The State That You're In

The State That You’re InLyrics by Teisha Helgerson Music and arrangement by Susannah WeaverThe light of the hallwaywhen the curtain is closedThe stack by the back door is over exposed.Wake from you deep sleep andcry if you must,pray for the opinionyou think you can trust.Suppose you’re the winner with wounds on the mendSuppose you are loaded with money to spendSuppose you are wiser than you’ve ever beenSuppose it is perfect, the state that you’re inYou’re in, you’re in, you’re inWake from the damp sleepand cry if you mustwait for the opinionyou hope you can trust.Jump from the little planeall the way downsurvive without parachutesmaking a sound.Suppose you’re the winner with wounds on the mendSuppose you are loaded with countless good friendsSuppose you are older than ever you’ve beenSuppose it is perfect, the state that you’re inYou’re in, you’re in, you’re in   Creative notes from Susannah Weaver:   "It was so much fun to work on and record. I started work on it very soon after getting it, and had the melody and structure down I think in one long sitting. It did come very naturally! Though the chorus melody underwent some change through the process. I used the chord sequences in different ways throughout the song: as the structure for the verses and the chorus (with the changes taking longer in the choruses) and that little FGC in the bottom right was used as a tag in different places throughout the song. Because I made three distinct sections in the song (verse, pre-chorus, chorus, I guess we can call them) I chose to leave out what I think was intended lyrically as a bridge. I really wanted my version to be fun and light, but reverent. I started work on the song on the guitar and was able to record it with my iPad and add in parts, which really helped me fully realize where I wanted to go with this.  Teisha had the chords starting the chorus going from Major to Minor, and I decided to switch the order to make it sound more uplifting ( as a songwriter, I am a serious offender of the overuse of the Major to Minor, it's my crutch, and I was chagrined to find that Teisha liked it too!) I couldn't get the melody of the chorus to where I was happy with it, until I wrote a fun bass line, which made me then want to break the lyrics of the chorus up into a call-and-response with handclaps (because everything is more fun with handclaps!) and distinct backing vocal parts. There is this one little bit of the bass line that had me laughing so hard...it's reminiscent of a number of songs from the 70's, among them Silly Love Songs by Paul McCartney and Wings, Ride Captain Ride by some 70's rock band, and, most hilariously, the theme song to Sanford and Son. It's just this tiny little thing that no one would notice, but it had me and Steve in stitches during recording, which I knew T would appreciate! Recording was easy and fun at Jenny and Steve's. After getting the drums and bass down in the basement, we went upstairs where we recorded the guitar,vocals, handclaps, accordion and piano near the lovely heat of the woodstove. Knowing of Teisha's love of France, I asked Jenny to go for a "French" sound with the accordion, though I think the "French" sound is just built-in with that instrument. She played her beautiful grand piano in their living room with the top propped up and the mic tucked inside. With modern technology we were able to send the tracks to Scott Weddle, who added on some sweet harmonies and cool "Weddlesque" guitar parts. I love hearing his voice in there. When I first got the song and started working on it I didn't really understand the lyrics, and I can't say that I do now but about a week before recording it I read the blog of a friend's wife who had died of cancer not quite three years ago. In her blog she describes the kind of sleep that I think Teisha means to describe in this song, as well as the waking from this sleep. Reading that blog was a real eye-opener for me, and especially helpful for me connecting with the lyrics. "Pray for the opinion you think you can trust", all the doctors and diagnoses, the "good" news, the bad news. I also have read Teisha's blog and the story of her friend who jumped from the little plane** and love knowing what that line means literally, "without parachutes making a sound", which also helps me understand its meaning figuratively. Brilliant. I changed a few words in the choruses: the word "countless" just doesn't sound the same coming out of my hick mouth as it would in Teisha's more cultured, dulcet tones, and I got a little ham-fisted with the double-meaning of the word "loaded", partly because I knew that that was one aspect of life that Teisha missed, the drinking with friends, and partly because I am ham-fisted. Again, I thank you for this experience. As I thank Teisha."  Susanna Weaver**See Teisha's blog: http://www.betterthansleepingalone.typepad.com.  Posted September 1, 2010 and titled:  I Could Get Hit By a Bus Tomorrow - 2007.