5090 by FAWM: "That’s What"

That’s What

Liner Notes

“That’s What” - #fawm 50/90 2024 song 35

Last summer these lyrics were written as a response to the prompt “good/bad parenting advice.” I’ve always loved the advice to think carefully about whether any particular issue is “the hill you want to die on.” Save your no for when you need it.

At the same time, I didn’t want this to be a song that could only be read as parenting advice, so I tried to leave the lyrics open to other possibilities. It could be about a parent and a kid or it could be about adults relating to each other in a number of different situations.

Today I sat down to set it to music, trying to come up with melody for part of it before I added chords. The chorus and bridge came together fairly well in my voicenotes app, and then I pulled out the ukulele and figured out the verses and revised.

15 lyric drafts left to finish from 2023…

All my originals: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6mTUlPL-MmAm45IMVgat1necrh2mGnT6&si=sAdXP581ZNU__9rn

#fuc #acoustic #acousticonetake #ukulele #personwithukulele #onetake #girlwithukulele #singersongwriter #parentingadvice

Lyrics

Whooo-eee, you’re pushing buttons with your energy…
My, my, I might edge right on by…
No way, it’s not the vision I had for today…
They said you get red in your fury, and warm
It’s just me in the middle of all of your storm

And I’m not dying on this hill,
I’m not fighting you at all
I’m gonna roll over, play dead while you sniff at my corpse
️What I won’t do is fall
For your fussing-cussing energy
That’s it, that’s what, that’s all

Hey, kid, I don’t know what you think I did…
Whoa no, I didn’t buy a ticket for this show..
Oh Lord, if you could kill me with a word…
I know where I’ve stepped and I know where I’ve stumbled
I came up on these feet and I’m not gonna crumble

CHORUS

My mama said once — you can love what you don’t like
It’s gonna be fine, we get more than just three strikes, but
I like us too much to lean into this mess, so
I’m saving my “no” and I’m not getting pressed

CHORUS

Comments

@philkmills 6w

I love the extra rhythm set up by internal rhymes in the verses. Also great: the "I’m not dying on this hill" attitude.

@sunfire 6w

Sounds like someone vocalizing themselves to someone directly who they are having a difficult moment with. Could also be directed at a wider audience and of course I think we have all been there with feeling this way at one time or another when having issues with loved ones or even friends. Enjoyed listening.

@nancycunning 6w

What a gorgeous interpretation of the "Scroll on By" advice my Aunt gives. I also like how it could be a song about parenting advice or it could be a song about parenting - with that "hey, kid" - when you refuse to be baited by your teenager, or really about any possible confrontation anywhere.

@billwhite51 6w

you established a realistic conversational tone here from the outset and developed the lyric accordingly. I like the way you (and not just in this song) make your music conform to the lyric rather than write in metrically consistant verse. It makes the song more exciting when one is not anticipating every note or phrase.

@charlie_leemburg 6w

Lots of interesting lyrics, I love the flow and delivery of the chorus, and the rest really. I can't decide if it's good or bad advice, but there's definitely aspects of both, the situation sounds bad but the chorus sounds confident.