melody, percussion, mastering (https://danvaillancourt.bandcamp.com/)
Hannah Busse: Vocals (https://hannahbusse.bandcamp.com/)
Sonya Heller: Vocals (https://sonyaheller.bandcamp.com/)
David Taro: Vocals, lyrics, production

LYRICS © Dan Vaillancourt / David Taro

[DAN]
Another late night
Another early morning
I’m running out of wick
One more thing?
Sure I can do it!
As long as we make it very very quick

[Chorus] 
Why do I always overcommit?
(Why why why…)
Why can’t I get these pieces to fit?
(Why why why…)
Why don’t I ever know when to quit?
(Why why why…)
Why why why
Why why why…

[HANNAH]
I’ll work all night
‘Til the morning light
Just need a little shuteye
I ask when we’ll ever
Get us some sleep
You say we only sleep when we die

[Chorus]

[SONYA]
I’ll get on a plane
Go anywhere you want me
All you got to do is ask
No job too big
No job too little
I’ll commit to doing almost any ol’ task

[Chorus]

[DAVID]
Too much on my plate
Forgot to eat today
Maybe we should reassess?
Sign me up for another!
No rest for the wicked!
I feel like a man, a man possessed 

[Chorus] 

[DAN]
8, 9, 10, 11, midnight (8, 9, 10, 11, midnight)
1-2-3am (1-2-3am)
I’m still feeling alright
I don’t mind late nights
But the alarm clock, I dread… 
I feel like the walking dead… 
Every morning at 6am… 

[Outro]
Why do we always overcommit?
(Why why why…)
Why do we always overcommit?
(Why why why…)

Overcommitted (feat. Dan Vaillancourt, Hannah Busse & Sonya Heller)

Last* song for FAWM 2024!

-
-

*Probably


LYRICS...

So long, it’s been emotional
Really, I ain’t just saying it to please you
I always miss you so much
‘Cause baby you’re the only one
Baby, you’re the only one
Baby, you’re the only one
I’ll ever need

Each year, gone so quickly
You blink and oh you missed it
At least I hope to see you again
‘Cause baby you’re the only one
Baby, you’re the only one
Baby, you’re the only one
I’ll ever need

And if I promise to be here
Same ol’ time, only next year
Would you promise to be here too?

‘Cause baby you’re the only one
Yeah baby you’re the only one
Baby, you’re the only one I’ll ever need

And if I promise to be here
Same ol’ time, only next year
Would you promise to be here too?

So long, it’s been emotional
Same way it always is when we
Do this, you know I’ll miss you so much
‘Cause baby you’re the only one
Baby, you’re the only one
Baby, you’re the only one
I’ll ever need
Baby, you’re the only one
Baby, you’re the only one
Baby, you’re the only one
I’ll ever need

So Long, It's Been Emotional

One of the cool things about FAWM is the 'skirmishes'. One hour to write and record a song based on a prompt from the skirmish host. Normally I don't do them as they scare the bejezus out of me. But it was the last day of the month, and a leap year too, so felt like I should dip in. This was the result of a prompt 'The Goblin Masquerade'...

A Little Goblin Like Me

Lyrics by the genius that is Bill White (https://billwhite.bandcamp.com/)

Twenty Years Too Late

A companion song for Twenty Years Too Late (https://soundcloud.com/david_taro/twenty-years-too-late) and another collab with the wonderful Bill White.

A Lifetime To Cry

Half-British, half-Japanese, South London-based singer-songwriter and producer. Indie pop, rock and blues. Thank you for listening!

david taro

Pinned to spotlight

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