If I Ever Did
This is another one of those songs that just seem to come together out of nowhere. Often times when I am rendering a mix, I will pick up an acoustic and doodle while I am waiting for the process to finish. Of course, I did that a lot more when I was using my desktop Pentium 4 system. (My new Core 2 Duo laptop finishes up too quickly to give me time for that these days.) But the main guitar part just kind of popped out while I was doodling around one day. I tried to put words to the music, but nothing really seemed to fit. I got a good melody line sketched out, but no real lyrics to go with it. So the music just kind of stayed on the back burner for awhile, and I strummed through it from time to time making little tweaks here and there.The story came after a call one night from one of my best friends. He and his wife were getting a divorce, and he was very broken up about it. We talked for a long time, and after I hung up the phone with him I went straight to the studio and picked up my acoustic. I knew I had to get this story out right away. The words seemed to just flow out, and the song almost wrote itself. It was a pretty amazing thing, especially since it was all so emotionally charged. I think that really helped make an impact in the song.
The recording itself was a bit challenging because I wanted the begriming part to have a unrestricted, not set to a certain tempo type of feel. But since the whole "band" was eventually going to come in later in the song, I had to play to a click. So for the parts in the beginning where I slow down and drag out the guitar lines, I was trying to ignore the steady and very irritating click track, while still flowing it to some degree so that I could come back in on the right measure. It was fairly difficult to do, but I like the way it all turned out.
Lyrics
Goodbye my friend, it's been long and crazy ride
But somehow I know that we've reached the end of the road
Because I don't think I can believe in you anymore
So I must confess that it's time for me to go
You don't know why it ended up this way
If you need a reason, believe me when I say that...
I want to feel the real thing. I'm tired of the make believe.
And all the things I know you'll never be.
I'm never coming back again, it's time to get on with my life.
And all the things I know you'll never be.
I wonder if I know you anymore?
Or if I ever did...
I saw you again, funny how the times keep changing
But time never changed enough for me and you.
Because I need someone that will make me feel alive inside
So my friend I've come, got to tell you that we're through...
You don't know why it ended up this way
If you need a reason, believe me when I say that...
I want to feel the real thing. I'm tired of the make believe.
And all the things I know you'll never be.
I'm never coming back again, it's time to get on with my life.
And all the things I know you'll never be.
I wonder if I know you anymore?
Or if I ever did...