Who doesn't love a monkey?

Hey Gang!

As promised here's a lyric that dates back to 1997. Back then it was entitled 'Dexterity'. I wrote it and then proceeded to do nothing with it. I remember my friend Dave liking it but I was never really sure about....except for the part about the monkey. Anyhooooo....several years later when working on the 'heart attack' record I reworked 'Dexterity' until it no longer resembled the song whatsoever. it showed up on that record as 'Crawl And Creep'. A much improved song I thought. So when the writing for 'Sideshow Unattraction' began I found an old demo of 'Dexterity' and thought that maybe it was a pretty good song after all. But I did make some lyric changes again (except for the part about the monkey) and retitled it 'Pretty Dexterity'. So I laid down a bed track for it. Soon after I shelved it again. Still not happy with it. Months later I remember lying awake in the wee small hours of the morning (thankyou Francis) and rewriting the entire song except for the part about the monkey. So I rerecorded it, putting on 4 acoustic guitar tracks and one close mic'd vocal track. It was now entitled 'Popularity Contest'. I really liked it ....but not for long. I shelved it once again. It wasn't until Garry and myself were doing some rough mixes for the record that we came across the track and both agreed that it was a strong performance. But it wasn't until we were doing final mixes that the song actually made the final selection. Even now as I await the call from the manufacturer telling me to come and pick up my cds I question whether or not I made the right decision in including 'Popularity Contest' on the record. But then again who doesn't like songs about monkeys? Here ya go.....

POPULARITY CONTEST

She’s so curt with her words she cuts me down to size.
Despite her laconic ways her popularity rises higher, higher.

She’s so dark with her heart, it puts mine to shame.
Though she tears me apart, I keep falling just like rain.
Falling from higher, higher.

I only wish that I could be a little more popular
Like her train driving monkey, like her train driving monkey.

She’s so approachable though I can never get near.
To what she’s all about now that I’m no longer needed here by her, by her.

I only wish that I could be a little more popular
Like her train driving monkey, like her train driving monkey.
Like her drum banging monkey, like her drum banging monkey.

Mister postman please don’t bring me no more of these.
I don’t want to read about her popularity.
Mister postman please don’t bring me no more of these.
I don’t need to read about her popularity.

He wins, he’s the best in her popularity contest.


The Postman tag was added on to this song because at the time I was so frustrated with receiving mail from a certain textile museum in Toronto informing me, first that my ex was having an upcoming show that just shouldn't be missed and then secondly that my ex had won the 'show of the year' award from this same certain textile museum. So while my ex would have nothing to do with me anymore, I was being reminded of her every couple of weeks. I eventually got them back by secretly replacing all of their Hmong tribal textiles with ponchos I bought at Sears. That'll fix 'em

Yer Pal,
james