Lyrics - Old Shoes (I'll Just Make Do)

I guess ill make do with the phone that ive got
I’ll make it through, guess I’ve had most of my shots
I might look slowed down but got my own sense of pace
I don’t really mind please trust the look on my face

You see all I’ve got, 
Isn't limited to these teeth I should floss (we all get nagged about this - we nagged him about a lot more)
It seems you believe I’ve got all I need
Inside this boxful of frogs (I used to think he possibly had ADHD)
It’s not all I’ve got, in this willing mind
For holes in my socks
You see I’ve got what I’ve got
And I can just about make anything rock!

There’s so much I’d like but ain’t that life - 
Missing something that I really could use?
But I guess I don’t have too much to loose!
Sure there’ll be a time I’d come to know
You’ve got something new I just can’t own
But it would loose
Something with use
Not like these old shoes
Don’t need something new
I’ll just make do

Sometimes it’s for money, sometimes cause I’m alone
But I’ve got good reason hell this work ain’t a joke
I may get a pittance, but hey that’s what you get
When you care about something else far more than your bed (more than your own comfort is what I'm driving at)

Might seem like all I’ve got, 
Is quite limited, but it’s not
There’s so much more I’ve come to believe in
That’s a whole lot more important to me and
See all I’ve got
Is a willing mind, might be more than you’ve got
Might be something you’re not able to see
But there’s so much less here bothering me

There’s so much I’d like but ain’t that life - 
Missing something that I really could use?
But I guess I don’t have too much to loose!
Sure there’ll be a time I’d come to know
You’ve got something new I just can’t own
But it would loose
Something with use
Not like these old shoes
Don’t need something new
I’ll just make do


For Jay, https://soundcloud.com/jay-hughes-30 , a friend of mine who died over the weekend, at 47 yrs.

I appear to have caught covid at the get-together with friends in the pub that day, this was after we heard Jay had passed away, so naturally all the covid barriers were forgotten about.  

In any case, while feeling utterly miserable with Covid symptoms, have tested positive, I thought I'd try and write something to distract myself, and I guess because I've been thinking a lot about Jay, this is what came of it. 

It's written with him in mind, as he seemed in life, imagining some things from his perspective - he didn't earn a lot, worked really hard, and did really well making the best out of what he had - not up to date with trends, couldn't afford to be.  In so far as making the best of what he had was concerned, he really did, which more often than not concerned time spent with particular people, and really embracing simple pleasures!    

None of it was easy for him though, he was down about areas of life, and some of those simple pleasures were driven towards altered states of perception, mostly with a drink, in addition to other persuits, and... urh... things!  🤣 I wonder what other worlds he went to in some of those moments!

In any case, there's a focus on "old shoes" because something's really do improve with wear! Most of Jay's stuff was really well worn, and loved too! (Not on about his clothing - this was a guy really happy with a Wii, an age old Xbox, etc, while every other bugger was keeping up to date with all sorts of trends left and right, and Jay had limitations, money induced, but boy did he love what he could use).

Old Shoes (I'll just make do) For Jay (2022)

I've been writing songs for ages and ages, because it's something I enjoy doing, and that's about it. 

I've added dates to titles, however, these aren't always dates recorded, mostly just dates written because the original offerings, back then, had little to be desired with consideration to production values and all that stuff!  For the older tracks some tracks have the old backing with a modern vocal (often with a lyric rewrite), the original vocal with a new backing (when I could work with the original vocal, but not the original backing), the original song newly recorded in all areas, and less often the original vocal and backing, but with a few additions, "No" is one such example.  Otherwise, most of it is newer stuff, post 2018, and is as is, when written and recorded.    

I've had to re-record some things on account of my abilities to record demos and all that being very limited once upon a time.  

In the early days I only had a Farfisa F1 workstation thing (it's amazing what I managed to do on that), later an Atari ST, with Cubase 2 probably, a Proteus 2000, and Fostek 8 track recorder thing, and now I've got Native Instruments 14, and Cubase 12, in what amounts to an astonishingly good set up compared to my earlier resources, for about the same money as that older rubbish was back then. 

I still use the microphone I've had since I was 18, though did just recently upgrade that as well, however still pick up and use the old one, as it's still good - a Sure SM58 with a dent in it! My upgraded mic is a Sure SM7B, which is great, and I see it all the time on TV and podcasts, so must have made a good choice! 

My musical chops are focused on the piano, my main instrument, and the ukulele, which I play a lot as well.  Not doing a lot of piano-orientated songs at the moment, but I do sometimes, and mostly try to get the best out of my Native Instruments stuff.  I'm barely scratching the surface with all of the NI stuff I've got.

Old Shoes (I'll just make do) For Jay (2022)

Dirk Diamond