The Dutch Widows - An Awkward Mend

from SpinTunes 18 Round 2 by Spintunes

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I found this challenge super hard because tempo changes in songs are wrong and shouldn’t be allowed. I tried lots of different ideas and they were all rubbish, so I went with two brutal tempo changes and just smashed it all together; hence the title for what is essentially a ‘cut and shut job’ (my original working title, but a little too on the nose).
I’ve tried to stick to my pre-SpinTunes aim of adopting a different way of writing, using loops and less structure. The need for a gear change made that harder, but the song is still based around two drum loops that come and go (and change speed) and I’ve kept the structure pretty loose.
Lyrically, it’s autobiographical about my last week, where I made several bad decisions in a row that annoyed me. Nothing life-changing, just following my life’s rich pattern, but annoying nonetheless.
The count-in at a different tempo is a nod to the drummer in my fun-time band, who has yet to understand the link between the tempo that he counts in a song at, and the tempo of the song that follows.
There’s a nod in the middle to Hubba Hubba Zoot Zoot by Caramba – just the joy of making tuneful noises without a care for meaning. And finally, the logo for this entry (assuming I haven’t messed up the image sizes) shows dance moves for the song. I find they really enhance the listening experience...

lyrics

I did it all, I called it wrong
This is on me yet again
An awkward mend
I failed again
It is so frustrating
They say it’s a sign of a brainless idiot child
To try the same things without expecting better
Fates are aligned to make failure refined
Only dropping the balls when my hands are striking home
I did it all, I called it wrong
This is on me yet again
I pushed for more
And lost it all
It is so frustrating
Carelessly wasting time, repeating my life.

I had a nice time
Clinging to people I like
I left them alive, I left them alive
Reaching beyond my dreams,
Delivering me is not what it seems
Imagine a blood red sky
We boiled it not fried, we left it to die
I did it all, I called it wrong
This is on me yet again
An awkward mend
I failed again
It is so frustrating
It is so frustrating

credits

from SpinTunes 18 Round 2, released October 18, 2021

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Spintunes Union, South Carolina

Spintunes is a semi-annual songwriting contest. Every other week, the competitors receive a challenge and a week to meet it.

Each album on this site contains the responses to a single challenge.