Home Music Events Forums Articles Music Blog Resources   Help
About MacJams.com opens a new door of opportunity for musicians around the world, providing a means of connecting, collaborating, and fostering the development of new music in a supportive environment.
  1. Sign Up [free]
  2. Listen
  3. Locate Musicians
  4. Start a Project
  5. Submit a Song
  6. Participate
Login
Username:
Password:
Who's Online Invisible Members: 0
Guests: 16
I Woke Up
by dajama

Get Flash to see this player.

| Download |
Song Info
Licensing Information:


Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Guest views: 797
Member views: 0
Song comments: 62
Tokens: 0
Plays: 95
Last Played:
Downloads: 28
Fans of this song:
Submitted on: Jul 11, 2008 - 03:21:14 PM
Last Updated: Jul 11 2008 - 03:21:14 PM
Description An exercise in cannibalism...

I tend to have a hard time 'letting go' of songs. Even when every musical bone in my body (all two of them) is screaming "It sucks. Give up!" I usually have a little voice in the back of my mind saying "But maybe we could tweak it later..." So when I finally admit a song is not what I'd hoped it would be, and dump it, I still scour the remains for lines or riffs or whatever that I could use in the future.

This song is a prime example. It grew from the cannibalized lyrics of two songs that I finally had to admit (after much procrastination) were not that good. Both hail from long ago. One suffered from lyrics written at short notice, and a 'blurry' recording process; the other was called Tremors, and has the distinction of being the only song I've ever deleted from MacJams (it was a long time ago, and nobody noticed!) Both songs had lines I liked, so I pulled them out and decided to construct a song around them. It evolved into this little 'kitchen-sink' drama. It took a lot longer than I'd hoped, and it was kind of an odd way to write for me (I guess I usually start with music...) but I prefer this to either of the songs whose lyrics it grew from. I hope you like it.

Peace.
Lyrics I Woke Up
Freedom is a stolen car
And a road that never ends
A song you wish you’d never heard
A note you never send

There’s trouble in the garden, babe
Is there something I should know?
If you hate it all that much
Then why not let it go?

Can’t you feel the tremor underneath your skin?
Can’t you hear my heart?

I don’t know how it came to this
I fell asleep in the world and I woke up in a dream
I don’t know how it came to this
I fell asleep in the world and I woke up

And we can blame it all on fate
The grinding of the days
Cheating hearts and fickle friends
The words we never say

The night is really not that long
And the dark is not that deep
And I would dream my life away
If only I could sleep

And if I had a switch to stop the world
Or someplace I could hide
If dangerous dreams came true

And as the walls close in again
If we don’t fall apart
Maybe we can rise above
The arrows in our hearts
Fan List

MarkHolbrook

Moviz

Vic Holman

lavalamp

Feter

Roxylee

Ejh

Karmatoburn

guygrooves

peacepiano

J.A.Stewart

lengold

Peter Bauckham

bud

magnatone

jiguma

futzpucker

blaky smith

guitapick

TobinMueller

Lightman-

E-Frame Wrecker
You must be registered and logged-in to comment.

MarkHolbrook said 180 days ago
David
What is there not to like!

Your music always has so much going on it that it is wonderful to listen too. Always top notch. Great mix, great sounds...

Also your lyrics and vocals are always right at the top!

Thanks!

dajama said 180 days ago
Thanks, Mark
I'm always delighted to hear from you, and I'm very happy you enjoyed this one. THanks for the nice words about the words and music; it's very encouraging. Many thanks as always for stopping by. Loved your coffeeshop song; when can we expect a new one? Thanks again. Cheers. Peace.

said 180 days ago
I Woke up
Wow ! You can never go wrong when I hear your fantastic music I go to heaven litterally. Love it You Rock. Top notch.

Peace Dee.

dajama said 180 days ago
Thanks, Dee
I'm glad you stopped by to check this one out, and very happy you liked it. Much appreciated. Cheers. Peace.

Moviz said 180 days ago
Your songs
and your treatment of them just keep getting better and better, This sounds great vocally , instrumentally and lyricwise. I like how you arrange your songs into compartments and yet keep the smoothness there. Great backing sounds too. Really like this and your voice sounds really good, regards M

dajama said 180 days ago
Thanks, Maurice
I'm very happy you enjoyed this one. I like that comment about the compartments; I think I do tend to do that. I agonize over chord changes (because I really think in chords when I'm working on a song) and often I'm afraid of discord, or key changes. But it often works, I think, and I think I'm getting less wary of doing it. Glad you enjoyed this, Maurice. Much appreciated. Cheers. Peace.

sloparts said 180 days ago
Another great song David
You just keep getting better and better at this.

