[From the album: Tragically Ever After]
 Also released on: [First performance:]
July 21st, 2001
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[About:]
A song about the type of person who becomes very intense, serious, and spiritual as they become intoxicated. Anyone who has ever been to bar has no doubt encountered such an individual at one time or another.
When performed live, the band has often used it as an invitation for patrons to buy drinks for themselves or the band.[Notes:]
- The song was titled "Nightshade" after the family of Solanaceae plants which includes a variety of toxic and edible plants, most notably the potato which is the chief ingredient in vodka.
- Although the song was written in 2001 from a piano piece that Zadoc was working on, portions of the lyrics were actually taken from an earlier song written by Zadoc in 1991 titled "Gone Astray".
The lines that were reused were: "If I was to say to you, all the things that I could do for you. Would you deny me or choose not to believe?" from the opening verse and "Taking every promise broken and drying up your fears" from the final verse. - Despite knowing that the opening line "If I was to say to you..." is not grammatically correct, Zadoc felt that it flowed better this way and also helped emulate the type of grammatical mistakes that intoxicated people make.
- The Nightshade, or Solanacae, family also includes: Jimson weed, eggplant, mandrake, belladonna, paprika, chili peppers, tobacco, tomatoes, and petunias.
- Former guitarist Monster considered this song a favorite.
- Recording this song for the album "Tragically Ever After" proved very problematic for the band. When the band went into the studio to begin recording the album they were a three piece band without keyboards. Although they had played this song live many times without the aid of the piano line, Zadoc wanted it on the album, and it was originally layed down as a sequenced track.
Unfortunately, drummer Carmen Giocondo was used to the lazy swagger of the guitars, bass, and vocals and not the straight forward piano line. The band would up doing nearly a dozen or so takes before getting one that was deemed usable and moving on to the next song. Unfortunately, recording engineer Tom Bushnell rewound the tape too far and recorded the next song over the usable take. Fortunately, the following take was better than the one that was erased. - A music video has been planned for this song.
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If I was to say to you,
All the things that I can do for you,
Would you deny me? Or choose not to believe?
Lovers crawl beneath the tide,
Make you do just as I please,
And I cannot be shamed
I can bring you everything,
Why can't you just receive?
Goddamn you...
It's growing stronger now,
You're weakening,
This nightmare never ends...
You were just a stranger here,
This garden of the truth,
Beckoning your every prayer,
Yet you deny the proof,
Lovers swept beneath the tide,
And still I am not shamed,
I've created everything,
And you can never leave...
Goddamn you...
Take my hand and drown with me
Watch the years go by
Electrify, intensify, and justify the lie,
Saturate the elements, take a look around,
I am one with all that turns,
You cannot be found...
And so as you hear these words,
To idolize the years,
Taking every promise broken,
Drying up your tears,
Lovers lost beneath the tide,
Find you left afraid,
Welcome to eternity of nightshade and our dreams
Goddamn you... |
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