Sing Along: All of the Nice Things
Loudon Wainwright III on the set of M*A*S*H
“All of the Nice Things” is the oldest song on RESCUE. It was written in 2007 and is a companion song to “The Most Awful Things” from DANGER. Why bring an old song back to a new record?
WHY NOT?
I try to listen to songs the way most people would listen to them (mainly focusing on the lyrics). I believe this is one of the more “lyrically coherent” tunes I’ve written. There are also some sweet moments in the song which lends itself a little more to the themes of redemption on RESCUE.
This tune deserves the whole lyric treatment for this post:
Beer and Queso and late-night TV
Scrabble and UNO and Monopoly
I just can't figure out what's wrong with me
It's hard to sleep at night
I'm a boxer without a fight
And the color of my shiner isn't as bright
All of the nice things aren't as nice without you
Scary movies
A comfy chair
Inappropriate clothing
An inappropriate stare
All of the nice things aren't nice without you
Penguins and puppies and small orphaned squirrels
swimming and porno and dancing with girls
I can't even get hungover anymore
Well it's hard to keep my eyes dry
I'm a cold war without a spy
and I'm a Loudon Wainwright “One Man Kind of Guy”
Listen to “All of the Nice Things” here: