She Knows Where I Stand: The Anatomy of a Song
By Paul R. Abramson
He has been a kind of cartoon leader, Mark Danner wrote in a recent New York Review of Books article, shouting and gesticulating…with frenetic ferocity. And it has taken nature, not man, in its embodiment as a deadly virus to show the fatal limits of his [unscrupulous] imagination.
With a preamble like that, how does one write a song about a pandemic where veracity is preserved, and subtlety and allegory matter?
You say it’s ok, I’ve nothing to fear.
Well, this ain’t Kansas, let’s get that clear
Well, this ain’t Kansas is an obvious reference to the movie The Wizard of Oz. Courtesy of a tornado, Dorothy was transported to the Land of Oz, and her bewilderment was expressed accordingly: Toto, I’ve a feeling were not in Kansas anymore. That sentiment also seemed to be an especially fitting opening salvo to Trump’s unconscionable assurances about the pandemic. And let’s get that clear. The remainder of this first verse then introduces a fundamental concern voiced by applied mathematicians who model pandemics, the unknown unknowns as it were.
It’s not what you know, it’s not what they said.
what we don’t know, yet,
still playin’ in my head.
The accompanying chorus then reflects another truism about pandemics. Lockdowns, by default, produce more time on our hands, largely spent at home. If we are fortunate enough to have a loving partner or family member living with us, that burden is minimized to some degree.
Hangin’ around
Time on my hands
She knows what I need
She knows where I stand
She cuts to the chase
Never done me wrong.
Gonna follow her lead
In the picture that she draws.
The second verse is a Donald Trump recap: his persona (clown; trumpet of doom), the November 2020 presidential election (looking for an exit, hoping it’s soon), the economic disasters (lost jobs), and the failure to embrace vital public health measures (never saw it coming).
Don’t want that clown, no trumpet of doom.
Looking for an exit, hoping it’s soon.
Had a good job, lost that too.
Never saw it coming, not even a clue
These lyrics, titled She Knows Where I Stand, were then encased in a quasi-blues musical framework, with resounding guitars, a tin drum, a steadfast gospel improviser, and a vocalist with verve.
Listen to the song at https://soundcloud.com/crying-4-kafka/she-knows-where-i-stand
Credits: The song was composed by Paul Abramson (lyrics) and Mattia Bacca (music) in 2020. All rights are reserved. On the recording it is Paul Abramson (lead vocals), Mattia Bacca (guitar and electronic instrumentation), James Cruce (drums), Emanuele Ghirardini (guitar), and Paul du Gre (background vocals). The song was mixed and mastered by Paul du Gre at Paul & Mike’s Studio in Burbank, California in 2020, and will appear, courtesy of the band Crying 4 Kafka, on the soundtrack album for the forthcoming movie Thus Spoke Mary X.
CRYING 4 KAFKA: The song She Knows Where I Stand was composed by Paul Abramson and Mattia Bacca. This photograph of Mattia was taken at a Crying 4 Kafka performance on 5/16/15 at bG Gallery in Santa Monica, California. The photographer was Halford H. Fairchild