a song a week

Week 30 – King Of The Toadstool

Posted on by marcelpereira

I’m generally a very easygoing person, and there aren’t many people I really dislike. I mean, live and let live, right?

Carol tells me many, many times that I’m too nice, and she’s worried that people will take advantage of me. Anyway, whether that’s true or not isn’t the topic of this post.

So yes, about this person this song is about… I’m not going to name any names, of course. Nope, no details whatsoever. I’m not even going to say if this person is a guy or a girl. Suffice it to say that he/she is the “King of the Toadstool”.

What do I mean by that?

Picture an ugly amphibian perched on a toadstool, lording it over the flies that cross the path of its sticky tongue. The flies are the only ones that fear it, and it relishes that power. This toad thinks it’s the king of the world; it takes great pleasure in its glorious position, its mushroom throne.

It doesn’t realise that it is just a toad, and its “kingdom” is just a tiny patch of earth… And the flies? They are scared of everything.

The proverbial frog in the well.

If you read the lyrics below, you’ll get a better idea of how I feel towards this someone. And if he/she eventually stumbles across this post, I couldn’t give a damn, really.

King Of The Toadstool
© Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 27 Nov 2010

You’re the fat fish in a small pond
Wielding fear like Machiavelli
Telling everybody what to do, ohh…
I don’t have a problem with authority
Go to hell, respect you gotta earn

The fake plastic horns on your head
A million empty threats
Killing every Monday, Wednesday ohh…
Go ahead ‘cos you don’t scare me
From the bottom of your well, you’ll never learn

Chorus
You’re the king of the toadstool
Thinking you rule
But the sky is too high
Above your throne
You’re the king of the toadstool
Prince of the flies
But there’s no way I’d stick around
No I won’t

I’m no bug on your tongue
Got the first ticket out
I’m not getting high-strung
Gonna disappear

So your majesty you
Gotta find someone new
Clean your own dirty shoes
Cos I ain’t here

Week 29 – Be A Duck

Posted on by marcelpereira

I’m sure you’ve heard of the phrase “like water off a duck’s back”, which basically means something has no effect on you, like when insults are hurled at you and you don’t feel even the least bit annoyed.

Of course, when it comes to hurtful words, they can – and usually do – hurt…

A while ago, I was trying to console Carol about something someone said to upset her; and to cut a long story short, I told her to “be a duck” – let the words roll off your back. They are just words after all.

This week, which was a very long and trying week for the two of us, I guess I felt the need to be a duck myself, and ignore some of the things people were saying to me.

So… this song is all about being a duck. Next time, if you know somebody who’s feeling down because of criticism, tell ’em to be a duck too 🙂

By the way, if you think you heard me sing the F-word, you heard right. Completely intentional – and the first time I’ve used an expletive in a song.

I actually think this song should be called “Be A Duck (Don’t Give A F**k)”, but I’ll stick with the current one for now 😉

Be A Duck
© Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 19 Nov 2010

Try not to think about
The silly things that people say
A thunderstorm of cruel words
Can ruin a sunny day
The cold chills fill your soul
And nag you as you pray
But they’re not true
I know you

Look the face in the mirror
Straight in the eye
Say hi, give a smile
It’s worth a try

Chorus
Don’t drown yourself
In whining over your bad luck
Be a duck, be a duck, be a da da da…
Shrug the water off your back
Don’t give a fuck, yeah

Words, they are just letters
Stacked together in a made up fact
And the labels stuck on you
Are not stuck with superglue
Like post-it notes on a tree
They soon fall away
Relax
You’re okay

Look the face in the mirror
Straight in the eye
Say hi, give a smile
It’s worth a try

Chorus
Don’t drown yourself
In whining over your bad luck
Be a duck, be a duck, be a da da da…
Shrug the water off your back
Don’t give a fuck, yeah

It’s easy to stumble
When you’re in doubt
Stand on a cloud
That’s allowed

Week 28 – On Heaven’s Wings

Posted on by marcelpereira

This week, I was introduced to just about the most beautiful passage on love I have ever read. It’s from The Prophet, a book by Lebanese-American poet and writer Khalil Gibran.

