Day 3: The Switch
“He’d rather never have her
than to have to live without her,
but she knows she can’t go on
without making a peep...”
Today’s Song:
Nobody Sleeps
Lex Land, 2013
Another morning, abruptly waking, not quite recalling how you landed there.
The evening comes back quickly, in pieces.
Oh, no, you think.
You did it.
You brought it up.
Things are going to be different now…
You’ll have to go hide for a while, and hope they don’t mention it.
Maybe you can both pretend it never happened?
Today’s Cocktail:
Gin & Tonic
Reason:
There’s no more hiding behind romantic fantasy: playing naive has run its course.
Best to see what’s in front of you for what it really is: heady, intoxicating, but a little sour, and bitter, and probably destructive. A fine means to an evening of distraction, but too often resulting in regrets...
Recipe:
3oz tonic water
1 oz gin
pour gin and tonic water into a highball or rocks glass over ice.
garnish with lemon or lime
For a non-alcoholic variation, sub sparkling water for gin and add a little extra citrus (lemon or lime) for more tang and a touch of sweetness. Again, you can optionally garnish with a few juniper berries for gin-like aromatics on the nose as you sip.
Nobody Sleeps
He says he has to think it over,
he says she's got to go to bed.
She says, "Yes, I've lost my composure,
I'd just as soon have lost my head."
But as they retire to separate rooms,
They both realize
that they're in too deep.
After deciding to "sleep on it,"
you know nobody sleeps.
They've never talked about it,
But they know they'd make a pair.
None of their friends would doubt it,
They'd wave their hands in the air!
So as they retire to separate rooms,
They both realize
that they're in real deep.
After deciding to "sleep on it,"
you know nobody sleeps.
He'd rather never have her
Than to have to live without her,
But she knows she can't go on
Without making a peep...
So she decided: if she can't sleep, nobody sleeps!
SONG ORIGIN
We’ve made it to the first original track on the album!
While a middle-of-the-night conversation like the one in the lyrics did actually take place, nothing ended up coming of it besides a dismissal and a suggestion to discuss it another time.
I liked the idea for a song of that same conversation becoming jumping off point for a different type of relationship, one where the two friends had a mutual and reciprocal affection but had been too shy (or worrying too much about ruining their friendship) to bring it up.
A jazz trio performance in 2017:
Nobody Sleeps is unique in that it is the singular track on Alone for a While actually composed during this period, where the rest of the original songs in the collection are retrospective reveries…
This is partly due to the third Lex Land studio album (the follow up to Orange Days on Lemon Street and Were My Sweetheart to Go…) being in production at the time. That album, It Will Reveal Itself, incidentally has yet to actually be revealed. Though there was significant work put into the project starting in 2011, and even as late as 2019, it has all but been shelved, at least officially.
There are a few songs meant for that album that were written about this peculiar scenario, including Nobody Sleeps. I haven’t really shared the rough recordings with anyone (because I’m not really supposed to), but I’d like to include them for you here to check out. ❤️
(Of course, because they were never finished, they are not mixed or mastered - they leave plenty to be desired, but the most noticeable thing for you is that they will be a touch quiet.)
It seems a little silly to try to “choose a favorite” - but I have a special fondness for Woe! Will I Never Learn? among these songs I’m sharing with you today.
Like Nobody Sleeps, it’s a bossa-nova-tinged pop song, but much sadder, more resigned.
These songs were part of a grieving process for me during ins and outs with my Henry Higgins. We’d have a falling out due to some impossible standard I couldn’t meet. Then we’d get friendly again. It was a devastating loop, and each time I couldn’t help but get entranced back into it…
Because that song expresses so accurately how I was feeling at the time, I thought I would include lyrics for it as well for you below.
Woe! Will I Never Learn?
I fall for it every time,
my heart threefold on the line.
Even though I know I should not,
I keep saying, “take a shot”
Woe!
Will I never learn?
When will I get it
through my head?
When will I finally see?
You wouldn’t quit so easily
if you really wanted me.
Woe!
Will I never learn?
I’m not one to cash in on
all I’ve failed to earn,
but with these odds,
surely, soon I’m bound to win
from what I can discern…
Woe!
Will I never learn?
I used to think that last verse was not very strong, but over time I’ve really grown to love it.
All throughout the song the narrator (definitely me in this case), keeps talking about how she knows she needs to stop this madness, to let this go, but like a gambling addict she can’t help but going back for more, just in case she hits the jackpot this time.
I’ve always had a fondness for “The Shadow of Your Smile” - it was one of the first jazz tunes I remember learning. I loved performing this particularly during this period. Wish I had some recordings of it from then. But, for now, here’s this spooky vintage-y video I made of it. The lyrics always remind me of this person, because I would sing it then and know that it was true.
DAY 3 COMPLETE!
What did you think of Day 3?
Have you had any similar experiences?
Did you like the supplemental resources and backstory for the primary song?
Is there anything you wish I would have covered?
Please come by today’s live event to give me feedback or ask me any questions!
