Comments on: Things I Used to Know (demo)

Things I Used to Know (demo)

ludwig_van — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:09:43 -0800

"Our minds are permeable to forgetfulness; I myself am distorting and losing, through the tragic erosion of the years, the features of Beatriz." -- Jorge Luis Borges

The old wooden swingset where we used to play the scent of the autumn in eastern PA the taste of your skin at the end of the day oh, I hate to seem them go The play of the moon on the skin of the lake the song of the birds that would nudge us awake the lay of your hair and the curve of your face oh, the things I used to know why can't I keep them here with me? I see them still like last night's dreams and what becomes of the memories when we stop remembering? Wind in the leaves on the first day of school the sting of chlorine in the Willowdale pool they're fading according to time's awful rules oh, I wish that it weren't so Save my house and save my room! save the lake and save the moon! why can't I keep them here with me? I see them still like last night's dreams and what becomes of the memories when we stop remembering?

By: ludwig_van

ludwig_van — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:02:37 -0800

This track is by Steve Goldberg and the Arch Enemies, whom you can see on 6/15 in Brooklyn as part of NYCPopfest, and at the North Star Bar in Philly on 6/17.

By: Corduroy

Corduroy — Fri, 16 May 2008 21:48:56 -0800

The second half is pretty cool.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Fri, 16 May 2008 22:39:54 -0800

Wow, super-poppy. I have to say, this is a curious marriage of a very peppy and hyper-youthful pop music spirit with lyrics that are extremely melancholy... I'm having a bit of a hard time connecting the sentiment of the lyrics to the bubbly and energetic music that accompanies them. That's just me though. I feel that way about songs sometimes, like, say, the Beatle's "Fixing a Hole". Somehow those lyrics, introspective and deeply philosophical, seemed to cry out for a less *light* musical arrangement.

They are beautiful lyrics, by the way, and I'm also enjoying some of the tunes on your MySpace page. You really do have a pop heart, and you're really very good at what you're doing. Kudos!

By: abakua

abakua — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:51:20 -0800

Lovely, though the only reason I gave it a go was the Borges quote, a surprising epigraph to a pop song's lyrics. As one of Borges's many sons, I feel compelled to share the original with Mefi posters. Its the final sentence from his short story "El Aleph".
Nuestra mente es porosa para el olvido; yo mismo estoy falseando y perdiendo, bajo la trágica erosión de los años, los rasgos de Beatriz.

And here's a link to an acceptable English translation of "El Aleph"
http://www.phinnweb.org/links/literature/borges/aleph.html

By: ludwig_van

ludwig_van — Thu, 22 May 2008 17:13:30 -0800

Thanks. This is actually part of a series of Borges-inspired songs I've been writing. I'll probably record "The Garden of Forking Paths" soon.

By: Pallas Athena

Pallas Athena — Tue, 27 May 2008 13:43:53 -0800

Fantastic. I hope your shows go well.