In the chapter on love, which you can read here, I encountered one of the most profound (and true) descriptions of this basic human emotion. Take some time to read it if you can.

As I read and re-read the passage to get its full meaning, one line stood out for me: “When love beckons to you follow him,/Though his ways are hard and steep.”

That line really brought home the meaning of love for me: that in order to truly experience love, you have to feel both its pleasure and its pain. Only then are you in the heart of love itself.

This was the line from which I began to write this song. I called it “On Heaven’s Wings” because I felt the title fit the message I wanted to achieve with it: An invitation to the one I love to experience true love with me.

There’s a reason for everything, and I think I discovered this passage because I wanted to write a love song to Carol this week. Something which had meaning…

I played this song to a fellow songwriter who was at the Maestro outlet at Scape Mall this morning, and he asked: “How many times have you made your wife fall in love with you?”

I shrugged and smiled. I think you’ll have to ask Carol for that answer.

On Heaven’s Wings
© Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 12 Nov, 2010

Love, you beckoned, and there you stood
One girl in a million
You had me good, you had me good

Love, you beckoned, and I answered
Your voice smooth as a kitten’s purr
My thoughts a blur, my thoughts a blur

Chorus
Walk with me
And I will sing
Lie with me
On Heaven’s wings

I know, I fear that love can hurt
But love, it can also heal
Pleasure and pain, again and again

So I yielded my heart to you
‘Cos we don’t want to laugh alone
Nor cry under a stone, under a stone

Chorus
Walk with me
And I will sing
Lie with me
On Heaven’s wings

We shall run like the deer
Run free, two melodies
That fall and rise perfectly
I love you for you
And so I give freely
Myself, my heart, my life

Chorus
Walk with me
And I will sing
Lie with me
On Heaven’s wings

Week 27 – Fragile

Posted on by marcelpereira

It’s been a rather ’emo’ week for me.

We lost an uncle to cancer on Monday. He died just slightly over half a year after he was diagnosed… very sudden, very sad.

The day he died happened to be All Saints’ Day, and his obituary in the papers read: “Gone fishing with the Lord and the saints”, together with a snapshot of him on a boat, showing off his catch. I kinda liked that.

Then, there was the senseless and tragic murder of 19-year-old Darren Ng, which I’m sure you’ve read about in the papers.

He was just hanging out with his friends at the Downtown East theme park last Saturday. They somehow got into a staring match with another bunch of youngsters, who set upon them with knives and choppers.

The poor boy couldn’t outrun his attackers, and was hacked to death, in full view of the people there.

God knows why those guys were carrying weapons at a place packed with families and kids. One can only begin to wonder what was inside their heads… The brutality of the attack was simply mind-boggling.

I’m glad that the police have arrested four guys over the incident. All of them are around the same age as the victim, mind you.

Of course, that will bring little comfort to Darren’s family… It was very painful to read of their grief and my heart goes out to them.

Another incident which took place this week could easily have resulted in a massive tragedy.

I’m talking about Qantas flight QF32, which was forced to make an emergency landing at Changi Airport after one of its four engines exploded in mid-air, just 10 minutes after taking off from Singapore. Parts of the engine fell over Batam, leading people to believe the plane had crashed there.

Thankfully it didn’t. Through the God’s Grace, it made a safe landing and no one was hurt.

This entire week has made me think about the fragility of life, and just how precious it is. This song is about saying goodbye, and how hard it is to accept the transience of life. Lyrics below:

Fragile
© Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 5 Nov, 2010

As children we spent
Our days believing
We were super-heroes
We would never die
Man, we could even fly

Then life dawned on us
At the tender age of 10
Someone was taken from us
We never saw ’em again
Oh, we learnt the hard way

Chorus
Tell me how to say goodbye
For you and I
Are fragile
So very fragile
Don’t believe we cannot die
‘cos you and I
Are fragile
So very fragile

Nothing we can keep but
Pictures to remember
A friend who’s gone forever
Their faces on the wall
Are a blessing to us all

Chorus
Tell me how to say goodbye
For you and I
Are fragile
So very fragile
Don’t believe we cannot die
‘cos you and I
Are fragile
So very fragile

Bridge
A lifetime is too brief
Too brief to make amends
For time thrown away in useless things
Moments dissolve like rice paper on candy
A chapter closes at the first breath
Like touch-me-nots in an abandoned field

Week 26 – Save Me (A Song of Hope)

Posted on by marcelpereira

Recently, the John Lennon Songwriting Contest announced a special competition in honour of Lennon’s 70th Birthday.

