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Soundcloud: Not Going Home YouTube: Not Going Home Edit: Posted this song from my recent back catalogue while I am working on a song that I am beginning to loathe. Anyone else have that situation? This song was my response to the challenge in 2023 or 2024(?) to write a song using the Am - G - F - E chord progression. Lyrics are not my strong point (I've lived a sheltered life) so this was another 'stream of consciousness' writing episode just so I had some words to sing. Lee (Knee Wobbler) suggested it was inspired by a period when I worked away from home 3 days a week for 6 months - which is eminently plausible. The only instruments on this recording which are not me are the drums and keys. * I have the pleasure of jamming with two mates every 5 or 6 weeks - Knee Wobbler being one of them - and we take it in turns to set a songwriting challenge which we reveal when we next meet. We've had no failures yet and have always been pleasantly surprised by our songs and how we have interpreted the task. Because the required chord progression goes down, I deliberately set the bass to step up - I know, rebellious! I heard the lead guitar parts in my head and had to work out what they were. Video notes - since 'Not Going Home' is the song title, I decided to use stock footage of modes of transport. Edit 14/10/25: apologies removed. ****** Song Summary ************* Style is _SEPIA.STY (Sepia Americana Organ Ballad) RealTracks in style: 2877:Bass, Acoustic, AmericanaSlow16thsByron Ev16 060 – Replaced by my bass RealTracks in style: 3099:Organ, Rhythm AmericanaSlow16thsMike Ev16 060 RealTracks in style: 2879:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm AmericanaSparseSlow16thsColin Ev16 060 – Not used RealTracks in song: 3059:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm Muted16thsFintan Ev16 080 – Not used RealDrums in style:BluesRockSlowEv^3-a:SideStick , b:Snare, Ride My bits: Fender Squire jazz bass – I’m told it’s a cheapie but it does the job Acoustic guitar Tanglewood – I *know* this is a cheapie because I know what I paid for it. It sometimes has a fuzzy buzz on the G string which I have attempted to fix with truss rod adjustments and action height. It is useful for songs which need a sitar. Gretsch hollow body G5120 - my wonderful friend whom I get as much pleasure looking at as I do playing. Main vocal triple-tracked to hide inadequacies and make me fatter than I already am BV triple-tracked Mixed in Cakewalk before it became Sonar (again) ******************* LYRICSVERSE 1 A knock on the door, a ring of the bell There’s no-one home – the house is cold and empty I look at my watch, a glance down the street Should I just go - I know it’s kind of tempting And so I go… and so I go and so I go I’m not going home any more And so I go… and so I go and so I go I’m not going home VERSE 2 A call from a friend, a touching remark There is no remorse – there’s only sharing of mem’ries Exchanging the myths, the common held truths We fumble the history with a kind of clumsy And so we go… and so we go and so we go We’re not going home any more And so we go… and so we go and so we go we’re not going home BRIDGE I don’t have a reason for feeling this way I guess I have a need to go But I’ve searched far and wide to realise I don’t know I feel lost without my map and torch And so we go… and so we go and so we go We’re not going home any more And so we go… and so we go and so we go we’re going home Chords: Am | G/B | F/C | E/D | x2 F | Bm7b5 | C | E7 | x2 Bridge Dm F | Em G | Dm F | G A | Dm F | Em G | Dm F | E7 |
Last edited by Andrew Dee; 10/13/25 04:12 PM.
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Yep, I have a lot of them, Andrew. If I thought all of my songs were really good, it would be a good indication that none of them are. hehe
Everything you post here is top-shelf good, and I bet I'd like your clunker too. I start with that prejudice. hehe
Man, so much goodness in your playing, Andrew. {Man, wish I leved near ya; I'd love to jam with you and Lee}
On my 2nd listen now. Man, that is a really catchy hook, and your respnding guitar is a big part of it.
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Andrew, I liked this. I’m a big fan of writing from a challenge like this—seems like most times you get something that’s much better and pleasing than you thought would come from it. I esp liked your idea of using the chord inversions to get the upward bass while the chords moved down. There’s also a risk of making the melody not very interesting b/c you want to follow either of those lines, but you avoided that pitfall and created a really nice melody line. Great work!
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Andrew,
Another good song. Great vocal and an excellent mix. I always enjoy work - you bring a fresh perspective.
