When Everything Was You
Don’t Hand Me That Pencil
You might not like what comes out
Background
My father, who excels at the art of disparaging me, has been a big country/western music fan for decades. I enjoy older country/western along the lines of mountain music, rockabilly, and everything considered country up into some time in the mid 80s or so. The crossover stuff just doesn’t do it for me.
One day when I was home from college, my dad was driving us somewhere, and he had the local country station going. A song called “On Down The Line” was playing. That song includes the lyric, “I can’t get no satisfaction, and my tractor don’t get no traction.” I felt that this was one of the most piss poor lyrics I had ever heard…and I still feel that way. I said as much to my dad, who responded with, “I’d like to see you do any better.” I wrote this song a few days later.
Whatever, Dad.
—MC
Lyrics
Verse:
I did some more thinking
Before I went to bed
To spend the entire night dreaming
Of the time that you said
You would love me forever
But forgot to append
A note to say that forever would soon reach an end.
Prechorus:
So, now I spend all of my time
To find the dream I neglected to share
Searching for that simple phrase I could say to you
To show you I care,
Looking for that single thing I could tell you
That you could not resist
Until I learned the words did not exist.
Chorus:
So, don’t hand me this pencil anymore.
I could never write the score
That could tell me what you’re thinkin’.
And, maybe all the words I wrote were lies,
But I read them in your eyes,
And I thought I had an inklin’ of who you were.
And I held a place for you within my heart,
So I guess there’ll always be
A sign there letting everybody know
That there’s a vacancy
Within a room that held a view—
A view of everything
When everything was you.
Verse:
It’s been several evenings
Since I last saw your smile
And felt your body imply
That I should stay for a while
It can’t last forever is what they all say
But why did our melody turn out this way ?
Prechorus:
‘Cause, now I spend all of my time
To find the dream I neglected to share
Searching for that simple phrase to tell you
To show you I care,
Looking for that single word I could say to you
That you could not resist
Until I learned the word did not exist.
Chorus:
So, don’t hand me this pencil anymore.
I could never write the score
That could tell me what you’re thinkin’.
And, maybe all the words I wrote were lies,
But I read them in your eyes,
And I thought I had an inklin’ of who you were.
And I held a place for you within my heart,
So I guess there’ll always be
A sign there letting everybody know
That there’s a vacancy
Within a room that held a view—
A view of everything
When everything was you.