They sent out a call for songwriters to submit songs of peace, love, political activism and free expression, all in the spirit of the man himself. What’s more, the winner will be selected by none other than Yoko Ono!

I just knew I had to take part, despite the US$30 entrance fee.

I spent a bit more time and effort on this song than I usually do. I was trying to think of a message that would be true to the spirit of John Lennon, something that called for change but was not overtly preachy.

I also wanted to record it properly at home (with the limited equipment I have) instead of doing my usual video of me and the guitar. What I did was record the guitar track on Garageband, and add some drum loops and effects. Then I recorded my voice over the track and mixed everything together on Cubase.

I decided to write from the point of view of the people who needed us, and the words “save me” came to my mind. My intent was not for the song to be a forlorn cry for help, but rather a rallying call by the oppressed to you and me, the people who are able and willing to help them.

This song is a cry of hope, and my hope is that it will inspire people out there to do something for the less fortunate among them.

Save Me
Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 2010

I am the one who sleeps on the streets
I am the one who has nothing to eat
I am the prisoner of my neighbour’s hate
I am here because my skin seals my fate

I am the one who cannot use my eyes
I am the one who’s never learnt to write
I am sent to war for a stranger’s sins
I am down but hope lives within

Chorus
Save me
Save me
Give me something to believe
Hang a star up there for me

You are the one who can heal my heart
Only you can get me back on my feet
You hold my hand, I feel your love
Teaching me how to forget and forgive

Chorus
Save me
Save me
Give me something to believe
Hang a star up there for me

Bridge
Why do I see violence
Why do I shed tears
No I won’t sit in silence
I won’t give in to fears
Stop breathing in possessions
They make you lose direction
Fill your wallets with pictures
Instead of notes
I am a friend and not a foe

Chorus
Save me
Save me
Give me something to believe
Hang a star up there for me

Week 24 – Every Little Detail

Posted on by marcelpereira

It’s such a blessing to have someone who knows you inside out, who can read you like a book, and who can tell what you’re thinking about just by looking at you…

In the same way, it’s an unbelievable feeling to be able to know another person that well.

This song is for my wife, Carol.

It’s true, you know. There’s no one else in this world who knows her better than I do.

I asked her if she thought it was a sexy song… and she said yes 😉 (She’s blushing as I’m writing this post!)

Every Little Detail
© Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 15 Oct, 2010

I know exactly where to touch you to turn you on
Kisses like pins on a map, places only I have gone
Emotions flow like water as I breathe in the scent of your skin
I take pleasure in

Every little detail
Is sweet music to my eyes
Every little detail
As you lie by my side

The way your hair falls on your pillow after your bedtime routine
The goosebumps on your arms in the cold, cold wind
The way you bite your lips, the shape of the covers on your hips
I take pleasure in

Every little detail
Is sweet music to my eyes
Every little detail
As you lie by my side

I see colours only the painter sees
I hear rhymes only the poet needs
I read your face like a familiar place
I know

Every little detail
Is sweet music to my eyes
Every little detail
As you lie by my side

Week 23 – Easy Come, Easy Go

Posted on by marcelpereira

Easy come, easy go. Something that applies to everything in life, I think. If you get something without putting in any effort, you don’t treasure it as much as something else you worked really hard for.  Generally, it refers to money, wealth, inheritances, material goods – and love of course. Easy love is just like easy money, it flies away.

