Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Day 21: Coffee Date With The Devil (Song-a-day January)


Day 21: Coffee Date With The Devil 
By Karen Finch & David Coile 

Part of my daily songwriting project for January 2025 

Lyrics: 

My friends say "stay away 
"He's from the other side 
"He doesn't think like you 
"He will eat you alive" 

But I see you mowing grass 
Playing with your family 
You're taking out the trash 
You wear your pants the same as me 

Cream and sugar 
Our cups are full 
How about 
A coffee date with the devil? 

I wave and you wave back 
We both retreat inside 
We never seem to talk 
It often makes me wonder why 

I really don't know you 
You really don't know me 
Why don't we get together? 
Find out where we can agree 

Cream and sugar 
Our cups are full 
How about 
A coffee date with the devil? 

I don't like your politics 
Some things between us just don't mix 
The world's in chaos, let's bridge the divide 
And keep the peace where we reside 

How about a coffee date 
How about a coffee date 
What about a coffee date With the devil? 

*** 

I think this is the 6th song I've written with Karen Finch, but this one went a different direction. We started off talking about politics, because it's hard not to these days. Most of the songs we've written have involved romantic relationships in some fashion, but we decided to figure out what a Karen Finch protest song would sound like. 

It may not be fashionable right now, but Karen and I both lean toward trying to find common ground with the people we disagree with. There's a lot of ideological self-segregation going on right now, and I worry that if we all huddle in our distinct political corners, we'll lose sight of our common humanity; I worry that it would make things worse. I don't know if it's ultimately the right tactic, but that's my disposition. 

When it comes to the nuts and bolts, Karen and I are pretty even co-writers. We both work on lyrics, chords and melody, and I really enjoy our collaborations. Karen and I are very different performance-wise, so I decided to defer to her on guitar and singing, and it was fun to break out the hand drum!

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