Aaron Bentley: Comfortable Things

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The Story
There's no particular story here. You can guess who the narrator is. It's just about feeling like I'm too set in my ways-- things seem too routine. There's always so much I could do that I'm not doing.

The Song
There are a couple of things I really like about this song. First, I really like the metaphor of my life as my leather jacket. Yes, it looks kinda run-down. The lining's ripped. But I've been wearing it so long that it fits me perfectly. And that comfortable feeling may be a little too comfortable...

The other thing is the chords. This is my first fast song to use the sort of chords I used in The Ember and Pickup Battery Holder. But it sounds like a simple song. And really, it is. Just one with slightly fancier chords.

Finally, I'm doing a bit of a lick between chorus and verse. I think that's a first for me. So the technique thing is fun too. Right now, it's just on the edge of what I can play, which is my favourite way of writing songs.

Lyrics

Verse 1

	  My life's like clockwork.  Every week is just the 
	    same.
	
	  The same ambitions and the same sources of shame.
	
	  This deep, smooth rut is really all I have to show.
	
Eightteen was ten long years ago

Chorus (repeat)

My leather jacket's shot to hell
But it protects me like a shell
It's something I could never sell
Comfortable things can fit too well.

Verse 2

	  I've got big plans, and it feels like they weigh a 
	    ton.
	
If I'm so smart, why can't I just got get it done?
Sometimes my life feels like an essay, overdue
I'd ace if I could follow through.

Chorus (repeat)

My leather jacket's shot to hell
But it protects me like a shell
It's something I could never sell
Comfortable things can fit too well.

Verse 3

Now please don't tell me only dark days lie ahead;
'cause if I can't feel hope, then I cannot feel dread.
And please don't say to me that I can only win;
If I can't cry, then I can't grin.

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Questions, comments or suggestions about this web site? Email me at aaron.bentley@utoronto.ca