Trevino Brings Plenty: Music

Take Me Down

(The Vinos)

Trevino Brings Plenty

TAKE ME DOWN

So here is the song "Take Me Down." I didn't re-record the vocal or acoustic guitar. No matter how much I try not to my vocals always sound like I'm drunk. I'm sloppy. The strings sounded cool when I was writing them, but in hind sight they're chinsy. It's cool. My favorite albums are Leonard Cohen's work from the 80's on. Cheesy synths, good words, and a golden voice. "I'm Your Man" is a perfect album. Well, there is one song that completely sucks on it: "Jazz Police." I think it was intentional to have a perfect album with one song to make it not so. It's more human that way I guess.

I have a difficult time writing lyrics and memorizing them. It's weird because I can write the crap out of a poem. I received a manual typewriter for my birthday. I'm using it to write lyrics. There's something nice about having neatly typed words and no computer screen and hum. Writing on a typewriter is a clunky process. I have to have the line complete before I put it to page. It's another editing step. After the lyrics are writing I do more revisions with pen and leave it as that.

I usually write the music first then fit lyrics into it. With this song I started to fool around with the chorus lyrics first. I felt they were generic, maybe too commercial sounding and childish. Starting from the chorus I decided to make some amends to the sentiment and have a sense of redemption to the whole. The first chords I had for the verses where major chords and it had a gospel feel, that's how I started to write the verse lyrics. After I finished the verses I changed the major chords to relative minor chords and that fit and felt just right for me.

"In the box" (computer)
I started to move stuff around. I recorded the guitar to a click track and there were some discrepancies. It happens when one uses a click track where one is in time then the performance speeds up or slows and then tries to get back on time again. You can hear this struggle between the guitars. This became more apparent when I added the bass, strings, and drum loop. It's wobbly.

The lyrics are tragic yet funny. Tragically hilarious. Not having enough money to off one's self. Waking on a wooden floor and not knowing where you are, who hasn't been there? The "coda" lyrics are very passive aggressive or happy. It's silly. I could be cynical after all is said and done. Maybe the song is good. I can't tell from having played it so many times and loathing my vocals.

Take Me Down

Verse 1:
Before my sins were washed away
I heard that bell ring my name
I was alone and I groaned
I moaned my night and days
I put pistol to head and wondered why
I pulled the trigger, I wanted to die
But I had no money for bullets or clothes
I failed my life and I cried

Chorus:
Take me down
Take me down
Cover me over now
I'm finished here
Let me go slow

Verse 2:
Before I was washed clean
I buried the ax you know what I mean
This place was not only me
I had my love she went out to sea
And I awoke on the wooden floor
I didn't know where I was and I wanted more
Where to turn next, it all looked the same
Then I heard that bell ring my name

Chorus:
Take me down
Take me down
Cover me over now
I'm finished here
Let me go slow

Coda:
Here I am, I'm okay
I'm doing fine among the rain