We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Ironbark - Bit By Bit

from SpinTunes 20 Round 3 by Spintunes

/

about

I've always loved the sound of the cello, so I borrowed one for the weekend. I was hoping I'd be playing big beautiful melodies on the top string, but it turns out that not sounding like I was choking a cat was enough of a challenge. So I threw my fancy plans out the window and switched to something much simpler - lots of easy open strings, and slow enough for me to figure out where my fingers were meant to go next. It ended up sounding like a rehearsal for a school concert, but I had fun.

I tried to leave some record of my progress in the song - it opens with my first wobbly attempt at the cello part, and ends with the final take when I was just starting to work up a little bit of confidence. (Can you notice any real improvement? Nah, me neither.)

lyrics

we're thrown into this world
dumb as rocks and greedy
just helpless little birds
feed me, feed me, feed me
and bit by bit we learn

we learn to be cruel, then learn to be kind
we learn how to see, then learn to be blind
never mind

with our frightened monkey brains
i suppose we should be grateful
that we're sometimes almost sane
and not completely hateful
and bit by bit we learn

and when you're staring at the wall
thinking it's all over
there's always something more
always something more

we crawl our way uphill
we work with what we're given
from zero out of ten
to maybe three point seven
and bit by bit we learn

credits

from SpinTunes 20 Round 3, released April 18, 2023

license

tags

about

Spintunes image

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.

contact / help

Contact Spintunes

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this track or account

If you like Bit By Bit, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Featuring interviews with LA music scene pillar Kamasi Washington, and new London-based duo Mrcy.

listen now