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Fog of Writing Lyrics
The fog of writing is like the fog war
You lie to yourself and you pretend you can do it so you can do it more
You make things right, you make some sense
You change the names to protect the guilty and you change the tense
Can I change your mind?
This song could be the one
To help you understand everything I’ve done
Maybe it’ll move you and you could see
I’ve been taking all my time to make the best of me
The proper lighting can make or break a room
So let’s bring a wall of LEDs in to illuminate the doom and gloom
We’ll let the sun brighten up the space
We’ll take time to make sure that every single thing is in its place
Then I’ll change your mind
This song could be the one
To help you understand everything I’ve done
Maybe it’ll move you and make you dance
Maybe if I take my time I’ll get one more chance to hold your heart
A chance to hold your heart
Not just stop and start
A chance to hold your heart
History’s written by the side that wins
They set the scene, tell the story, and determine all the outs and ins
But what goes down when both sides lose?
How will you be represented? Does it matter? Do you get to choose?
I want to change your mind
This song could be the one
To help you understand everything I’ve done
Maybe It’ll move you and you could see
I’ve been taking all my time to make the best of me
Yeah I’ve been taking all my time to make the best of me
I’ve been taking all my time, all my time, all my time
Yeah I’ve been taking all my time, all my time, all my time
Yeah I’ve been taking all my time, all my time, all my time, all my time, all my time, all my time, all my time
You lie to yourself and you pretend you can do it so you can do it more
You make things right, you make some sense
You change the names to protect the guilty and you change the tense
Can I change your mind?
To help you understand everything I’ve done
Maybe it’ll move you and you could see
I’ve been taking all my time to make the best of me
So let’s bring a wall of LEDs in to illuminate the doom and gloom
We’ll let the sun brighten up the space
We’ll take time to make sure that every single thing is in its place
Then I’ll change your mind
To help you understand everything I’ve done
Maybe it’ll move you and make you dance
Maybe if I take my time I’ll get one more chance to hold your heart
A chance to hold your heart
Not just stop and start
A chance to hold your heart
They set the scene, tell the story, and determine all the outs and ins
But what goes down when both sides lose?
How will you be represented? Does it matter? Do you get to choose?
I want to change your mind
To help you understand everything I’ve done
Maybe It’ll move you and you could see
I’ve been taking all my time to make the best of me
Yeah I’ve been taking all my time to make the best of me
I’ve been taking all my time, all my time, all my time
Yeah I’ve been taking all my time, all my time, all my time
Yeah I’ve been taking all my time, all my time, all my time, all my time, all my time, all my time, all my time
Song Info
Submitted by
browns0286 On Jun 28, 2013
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This song seems to be a reflection on the songwriting process. Robertson seems to be talking specifically about writing targeted lyrics for someone within the context of a damaged relationship, and about how the words in a song can help frame past events, clear up ambiguity, and impact the thoughts and feelings of the other party involved.
It seems to me that other parts of the Grinning Streak album seem to allude to song lyrics as a way to communicate and help to repair a relationship. For example, in "Best Damn Friend": "...it's not weak to re-make amends the way I've chose to."
A BNL fan might wonder if this song (like the numerous other songs on the new album about past mistakes and damaged friendships/relationships) is in any way related to the Steven Page split and the way both sides wrote raw, emotional songs in the immediate aftermath and spun their breakup stories to the media. The third verse in particular could easily be about this jostling to define the past and whether it matters in the long run.