Note that all links go to the same track on soundcloud, but it's posted multiple times - whenever there was a significant update.
Updated 29 Oct: I took on board Jan's suggestions and fudged around a bit. The updated SC link is in this first post.
30 Oct: turned up the bass and cleaned up some stuff and changed the end a bit.
31 Oct: Updated the boring section about the weird chord in this post
03 Jun: Reworked version, including female vocals
Got back from holidays on Friday suffering some serious withdrawal from not playing instruments for nearly 2 weeks. Grabbed the guitar and came up with the chords, melody and a vague idea for the lyrics. Woke up Saturday and wrote the lyrics in one sitting. Spent the night and Sunday recording what I've got so far:
The song started out as a simple singer/songwriter folk song on acoustic. Recorded that thinking it would be job more or less done, apart from some tambourine. But while listening back to the first recording and jamming on my bass, I was playing a western styled bass line (the good old alternating root and firth trick). Then I added some offbeat guitar and bass variations that are almost reggae-esque. Not sure what the genre really is any more.
Plan would be to get the wife to do some backing vocals when she has the time. If you have any general suggestions - things I could add or things that could be improved - let me know. I've done some basic cleaning up and mixing but I'm not sure the arrangement is finished yet. One worry I have is that there's not enough variation over the course of the track. It doesn't really bother me, but I'd love to know what others think on that subject.
Chords
Edited after some discussion online about what to name the chords.
Am Am C C F Dm13* Am Am
Am Am C C F Dm13 Am G
F Dm13 Am Am - > Am7/G
F Dm13 Am Am - > Am7/G
F Dm13 Am C
F Dm13 Am Am
* There's a weird chord in there. It's written as Dm13 above; it doesn't contain the 9 and 11 (i.e. just 6/13th and 7th). It's D F A B(6) C(7). Most of the time, I think a D chord makes the most sense. The bass is also mainly playing a D under it and walking down the C(7) and B(6) back to A for the A minor. But in the second chorus, the one about hell, the bass is playing a B under this chord. I think it's a Bdimb9 (B diminished flattened ninth) here. No escape from hell, and a 6 semitone jump in the bassline from F to B (to A to B) to F again underlines this. I dunno if anyone else has an opinion on this, please post!
Here's how I've been fingering it, if you want to play along:
Folk guitar: x-3-0-2-0-1
Offbeat guitar: 5-5-7-5-6-7
The chord contains a tritone (B/F). It sounds hideous on its own (try it if you have a guitar!), but in context it seems to work quite well. I've added tritones all over the place in the song, including a subtle F# playing in the bass to the A minor (C/F# tritone). There's a number of F - B and B-F jumps in both the bass/lead guitar during the section about the path to hell - the tritone being the devil in music and all that, I thought it would be apt/funny/clever/the mark of the tosser (also see the edit above).
I'm guessing the following picture from our holiday played it's role in informing the lyrics...If I promised you honey and milk
Would you follow me there?
If I promised you dresses of silk
Would you want them to wear?
Would you follow me there?
to the promised land
Would you follow me there?
where the sea turns to sand
Where there’s virtue and eternal life
O follow me there
If I promised you riches and gold
Would you sell me your soul?
If I promised a road straight to hell
Would you follow me there?
Or fall on me?
Would you follow me there?
to the gates of hell
Would you follow me there?
When you know full well
There’s no way of escaping the vice
Would you follow me there?
If the light were to show your own path
Could I walk with you there?
When at night we set up our camp
Could I talk with you there?
And share in the
Momentary life
You’ve built with me
That sacred rite
A journey that
Guides us through doors to worldly delights
Would you walk with me there?
Don’t follow me
I’ll follow you
Don’t follow me
I’ll follow you
And follow through
To keep the promises made in our vows
I’ll follow you there