• Babies (with apologies to The Rolling Stones).
(Update: I shoed these words to Catherine and she thought they were a little harsh. I agree and will work on them more for the final tune. Anyone else have an opinion/suggestion?)
I don’t remember when the idea first hit me but it was at least a few months ago and it was simple and profound, or simply profound, if you were looking to get your point across a little faster. Namely, take the tune
Neighbours
by the The Rolling Stones and make it about babies. As with most all of my ideas these days, it sat on a shelf for a good, long while, but last night, I finally had a bit of time to work on it. Step one, I located the lyrics to
Neighbours
online, step two, I gave the Stones’ version a good listen and mapped out the song, and step three, I fired up Pro Tools and went for it. I thought it would be easy, fun at the least, it was neither.
Neighbours
is a deceptively simple song and its magic lies in the magical playing by the band. Keith’s guitar work is especially cool and, quite frankly, well beyond my abilities, as I cannot do high speed downstrokes all that well (in other words, I can forget Metallica for as long as I live). I gave it my best shot but will keep my demo to myself, thank you very much, and get Tim, Sam and Andy and do my ode to my babies justice. Should be done before the sun blows up. In the meantime, here are the lyrics “I penned” (that’s in quotes, because Mick penned far more than me, to see the original by the Stones go
, to hear the Stones’ version go
).
BABIES
(set to Neighbors, by The Rolling Stones)
Babies, babies, babies, babies
Babies
Have I got babies?
Have I got babies?
All day and all night
Babies
Have I got babies?
Shaking their rattles
All day and all night
Crazy, crazy babies
Screaming little crazies
No piece and no quiet
I got Elmo, xylophone playing
Potty training
With the trouble and strife
Is it any wonder
Is it any wonder
Is it any wonder
That I’m sleep deprived
Babies,
I know you can’t help it
I know know you can’t help it
You think of only yourself, yourself, yourself, yourself
(SOLO)
Is it any wonder
Is it any wonder
Is it any wonder
That I’m sleep deprived
Babies, I know you can’t help it
I know know you can’t help it
You think of only yourself, yourself, yourself, yourself
Babies, babies, babies, babies
Babies
Do me a favor
Sleep until seven
8, 9 or eleven
You know that babies
Steal off my table
Steal off my table
But I’m doing alright, alright, alright, alright
Babies
I know you can’t help it
I know know you can’t help it
You think of only yourself (vamp on “yourself” as song fades)