Songs: Never Been Superstitious

notes / gigs / releases

I've never been superstitious
Guess I'm just lucky that way
I've always been cold and logical
Fingers crossed that's how I'll stay

The only facts I'll have are academically proved
I wouldn't even take directions unless they've been peer reviewed

No I'll rely on reason
And be analytical
I've never been superstitious
Touch wood I never will

I'll use scientific method
In my pursuit of the truth
I've a feeling in my water
Richard Dawkins would approve

Ask me any question, you'll need to wait for my reply
Whilst I conduct a double-blind placebo controlled randomised trial

I'll never be superstitious
And I hope it's not tempting fate
To say I'll always be scientific
I guess God just made me that way

Oh I've never been superstitious
But if I ever change my mind
It's only to be expected
Cos I'm a Gemini

Published by Wipe Out Music Publishing

I wrote this song SORT OF to order - I'm playing a gig on Friday 13th (of April 2007, OH ARCHEOLOGISTS) and they're having a "Superstition" theme to the evening, so I told the promoter I'd write a song especially for it. I've known about the gig for MONTHS and so the old BRANE has been churning away trying to think of something for AGES. For a long old time I've been trying to write my (personally) long-awaited Richard Dawkins song, BENDING it round to say that, actually, being superstitious is not so bad as it opens THE MIND to other possibilities, rather than remaining within the unpleasantly arrogant sour-faced dogma of the I AM COMPLETELY RIGHT brigade... but I couldn't really get anything going, apart from the nice little bit "Richard Dawkins must be careful not to harbour superstitions, it's the domain of the charlatan and street corner magician". It was going to be about Professor Dawkins constantly having to step on cracks, walk under ladders etc. to prove he wasn't being superstitious... but it wasn't actually all the interesting.

THUS when I woke up on Saturday morning (31/03/2007) with what would become the first two lines of this song i was PLEASED - HERE was something a bit DAFT that I could write instead. HOORAH! The FACT that The Slabs Of My Pavement openly LARFED when I played it to her made me think "AHA! This is the ROUTE CORRECT!" and so i... er... left it for the rest of the day. On the SUNDAY I had an afternoon to myself so set down to finish it off - initially VEERING OFF with a second half about things being written in the stars/using tarot cards, which was rather SPOILING the point of the song, but eventually WRESTING it back. PHEW!

Now all I need to do is LEARN it and GIG it, but that should be OK... touch wood.

UPDATE!! Whilst playing the song to do aforesaid LEARNING I realised it was lacking a verse, so wrote a new one which DID at last mention Richard Dawkins, and stuck it in the middle. HOORAH!

UPDATE!! Whilst playing the song to do aforesaid LEARNING I realised it was lacking a verse, so wrote a new one which DID at last mention Richard Dawkins, and stuck it in the middle. HOORAH!