Easy Come, Easy Go
© Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 8 October, 2010

Stuck my hand out the window
When I was just a boy
A lucky coin landed on my palm
It fell from the sky

The very next day I lost it
I started to cry
Daddy wouldn’t let me
Instead he told me why

Chorus
Easy come, easy go
That’s life for you my boy
Easy come, easy go
Look hard and you shall find

Some people expect
Luck to fall on their laps
You’ll find them hanging around
At the bottom of the pack

Others are climbing a ladder
They have to watch their backs
They pick each other’s pockets
To write their fancy cheques

Chorus
Easy come, easy go
That’s life for you my boy
Easy come, easy go
Look hard and you shall find

Women flock to my side
Like seagulls by the bay
They fly from ship to ship
Don’t you expect them to stay

Your hands may lose their strength
Your mind will set you free
But your heart is still the king
Inside it lies the key

Chorus
Easy come, easy go
That’s life for you my boy
Easy come, easy go
Look hard and you shall find

***

I opened the song with a story about a coin falling from the sky. It really did happen, you know. Not to me, but to my young nephew who told me about it and showed me the coin. I don’t know if it’s true, or if he was just making it up, but in any case it’s a great story. Anyway, he gave the coin to me and now I carry it around in my bag.

Another thing about this song is the father-son dynamic, where a father figure offers life lessons to his young son. My song, Take The Highway, deals with a similar topic:

Week 22 – My Wayward State Of Mind

Posted on by marcelpereira

Last week, there was a 2-page spread in The Sunday Times devoted to Generation Ys in Singapore, a generation which I am part of. Now, there are many negative stereotypes associated with us – many of them created by our parents. We are incapable of settling down, unfocused, always job hopping, impatient, can’t take hardship, and so on. There are dozens of articles online about this.

I’m glad, however, that the recent piece I read featured a few Gen Y-ers in Singapore who wanted to live life to the fullest, who worked for passion and not for money, who went off the beaten track. It was quite inspiring to read about their experiences and struggles.

It got me thinking, and I realise that I do know of a few friends who are doing their own thing too. Some of them have started their own businesses, some have left their jobs to pursue further studies, others are taking sabbaticals abroad just for the experience of another culture.

What inspired this week’s song was the sense of restlessness I’m sure many of us feel, especially those who have to choose between their dreams and facing up to the realities of growing up.

My aim was to capture that rebelliousness and desire to be true to oneself, and put them against the nagging pressures society places on you.

The song is titled “My Wayward State of Mind” to show that sense of inconsistency and to add a self-reflecting, sardonic tone to the song. I’m not sure if the message comes through clearly enough, but here goes:

My Wayward State Of Mind
© Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 1 Oct, 2010

I want to belong and I want to be free
I want to be famous and I want privacy
I want to move forward and I want to stay put
I want to be bad and I want to be good

I want children and I want a life
I want a lover and I want a wife
I want to be brown and I want to be white
I want to surrender and I want to fight

Chorus
I want to be me but I can’t decide
Between the ground and the sky
Part of a generation asking why
Guess it’s my wayward state of mind

I want to whisper and I want to shout
I want to be soft and I want to be loud
I want to build and I want to destroy
I want to laugh and I want to cry

I want to stand up and I want to recline
I want to lose and I want to find
I want to be nice and I want to be rude
I could go on, but I’m not in the mood

Chorus
I want to be me but I can’t decide
Between the ground and the sky
Part of a generation asking why
Guess it’s my wayward state of mind

We are the people who make our own rules
We are the ones who can’t be fooled
We don’t care if it’s wrong or right
It’s our choice, our choice

Week 21 – Your Eyes Have Forgotten How To Smile

Posted on by marcelpereira

This song is about sadness. It’s about that moment when it suddenly dawns upon you, that someone you love dearly is going through a really bad patch. It’s not just a momentary gloominess; it seems to cast a permanent shadow over her, and it won’t go away.

You can tell something is sucking away her joy, enthusiasm and zest for life. She can’t sleep well, she is always tired, and wherever she goes it seems as if the weight of the world is on her shoulders.

It’s frustrating. You don’t understand why she has to be so down all the time. You try to tell her everything will be alright. You do all sorts of things to cheer her up, but success is fleeting and the sadness returns with a vengeance.

Is there something wrong when you look into the eyes of the one you love and realise that they have forgotten how to smile?

