[Start Recording] [Heavy vintage tape hiss, mechanical hum of a reel-to-reel] [Footsteps on creaky wooden floorboards, scraping of a wooden stool] [Deep breath, anxious throat clearing] [Acoustic guitar enters, close-mic'd and warm, but slightly out of tune. Eno-esque subtle reverb tail gently decaying in the background] [Vocals: buttery Perry Como croon mixed with sudden, nervous David Byrne energy] Save a dime and save the weary Send a letter on the post [Sudden aggressive staccato strum on guitar] [Vocal pitch shifts up unexpectedly, frantic delivery] Guitars ring out so sweetly While the drums count the score [Mic stand gets bumped, low physical rumble in the mix] [Vocal returns to smooth, melancholic 1940s jazz baritone] Someone once said that they loved me [Audible sigh into the microphone] Wonder where in the world they have gone [Brushed snare drum enters, playing slightly behind the beat] [Eno ambient synth swell, barely audible underneath the acoustic bass] Everytime I try to shine. [Voice cracks on 'glare', intentional neurotic strain] The shadow blocks my glare. Bright day light around my mind. [Byrne yelp, fast and jerky phrasing] Darkness shines inside there. Worried eyes and troubled smirk. [Fret buzz loudly heard from the bass guitar] Twisted like barbed wire. Try to be gentle, still too quirked. [Heavy, almost panting breaths caught on mic] Brain constantly catching fire. Ants crawl down the spine, biting. Brands saw my big burning pyre. Decided I was not worth the writing. [Tempo pushes forward anxiously] Left alone once again. Head full up with clouds. [Subtle Eno tape-delay effect on the word 'lasers', echoing into a dry room sound] Tears and lasers? Let’s begin. This spiral ends below ground. [Rhythm settles back into a classic 1940s swing, but unsteady] [Background: someone shifts their weight, floorboard groans] Save a dime and save the weary Send a letter on the post Guitars ring out so sweetly [Drummer drops a brush, picks it up hastily, missing a beat] While the drums count the score Someone once said that they loved me Wonder where in the world they have gone [Mix becomes extremely dry, extreme intimacy, singing right on the mic ribbon] [Vocal gets tight, strained, eccentric vibrato] Wrong way out but through is not easy Have a hard road to stead Stomach in knots, staying queasy Still have to make the bread [Sharp intake of breath] Just a minute before the next one And probably more after that Send a hug, toss a kiss out help a kitty on the run. [Voice drops an octave, muttering like a vintage radio announcer] We were young and now we’re older Today is yesterday’s young [Byrne-style wide-eyed, frantic delivery] Who is this that thinks they know me? I’m not just made of one. [Upright bass string snaps back against the fretboard loudly] [Eno sub-bass hum washes over the acoustic instruments momentarily] Save a dime and save the weary Send a letter on the post Guitars ring out so sweetly While the drums count the score Someone once said that they loved me Wonder where in the world they have gone [Foot tapping loudly on the wooden floor holding the rhythm] Baby you are made for me truly I have been yours since it begun Life is tough and eyes go bleary [Voice wavers, almost spoken-word poetry style] Road is cracked we walk upon Black top scorched with work and weary Air smells of the acrid swamp [Tempo drags, exhausting feel] Crocs take bites and tigers hunting Prey is not what I’ve become [Vocal bathed in a sudden, beautiful warm reverb bloom] I opened eyes and learned my lessons [Coughs softly, keeps singing] Look how far I have come [Full band swells, chaotic mix of 1940s swing and avant-garde noise] Save a dime and save the weary Send a letter on the post Guitars ring out so sweetly While the drums count the score [Voice settles back to a perfectly smooth, buttery croon for the finale] Someone once said that they loved me [Eno tape loop catches the last word, degrading it into a crackling hum] Wonder where in the world they have gone [Heavy sigh, sounds of sheet music shuffling] [Footsteps walking away, amplifier switched off with a loud pop] [End Recording]
