Man on Your Mind

My computer screen is getting worse. I stepped on my laptop almost two years ago (just two months after the accidental damage replacement warranty expired) and cracked the screen slightly. Over time, the crack has spread and even diverged into two cracks. Where the cracks spread, black and green pixels emerge. First, the "dead" pixels were only along the crack lines. However, they have steadily branched out from the cracks and now prevent me from seeing a sizable part of my screen.

I ordered a replacement screen, but couldn't cover the cost just then. Going to call again and re-order the part as my financial situation has somewhat improved.

Meanwhile, I have been writing a lot lately. Over the past month or so, my little black journal has been filling up with words that seem to go together as potential lines in songs.

Songs have also jumped out of the journal.

This past Thursday at open mic, I played a brand new song called Man on Your Mind. Oddly enough, I started it writing it exactly one week previous at Caffe Lena.

For some reason, last week had a particularly somber tone. After playing my set at open mic, I headed to the back warm up room and lazily strummed random chord progressions while staring off at nothing. Eventually, I settled into a particular melancholy and an easy chord progression. I began singing.

I sang what would become the first verse of Man on Your Mind. At the time, however, I didn't really know what I was writing. It was just a feeling.

After open mic ended, and everyone went their separate ways, I found myself wanting to continue to work on the song. Since going home after open mic means the end of the magic, so-to-speak, and back to reality, I decided to sit out on a park bench on Broadway and actually write these words and chords down.

In my little black journal, I wrote down what would be the first two verses of the song. I also discovered a chord progression and melody for the chorus. I struggled with the wording of the chorus and had written a bunch of stuff that didn't really make much sense and ended with "I'm not the man on your mind," which I really liked. I worked with that chorus for an hour or so that night before finally giving in to the fact that I needed to go home and go to sleep in order to survive the following work day.

On the ride home, I wrote another verse.

Since I had written a good portion of a song, I had a good idea at the direction in which it needed to go. I knew what I wanted to say in the chorus and possibly another verse, I just had to get it into the melody and rhyme scheme.

Over the next few days, I played around with a few different lines for the chorus. I re-wrote it five or six times. Each time, it got a little closer to what it really needed to be.

Then, when I thought it was all done and I played it through a bunch of times, I made a couple tweaks to it and knew that I had what the song wanted to say.

I'm not going to discuss the inspiration for this song or what it's "about" because it's loosely based on a mostly true story that is still unfolding. I'm very happy with the song and with the feedback that I got from fellow musicians.

Here are the words to "Man on Your Mind."

I am waiting tonight
for a very long time
with my heart on the wire
for you

Under the street light
it's growing colder outside
and I must decide what I
should do

even though, I know, that I should probably go
I'm holding on to hope that you'll arrive
But, it's just a dream, and you're not even thinking of me
I'm not the man on your mind

I'm your biggest fan
you're the sun and the sand
but it's another man who has
your heart

on this park bench I sit
and I quietly exist
taking a risk on a
shooting star

even though, I know, that I should probably go
I'm holding on to hope that you'll arrive
But, it's just a dream, and you're not even thinking of me
I'm not the man on your mind