Welcome to a page all about “Well Aquainted”

 

Click on the arrow to activate the exfm player:  Well Acquainted

Read below for credits, the story, and lyrics.

The players:
VC:  lead vocals, Moserite acoustic guitar, Danelectro DC 12 electric 12-string guitar, Turner Renaissance guitar, Fender Precision bass guitar, Ken Maffeo: Roland TD5 digital drums, harmony vocals; Mike Grow: Fender lap steel

The Story:

This is the story about what comes well after the breakup…that point when one of the two is just starting to adjust to single life and the other decides to go off a bit on the crazy train. In today’s world of instant communication, there’s no need for post-breakup stalking or bricks through the window when a simple nasty email or text does the trick. I spent a week or two with the catch phrase in my head:
” It’s all right, go ahead and put me down/It’s all right because I’m well acquainted with the ground” before I finally sat down and wrote the song. I always felt that when things get really nutzo, you can either break down yourself, or deal with it by having a sense of humor. I really try to aim for the latter and hope I succeeded with this song! When I got in the studio with it I was first really inspired by early Who which you might notice by the bass line and the electric 12-string rhythm track. But when Mike came along and added his ferocious lap steel track it became something different…Dylan ala “Highway 61″ perhaps… some early 70′s southern rock…not sure, but I really loved what he added. I had originally done all my own harmonies but “Cousin” Ken Maffeo who had played the great drum track come on by and helped me to simplify and streamline the harmonies to accentuate my own vocals which I very much appreciated.

Well Acquainted
“Can’t we just be friends?” he said
This thing we have doesn’t work
“I don’t want you hatin’ me
Or thinking I’m some kinda jerk”
 And so they go their separate ways
Neither happy with this end
Until the bitterness fills her up
And she goes and clicks send
“It’s all right
It’s all right,” he says
“Go ahead and put me down
It’s all right because
I’m well acquainted with the ground”
He thinks about his reply
And stares blankly at the screen
Should he rage, or should he cry?
Can’t believe she’d be so mean
 And so he goes off on his way
In disbelief of this end
He’ll say nothing, nothing to say
Just a sorry life to mend
It’s all right
It’s all right, he thinks…
He’s been dumped, been ignored
He’s been the masochistic man
Who played along with those feline games
But in the end, they all just ran
Never been called those cruel names
Now they echo through the cries & whines
But through the hurt, throughout his day
He just mumbles these few lines…
Chorus
VC
12/23/10