FAWM: "Bottom of the Trunk"

Bottom of the Trunk

3 weeks ago by @berni1954

Liner Notes

This song was written for the "Guilt" Prompt on this week's "Seasons of the Ukulele" (no longer on Ukulele Underground). It features a Guitalele and backing by Band in a Box.

It outlines an incident in my youth of which I am far from proud and relates the guilt I felt about it all then and later.

#FUC #Guitalele

Lyrics

(Gm) Linda was a fellow (F) student
All re(Gm)ligious and na(F)ïve
Ann, her (Gm) sister found home o(F)ppressive
And (Bb) longed for a chance to (C) leave
Their (Eb) father was a Tory (Bb) bigot
With i(Eb)deas from before the (Bb) war
After a (Eb) row with him one (Bb) evening
Ann (F) turned up outside my (Bb) door

She (Gm) begged me to let her (F) stay
Said she'd (Gm) nowhere else to (F) go
I (Gm) sensed this could lead to (F) trouble
But I (Bb) chose to go with the (C) flow
A (Eb) bottle of cheap red wine (Bb) later
I re(Eb)minded her:"There's just one (Bb) bed!"
She'd been (Eb) coming on to me all (Bb) evening
"I (F) know" was all she (Bb) said

She's (Eb) probably for(Bb)gotten me,
But (Eb) I'm still plagued by (Bb) guilt
When(Eb)ever her image (Bb) surfaces
It's (F) covered in rotting silt
A (Eb) painful re(Bb)minder
Of how (Eb) low I once had (Bb) sunk
In my (Cm) treasure chest of memories
I keep her (F) hidden in the bottom of the (Bb) trunk
(F) Hidden in the bottom of the (Gm) trunk

(Gm) She told me she was (F) desperate
To (Gm) lose her virgini(F)ty
Well, (Gm) I was young and (F) willing
To (Bb) let that task fall to (C) me
(Eb) Bodies clasped to (Bb) bodies
Me re(Eb)gretting what we had (Bb) drunk
But the (Eb) thing that put me (Bb) off the most
Was (F) just how much she (Bb) stunk

(Gm) I should have told her the (F) truth
And (Gm) asked her to take a (F) bath
But in(Gm)stead I broke off be(F)fore we'd joined
Not (Bb) thinking of the after(C)math
"You (Eb) can't stop now!" she (Bb) pleaded
"I (Eb) need you!" she im(Bb)plored
But I (Eb) claimed the moral (Bb) high ground
And said: (F) "I'll sleep on the (Bb) floor!"

CHORUS

I (Gm) lay in my sleeping bag (F) listening
To Ann (Gm) whimper through her (F) tears
I (Gm) guessed I'd wrecked her self-as(F)surance
Done (Bb) damage that might last for (C) years
Her (Eb) look of shock and res(Bb)entment
I (Eb) knew I would never for(Bb)get
(Eb) Not being truthful with (Bb) her that night
Has (F) been a life-long re(Bb)gret

CHORUS

Comments

@mariekevink 3d

This is both hilarious and kind of sad. I can see both sides here :-)
Your guilt just makes you a good person. I love the unexpected direction it took and that it wasn't a song about regretting taking someone's virginity. Highly entertaining.

@wynia 1w

What a story! Love the song and music and performance too!

@grayland 3w

This is such a jaunty, enjoyable song!! Just the right amount of raunchy!! I really enjoyed it and enjoyed the video too!! I think alot of us have trunk like that!!

@yewnorker 3w

Everyone of our generation probably has a Norwegian Wood tale or two. This is great storytelling.

@janeg 3w

Awesome story-telling! Someone here should write a song from her viewpoint. I think I buried my trunk at sea so such memories would be harder to re-surface.

@ductapeguyMod 3w

This is film noir. Vivid technicolor reality in black and white.

@coolparadisoMod 3w

Catchy from the off! Like the pace. I think Tory bigot may be a tortology :-). Some guilt and humour all in one!

@gordon 3w

Wonderful stuff Berni, really enjoyed this, both the lyrics and delivery

@billwhite51 3w

it seems we are at the age when we deal with the guilt we feel about things we did in the days when we were innocent. feelings of guilt that may have motivated this confession are leavened by your winning sense of humour.