• As Neil Young might say, "Ah, here's another piece of crap for you." Yup, it's yet another demo!

Back in mid 2006, I was "walking" back to my apartment from Peet's on Fillmore in SF, and the line "too many demons and too few saints" popped into my head. Once back home, I'd forgotten it, of course, but I popped in a DVD of Tom Petty at the Fillmore and was so inspired by The Vibe That Is Petty, I picked up my Steinberger and started possibly, maybe writing a song.

I was hesitant, because writing songs is a commitment, and I was not ready to commit to much of anything, save for sleeping. Still, the guitar found its way into my hands and a riff emerged, the riff that would open and serve as the chorus for... what was that line I had thought of earlier... hmmm... oh yeah, too many demons and too few saints. (I confess, the riff is a touch similar to Tom Petty's "You're Jammin' Me", but I think the overall tune is different enough that Tom's lawyer's won't be knocking on my door.)

I wrote the rest of the music for the song quickly, stalling on the bit for the solo before hitting on the F, C, G thing, and stalling forever on the words. In fact, I just finished the words this morning, as I am under the gun to get my friend Toby a scratch vocal, so he can have a reference when he sings the song properly in a week or so. Singing, as I've written before, is something I suck at; worse, the act of singing just destroys me, so there's been lots of trips to the couch, where I can rest my head and ease the dizzies, in between takes. Regardless, the demo is done, and will be winging its way to Toby's inbox this afternoon. Please give it a listen and let me know what you think about the song (I can imagine what you'll think of my voice). And stay tuned for the real version in about a month! Oh, first draft and final lyrics appear below. I think they got better, do you?

Too Many Demons, Too Few Saints.
(from about 14 months ago)

My future was once wide open
I made plans every day
I was not yet broken
I had a past I wouldn't trade

But things happen

Decisions get made
You end up living
With less love than hate

You walk around

You remember what was
You wish you could leave
But you're trapped because

You've got...

CHORUS

Too many demons and too few saints
To count your blessings or ever cut bait
I know they say it’s never too late
But I’ve got too many demons and too few saints
(I’m never going to set this record straight)

We saw each other at a corner cafe
We'd see worlds soon
We stayed up from night to day
We didn't part until the afternoon

But life changes
Throws you curves
Asks you to live
For better or worse
You make mistakes
You break your own laws
You want out
But you're trapped because

You've got...

DEMONS & SAINTS
(2/18/2009)

My future was once wide open
I had my plans, I had my dreams
I was not yet broken
I thought I had whatever I could need

But life changes
Throws you curves
Asks you to live
For better or for worse
You make mistakes
You do some things wrong
You try to turn back
But you're too far gone
And you've got...

(CHORUS)
Too many demons and too few saints
To count your blessings or ever cut bait
I know, I know they say it’s never too late
But I've got too many demons and too few saints

And I remember when I was new
I had my faith, my beliefs
I told lies I thought were true
Some days I even felt at peace

But life changes
You lose your guide
You want so much
You're never satisfied
You try to stop
You try to turn back
But you're too far down
The wrong path
And you've got...

CHORUS > SOLO

And still life changes
Throws you curves
Asks you to live
For better or for worse

It takes a toll
Little by little
Before you know it
Rome burns while you fiddle
And you've got...