FAWM: "Who Was The Witness"

Who Was The Witness

1 week ago by @jamesstaubes

Who Was The Witness

jamesstaubes

00:00

Liner Notes

I’d been sitting on this beat—borrowed straight from Bowie’s Blackstar—but after three failed writing attempts, I almost gave up. FAWM gave me the push to try again. For the chorus groove, I swiped Kenny Aronoff’s Jack & Diane beat after watching a fresh Drumeo vid on it. I leaned as hard as I could into the Blackstar vibe and let it take me somewhere new.

Lyrically, I started with a different idea but had already covered that topic this year. Instead, I landed on ‘Caught in the furor of the machine.’ But what machine? The court system. I’d just finished, "The Knockout Queen," which dives into its darker side, and that stuck with me.

I had a lot of fun layering all the guitars. 2 more to go!
#rock #experimental #guitar #keyboards #groove #vocals

Lyrics

Verse 1
Caught in the furor
Of the machine
I’m sworn as a juror
To share what I think

But the message is filtered
Through millions of screens
He is sold as a killer
And the data is weak

Chorus
Who was the witness
Nobody saw it
All seems so flimsy
Subject to whimsy

Searching for answers
Inclined to slander
Weight of the verdict
Feels so perverted

Verse 2
There’s a flaw in the motive
It doesn’t feel right
Arguments are explosive
And tensions are high

It’s a process of pressure
Choosing death over life
It’s a painful endeavor
Which grinds very fine

Comments

@sarahk 4d

The energy and layers here are infectious af. And what a novel topic--jury duty! Well written, well sung, well played, well done.

@dugganensis 1w

Great movement and contrast throughout your arrangements. All the tempo changes kept me engaged and ready for that driving, danceable chorus to come back. Lyrics show a good amount of restraint, where getting heavy-handed or literal would be irresistible to many. You do a great job of showing enough of the story without 'telling' it, and keeping focus on that inner conflict. Listeners can fill in the details. I'm getting flashbacks to my own horrible jury duty experience!