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from Not Nor Mal by Mal Webb

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about

This song is inspired by Michael Franks' lovely metaphoric love songs. It wasn't written for anyone... just hopeful! Musically, it's inspried by Clifford Brown's Joy Spring and its key shifting AABA form (F, F#, G, F). I went with F, G, A Eb so the A sections always rise to the next. It's rather old school big bandy style. The arrangement on the recording plays with a mixture of muted and unmuted strings and brass. The last note of highest violin part required me to finger the note while Kylie slid the harmonic up the neck... I held back from giving myself a violin credit on the album!

lyrics

If my heart could paint a picture of my love for you
You’d find my palette flying through the air
And landing in a boggy swamp somewhere
It was thrown in desperation of pigmented imitation

I could waste a thousand Derwents on your eyes alone
A million beetles long to line your lips
Your hair is lost in soft acrylic drips
Even trying to catch the magic of your voice in gouache is tragic

And the falling stars and wells ignore my wish
Dali thinks I should involve a fish
I watch my still life dance around the frame
As my pastel masterpiece bursts into flame

And now my studio is like a shrine to you
The pot plants in the window shun the rain
They’re watered by my tears of joy and pain
As the brokers try to sell you, I will wash my hands and tell you
If my heart could paint a picture ...

© Mal Webb 1989

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from Not Nor Mal, released September 2, 2016

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Mal Webb Melbourne, Australia

Vocal adventurer, multi-instrumentist, looping beatboxing songwriter Mal Webb sings his songs about all manner of stuff, using all sorts of vocal techniques (like sideways yodeling) and plays guitar, bass, mbira, slide trumpet, trombone, chromatic harmonica, bass and piano. He's like Bobby McFerrin, Aphex Twin and Cole Porter playing scrabble. Ani DiFranco said to Mal: "You're a freak!"
Noice.
... more

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