I didn't have time to listen to anything for the first two weeks so I'm catching up a bit and glad I stopped by. Very enjoyable on its own, this song, without knowing about the challenge, but even more impressive when you know about it. Great little number, with a groovy vibe, and I especially love how you called the bar the Palindrome.

Your songs seem to be taking me yo the library to the classic novels shelves. This one made me think of Proust and times when the main character is searching for his lover but she’s with someone else. I love the way you use repetition and space to let these unwanted truths hover as they slowly sink in. You get som much done with so few words. And I will be singing the phrase Saturday Night at the Palindrome all day.

ha! palindrome, indeed! creative, and so much damn fun to hear! love what you do musically/chordally thru the whole thing, but especially the bridge, (the whole thing really!) And a fantastic album-worthy performance. great stuff!

The opening notes just scream 'Saturday night'.

I like the simplicity of the palindromic layout. It fits so well, I might not have noticed if I were just listening.

As others have mentioned, your 'dodgy one take' is better than my best, so I'll muddle through another listen, yeah?

Man, that's a lot of lyrical work, and it came together super well. I always dig hearing your acoustic blues style guitar. Broken duck seems like a starting idea for a new song of its own.

Wow, I’ve heard lots of takes on the palindrome theme but you’ve nailed a perfect balance between cleverly nailing the prompt and also writing a killer song. I love how you suggest a whole nuanced narrative with such sparse lyrics. And I just love hearing your sound again.

I don't know what the name of the genre is, of this style guitar and singing and theme, kind hontytonk, but you totally nailed it! Great song, great.listening.

Clever, making each verse—and the entire song—a palindrome! Much less lyrics to write! ;-) Fantastic guitar work, which is one reason I keep coming back here.

Imagining the Palindrome as a cool venue is an absolutely genius move! And this is definitely one of the most creative takes on the challenge I've come across in terms of that unfurling and recoiling structure. Love the world weary tinge to the vocal. Nothing wrong with rough and ready. Also, I believe 'broken my duck' originates from cricket, aka the finest sport known to mankind, so you get extra points for mentioning that in the liner notes.

wonderful in almost every respect, and as @philnorman said, a nice approach to the challenge. Two things struck me: It would be cool if the central verse was unique, the pivot of the palindrome. And if you could make it musically palindromic, all the better.

So Cool!!! Fine Fingerpickin' and your smooth Jazz/Blues vocals really shine like a neon bar light out at the corner of Sad and Lonesome. Great lyric too.

Love this! It took me three verses to realize the palindrome because I was enjoying it so much!

Absolutely brilliant way to approach the challenge, from the shape of each stanza to the way the repetition unfolds backwards. All the bonus points for turning the Palindrome into the bar where all the cool cats hangout.

I'd put this song right into your live set, with no preamble patter. This has a vibe and conveys an emotion that make a great song, whether or not anyone in the audience is clever enough to catch the structure. A magician never reveals his tricks and all that...

This is one of my favorites so far. Love your lyrics, your writing, your vocal performance, and especially your guitar playing. Beautiful work. Ironically, as you were singing the lines of can’t stay here and can’t go home. The song closing time by Semisonic was playing in another part of the building.

Later edit: Could only listen earlier. After reading your liner notes and reading the lyrics, it works so beautifully the palindrome. Well done! Break that duck.

I'm so happy to have a song from you to listen to! This prompt had your name written all over it, and this one doesn't disappoint. I like how you make a complex structure simple and also actually make sense. I love how your mind -- and fingers -- work.

So great to hear that familiar guitar playing again. Love that bass run leading into the chorus and of course the instrumental break, which just kicks a$$. And that outro was just darn awesome too. I’m gonna play this again right now!!!