Gone Too Soon – Song and a Chat

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Episode #181: Gone Too Soon (Song starts at 4:12)

Here’s one from 2014: song # 620, ‘Gone Too Soon’

It was inspired by a neighbour who lived across the street from us. She always had just the right amount of time to chat. She wasn’t one of those you’d have to duck and run from, (through the fear of losing 15mins). Nope. She was positive & interested in what you were up to, bright in the eye and in voice and spirits.

Consequently, I chose to write this song for her in an up sort of manner, which I think is a reflection of her character.

The version on this episode is somewhere between a ballad and something more (Piano vocals). If it were played in a band, you could push it along with a bit more energy and groove.

It’s interesting to me how these sort of songs about mortality all seem to be coming to the surface for me right now. Perhaps it’s like when you buy a certain brand of car with the right colour and then you start seeing them everywhere…or maybe it’s something I write about more than I perhaps imagined.

It’s not a subject I’m going to shirk away from. It’s as much part of life as anything. And lives need to be celebrated – the good bits carried on with.

I think that’s a great way to help make sense of someone close to you passing away.

I think a song like this can be a comfort someone. It was for me this week. I’m glad I found it in my songbook.

This was another ‘words first, music second’ sort of song. When I composed the music, it was fun singing along to the chords that came through as I sat at the piano.

The opening line of the song is:

Summers come early, it’s that time of year… the temperatures rising with the early birds tune.

It’s a great way to wake up, listening to the dawn chorus.

Speaking of birds, I sat outside having breakfast a the table in my back yard. It was so peaceful…except for the lorikeets ( mall Australian parrot) I include a snippet of audio, so you’ll join me at the table.

Then we see where the song ‘Gone Too Soon’ is going to take us.

I’m looking forward to recording this one properly one day.

‘Why wait for tomorrow? do it today’. Is another line in the song. I can still hear my neighbour saying this. I’m glad it’s in this song.. her voice, in a sense.

As I look at how the song came together, sitting at the piano with the mic, I really enjoy demonstrating the changes, the bits of melodies and talking about the way they came through. All you need is the feeling and a start, really – and away you go.

And away we go…so here’s another song & lots of chat. I hope you enjoy this episode.

You can read the lyrics on my blog: www.petepascoe.wordpress.com, plus there’s links to more music and my art. Enjoy.