Throwback Video 006/015

This song is (in my humble opinion) a great example of using music to creatively express your inner emotions, while at the same time obscuring the true intention.
During my first tour overseas with the army, I was the only mechanic for the forward reconnaisance group. When they offered me a sergeant position after the first tour, I declined, not understanding the true nature of how things work. It turned out, the brigade commander had taken note of this troop of cavalry scouts with only one lower enlisted man maintaining the vehicles, maintenance bays and supply levels, and he wanted to put a sergeant in place for the next tour. The offer was given to me, but again, I didn't understand what was going on behind the scenes. As I later came to understand it, the brigade's command sergeant major was insulted by my choosing to decline, so he forced a sergeant onto me for the next tour; a sergeant with no training or skill for the vehicles we had (he'd come from tanks, which are apparently quite different), a hot temper and absolutely no self control. He'd flip out when I helped him solve a problem, he'd flip out if I didn't help him. I spent that year constantly watching my every move, never knowing what I'd be in for.
When we got back to the US, we flew out on separate flight groups. Being away from him for that short period was the first breath I'd taken in a year, and it was nice - but less than an hour after I'd gotten into the barracks, he came pounding on the door like he was going to break it down, yelling my name and calling me to get the fck out there. I refused to face him, I had been couped up with that asshole for a full year, taken all his sht without firing back once, and that small window of separation was not enough. I sat quietly and waited til I was pretty sure he was gone, and then I got in my truck, drove off to see Jim out in Wisconsin, where I wrote this song. This song was written about my awful sergeant, but in order to be able to play it in the barracks and not get in trouble, I had to obfuscate the real meaning.
Using music to express these things, particularly in that environment, has been a blessing for me. Being able to pull the emotions from within and send them out, it lifts the weight of carrying them alone.
Lyrics:
It seems like the time has come, that I need something new
It seems like the time has come, I need to get away from you.
And I don't know how to turn this into anything, but goodbye
But we never really had that strong of a friendship, so it doesn't hurt me to watch it die
And that's why I wrote this song, to say, it's over to me.
It seems like maybe we shoulda found a different way to work things out
But every time I try to solve a problem all you wanna do is shut me down
And I don't know how to do anything anymore, without making you mad
And every time I build a dream you tear it down, with all the strength that you have
And yeah that's why I wrote this song, to say, it's over to me.
And it'd be nice if we could say we tried to stay and take a day to make a change, and maybe work things out
But baby you wouldn't even let me take a minute of my time to clear my mind, and try to think things out
And yeah that's why I wrote this song, to say, it's over to me.
Maybe under different circumstances underneath of a different sky
You wouldn't have to be so mean, and I would still be your guy
But there's only one sky over top of this earth, and you're never gonna change And we were destined not to work out, so really no one's to blame
But yeah that's why I wrote this song, to say, it's over to me. And yeah that's why I wrote this song, to say, it's over to me.
R. Laird 2004
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