By Chris Moore:
Well, never let it be said that I was entirely original when I first started writing songs. This song is proof positive that I had a lot of emotions that needed to be expressed, but that I had a long way to go before I could release songs and not be embarrassed of them. For instance, take the title of tonight’s original contribution, “My First Song.”
Anyone willing to guess when I wrote this song?
As you may have guessed, this is the first song I ever wrote. Now, I had written poems and stories, and I had even written lyrics for which I had tunes in my head. Some of those I would even go back to later on and add music. But, at the time, this was the first song I wrote as a complete piece.
I clearly recall that afternoon, sitting in front of my sister’s keyboard and awkwardly positioning my fingers on the keyboard, playing with chord progressions and lyrical possibilities. On this particular afternoon, I was particularly consumed with conflicting feelings of obsession and revulsion for a girl who I spent the better part of four years idolizing. Now, the lyrics may be simple and the words may be even simpler, but it was true. It was from the heart. And, for better or worse, it was probably the most openly honest I have ever been — or ever will be — in a song.
If you pay attention, the lyrics are subtle but have interesting aspects. For instance, the first verse ends, “I know that you want-“. This abrupt ending is deliberate; I meant to give the feeling of being cut off, perhaps to invite the girl who is the subject of the song to be curious. To want to find out what I know and if what I know is indeed what she wants.
The second verse is somewhat enigmatic. From where I sit, pushing seven years after I wrote this song, I’m not sure if I meant what I think this line means: “I feel that you want something that will get you there.” My question now is, where is “there”? For that matter, what did I mean by “something” rather than “someone”?
Regardless, I had a lot of fun dusting this classic off. Thanks to the Chris Moore Songbook, I was able to recall the chords and lyrics to this song, as well as several others that I played as part of a “tour down memory lane.” I hope you enjoy this brief and simple, but landmark (for me!) tune.
As a final note, because I’m posting today, Jeff will be taking my place on Friday. I know you’ll enjoy Jim and Jeff’s work in the coming days (and I certainly will, as I now have the weekend off!), so I’ll see you all on Monday.
See you next session!