Lunchtime Concert Series, Season 2. “Friendly Fire.”
The Lunchtime Concert Series, Season 2. Episode 1. Friendly Fire.
It’s back. After a summer hiatus, the Concert Series is back for a second season. And like the first season, it is probably going to be made up of songs that I haven’t played in awhile. I also hope to include some works in progress.
This is one of those songs that I used to play a lot. It was usually a part of any set that I played during the period that I wrote it — which, according to my notes, was in 1997. It went through a number of different styles: folky strumming, poppy shine, introspective finger-picking, electronic/keyboard experimenting… I don’t recall playing this in quite awhile. Probably since I made a demo cd of it back in the early 2000’s with Mike Martyn on lead guitar. It was kind of acoustic pop at that time.
I present it here as introspective folk.
It is a song about getting advice that you don’t want to hear. It is a song about friendship and the shit you go through with those closest to you. It carries a metaphor of war — of battle — but it is a purely personal battle.
You may have noticed that I’m wearing glasses for this take. It’s because I have a lyric cheat-sheet on the floor. Like I said, it’s been awhile.
Friendly Fire
You are friendly fire.
Major Misfit to Private Pain,
Your shells are falling
Like Autumn rain.
Set your sights and aim again —
You’re killing us here.
You are friendly fire.
Remember nights when we spoke
Drunken truths between the jokes?
Trying dearly to save myself,
Your advice hurt like hell.
You are friendly fire.
Private Pain to Major M,
A grave mistake,
It won’t happen again.
But the enemy
Surrounds your men.
We just tried to help.
You are friendly fire.
You are friendly fire.
About the Lunchtime Concert Series:
The joy of being a writer is that you get to work from home. Which means you can do things at lunchtime that other people don’t get to, like popping into your music room for a quick tune on the guitar. I was chatting about this online one day, and someone asked me to send them a link to what was playing. And the idea for the lunchtime concert series was born.
The only rule of the lunchtime concert series is that I have to do the song in one take.
And, yes, I take requests.
