FAWM: "This Boy's Life"

This Boy's Life

2025 by @hornesgiftshop

Liner Notes

It's easy, and very dull, to feel superior to Americans these days. And then I read elderly members of my extended family down south posting on Facebook, "sharing" jokes about dinghies sinking in the Channel and kids drowning, and I want to give up.

Thanks to Nadine for running #movietitlechallenge

Lyrics

This boy's life would have been settled Wearing the shoes his father wore They work you hard and pay you little Every day you're wanting more

A, E (x4)

This boy's brother was a soldier Paid for the house outside town Twenty five and well remembered In full colour, smiling proud

C#m, D, A / F#m, B7 / E, B7, E / E, B7, E

On the screen you see glass towers Reaching up into the sky The Lord God's very own sunflowers Built by man to please His eyes

Am+9, E7, E7(b9) / Am+9, G, F Am+9, E7, / Am+9, E7

This boy's wife would have been chosen Letters passed and money too Not too pretty, says his mother His father laughs, says 'just like you'

A, E (x4)

Some days you can't see or breathe here When the wind picks up the dust And when you're waiting for the rain to come You can watch the iron rust

C#m, D, A / F#m, B7 / E, B7, E / E, B7, E

On the screen you see headlights Words in yellow, you can't read Everyone's awake at midnight In the land of plenty

Am+9, E7, E7(b9) / Am+9, G, F Am+9, E7, / Am+9, E7

On the screen there are searchlights An empty boat on dirty sands No names, no pictures; a black night Somewhere between two foreign lands

Am+9, E7, E7(b9) / Am+9, G, F Am+9, E7, / Am+9, E7

This boy’s life would have been lived Yellow on the first day of spring There’s nothing sure in this world Open the curtain to the morning

Comments

@motorcitymusicman 2025

A powerful story about a timely issue really well presented lyrically and musically. Very well done.

@rockstarsmd 2025

Puts me in the mind of Ray Davies early work. Nicely written and delivered!

@audrey 2025

Good melody filled with, a melancholy that suits the movie and your lyric well. Growing up with abuse like he experienced can't be easy.

@joeycyclone 2025

Great take on the prompt. Beautiful words to acknowledge the humanity behind the devisive headlines

@siasa 2025

Wow! You're really stretching out both lyrically and musically on this one.

@hornesgiftshop 2025

Hi @bradbrubaker . Thanks for the comment. The chords feel like very natural positions - I have small hands and tend to thumb chords when I can. The Am chord is in the barre position leaving the B and e strings open, thumb A on the E string (supposed to be alternating with open E but I didn't get that bit together and had to dash for school parents' evening - single dad in FAWM syndrome). The E7 thing is the C7 shape up a few frets, also with open B and e. I added the sinister F on the B string to stop it sounding like Hotel California. (Then I thought a quote from Hotel California would be perfect in the context of someone in the global south watching videos of the west and thinking he could live there - but it was already in the tune by the time I had that thought).