Champagne

2 weeks ago by @brownium

Liner Notes

This was kind of a response to https://write.fawm.org/songs/303937 by @debs and @artie. Not so much on purpose, I just got the idea for this after listing to their song.

I wrote this last weekend, but lost it. Could not find the lyrics for love or money. Finally sat down and rewrote it this morning, and found the original lyrics 10 minute later.

I had in mind to add some brass and whatnot, so I change the key from E minor to D minor - just easier to play brass in D minor, and I don't play brass well. But then I put in this dumb clarinet part - I haven't even touched a clarinet in years, but I ran through 2 takes and kept the least bad bits.

Also, I wrote out the piano part and made MuseScore play for me, because playing piano is hard.

Both sets of lyrics include below, and some scraps of ideas that didn't get in anywhere yet.

Lyrics

A
Laugh and smile
And stay a while
Sleep here, if you please
Life is very
Ordinary
You can be at ease

B
Sally landed
Sometime last year
In her Sunday best
Now she’s wearing
Something daring
Charms the other guests

C
Swing from rafters and drink the champagne
Watch us pour our lives down the drain
You might think that we are insane
We’re just trying to hide from the pain

D
John was staying
In the back room
Never was alone
All the girls
He never married
And never walked them home

E
Do you remember
Last September
That guy named Jake the Wall?
He’s been gone
We carry on
And miss no one at all.

F
Swing from rafters and drink the champagne
Watch us pour our lives down the drain
You might think that we are insane
We fall, break, and do it again

G
If you want to
Be my brother
Drink a cup with me
I’ll still leave you
When I need to
Every choice is free.

H
Swing from rafters and drink the champagne
Watch us pour our lives down the drain
You might think that we are insane
We’re just trying to hide from the pain

Laugh and smile, and stay a while
Sleep here if you please
Every one is always welcome
Anyone can leave

Life is very ordinary
In our humble home
Just don’t ask to many questions
You’ll be left alone

Swing from rafters and drink the champagne
Watch us pour our lives down the drain
You might think that we are insane
We’re just trying to hide from the pain

Sally shows up with her lover
Two or three each day
Maybe even takes another
So she’ll have cash to play

Tommy shows up bruised and broken
It’s peace he’s looking for
He finds it in a little baggie
Sally left on the floor

Swing from rafters and drink the champagne
Watch us pour our lives down the drain
You might think that we are insane
We’re just trying to hide from the pain

If you want to be my brother
You can drink with me
We will always stick together
We will be tight as thieves

Then tomorrow when I wake up
My brain will play these tricks
I won’t know you are, who cares?
Can you give me a fix?

Swing from rafters and drink the champagne
Watch us pour our lives down the drain
You might think that we are insane
We’re just trying to hide from the pain

Tommy’s smoking in a bedroom
And laughing when he leaves
He always comes back bruised and broken

Swing from rafters and drink the champagne
Watch us pour our lives down the drain
You might think that we are insane
We’re just trying to hide from the pain

Life is very ordinary

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