“The Pretender”
Play the song:
What? A morality tale? From this guy?
Well… not quite. It’s more of a long-winded way of getting the irritation of my chest with folks who indulge and pride themselves in the brutality of their honesty without consideration of anything outside of their moral superiority - and without blinking at the suffering they cause while they indulge in the expression of it. Is it better to lie? Not often; but sometimes - yes! Is it better to shut-up? More often than not.
Anyway, this all kick-started the songs which is nominally about a hard-nosed, rational, honest, pillar-of-the-society sort who also happens to be a bit of a bore and is stifling his partner because of his rigid, sunless and unimaginative husbandry. She, of course, is a romantic, gentle, caring, sunny, creative, and fragile angel who is being stifled and suffocated by this despot and who ultimately “weakens” and succumbs to the temptations that are just outside her door. And she’s a bit prone to be economical with the truth regarding her philandering. I liked “turning the tables” in this song in a way.
The song is almost a blues. It’s also one of the first songs in which I mess around with unaccompanied guitar breaks and key changes. It is the first song that I attached an elephant of a coda to. I thought about this then, and I’m still puzzling over it now - although I often still do it. I think part of me pretends I’m a composer, but I know I’m a songwriter really.
The Pretender
You know he always tells the truth
‘No he never ever lies
He is Mr Righteousness
He is candid and sincere
and his conscience is clear
She on the other hand.
Speak with a forked tongue
She dissembles and deceives
And to keep from prying eyes
She just slip on a disguise
She say’s that honesty
Is ever so easy
If you have nothing to confess
There is no tale to tell
If you live inside a shell
Oh you know she won’t deny
That when she tell a porky-pie
It’s usually to save her skin
But she’d rather misbehave
Than to be that man’s slave
He says all dreamers are
Liars at heart
Who can’t see reality
She says reality is fine
You got yours; I got mine
© 2006 Dave Keir. All Rights Reserved.
