Gots2BSwift

This tune, the third track from “Transitional Farms”, was also written and mostly recorded in 2009, with Travis Orbin’s more recent drumming superimposed for the 2011 release. It’s inspired by Jonathan Swift’s light and misanthropic tale of adventure, “Gulliver’s Travels”, which is also a good movie (the one with Ted Danson, not Jack Black).

Fun facts

The main chord progression in the song is a series of simple two note chords made from the same six notes, all part of the major scale. It’s fun to play when simultaneously weaving in the little melody (also made up of notes from the major scale). It’s also interesting to look at how the notes in the chords are related to each other with respect to the key and what intervals they create with respect to the roots of the chords themselves.

The F major scale: F G A Bb C D E

Notes Scale positions Intervals
F+C 1+5 F(1st in key) and its 5th
E+C 7+5 E(7th in key) and its minor 6th
G+Bb 2+4 G(2nd in key) and its minor 3rd
F+A 1+3 F(1st in key) and its major 3rd
G+A 3+2 A(3rd in key) and its inverted minor 7th
G+Bb 4+2 Bb(4th in key) and its inverted 6th
E+Bb 7+4 E(7th in key) and its diminished 5
F+C 1+5 Back to the tonic power chord again. “Tension” resolved!

Lyrics

Hard to see I’m just staring at a gray sky
I’ve been gone for years and many hoped I’d died
Seen some things that I will never see again
Will you remember me the way that I was then?

Find my body washed up on a new and strange shore
Tiny men they’re fighting in their tiny war
Can’t relate and I’m not welcome anymore
On my own still searching yet don’t know what for

Fall into a higher level
Mixing things that could be special
Then my plan blows right up in my face
We are sorry you must leave this place
Even though you don’t take up much space

No! They stared into the sun
They said their world is done
Intelligent conversation in one direction
End of the world
Ball

I! Have got to find my way
Perfection still gets old
Try but they just won’t get the message
I’m out into the cold

Hey man! We are the mighty Strolbrogs!
We kill everything!
Taste what immortality brings!

Horsies, yahoos, mental, health
I am only gonna hurt you baby I suggest you give me some time and gimme space

Lost, alone, far from home
Things I’ve seen, you won’t believe
Leave? We just can’t let you leave now
I have grown to the stars
Things I’ve shown won’t go far

Babe, I sure miss you
And I assure that you can be sure every single thing that I have told to you it true
Wow!

You’re losing with me
The possibility to reconcile with all that’s shallow and vile embedded in society
I’ve got perspective between myself and thee
Just stay one of another kind of sort of on the cover of a page of a script
Thoughts are adrift
Give you a lift
Drive off a cliff


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