Why Would I Write

  • 2storeytreat #1: paperback romance

    So, I promised all you 2sh fans (all 3 of you :P) a treat, and here it is. Over the next few days or weeks, I’ll be posting the lyrics of my songs that will be on my upcoming EP. In addition to the lyrics, I will also be writing about the songs- the stories behind them, and what they mean etc. I know I don’t talk alot during my gigs (that’s a skill I need to work on- interacting with the crowd), so if you’ve been dying to find out what a song is about, this will be your chance 🙂

    I’ve checked out a couple of studios, and gonna check out another one next week, and make my decision about where to record the EP. I want to finish recording the EP by the end of March, and then work on the designing/packaging after that. So today, I will be posting the lyrics to Paperback Romance.

    Paperback Romance

    I can’t dance, though I’d love to dance with you
    Melt in your eyes, as I mirror the way you move
    Till the end, till the song starts to fade
    Envelope you in my arms where I’d like you to stay

    I’m not as smooth, as the slender curve of your back
    I’m quiet and shy, maybe you like boys like that
    I’m a hopeless romantic, I’m a wishful thinker
    You’re the reason why my heart beats faster

    And I’ll wear my heart on my sleeve
    Just for you to see, for you to believe
    Me when I tell you, when I tell you
    I meant every word, every word I said

    I know I can’t write lines to make you smile
    But I can try, or fail trying- with style!
    I don’t know what you want, or what you need
    So I’m trying the locks with all of my keys

    Who knows if goodbye lasts forever?
    But I do know this fire inside of me,
    Won’t burn out, it won’t burn out
    Anytime soon

    What can I say about this song? I started the song a long time ago when TJ was telling me that he wanted to learn how to salsa (I think it was cos the girl he liked loved doing salsa). Thats how the line ‘I can’t dance, though I’d love to dance with you’ came about.

    I didn’t do much with that line till awhile later when I was getting into the groove of songwriting that I decided to do something with that line. I was going after a girl at that time and I didn’t know how to tell her, and so I decided to write the song for the job. Sad thing is, she didn’t get to hear the song when I had a rough version of it- she hooked up with someone else while I was idling. (this is the story of George, Raelene, Win Yew and Samantha btw, if you’ve heard it, you’ll get it haha). I managed to finish it for Raelene, and she wasn’t too impressed with it (haha).

    Basically the song lyrics are pretty straightforward and easy to understand- a hopeless guy trying to be smooth as he can, confessing his love to the girl he likes. The only abstract part of the song would be the bridge ‘who knows if goodbye lasts forever..’- basically its about saying goodbye after I dropped her home, and me thinking to myself ‘did I screw up? will I get a next date?’. And ‘the fire inside’ not burning out is me not giving up hope we’d get together.

    This song was orginally called ‘3 syllables maimed a heart’- the 3 syllables referring to Sa-man-tha (haha) cos she got together with Win Yew. I only renamed it to Paperback Romance around last year when I recorded the song with James for Silence! The Avenger. This is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written, mainly because of the line ‘I’m not as smooth as the slender curve of your back’. I haven’t been able to write another poetic-yet-not-cheesy line of that caliber recently.

    So Hani and Ferhan, here are the lyrics for you guys to sing along at the next gig!

  • Gig #22

    I’ll be playing at a flea market at Dataran Shah Alam tomorrow, so do come support! I’ll be playing my new material, so if you’ve missed my previous gigs, you can come listen to them on Sunday! The performances are from 4-5pm, and I’ll be doing 3 songs. There’ll be other stuff to do (like shop) since it’s a flea market. Haha.

    Anyways, hope to see you guys there!

  • Go on, get up, get out, don’t even think about it.

    So now I’ve pretty much settled back into my ‘normal’ life at home (with internet), I have time to sit down and write again. Oh its 2.44 am and I should be in bed, but I’m not tired. And it’s been a long time since I’ve written something meaningful and worth reading, and I’m not doing anything productive at the moment, so I might as well start.

    You know, sometimes- no wait, a lot of times the journey to someplace is more fun than when you arrive at the destination itself. Long road trips in cars with friends (and sometimes people that you’ve just met) are some of the most interesting experiences you can have. All sorts of crazy conversation topics come up (i.e. if your dad is dying and the only way for him to survive is for him to fuck you- in the ass, would you save him?), and once in awhile you get random confessions out of the blue (no I’m not typing any here!). But yeah, people come up with pretty much anything just to kill the silence.

    Then you have the smelling game. Once in awhile somebody will smell a fart. And the blame is passed around. Sometimes you’ll smell something good when the windows are open. Sometimes its the smell of rubbish. Fried chicken (why do we always smell KFC?!). Fresh air.

    Then you have people sleeping. Making faces in their sleep, drooling, snoring and muttering to themselves. Suddenly waking up, yelling something and then falling asleep again. Taking photographs of them in funny poses. Waking them up.

    Getting lost on the way. Wrong turns in the middle of the night, with the fuel gauge low and patience wearing thin. Driving with the need to use the toilet. Especially when you just passed the rest stop 10 minutes ago. Ghost stories. Jokes. Reminiscing about the past. Talking about what you’re going to do once you reach there. Spotting weird/stupid bumper stickers and ads. Laughing at rice. Jokes about getting kidnapped and sold as slaves/prostitutes. Singing along to your favorite songs.

    Trips to the airport and sending people off suck though. Especially once you reach the airport, and you send that person off. The holding back of tears, the long goodbyes. And then the long ride back home.

    Somehow it just doesn’t seem so fun anymore.