Songs: Even When You're Glad It's Gone

notes / gigs / releases

You know you've done the right thing, yeah?
Everybody said you had to do it
So why'd you feel the need to move on in life after
Only one thousand four-forty minutes?

It took you longer than that
When you tried to clean out the flat

You need to mourn something that's over,
Even when you're glad it's gone
Sit yourself back down on the sofa,
And go and put your cardigan on

At some point you'll need to wallow
You'll need to pay the Doom Chalet a visit
So why wait until tomorrow?
Get some booze, and get on down into self-pity

You will rise to rock again
But until then

You need to mourn something that's over,
Even when you're glad it's gone
Sit yourself back down on the sofa,
And go and put your cardigan on
If you don't do it now you will regret it
Like a credit card you can't be arsed to pay
The interest will mount up if you don't get it
Sorted within 28 days

I recommend a night of telly
Tortilla chips and salsa and some wine
A gym's OK for sorting out your belly
But you need some fuel for sorting out your mind

Melancholy's not all bad
You've got good reason for your feeling sad

You need to mourn something that's over,
Even when you're glad it's gone
Sit yourself back down on the sofa,
And go and put your cardigan on
Even when you're glad it's gone
(you need to mourn something that's over)
Even when you're glad it's gone
('cos if you don't it will take over)
Even when you're glad it's gone
Then it's gone, and that's good.

Published by Wipe Out Music Publishing

This song was begun on August 29th 2003, and finished off in a FRENZY of activity the next morning (although I did spend about an HOUR working out the chords for the verse during the preceding weekend, for use in yet another abandoned attempted at a song about my life being like that of a 70's sitcom husband). It was EASY.

The main reason it was easy was because this is the advice I ALWAYS give to my friends when they've split up with someone, or something similarly upsetting has occurred, and the reason I give it is because it is TRUE. You ARE going to have to feel upset and sorry for yourself at some point, so why bother trying to hide it? Just get on a MOPE for a weekend/week/however long it takes, and then it will be DONE. Otherwise you'll just have to drag it round behind you, getting bigger and bigger all the time, until you DO finally decide to sort it out.

I had been giving this advice to one of my longest serving friends just the week before (hence the idea to write it down IN SONG), and as usual ended up quoting Keats, or at least trying to as it's about 20 years since I last read "On Melancholy" and can't be bothered to look it up. MERCIFULLY I mentioned Keats in "Programming Is A Poetry For Our Time" which, at time of writing, was Attracting Some Attention, so I thought it'd just be showing off to mention it again. So I didn't. Except here.