If you really want to know what this song is about then please visit this link and have a read.

http://www.refuge.org.uk/what-we-do/working-with-families-to-effect-change/maria-stubbings/

I remember hearing Maria Stubbings’ story while listening to a radio 4 interview with her brother a few years ago – it was a really moving piece of radio. He was passionate, eloquent, emotional and intelligent in the way he spoke about something that was clearly of total importance to himself and his family.

Like with Salt, those words stuck with me and I knew when we started to play with Wherewithal that it was an appropriate song.

Domestic violence is a very important issue for me, especially as I feel that our society could do more on many levels from governance to policing, media representation to education.

Again all I hoped when i wrote the lyrics for this song is that I used appropriate language.

Musically, Mickey was very worried that this song was a bit too 80s, especially with his little Sexual Healing chorus guitar part, but other than that it wasn’t too difficult to record. He sometimes gets these very personal hang ups about a song that the rest of us can’t really hear (we don’t really play “Her Black Eyes” anymore because he is convinced we have changed the key and not told him), but once he gets past them it all follows on like it normally would.

The main problem ending up being working out a suitable baseline – the guitar part was written first and so does the job that a standard bass part would do, it doesn’t leave a great deal of space in which the bass can operate. Also, we really wanted to make sure that the two verses were adequately delineated – sometimes our music can sound a little repetitive melodically so we like to bring in another “theme” when a second verse happens. A few slides and weird noises later it was sorted.

Weird noises are our standard go-to when we have a problem: it normally involves Mickey having a cuppa while I record about 10 guitar takes. He’ll then come back, shake his head and then spend 6 hours knitting together something coherent from what I’ve done – so much so that it bears no resemblance to my original part. Like giving Leonardo Da Vinci a ball of wool and him turning it into a sculpture of an eagle. Mickey describes this as “taking what you do and making it a million times better”. This offends me greatly but I suppose I just have to deal with it….

Jack Fotheringham plays the drums again on this song. We loved working with Jack – he drums with Bwani Junction who we all think are the greatest band who aren’t massive in the world. They don’t use any tricks live – everything you see is them. Very few bands do that anymore and this integrity and fullness of sound tells you everything you need to know about their musicianship and songwriting….

I know that’s a bit of a ramble to finish off on, but hey ho. I suppose it’s ok to go sideways from time to time, works for crabs.

x

Picture me enchained like a memory
And I won’t waste, I won’t waste
Figure you’d be safe, calling the police
They won’t wait, they won’t wait up

Shaking like a leaf, as a simile
Doesn’t begin to describe
Every little failing is annuity
To the one in four who survive

Funny how the ending mirrors my life
Sharp love from sharp eyes
Buried under coats, needing all relief
I won’t wake, I won’t wake up

I’ve been hiding under stairs: I’ve been there for a while
Where
Where
Where
Wherewithal
All temerity is stuck on the hem of your guile
Where
Where
Where
Wherewithal
You think emotional appeasement is just a part of the style
Where
Where
Where
Wherewithal
When a victim needs to trust in the system to fight
Where
Where
Where
Wherewithal

And the truth is I can’t trust you anywhere
And the truth is I can’t trust you anywhere
On the tip of your cap is a badge
Semper vigilo: you never ever did that though
And I can’t trust you anywhere
No I can’t trust you anywhere