PG Music Home Forums General Discussion User Showcase Things I'll Never Know (w/Chris37)

Hi, all:

So this one's been a bit in the making . . . which is to say that Christian Devienne sent me this mix back in November of '23 and it's lingered since. I really liked the music to this one, and I signed up quickly to be a part of it . . . but my original lyric idea failed and I finally conceded and let it go. And Christian eventually crafted a song using this track with others to great success.

But those lyrics lingered on my desktop . . . and I couldn't quite give up on it. So every few weeks I would open it up and play with it . . . a line here, a line there . . . and a few weeks later, a line or two more. Until quite recently, when I woke up one morning, penned a line or two more, and thought this is as far as I can take it.

I'm not sure what song we have here . . . but it became the lyric I needed to finish. I hope it fits the tune . . . I hope it works as a song. But if nothing else, I can take that darn file off my darn desktop, LOL!!

Hope you enjoy the listen . . .

Deej

Here's the song:

THINGS I'LL NEVER KNOW

Here's the lyric:

On my way to Reno
One last chance to make my future shine
Every desperate man’s casino
Gonna put it all on black this time
Still I’m thinking about a girl back in Soho
How love back then was precious and
As pure as Christmas snow
And I wonder if there’s something
More to life than letting go
I guess it’s just one thing I’ll never know

Living lies is easy
As long as you forget the truths you know
I’ve always tried to please me
I expect that’s why I’m always so alone
So many times I’ve tried to change my ways
By now you’d think I’d learned the reasons
why my heart still strays
And I wonder if the wisdom that
It takes for me to grow
Is just another thing I’ll never know

Stranded on the roadside in the rain
I throw my hat and kick my truck
Just ten more miles to go, but two flat tires
Just one spare …. curse my luck
And I wonder why it’s always gotta be
Like I’m stuck amid a war of gods
And fate’s my enemy
I just never seem to get me
To the place I need to go
Am I my own worst friend or my best foe
Well, I guess I’ll never know

Here's the band:

Actually, I don't have that info. Hoping Christian can chime in to the extent requested.

"And I wonder if there’s something
More to life than letting go"

"Living lies is easy
As long as you forget the truths you know
I’ve always tried to please me
I expect that’s why I’m always so alone"

"And I wonder if the wisdom that
It takes for me to grow
Is just another thing I’ll never know"

"Just ten more miles to go, but two flat tires
Just one spare …. curse my luck" (these two lines made me really smile)

"Am I my own worst friend or my best foe
Well, I guess I’ll never know"

I'm glad you didn't give up on this. Excellent lyrics, coupled to Christian's great music. Did Christian write the melody, too, or just the backing track? Either way, it just works, and that's (of course) what matters with a finished song ... that it works, as such.

Ok, one more listen, to see if I can pick up on anything else ...

The melody flows effortlessly - great job, whoever of you two wrote it And, one very important thing: your delivery, Deej, excellent. The production, to my amateur producer's ears, is excellent ... the voice sits right where it should sit. But the best thing about this song is that I can tap my foot to it and remember it afterwards ... the music, as well as these seemingly simple, yet brilliant-as-usual Deej lyrics. I can't put my finger on quite what it is with the lyrics - maybe it's the relaxed, narrative style masking heartbreak ... I'm not good enough to analyse it. But they tell a beautiful story well, and they are perfect for the otherwise major-key music (that's what I often love about music ... you can write a major-key tune, yet have lyrics that can drive you to tears).

In short: well done, both of you - you must and should be proud of this one. I very much enjoyed it.

Hi all,
I'm glad David persevered to write the lyrics for this song and perform it. He is also the composer of the melody.
Thank you James for your detailed comment.

Here's the Band :
RD NashvilleRadioCoolSw16^2
RT 532 Acoustic Bass
RT 1581 Acoustic Guitar
RT 2856 Harmonica
RT 3152 Fiddle
RT 4033 Solo Electric Guitar
RT 4030 Electric Guitar

Wow, this really turned out super! The pain of the narrator is evident, but not the pain of the actual composition. Great tune and lyrics, and the vocals are killer. Love the backing track, and the mix is really clean. Fantastic collaboration.

A very solid write. Terrific imagery and emotion...
Strong vocals (of course)
Nice tracks. Good mix.

fj

Deej / Christian,

Love this...

Everything about it works. It has (for me) a very Harry Chapin-esque vibe to it, including your excellent vocal.

You both have created some great music here!

Bob

I liked your voice, the story telling lyrics and the melody.

Your vocals fit the vibe of the song as others have said. It was time well spent to finish this one!

Dewey

Great song DJ!

Love your voice on this one.

What a song!

Vivid narrative. Some of best four lines in the opening that I've seen in a while. Well sung. Music fits the lyrics quite well. I don't about that guitar fill after the first verse though, but that just may be my preference.

Creative perserverance. Man, what a terrific feel. Happy and hoppy. The lyrics worked out so well, and your vocal steals the show, Deej. Sweet harmonica sound, too.

Deej, I'm glad that you didn't give up on this one.
Outstanding vocal and lyrics mixed to perfection.
This is an outstanding song.

James, DC Ron, Floyd, Bob, Alexander, Dewey, David, Ezekiel, Marty and Mario:

Thanks so much for the listens. I can't tell you how guilty I felt letting this song sit around for as long as I did, particularly given that right from the start I told Christian I wanted to write the lyrics for it. It was such a wonderful tune, and I could hear the melody so easy . . . it's just that the words never seemed to come or fit. But sometimes letting a song sit is the best thing . . . and hopefully that's the case here. Glad you enjoyed it for what it is.

My best to you all,

Deej

Deej...sure glad you stuck with this one! lyrically brilliant and the melody makes a great marriage here...I also really like the band you chose...very fitting and very well done!

Hi, Deej.

I see people have already answered your question of what kind of song you've got.

A hard luck story that keeps my interest throughout.

Good write, well sung, good backing.

I enjoyed reading how this was pieced together, too. It's inspiring, because I've been stuck on a song for what seems like forever.

Your vocal sounds great and the lyric is very engaging.
These two quoted sections really stood out for us:
“Living lies is easy
As long as you forget the truths you know”
AND
“I just never seem to get me
To the place I need to go
Am I my own worst friend or my best foe”

The band is excellent with a fine guitar solo.
Nice harp too.

We’re glad you finished it!

J&B

I like the rhythmic feel of this!! And I think it goes very well with the lyric content!! Always like your vocals!! Well done!! Take care. Greg

Hi Deej and Chris.

This is really fine song-writing and song-creating.
You got my hearty round of applause!

I love the lines:
These words really resonated with me!

From start to finish, this is an excellent listen and a captivating presentation.
I don't think music-making gets any better than this.
Kudos to both of you!

--Noel

Excellent choice of instrumentation in this song.

Man, this is strong! Great writing throughout - both melody and words. Each time I heard a line, I thought that's going to be the best one in the song - and then another would come up. Great stuffl. I like the feel of this all the way through. I don't know if you'd want it, but because I'm so country I might have tried a different guitar without quite as much distortion for the lead to make sound a little more country, but that's just me. I think it's really good Deej, thanks for sticking with it!

Brad