Singled Out: The Greening

"Don't Have The Time" is a song whose title was originally "The Mule." I had *no* idea that Deep Purple had a song also called "The Mule," and on one of their most famous albums I've been told. Hence, the changing of the title many years later when we finally recorded it. It tells a story of two people dancing around the fact that one of them is currently being unfaithful, and likely has for some time. The narrator is the person who is currently being cheated on, and is simply asking his lover "if it's really that hard to stay faithful to me, let alone tell me the truth, why am I wasting my time with you? I don't have the time to be lulled to sleep by your excuses and bad alibis, I'd just as soon wash my hands of you then waste any more." Those aren't the literal lyrics, of course, but during that exchange in each chorus, Nick (Tatro)'s propulsive drumming and Will (Loving)'s two overdriven rhythm guitars really hammer this point home.

Originally this song featured a really strange intro in 3/4 time that in the end, simply didn't fit. By the time we were laying down the drums, I had thought of this fat drum fill, reminiscent of the classic fill that kicks off Michael Jackson's "Rock With You" and Nick learned it very quickly before we laid it down. I am very thankful that Will reminded me how clearly I had come to the conclusion to drop the original 3/4 intro, viewing it entirely out of place and jarring. Right before that drum intro was written I was backpedaling and thinking "we SHOULD record that intro" but Will stepped in and talked some sense into me.

During the mid "ahhhh" section, we layered a bunch of vocals, two separate drum parts playing off of each other, really visceral AC/DC-esque guitar jabs, the bassline and a low-in-the-mix, ebbing synth. When Will finished the first mix of this song we came to the same conclusion: it was missing something. Enter Will with the chaotic television samples and the midsection went from feeling empty to finally achieving the right buildup of tension we were seeking before that final chorus. And THAT, my friend, is how Loving and Meischen write on each other's songs. Opinions that make the difference.