The Fox’s Secret (& the Lion’s Share)
You knelt before me like a soul to be knighted
With a look so adoring I could scarcely be frightened
I gave you my hand so you could stand beside me
You were so pretty and so deceiving
I didn’t realize you were holding a knife
You should have been at home with your wife
My eyes were not at fault for you were beautiful
But I should have remembered
That one can only see rightly with the heart
I should have known it was doomed from the start
You didn’t even use your real name
I’ll take all (or at least most) of the blame
After all, I wanted to be tamed
*I knelt before you like a soul to be knighted
with a look so adoring that you must have been frightened
you gave me your hand so I could stand behind you
you were so pretty and so untrue
I didn’t realize that you were holding a knife
You should have been at home with your wife
* This reversal of the first verse wasn't added until perhaps April of this year. I'm not sure why I did that.
The first time I really impressed Narciso at the Sub-t, this song was one of the ones I played.
I wrote this song about a 27 year old boy I knew who was smitten with me but would leave his 17 year old girlfriend for me because I was a Leo like his ex-wife. (That's a bit of a simplification, but not by much). Hence, "The Lion's Share" (Leo, lions, get it?) and "the fox's secret" is from The Little Prince, which was a book that factored greatly into our emotional affair. The idea of "being tamed" was an important facet of the Little Prince's relationship with the fox, and an important facet of the relationship I had with this boy.
Oh, I am so stupid.
"My eyes were not at fault for you were beautiful" is taken from Shakespeare's Cymbeline, a play I was acting in at the time. I act, occasionally, and not very well (in my opinion).
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
And you are?
A little bit of business that I should have mentioned up front...while most of us know each other, it might be nice for everyone to post a little bio as this thing gets rolling, because it's likely that eventually there will be some complete strangers on here.
I'll start.
My name is Julie Jurgens, and I've been writing songs since the summer of my sophomore year in college. I began learning how to play the guitar that spring, nearly flunking my class because of it (somehow chords and frets were more interesting to me than Into the Wild that spring.)
I was always a singer. As children, my sister and I would stage talent shows out in the drive-way next to our summer melon stand, and I would always sing and do a little dance-routine.
I didn't really become serious about being a performing songwriter until after I graduated and moved to Rock Island, IL. I began playing at a coffee house called Theo's Java Club pretty regularly, garnering nice compliments for my voice, mostly, and occasionally for my songs.
I went as far as I could go in old Rock Island, and in October of 2004 I moved to Chicago for the music and hookers. Mostly the hookers. But when I'm not soliciting prostitutes, I'm practicing my guitar and writing songs, and I like to think I've gotten better at it.
That's a bare bones beginning. I'd like to think more biography will leak out in conjunction with song lyrics.
And that goes for you guys, too. :)
I'll start.
My name is Julie Jurgens, and I've been writing songs since the summer of my sophomore year in college. I began learning how to play the guitar that spring, nearly flunking my class because of it (somehow chords and frets were more interesting to me than Into the Wild that spring.)
I was always a singer. As children, my sister and I would stage talent shows out in the drive-way next to our summer melon stand, and I would always sing and do a little dance-routine.
I didn't really become serious about being a performing songwriter until after I graduated and moved to Rock Island, IL. I began playing at a coffee house called Theo's Java Club pretty regularly, garnering nice compliments for my voice, mostly, and occasionally for my songs.
I went as far as I could go in old Rock Island, and in October of 2004 I moved to Chicago for the music and hookers. Mostly the hookers. But when I'm not soliciting prostitutes, I'm practicing my guitar and writing songs, and I like to think I've gotten better at it.
That's a bare bones beginning. I'd like to think more biography will leak out in conjunction with song lyrics.
And that goes for you guys, too. :)
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Thank You For Leaving Me (When I Was Down)
Thank You For Leaving Me (When I Was Down)
Copyright 2004 Narciso Lobo
I know it wasn't easy for you babe
Loving somebody so blue
I know I wasn't ready for you babe
But what was I supposed to do?
I thought I'd be taming these demons with you right by my side
I thought I'd escape this self-hatred if you'd just be my guide
Lord knows I tried
Thank you for leaving me when I was down
Now I can pick myself up off the ground
Now I can cry without you around
Thank you for leaving me when I was down
I wish I could've known you better
I wish we'd written that song
I wish we could've grown old together
My list of regrets go on and on
You say it was what it was and I nod and scratch my chin
I can't shake these collisions of visions of what might have been
And it makes my head spin
Thank you for leaving me when I was down
Now I can pick myself up off the ground
Now I can cry without you around
Thank you for leaving me when I was down
Baby can you hear me?
'Cause I'm singing at the top of my lungs
Baby listen clearly
I know you still love me and I know you're the one
Baby though I love you dearly
And it's been so long since I seen the sun
Baby don't you come near me
'Cause I might not have the strength
I'm not gonna have the strength to run
Thank you for leaving me when I was down
Now I can pick myself up off the ground
Now I can cry without you around
Thank you for leaving me when I was down
Thank you for leaving me when I was down
Now I know what your love was all about
Now you can fly without me around
Thank you for leaving me when I was down
Thank you for leaving me when I was down
Thank you for leaving me when I was down
Copyright 2004 Narciso Lobo
I know it wasn't easy for you babe
Loving somebody so blue
I know I wasn't ready for you babe
But what was I supposed to do?