Bob
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Hi Andrew,
Hey that was interesting in a good way. Lyrics may not be your self-defined strong point but I'm pretty impressed; I especially like and relate to the bridge. I laugh at your "make me fatter that I already am" comment. LOL I didn't realize you and Lee are neighbors! You also reminded me about my song challenge proposal to which you responded awhile back. I'm thinking of revisiting that in January. Too busy at the moment.
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Yep, I have a lot of them, Andrew. If I thought all of my songs were really good, it would be a good indication that none of them are. hehe Thanks Marty! We love all of our children, don’t we. Some just drive us crazy from time-to-time, particularly through the ‘growing pains’ times. … Everything you post here is top-shelf good, and I bet I'd like your clunker too. I start with that prejudice. hehe … Man, so much goodness in your playing, Andrew. Catchy hooks and strong melodies over interesting chord progressions are my constant pursuit. … {Man, wish I leved near ya; I'd love to jam with you and Lee} If ever you’re in Adelaide Marty, we’d welcome you to our jam - in fact, we’d probably hold a special session! Thanks twice for listening twice. Andrew
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Thanks Tom - I’ve noticed that in your own writing - you’re looking for interesting musical perspectives and devices to keep the creative juices flowing. Thanks for listening!
Andrew
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… Another good song. Great vocal and an excellent mix. I always enjoy work - you bring a fresh perspective. Thanks Bob! I always aim to make the next song different from the last - at least to my ear - but I recognise the variety might be narrower for others and their wheelhouse. Thanks for listening! Andrew
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… Hey that was interesting in a good way. Lyrics may not be your self-defined strong point but I'm pretty impressed; I especially like and relate to the bridge. Thanks Beth! I should try the stream of consciousness approach more often. While 90% of it (I find) is ditched or has to be reworked, an occasional gem of a line pops out, and that is magical. … I laugh at your "make me fatter that I already am" comment. LOL [\quote]
I think that’s called self-deprecating humour. Admitting to one’s shortcomings but not getting overpowered by them is a good trait I feel.
[quote]… I didn't realize you and Lee are neighbors! … Not quite neighbours, but in a global sense - yeah. Lee lives a couple of suburbs over, and we grew up going to the same schools and mostly the same classes, but for many years, we lived in different hemispheres. … You also reminded me about my song challenge proposal to which you responded awhile back. I'm thinking of revisiting that in January. Too busy at the moment. Songwriting challenges are good for breaking out of a mold/mould. Here’s hoping your busyness is a good thing. You’ve got that songwriting productivity reputation to uphold! Thanks for listening! Andrew
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I can testify to the size of Mr.Dee’s back catalogue folks…..it’s enormous!!
Yes, you always manage to work a different angle with your compositions Andrew. That ascending bass line works really well with the descending progression. I think I’ve seen you comment in a previous post, that for you it’s more about the music than the lyrics. Whilst both work independently as music and poetry, for me it’s more about bringing both together and if you’ve got something important to say that the music evokes then it’s a win-win. This was written post COVID, but wasn’t there a time you couldn’t get home because everyone had COVID? Aaaah COVID!! Remember the queues for toilet paper? Always made me smile that in a crisis, first thing people think of is covering their a…
Sorry I digress, a good song Mr Dee, full of tension and anxiety. Looking forward to our next get together. You already know my offering, just putting it out there.
Regards, see you soon.
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Andrew,
Nice job of this.
Guitars and bass sound good. if there is any out-of-tune-ness, it is not evident. Just the normal guitar stuff...
There is an early-Neil-Young-ness about this that I really like....
Enjoyed. Good use of biab....
fj
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Andrew, this is one of your best IMHO. I really liked your guitar in this one. I also thought your vocal wasn't nowhere near as bad as you said and I thought it was really a good vocal. The chorus was as good as it gets. Super mix also.
I really liked this one.
The bumper sticker said "I'm a veterinarian, therefore I can drive like an animal".
Suddenly I realized how many proctologists are on the road.