Your Eyes Have Forgotten How To Smile
© Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 25 Sept, 2010

You fell asleep to flee the painful light of day
Avoiding questions you couldn’t answer
God knows how long you’ve stayed that way
A bird with its head tucked under a wing
You sleep in fear that you will never sing

I caught you frowning one sunny afternoon
The only black cloud on a pretty face
Paid a penny for your thoughts
Told you the storm would pass like cars in a race
You gave me a grin, you gave me a grin

Chorus
Suddenly I realised your eyes, your eyes
Have forgotten how to smile
They’ve forgotten how to smile

You have a knack for making yourself sadder
Than an abandoned nest
It’s so cold you can’t stay awake
You line your bed with tears from your heaving chest
Something’s left you with broken wings

Chorus
And now I realise your eyes, your eyes
Have forgotten how to smile
They’ve forgotten how to smile

Bridge
Do you listen to me when I spend
Half an evening trying to tell you
It’s not so bad, it’s alright
Maybe I’m saying something wrong
‘cos we always end up in a fight

Chorus
That’s when I realised your eyes, your eyes
Have forgotten how to smile
They’ve forgotten how to smile

Week 20 – It’s A New Life

Posted on by marcelpereira

As most of you know, I left the working world in April this year and decided to plunge full-time into songwriting.

I think it’s too early to tell if this has been a success or not, but anyway, after five months of staying at home, I began to feel the effects (and I believe it’s something that many people who are out of a job go through). My mind and body slowed down, I started to lose touch with the world in general, my social life plummeted… I felt like quite a bum, really.

Yes, I was making headway with my songwriting, devoting more time to music, writing one song a week, performing more, gaining confidence. All of this was very heartening to me.

Then there were the realities of life, expenses, bills, you know what I mean. Initially, I tried to get a permanent paid gig for my band, Raised On Radio. I made cold calls to bars and other places to see if they’d like some ‘live’ entertainment. So far, I’ve had little luck. I could see the strain of supporting me take its toll on Carol. It broke my heart.

So, I made a decision. This week, I opened a new chapter in my life.

I’ve started working part-time at Maestro Guitars, a homegrown guitar manufacturer. (Yes, the same guys that have been hosting the open mic performances at their outlet in *Scape Mall.)

I received an email from them one day looking for part-timers, and after thinking about it for a while, decided to send in my resume. To cut a long story short, I started training this week. (I have zero retail experience, mind you, so it’s been quite challenging!)

From next week onwards I’ll be stationed at any of their four outlets.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m still dead serious about my dreams, taking my songs to the next level, and eventually cutting an album, God-willing. Of course, the song-a-week project will continue.

The good part about working in a guitar shop is that I get to meet all sorts of people, and I get to learn all sorts of things, like the different kinds of guitar strings available, what kind of sound different woods produce, and other things like pickups, accessories, and all the cool stuff in the world of guitars – stuff I’d never get a chance to learn about otherwise.

I mean, I can play and all but I’ve never been one to get into the nitty-gritty of my instrument. I’m just happy to buy whatever strings are available, you see… So, yep this is a fantastic learning opportunity for me.

This week’s song is all about new beginnings:

It’s A New Life
© Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 18 Sept, 2010

It’s a beautiful thing when you smell the rain
And a flower on a branch gets swept away
A thought springs from a little seed
From nothingness comes a new belief

Blazing a way with nothing but desire
Don’t know my destination but at least I’m tryin’
GPS won’t lead me to the land of my dreams
And the path that I’m takin’ ain’t nothing like it seems

Chorus
It’s a new life
It’s a new life
It’s a do something different kinda day
It’s a whole new point of view
And I won’t let it slip away

It’s getting real hot under the collar
If we can’t stand the pain then why the hell bother
Take your old pictures to the edge of the cliff
Tear ’em up and begin to live

Chorus

Bridge
I’m waking up, waking up to
A new reality
Another face in the mirror
Staring right back at me
Feeling like my feet are way too small
Before we can fly, we have to crawl

Chorus
It’s a new life
It’s a new life
It’s a do something different kinda day
It’s a whole new point of view
And I won’t let it slip away