Writing "Sad Mr. Mustard."

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With the Beatles in mind

Sad Mr. Mustard is a bit of a re-take (or followup) to the Beatles' song, Mean Mr. Mustard - although I would never be so bold to say it even compares slightly to the quality of writing and recording of that amazing Lennon & McCartney song.

The story is based on a politically conservative man who watches too much sensationalistic television news. Trouble is, it makes him a very sad and angry man - never mind it totally angers his wife.

I suppose this song came about from my own experiences. Personally, I know I feel much better if I don't watch or listen to too much news as it all tends to be bad and overhyped sensationalism designed to sell commercial ads...and can even make you overly cynical. Still, I have friends who would fit into the Sad Mr. Mustard mold.

I started the song with a replay of the Ringo's song's drum intro - however playing my own digital drum kit but using the same drum hit count and timing.

It was my goal to give the song a very "tongue-in-cheek" slant - almost a bit of a laugh at modern day news, views, and opinion programs, and of course, those people who get all worked up over them - mainly the extreme right and left wing of the political parties.

The first verse starts out with "Sad, old Mr. Mustard" sitting alone in his living room, eating custard, "watching the latest news and views." My main message in the first verse is to illustrate that the news is just a lot of noise and "...doom, gloom, and blues." (Which it totally is, no matter what party you support.)

Verse 1

Sad, old Mr. Mustard - sits alone with his custard

watching the latest news and views

With its slant to the left-he's a leaner to the right

Bunch of fuckin’ noise - doom, gloom, and blues (fights)

Usually, when I arrange songs I'll typically follow verse one with a verse two but, in this song, I wanted to get right into the Chorus section and give a few poetic and somewhat exaggerated examples of what I think I hear today's news delivering - even adding in a little hint of religion on the last line of the Chorus; "Christ, who knows, what is the truth?"

Chorus 1

Ev’rybody’s shouting shite, guns, gays, and civil rights

Missiles flying overhead, grand totals of the dead

It’s too hot, it’s too cold,

shut your mouth, do as your told

Christ, who knows, what is truth?

For the second verse, I wanted to use "...the honorable Mrs." Mustard to help convey my commentary how some people can get very tired to constantly hearing people bitch about all things political, and more. Hence, my line, "Turn the damn thing off she screams..."

Verse 2

Now, the honorable Mrs. Mustard’s in the kitchen feeling blustered

Her Mr’s got himself in a fix

Turn the damn thing off she screams - but he can’t hear what she means

Between the fake news, the pundits, and the pricks

For the Bridge section, my goal was to state how "Everybody's got a dog in the fight," when it comes to politics and points-of-view on news. Well, I think the Bridge section speaks for itself and the message I'm trying to convey.

Bridge

Ev’rybody’s got a dog in the fight

Crazy thing is, they think they’re all right (left)

Choosing their words for maximum results

To feed the members of their own stupid cult

For the ending, I simply wanted to drive home the main message of the Chorus by repeating it one last time, ending the entire song with the (somewhat old school) sound effect of a television (tube) being shut off.

Well, that's about it. I hope you like the tune. It was fun to write and play but, bear in mind, while it is a serious commentary on today's media and how it effects people, it's also a humorous poke at the media and the people effected by it, too.

Thanks for reading my Blog. I hope you found it interesting. Please don't hesitate to write me if I can answer any questions about this song, the recording of it, or any other of my songs. And also, please don't forget to sign up to be notified of new posts.

Sincerely. Bob McCarroll.

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Sad Mr. Mustard - Recording Session Screen

Sad Mister Mustard (B. McCarroll Sept. 2017)

Verse 1

Sad, old Mr. Mustard - sits alone with his custard

watching the latest news and views

With its slant to the left-he's a leaner to the right

Bunch of fuckin’ noise - doom, gloom, and blues

Chorus 1

Ev’rybody’s shouting shite, guns, gays, and civil rights

Missiles flying overhead, grand totals of the dead

It’s too hot, it’s too cold,

shut your mouth, do as your told

Christ, who knows, what is truth?

Verse 2

Now, the honorable Mrs. Mustard’s in the kitchen feeling blustered

Her Mr’s got himself in a fix

Turn the damn thing off she screams - but he can’t hear what she means

Between the fake news, the pundits, and the pricks

Chorus 2 (repeat)

Ev’rybody’s shouting shite, guns, gays, and civil rights

Missiles flying overhead, grand totals of the dead

It’s too hot, it’s too cold,

shut your mouth, do as your told

Christ, who knows, what is truth?

(They’re gonna get you.)

Bridge

Ev’rybody’s got a dog in the fight

Crazy thing is, they think they’re all right (left)

Choosing their words for maximum results

To feed the members of their own stupid cult

SOLO

Chorus 3 (repeat)

Ev’rybody’s shouting shite, guns, gays, and civil rights

Missiles flying overhead, grand totals of the dead

It’s too hot, it’s too cold,

shut your mouth, do as your told

Christ, who knows, what is truth?

(They’re gonna get you. They’re gonna get you.)