Titties and Beer
This was a last minute entry. I wrote this song a week before I recorded it. It seemed like one day Spring
suddenly hit my neighborhood and everyone was out in the sunshine. All I could think about was titties
and beer. Seemed like a good idea for a song.
Can I Keep You
I wrote this song after getting together with someone I had known for almost ten years. Frankly,
I had always considered her a bit out of my league. I don't think she was looking to start a
"relationship" but I wanted to.
Tobacco Bunny
A song about the same woman as "Can I Keep You." She was a smoker and I called her the Tobacco
Bunny. She called me the Beer Pony. She lived in the East Bay and this is about some of the
(mis)adventures we had when she would come into San Francisco. This song also features my favorite
one-take drunk-ass guitar solo.
Apathy
I think the lyrics explain this one pretty well. But it's about my particular world view and disdain
for people who don't think for themselves. I tried to go pretty minimal with the music.
Same Mistakes
One day I was thinking about themes that would really hit a nerve with people. One of them is regret.
I try not to have too many regrets myself, mostly because I think dwelling on things you can't change
can really tear you up. But it happens. And I think regrets can come out of doing things in a self
destructive pattern. Like making choices you know haven't been good in the past. At the same time
we can't help being who we are. It can lead to self loathing. My girlfriend thought this song was
about her, but it isn't.
All You Took
I might be stating the obvious here, but you never know... this song is about alcohol. I had bits of this
song lying around for years. Recording the other songs inspired me to actually finish it.
It Shoulda Been Me
This is about one of my least favorite emotions, jealousy. I had a crippling crush on a woman who had
recently become part of my social circle. When one of my best friends started dating her I couldn't
really complain. I couldn't claim ownership and I certainly didn't blame him for being attracted to her,
but I was also totally devastated with jealousy.
What Might Have Been
I had been thinking about songs with happy or catchy music, but really sad lyrics. In particular "If I
Can't Have You" by the Bee Gees. I was having a rough patch with my girlfriend and it looked like we might
break up. I wanted to write the saddest lyrics about my situation into the catchiest music I could create.
I feel pretty proud of the result.
Take It All Away
Cake is one of my favorite bands and I think this is probably my favorite of their songs. It's another
one of those happy songs with terribly sad lyrics. It took me a few times before I realized how sad they
really are. I wanted to cover it because I love the song, but I also wanted to see if I could bring the
music closer to the emotional level of the lyrics. I also think this song fits thematically with the
rest of the songs I recorded here.
Alone Tonight
Just after I started seeing my last girlfriend, she left town for a month. I was broke and depressed.
I was drinking a lot and I wrote this song one night instead of stepping in front of a bus.
