I wrote this song in 1998 and recorded it with The Wrenboys in early 1999. I don't remember that much about writing it except that it was mainly about an imaginary meeting with an ex-girlfriend (such meetings in real life are rarely that great) and a bit of homespun philosophy about moving on, hence "it don't pay to rake the coals of yesterday". The songwriter in me often lives in an imaginary world where he is a sort of preacher for the people, sending out truths and wisdom from an imaginary pulpit, spreading enlightenment with a well turned phrase or a clever internal rhyme. He's an annoying git to be honest, no wonder I banished him for a good ten years, sent to the songwriter salt mines for a decade of cultural "readjustment". These days (I hope) he's learnt his lesson and resists his "preaching" inclinations in favour of a more storytelling approach or a simpler, straight from the heart style. If not he may need to be sent back to the salt mines....
Anyway, recording the Wrenboys self titled album was great fun and I learnt a lot under the watchful eye of Ross Ryan who engineered and produced the album. This song features the wonderful fiddle playing of Ewen Baker, the rock solid bass and drums of Will Oldmeadow and Fred Abery and a bit of me on vocals and guitars. We did this one a lot live and it was a bit of a favourite at the time. I still trot it out on occasion as I'm quite fond of it. I hope you enjoy it and I'll upload other songs from the album from time to time.
Anyway, recording the Wrenboys self titled album was great fun and I learnt a lot under the watchful eye of Ross Ryan who engineered and produced the album. This song features the wonderful fiddle playing of Ewen Baker, the rock solid bass and drums of Will Oldmeadow and Fred Abery and a bit of me on vocals and guitars. We did this one a lot live and it was a bit of a favourite at the time. I still trot it out on occasion as I'm quite fond of it. I hope you enjoy it and I'll upload other songs from the album from time to time.