I thought I'd be taming these demons with you right by my side
I thought I'd escape this self-hatred if you'd just be my guide
Lord knows I tried
Thank you for leaving me when I was down
Now I can pick myself up off the ground
Now I can cry without you around
Thank you for leaving me when I was down
I wish I could've known you better
I wish we'd written that song
I wish we could've grown old together
My list of regrets go on and on
You say it was what it was and I nod and scratch my chin
I can't shake these collisions of visions of what might have been
And it makes my head spin
Thank you for leaving me when I was down
Now I can pick myself up off the ground
Now I can cry without you around
Thank you for leaving me when I was down
Baby can you hear me?
'Cause I'm singing at the top of my lungs
Baby listen clearly
I know you still love me and I know you're the one
Baby though I love you dearly
And it's been so long since I seen the sun
Baby don't you come near me
'Cause I might not have the strength
I'm not gonna have the strength to run
Thank you for leaving me when I was down
Now I can pick myself up off the ground
Now I can cry without you around
Thank you for leaving me when I was down
Thank you for leaving me when I was down
Now I know what your love was all about
Now you can fly without me around
Thank you for leaving me when I was down
Thank you for leaving me when I was down
Thank you for leaving me when I was down
THE POET'S PAYDAY
I'll get the ball rolling by posting the lyrics to my newest song, THE POET'S PAYDAY.
He said to she, “I’m a poet on payday”
She said to he, “I’m a hooker on shore leave.”
As night turned to day, their words weren’t all spent yet
So they spent another night and a day.
And at dawn he found the courage to say,
“No other hooker’s made me feel quite this way,
I’m enamored of your diction and the way your legs splay
I’m enraptured with your syntax and the way your hips sway,”
She said, “I’m in love with the fact that soon you’ll go away,”
She said, “I’m in love with the fact that soon you’ll go away,”
He said, “you’re my muse, from you I never could go.”
He said, “you’re my muse, from you I never could go.”
She said, “Other men have tried to love me, body and mind,
four went crazy and two went blind,
eight pillaged convents, one carved carousel horses,
three made shoes for birds, four committed murder and were remorseless,
and all of them recanted at the foolishness
of loving a hooker for the wit in her kiss.”
He said to she, “I am sick at the heart,”
She said to he, “At noon we shall part,”
As the sun rose higher, their desire wasn’t spent yet,
So they spent one more night and a day.
And at dawn she found the courage to say,
“No other poet’s made me feel quite this way,
I’m entranced by your assonance and your ballads risque,
I’m ensnared by your knowledge of Neruda and Dante,”
He said, “I promise that I will never go away,”
He said, “I promise that I will never go away,”
She said, “I’m afraid that I’ll destroy you if you don’t go,”
She said, “I’m afraid that I’ll destroy you if you don’t go”
She said, “Other men have tried to love me, body and mind,
four went crazy and two went blind,
eight pillaged convents, one carved carousel horses,
three made shoes for birds, four committed murder and were remorseless,
and all of them recanted at the foolishness
of loving a hooker for the wit in her kiss.”
He said to she, “I’m a fool and I’m staying,”
She said to he, “dear heart, I believe you.”
As days turned to weeks, their love wasn’t spent yet
So they spent one more night and a day.
Over and over again.
___
This song was pretty much directly inspired by listening to The Decemberists, and born out of my longing to expand my writing scope--I do write an awful lot of first person autobiography songs, and while this song is lifted from my life emotionally, it is expressed in a much more stylized, story-like way.
Plus I enjoy the word-play, especially the sort of dirty sound that "assonance" has.
He said to she, “I’m a poet on payday”
She said to he, “I’m a hooker on shore leave.”
As night turned to day, their words weren’t all spent yet
So they spent another night and a day.
And at dawn he found the courage to say,
“No other hooker’s made me feel quite this way,
I’m enamored of your diction and the way your legs splay
I’m enraptured with your syntax and the way your hips sway,”
She said, “I’m in love with the fact that soon you’ll go away,”
She said, “I’m in love with the fact that soon you’ll go away,”
He said, “you’re my muse, from you I never could go.”
He said, “you’re my muse, from you I never could go.”
She said, “Other men have tried to love me, body and mind,
four went crazy and two went blind,
eight pillaged convents, one carved carousel horses,
three made shoes for birds, four committed murder and were remorseless,
and all of them recanted at the foolishness
of loving a hooker for the wit in her kiss.”
He said to she, “I am sick at the heart,”
She said to he, “At noon we shall part,”
As the sun rose higher, their desire wasn’t spent yet,
So they spent one more night and a day.
And at dawn she found the courage to say,
“No other poet’s made me feel quite this way,
I’m entranced by your assonance and your ballads risque,
I’m ensnared by your knowledge of Neruda and Dante,”
He said, “I promise that I will never go away,”
He said, “I promise that I will never go away,”
She said, “I’m afraid that I’ll destroy you if you don’t go,”
She said, “I’m afraid that I’ll destroy you if you don’t go”
She said, “Other men have tried to love me, body and mind,
four went crazy and two went blind,
eight pillaged convents, one carved carousel horses,
three made shoes for birds, four committed murder and were remorseless,
and all of them recanted at the foolishness
of loving a hooker for the wit in her kiss.”
He said to she, “I’m a fool and I’m staying,”
She said to he, “dear heart, I believe you.”
As days turned to weeks, their love wasn’t spent yet
So they spent one more night and a day.
Over and over again.
___
This song was pretty much directly inspired by listening to The Decemberists, and born out of my longing to expand my writing scope--I do write an awful lot of first person autobiography songs, and while this song is lifted from my life emotionally, it is expressed in a much more stylized, story-like way.
Plus I enjoy the word-play, especially the sort of dirty sound that "assonance" has.
Welcome
Welcome to the Lyrics Project. Nancy Connelly, a Chicago-based songwriter, proposed this idea to me: a forum where songwriters could post the lyrics to their songs for explication and discussion.
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