Your lyrics are some of the best ever, and you musical backdrop for those words always seems to fit perfectly.

I love this song for it's quietness and subtleness my friend. It isn't screaming in you face, it whispers in your ear. Very well done David. Thank you

Ed

dajama said 180 days ago
Thanks, Ed
I'm flattered by your nice words. Glad you like this one. I'm glad you think the words work and delighted you think the music and lyrics work well together. Thank you for your comment on the quietness - I get what you mean. Many thanks for listening and commenting, my friend. Much appreciated. Cheers. Peace.

Vic Holman said 180 days ago
I'm Glad...
... you listened to that little voice, David

This came out excellent! fantastic production and a very solid tune.

the playing and vocals are top notch!

dajama said 180 days ago
Thanks, man
Glad you enjoyed it. Gotta listen to those voices in your head! Loved your latest, dude - outstanding sound. Hope those fires have died down. Many thanks. Peace.

lavalamp said 180 days ago
Wow Dave
Honest lyrics in the Lennon/Dylan vein. Really cool stuff.

You're one of the reasons I just love this site.

Keep it up. Enjoy hearing from you.

Dave

dajama said 180 days ago
Thanks, man
I'm deeply flattered by the lyrical nod. If that's the vibe you get off it, then I must be moving in the right direction! Glad you liked this one, and as for being one of the reasons you like this place, right back at you! Thanks, man. Much appreciated as always. Cheers. Peace.

Feter said 180 days ago
I Woke Up
This is so gorgeous my friend ..your singing so great
here ....but what amazed me the lead guitar work ...
that was a flash light over the rethym was extrmely
marvelous ...thats totaly cool thnx alot for sharin !!

dajama said 180 days ago
Thanks, man
Glad you liked the lead. I basically suck at lead guitar, and when I get something that seems to fit, I'm loath to change it. This was literally a 'scratch' solo, just something I threw in there to mark the spot kind of thing. But every time I went to redo it, I felt like I was messing up the vibe. So I stuck with it. Glad you think it works. Many thanks. Peace.

said 180 days ago
I like it!
The music is great throughout---from those ominous opening notes through the gradual build-up in the arrangement...

As for the lyrics, perhaps this is the song you were always meant to write? Anyway, I think they're really good. I especially like the closing verse. Even though it's quite dark, there's still HOPE. I believe that with all my heart and soul.

Lead soloing is wonderful. Vocals are my favorite of all your tunes thus far.

David, this piece is ACES!

Be well my friend!

dajama said 180 days ago
Thanks, Michael
I'm glad you liked this. Those ominous keyboards at the beginning stemmed from an attempt to take a different tack with the song, which I eventually abandoned, but I kept that little sequence at the beginning. I even toyed with the idea of recording rainfall and opening with that, but I thought that might be a tad cheesy! Glad you liked the lead, and thank you so much for the nod on the vocal. I'm flattered. Thanks for stopping by. Much appreciated as always. Cheers. Peace.

Roxylee said 180 days ago
Glad you let this one come here
David, this is great lyric writing, and the music fits the words perfectly. It has everything- contemplation, questions, recognition of the facts, and then hope, which will win out, because it's in the last verse. :-)

dajama said 180 days ago
Thanks, Roxy
You made me smile - hope will win out because it's in the last verse! Brilliant. Glad you liked this one. Just been listening (rather belatedly, I'm afraid!) to your coffeeshop song - very cool. What a great voice you have. I'm very happy you stopped by to check this one out, and delighted you like it. Many thanks. Cheers. Peace.

Ejh said 180 days ago
Another good one, David...
One of the nice things about your songs, for me, is that I'm always really confident that I'm going to love what you're doing with the chord progression, the guitars and the vocals...

Sometimes it takes me more than one listen to start to get a clue about the lyrics. I don't mind, 'cause the songs sound so cool...

Wonderfully uninhibited solo, with neat tone. As noted, all of the guitar tone is great.

I should know this, I s'pose, but what are you using for guitars? And for the drums?

