Mediocre Savior (2021 Version)

I think this is the third time I’ve uploaded a version of this song to this account. I also think I’ve been unhappy with the mix of all three. Oh well. I might remix this. I say that a lot when I post new recordings, but it might actually happen with this one.

I can’t remember when this song was written but I remember the circumstances. It may have been in 2008, but it was probably 2009. The title was a weekly prompt at songfight.org. I never submitted the song, but I wrote the lyrics on the same day the prompt went up. Who is the Mediocre Savior? Why The Boy King, George W Bush, of course.

I always envisioned this as an acoustic song, but for this round of re-recordings I want to see how it flies when it’s all electric. I think three or four songs from this group will be the same. I had a really hard time with the verse parts. I suffer from fat fingers, and I had a bad flare up while working on this. The melodies are also a little bit different this time. On previous recordings I split the verses into two parts, alternating lines, because I forgot to give myself room for breaths. I monkeyed with the start of each line this time so that I could get in a quick gasp.

The guitars are all Gibson ES-335 Pro into both a Fender Bassbreaker 15 and a Vox AC15. Pedals for the fat fingered rhythm was just a Klon KTR. The lead was the Klon into a Keeley D&M Drive. The cleanish solo in the middle was a Mooer ElecLady into the Klon, and the noise in the background of that solo was a Wren and Cuff Tri Pi ’70 into the KTR and a Wampler Faux Tape Echo… and I played with a slide (gasp!). I am the worst slide player in history, but I was only making noise so it was okay.

ask for a weekend takes at least 5 years
talk about us winning falling on deaf ears
future is dying surging ever on
cant bring them home now drop a few more bombs

talks like a leader sounds like a putz
stands like a giant falls like a clutz
swings a mighty saber sticks it in his guts
roars like a lion babbles like a

mediocre savior to save us all
he’s gonna spin us dizzy until we fall
he’s a mediocre hero to keep us safe
tells us we’re moving forward while we’re running in place