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I can testify to the size of Mr.Dee’s back catalogue folks…..it’s enormous!! … Stop it - you’re making me blush! ... I think I’ve seen you comment in a previous post, that for you it’s more about the music than the lyrics. Whilst both work independently as music and poetry, for me it’s more about bringing both together and if you’ve got something important to say that the music evokes then it’s a win-win. … Yes, I think it is about both. … This was written post COVID, but wasn’t there a time you couldn’t get home because everyone had COVID? Aaaah COVID!! Remember the queues for toilet paper? Always made me smile that in a crisis, first thing people think of is covering their a… That’s right - I’d forgotten. I think it was 15 nights I couldn’t return home because my home was quarantined. … Sorry I digress, a good song Mr Dee, full of tension and anxiety. Looking forward to our next get together. You already know my offering, just putting it out there. ... Thanks Lee! I sort of have my task completed. Andrew
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… Nice job of this.
Guitars and bass sound good. if there is any out-of-tune-ness, it is not evident. Just the normal guitar stuff...
There is an early-Neil-Young-ness about this that I really like....
Enjoyed. Good use of biab.... Thank you Floyd! I appreciate your affirmation of the guitars. Listening back on what I did there, I am really happy on the tone and also how simple phrases within my skill set had a good impact on the song’s sound. I have to admit that I have partaken in some Neil Young mimicry in the past, so maybe I was subconsciously channelling him. Thanks for listening and your comments! Andrew
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Andrew, this is one of your best IMHO. I really liked your guitar in this one. I also thought your vocal wasn't nowhere near as bad as you said and I thought it was really a good vocal. The chorus was as good as it gets. Super mix also.
I really liked this one. Thank you Mario! I keep forgetting some advice I received in the past - never apologise for what you do. I am happy and somewhat surprised that such a simple chorus repeating a phrase was effective. It reminds me of a Beatles song where they got 7 minutes out of the line ‘I want you so bad, it’s driving me mad. She’s so heavy.’ Andrew
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Andrew, really nicely arranged and performed tune. Nice hook on the chorus. Like your vocals + vox FX on this one. The middle eight is especially nice. Super playing, too! Sorry to say none of your apologies were warranted to ensure my enjoyment of this song. Sounds great to me, which isn't easy for slow-ish minor key tunes.
About that sitar sound on the G string...
That's usually a nut slot cut too deep. To check: Fret the G string on the second fret and tap down on the G string at the first fret. If you don't hear a "ting" as the string strikes the first fret, the nut slot is cut too deep. Lots of YouTube videos on fixes for this, the easiest being baking soda and crazy glue. Feel free to DM if questions, this is my (other) hobby...
DC Ron
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Andrew, really nicely arranged and performed tune. Nice hook on the chorus. Like your vocals + vox FX on this one. The middle eight is especially nice. Super playing, too! Sorry to say none of your apologies were warranted to ensure my enjoyment of this song. Sounds great to me, which isn't easy for slow-ish minor key tunes.
About that sitar sound on the G string...
That's usually a nut slot cut too deep. To check: Fret the G string on the second fret and tap down on the G string at the first fret. If you don't hear a "ting" as the string strikes the first fret, the nut slot is cut too deep. Lots of YouTube videos on fixes for this, the easiest being baking soda and crazy glue. Feel free to DM if questions, this is my (other) hobby... Thanks Ron! Glad you liked the song. I've edited my original post after respondents have said nothing to apologise for. To leave it there would have appeared 'needy'.  Thanks for your response regarding the G-string. I have sent you a PM with details - it appears it might be the bridge saddle. Andrew
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We join in with floyd regarding the Neil Young vibe ... definitely. Vocals, the guitars, the bass and the session guys all sound good. We enjoyed the open mix and nice dynamics. Not an easy task with that many tracks. The lyric had the "connect your own dots" feel to it. That doesn't always work but it does here. We also enjoyed the supportive video with the real clips.  Well done! J&B
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Hi, Andrew. I liked the sort of "low fi" vibes on this. If stream of consciousness works for you, keep at it. I certainly works here.
-- David Cuny My virtual singer development blogVocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?BiaB 2025 | Windows 11 | Reaper | Way too many VSTis.
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We join in with floyd regarding the Neil Young vibe ... definitely. ... Thanks J&B - I'll take any Neil Young credit when it's given. I didn't aim to sing or play in his style. The one of his I love most is 'Only love can break your heart'. ... We also enjoyed the supportive video with the real clips. ... Mostly stock footage with my Clipchamp subscription, but occasionally I'll add my own footage. Thanks for listening and watching! Andrew
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