Ed

dajama said 180 days ago
Hey, Ed
Thanks, man. Glad you liked this, and even happier it bears repeated listening! Really glad you liked the solo; as I mention above, it was really just a quick shot at something and then I decided I liked it. Maybe the fact that I was thinking of it as a placeholder, and therefore not worrying about it too much, gave it a looser feel?

As for gear, the acoustic is an Alvarez 5047, the bass is a Washburn Taurus T12, and the guitar is a Maya, a Les Paul copy which I picked up used, but which I believe was made in Japan. Drums are loops - in this case Drums on Demand. I guess I really should fill in that hardware section!

Thanks again for stopping by, my friend. Your support and encouragement is much appreciated as always. Cheers. Peace.

Karmatoburn said 180 days ago
dig those
changes. Funny how you listen to something and its immediately a little of deja vu and the new frontier at the same time. Very cool. Carried me away.

dajama said 180 days ago
Thanks, man
Glad you enjoyed it. The changes in this are pretty simple, but, as usual, it took me a while to get there. I'm glad you like the end result. Thanks a lot for stopping by and checking this out. I appreciate it. Cheers, man. Peace.

guygrooves said 180 days ago
You never know...
what is hidden from you till you go digging to find it out. I can relate to how this song came together for you. I am so happy you didn't give up on this because what you have created here is outstanding on all fronts. Beautifully sang and played, absolutely stunning lyric so worthy of all the high marks it has received and will receive. Thanks for the download.

dajama said 180 days ago
Thanks, man
I'm really glad you enjoyed this one, and thank you so much for the nod on the lyrics. I'm flattered. I guess it is worth pursuing these things sometimes. I think that's one of the reasons I cling to songs and song ideas for so long, a fear that I'll abandon something and miss out on something that might work. I've been working on another song recently that just will not fall into place for me and I'm close to binning it, but then there's that little voice again...Thanks again for taking the time to check this out. Much appreciated. Cheers. Peace.

guygrooves said 180 days ago
Been there
Done that.. lol. I so know what you mean.

peacepiano said 179 days ago
Better
Didn't here the originals, but this must be better than the sum of its parts. Lyrics Music Everything is sounding good here.

Thanks
Bill

dajama said 179 days ago
Thanks, Bill
One of the originals - a track called 'Bad Days' - never surfaced on MacJams. It was something I did a long, long time ago, and the only holdover form it is a couple of lines that I liked. Tremors, the other track that donated parts to this, was posted here back in 2005. I stuck it up in a rush of enthusiasm as my second post, and immediately realized it was not up to scratch. I think it was up for about 24 hours before I took it back down. More lines for this came from that. I really think this is better than either of its ancestors, and I'm really glad you enjoyed it. Many thanks for stopping by and checking this out. Much appreciated as always. Cheers. Peace.

lengold said 179 days ago
David -
this is such a lovely song and very well performed. I very much like the production, which has been done with restraint and all sounds very natural and as it should.
Cheers
Len



dajama said 179 days ago
Thanks, Len
I'm flattered by your nice words about the production. You come up with some spectacular quality recordings; high praise coming from you. I'm glad you stopped by and happy you enjoyed the song. Much appreciated. Cheers. Peace.

Gamborg said 179 days ago
Good Song
Hi David

It's very good lyrics and vocal you got. A nice and easy composition with a great lead play just after 3 min. into the song.

Keep up the good work.

Cheers, CG

dajama said 179 days ago
Thanks, man
Glad you liked this one. Thanks for the nod on the lead. As I mention above, it was kind of just luck that it sounds halfway decent. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. Much appreciated. Cheers. Peace.

bud said 179 days ago
Man this tune is so wonderful
your production and performance are really top notch and I love the lyrics. I wish I had the discipline to do what you've done. I've tried - but then I always get seduced into doing something completely new - or so I think - I tend to repeat myself often enough without trying.

dajama said 179 days ago
Thanks, Bud
I'm glad you stopped by. Thanks for checking out this latest effort; I'm delighted you like it. You produce so much amazing music, man, and not too much sounds the same, if you ask me! I know what you mean, though; it can be easy to fall into a pattern that becomes almost routine. That's one of the reasons I enjoy challenges (when I have time to participate!) because they push me in a different direction. Having said that, it doesn't always work; I've just had to give up on the Grand Ole Opry challenge because I couldn't pull it out of the bag, but trying was fun, and I think I learned something. For the next couple of songs, I'm forcing myself not to pick up my acoustic guitar - see where that leads me! Thanks again for checking this out. Your support is very encouraging. Cheers. Peace.

12parsecs said 178 days ago
very clear.
very nice, clear production on this track. well done. and great progressions, verse and chorus! and vibrato gtr pre-chorus. well crafted tune!

like how you got out of the bridge too.

dajama said 178 days ago
Thank you kindly
I especially love the comment on the bridge; it was one of those changes that sounded good when I first thought of it, but I thought it might be a bit awkward. I included it in early versions of the song anyway and suddenly it seemed impossible to cut out. I'm glad you think it worked. Thanks again for stopping by. Much appreciated. Cheers. Peace.

tokai said 178 days ago
Good job you kept
this one then. You have made a great tune.

dajama said 178 days ago
Thank you very much
I think I'm glad I kept it, too! Thank you for listening and taking the time to comment. Much appreciated. Cheers. Peace.

said 178 days ago
Nice
listen

dajama said 178 days ago
Thank you
very much for stopping by and checking this out. Glad you enjoyed it. Much appreciated. Peace.

magnatone said 178 days ago
I Woke Up
If this is cannabalism, I'm officially becoming a supporter of this practice. I always know I'm going to like a post from you. It's amazing isn't it, how one idea leads to another? Thanks!

dajama said 178 days ago
Thanks, Karen
I'm very happy you liked this. Yes, it always surprises me how ideas flow. A line or a phrase conjures an image that becomes a scenario that turns into a theme and so on. I have no idea how it works, to be honest. But sometimes it does, and I'm glad you think this one came together. Much appreciated as always. Cheers. Peace.

jiguma said 177 days ago
Lovely production Dave
In light of my forum post, I listened and listened for a nit to pick so I could make a suggestion - didn't find any. This is a classy, well performed song, beautifully mixed. I love the way you've got the acoustics panned and set up - beautifully rhythmic. Drums are classy - everything is classy!
Great post,
Neil

dajama said 176 days ago
Thanks, Neil
Really glad you liked this one. I'm flattered that you would enjoy the production, given that you have such high standards in that area. It's not often something I do gets called 'classy'! Thanks as always for your support and encouragement. Much appreciated. Cheers. Peace.

bonnieprincejohnny said 177 days ago
Mighty fine.
The 'I fell asleep in the world' hook is cool. The whole song is cool,however if it were down to me I'd beef up the vocal in the verse lines... it's only my personal preference but I do it by duplicating the vocal track then shifting it right or left a tiny fraction of the original - it's auld skool but it can be effective. Good stuff, I like how you recycled your work.

dajama said 176 days ago
Thanks, man
Glad you enjoyed this one. I love the vocal idea. I'm going to give that a shot and see how it sounds. I'm always looking for ways to make my voice sounds more like it sounds in my head! Your latest is excellent, by the way. Thanks for checking this one out. Much appreciated. Cheers. Peace.

guitapick said 174 days ago
Lyrics...
...are prime and so powerful...the music, with it's chord changes and textural changes, works hand and hand to deliver the message...

Nice work, David. Super tune....

dajama said 173 days ago
Thanks, man
Really glad you like this. I often think the real challenge is to get the music and words to speak to each other and I'm very happy you think this one works. Much appreciated. Many thanks. Cheers. Peace.

Lennon714 said 174 days ago
i woke up
I love the acoustic guitar tone you get on this. Vocals are VERY strong and unique. Cool tune!

dajama said 173 days ago
Thanks, man
Delighted you like the acoustic, and thanks indeed for the nod on the vocals. I always feel my vocals are poor and it's encouraging to hear you enjoyed this performance. Many thanks. Peace.

