I’ve already published a version of this song on SubStack but (as I said in that post) that was only a poorly constructed demo version that didn’t really do the song justice in my opinion.
I had added synth and drum parts to try and flesh it out and get the point of it across, but I have never been able to capture the essence of the song as I intend it. That’s because I composed it and typically perform it on acoustic guitar alone. That stripped back and minimalist ‘live performance’ approach seems to be an integral part of the song’s character as every time I try to ‘produce’ it, I ended up losing something vital.
So I have tried to capture a live performance of the piece with just one microphone and a reverb channel to get the idea across. I’m still practicing it to get the performance of it tighter and more professional. I’m still working on my guitar playing for a song, which explains some of the admittedly sloppy playing in this video. I am much better than I was a few months ago when I first published the song and I’m getting better everyday.
I also want to incorporate some guitar body taps into the 3rd and 4th verses as a drum beat in the future when I have a better grasp on the technique. I feel the need for a thumping kick drum and tight snare at that point, but want to keep it as a song that I perform exclusively on one guitar to keep the live feel.
I have copied and pasted in my description and the story behind the song from that original post into this one [below] as that hasn't changed.
I hope you like it.
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The namesake of this song, Euterpe, was one of the muses of ancient Greek mythology. She presided over music and lyric poetry. Read more about this mythical character here…
The ancient Greeks believed that art was directly inspired by the gods through the muses to the artist. I don’t believe in any such theocratic concepts but I have recently suffered from writer’s block as a songwriter. Early on in this creative funk, I mused on the idea of the muses, so to speak.
I was unhappy with my creative output at the time and feeling a heavy amount of imposter syndrome creeping into my psyche. I felt that everything that I wrote was of poor quality, not good enough and that I never would be able to write anything decent ever again. I felt like a fraud.
I had been reading a little about Greek Mythology then as it overlapped with my interest in Western Classical philosophy: Plato, Aristotle, Diogenes, etc. I found the concept of the muses to be interesting but (being an atheist) thought how ridiculous the idea of praying for inspiration would be. I also dislike the idea that an artist would defer the credit for their works to a nameless, spiritual entity instead of rightfully claiming it for themselves.
But I liked the idea as a narrative structure: An artist struggling with ‘writer’s block’ and ‘imposter syndrome’ praying for inspiration from the muse, begging them to bless them with an idea worthy of writing into a song. So I started writing lyrics that were essentially a prayer to Euterpe, the muse of music and lyric poetry.
The song was bad and I dumped it, but I liked the idea still and kept it in my mind. The next day I was going through my voice notes from the previous month. This is how I record demos and initial ideas for songs that I think show promise to capture them, so that I can work on them later.
One such voice note was the chorus for this song: the lyric ‘I’m still waiting, still waiting for you’ sang over the alternating 6 and 3 chords (Ionian mode) with all the added 9ths, 11ths and 13ths that make those minor chords sound so unique and interesting. I simplified the riff in the end but some of those notes still appear.
I had thought that this chorus would develop into some kind of dramatic love song and was planning to write verses that fit in with the ‘pining for love’ lyrics of the chorus.
But then I said to myself ‘this song sounds a little like a Muse song’, meaning the British prog metal band from my neck of the woods in the southwest of England. Not like their heavier songs like Plug In Baby, Newborn or Knights of Cydonia and more like their acoustic efforts that are inspired by classical music and slightly more gothic themes.
Saying ‘muse’ to myself reminded me of the Euterpe Prayer song idea and I thought the lyrics ‘I’m still waiting for you’ fit it perfectly. Instead of asking for her inspiration for the first time in prayer, the story could be that I have repeatedly asked the muse to bless me, yet have still received no answer. I’m still waiting, frustrated by the silence my repeated pleading prayers have been met with. Wondering if she is even listening, thinking she has already deemed me as unworthy of divine inspiration and sceptical that she is even there at all.
The verse lyrics here are almost unchanged from that first draft I wrote, perhaps slightly rearranged. I’ll paste them below.
I have performed this song live once and had some good feedback from the audience that was made up of mostly musicians.
On my nylon string guitar and in a room with good acoustics, this song has a character that I struggle to capture in a studio setting. It works in that scenario as just vocals and guitar and sounds stripped back and raw. Authentic and sombre yet still dramatic. I have done my utmost to capture that essence in this performance.
I hope you enjoy the song. If you do, it may mean my prayer was actually answered. Thanks Euterpe.
And thank you for listening/reading
Pete Brennan (Singer/Songwriter) aka The Common Centrist
Euterpe [Lyrics]
Praying
Begging for salvation
Waiting
A kiss of inspiration, please
Anything at all
Searching
The void for innovation
Cursing
The fabric of creation
For nothing ever comes
(Refrain)
I’m still waiting
Still waiting for you (x2)
I ask for
The strength to go on fighting
Screaming
And all hear is silence, oh
Its like im all alone
Wordless
Murmurs from the unknown
Worthless
I swear that I can feel those words
Like shadows in a cave
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