Broken Rules

Broken Rules

I wrote this song in Brooklyn, New York around 1997.  I don't know what could have prompted this song, but I was very lonely and single at the time.  I was also having problems writing songs.  At least, I thought I did.  Usually that means I have something to say, but I'm not ready to say it.  That was at a point in my life, where the idea of not saying anything (or rather, writing anything) seemed like a terrible prospect.  

At any rate, the song got written, but it didn't register in mind as having any impact on my seeming writer's block.  I've played the long a lot since then, and it's grown on me.  It's short, and the few lyrics there are repeat, but that just makes the story more primal.  The goddess is not a metaphor for a woman.  This song is about an all seeing goddess who has punished the singer for some unspeakable crime.  Obviously, I haven't committed an unspeakable crime, but buried deep in our subconscious there are some layers of guilt waiting to be explored. 

I was playing with Dan Africk and Brian Gager in a project that never quite became a performing band, though we spent many a night making music together.  Usually we would compose three-part harmonies for songs, but this one didn't lend itself to that style.  One night we jammed with a percussionist, and I think we may have even recorded this song.  Dan played Bass and Brian played violin.  I think that version stuck out in my mind. 

This recording was with Colin Brown on drums and Dave Humphries on bass.  Meredith Noel played viola and Myron Koch played atmospheric horn.  We were really trying to create a mood.  We ultimately had to resort to sound-effects.  If you pay attention, you might notice a duck quacking. Hopefully the goddess has a sense of humor.