Jim Bouchard said 174 days ago
Great!
Great song! I've been a bit preoccupied with trying to finish up some of my own things lately so I'm late to the party, and I apologize. It's well worth the wait. It all sounds great, great vocal, great guitars, altogether great groovy recording. I feel like it should have ended on the chorus. Come in with the chorus with a pause after "the arrows in our hearts" line and fade out on that. It's such a great hook, and ending on the unresolved verse is intriguing, but it sounds so much like it should come back in after a pause with that strong chorus that I felt a little let-down. Just my subjective opinion. This reminds me of MacJammer dolby's stuff, and that's meant as a high praise. You should check out his stuff if you're not familiar with it, you'd find a kindred soul.
As it is, it works, but keep striving!

dajama said 173 days ago
Thanks, Jim
I'm glad you stopped by to check this one out, and very happy you like it. Interesting idea about the chorus. I guess I was thinking the listener might have had enough of the chorus by that stage, but I see what you mean; having the chorus come back in again might represent more of a resolution. Something I may revisit in future versions. Very glad you enjoyed this. Many thanks. Peace.

Lightman- said 173 days ago
Great
I like the lyrics.... And your voice is good on this.... The sound on the lead vocal is great... A thing, where the effects on the vocals isn't too loud.. This is good mixed....

dajama said 173 days ago
Thanks, man
Good to see you around again. I'm very glad you enjoyed this one, and I'm looking forward to checking out your latest. Thanks a lot for the nice words. Much appreciated. Peace.

VicDiesel said 173 days ago
Cool
Nice song, easy going, simlple but effective arrangement.

Don't be afraid to rerecord occasional phrases: you're sometimes just a tad out tune, for instance 1:57-2:02.



dajama said 173 days ago
Thank you
so much for stopping by to check this out, and I really appreciate your careful listening on the vocal. You're 100% right about those lines you mentioned. I'm kicking myself that I didn't notice it before! Thanks again for the nice words about the song. I'm glad you liked it. Many thanks. Peace.

Remark80 said 172 days ago
Great Song
Very well written. I like the mellow verses with the acoustic and the electric drives when you get to the chorus. Love the change in the chorus. Nice change to the bridge. Great Job man.


dajama said 172 days ago
Thanks, man
Glad you liked this one. I'm delighted you thought the acoustic/electric vibe worked. I have a habit of distorting the electric too much sometimes and ending up muddying up a song, or sometimes I leave it too clean. This time, I wanted a bit of grit on the chorus, but not too much. Thanks for stopping by to check this out. Glad you enjoyed it. Many thanks. Peace.

Dragonas said 172 days ago
Great job!
I absolutely love the lyrics on this gem.
The feeling is similar to what I was going for in "Do You Remember."
I also really like your voice and think that it would be worth going through and rerecording a couple phrases where you were just a touch out of tune, nothing major at all.
Downloaded and Favd.

dajama said 161 days ago
Thanks, man
I appreciate your stopping by to check this one out. Sorry it's taken so long to respond. I'm happy you enjoyed this, and you're spot on about some of the singing. It's on the list for redoing! I will be sure to check out Do You Remember. Thanks again for stopping by. Much appreciated. Cheers. Peace.

asconejar said 166 days ago
:)
Very nice vocal, mix, lyrics and bass lines. I'm envious of the what you've done here.

dajama said 161 days ago
Thank you, my friend
I'm delighted you stopped by. Glad you enjoyed the words and music. I'm flattered by your kind words. Much appreciated. Cheers. Peace.

E-Frame Wrecker said 156 days ago
This is good
I really enjoy listening to this song, not analyzing it. Its great music to my ears. You did an outstanding job with this one. It belongs on a CD or a longboard surfing video.

dajama said 154 days ago
Thanks, man
"A longboard surfing video" - that cracked me up! Excellent connection; I'll never think of this song he same way again! Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks a million for stopping by to check it out. Cheers. Peace.

Artist Profile
dajama photo
dajama

Artist Bio ...[more]
Artist Music
Hoping for a Hurricane (2008)
Red Moon (Our House)
Trapdoor w/ Micheal_Wark
Waiting For The Hit (LIOLI8)
You Are Here
Laying Low
Caroline Knows (MJ Covers)
Talking to Myself
I Woke Up
Dirty War (MJ Live Aid)
Struck Dumb (MacJams Coffee House)
Soul Free Miracle
I'm Gonna Lose This Game Again (House of Blues) w/ Feter
Turn Away Slowly w/ Ejh
All I Ever Hear
Screaming
What I Do To You
Find Yourself
Dreamers w/ davisamerica
Heathen
Astray
If The Stars Fall
Take It As It Comes
The Minstrel Boy (V4C01) w/ rschletty
The Spirit
One False Move
Hypnotized
Shooting For The Moon
Falling Angel
Stars
Hoping For A Hurricane