The Reckoning

This is about being hospitalized.

Musician's notes / song bio after the lyrics.



The Reckoning
wmh - Nov 2013

This room has been so cold for so long 
And the growing shadows tell me of the time 
There is a fear and a love here so very strong 
Telling me that I do and do not belong 

And with all of the arbitrary 
Indecision 
And incisions 
Over years by 
Countless barbers 
I've been made to bleed 
And though the pain and the 
Scars have been 
Quite severe, it's the 
Judgment and the 
Reckoning that I need 

[chorus] 
So let’s move along now 
You barristers and dames 
I recognize your faces 
But remember not your names 
Some got the education and some got the brains 
Some carry the keys while others just pull the chains 

[instrumental break] 

Until my presence here has been replaced with my absence 
There’ll be no high pressure measures and even less to tell 
And as long as symptoms are passed along as evidence 
I’ll go on believing rumors that the treatments are going well 

[repeat chorus twice]


Musical Notes

William spent some time in hospital after a nasty fall.

The imagery is straightforward, if a bit obscure. The nice part about that is that it may make the subject matter appear to be deeper than it really is.

It might be worth a word of explanation to some folks that the "barristers" are insurance folks, the "dames" are nurses, and "barbers" refers to surgeons. (barbers were surgeons in medieval times, and to the current day they were considered a form of medical practice. When I was a kid that surprised me, but that was a long time ago.) The lyrics also nod to the fact that the nurses seem to more about what's going on than some of the doctors.

Musically, it's simple as well. Just a guitar, drums and voice. That very "loose" verse at the end was designed that way with a friend in mind. It's deliberately written in her style, and I hope she does cover the song.

For some reason I can't get the vocals where I want them on this version, but will keep trying. I also usually put a bit more effort into the track art, but I couldn't exactly think of anything that actually screams "The Reckoning". So I went with the Caduceus in a fit of laziness. I'm open to suggestions for artwork. Technically, the Caduceus is wrong anyway. Although it's often used as a medical logo, that bit of symbolism properly belongs to to the rod of Asclepius.

The drums are from Jim Dooley with the exception of two fills. Check out JimDooley.net for his large selection of royalty-free loops..