Another song which was written to help me vent about the crazy nature of our human race. Inspired by the breakup of a friend's marriage through notorious infidelity and hypocrisy, the song grew into a reflection on how surprisingly we have failed to live up to our human potential. I didn't get into environmental and governmental irresponsibility, figuring it would be more effective to touch on behaviours that we as individuals can try to reflect upon...
This one wasn't finished being written before the New Jersey studio sessions, but was finished a few days before we hit the studio in Guelph with engineer Andrew Kolu. Adam and Matt hadn't heard the song or seen a chart before the session, but in no time flat they built a killer rhythm section for the tune.
Thanks to the many friends who sang backup on this song, only to discover (or maybe they won't) that all the backup vocals were later re-recorded in the studio. Still, I appreciate the contributions of every player and singer on all my recordings, even if their parts end up on the cutting room floor, so to speak.
...and while we may not actually be descended from tree dwellers, I believe my point is still clear... call it me exercising "poetic license".
lyrics
Never Came Down
Rusty brings home flowers every Tuesday, just to make his Suzie smile
His wife she never showers him with kisses, no that’s really not her style
Rusty’s got a way with other women; he’s the King among the guys
His wife can spend his money, just as long as baby Suzie has his eyes
I say, oh, how can anyone make sense of such a mess?
It’s a bit of a mystery, I guess
It’s like they never came down from the trees
Ooh, ooh, no they never came down
Ooh ooh, ooh ooh, it’s like they never came down
Ooh ooh, ooh ooh, yeah
Quarters turn to nickels, turn to pennies in the pockets of the poor
So hard to count your blessings, when a blessing’s the only thing you can afford
Meanwhile in Manhattan, someone’s selling stuff that isn’t worth a dime
It’s just money making money for the millionaire who’s busy serving time
And I say, oh, how can anyone make sense of such a mess?
It’s a bit of a mystery, I guess
It’s like we never came down from the trees
Ooh, ooh, no we never came down
Ooh ooh, ooh ooh, it’s like we never came down
Ooh ooh, ooh ooh, yeah
How much time has evolution spent?
We’ve come so far up to the present tense
We can love, we can hate
Build a nest and choose a mate
But we should be so much more than that
Ooh ooh, ooh ooh, it’s like we never came down
Ooh ooh, ooh ooh, yeah
We gotta learn to live, we gotta learn to give
We gotta learn to lend a helping hand
We gotta learn to care, we gotta learn to share
It takes more than a name to be a man
Ooh ooh, ooh ooh, it’s like we never came down
Ooh ooh, ooh ooh, it’s like we never came down from the trees
Copyright 2009 Allister Bradley.
All rights reserved.
credits
from Never Came Down,
released July 15, 2011
Written and arranged by Allister Bradley (SOCAN)
Produced by Allister Bradley
Drums and Bass Guitar Recorded by Andrew Kolu at VNG Productions, Guelph, Ontario
Electric and Acoustic Guitar, Electric Piano, Organ and Vocals Recorded by Allister Bradley at Left Side Studio, Kitchener, Ontario
Mixed by Allister Bradley at Left Side Studio, Kitchener, Ontario
Mastered by Peter Letros at Wreckhouse Mastering, Toronto, Ontario
Photos by Brian O'Brien
Illustrations by Paul Montgomery
Art Design by Allister Bradley
Drums and Percussion: Adam Bowman
Bass Guitar: Matthew Lima
Electric and Acoustic Guitar: Dave Thompson
Lead and Backing Vocals: Allister Bradley
Electric Piano, Organ: Allister Bradley
Singer/Songwriter/Pianist/Producer/Engineer and many more things to many more people, Allister still can't decide what he
wants to be when he grows up. His music can perhaps be described as modern folk, since it contains rich storytelling and imagery, but it might be mistaken for Smooth Jazz, Roots or AC. You decide.
Any way you describe it, Allister's music will reach deep within and satisfy...more
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