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about
On a recent Saturday morning during the Covid-19 pandemic, I awoke, made my morning coffee, and sat down on the couch in the sun. It was radiant, and I soaked it up. In an effort to prolong my enjoyment, and to avoid doing stuff on my computer, which I do many mornings, I picked up my guitar to start a new song instead. I just wanted to live in the moment and not be bothered by checking email or reading shitty news headlines.
Honestly, I think we have all been killing time during this pandemic, and I thought I would give writing a "pandemic" or "quarantine" song a try. In the end, however, the song didn't end up being about the pandemic per se, instead I ended up focusing on what I was experiencing in a particular moment, a moment in which I didn't have much to do except tune into what was going on around me. As I wrote this song, I simply drew on the elements in my immediate surroundings:
- the crows I see on my street everyday
- the view from my apartment window
- the sounds in the hallway of my apartment building
- the couch and guitar in my apartment
And I also drew on some universal phenomena:
- the act of observing animals (I am fascinated with crows; they are really clever!) and talking with animals
- the conversations we, as humans, have with ourselves in moments of solitude, or the conversations we have with the animals in our proximity (house pets; neighborhood animals like crows and squirrels)
- loneliness, particularly during this pandemic
- those moments when our minds play tricks on us, i.e. when we think we hear a sound, but there is no sound
- the act of making a determination to control our own destiny, i.e. the decision to make some music to cure a blue moment
- the act of lying on the couch, passing the time
- the joy that playing music can bring to a lonely moment
While the sonic quality of this recording is not particularly polished, I hope you, the listener, can enjoy the song. For this reason, I am making the song available for free because I don't want to create any barriers to sharing this moment with you.
In the future, I really hope to record a full band version of "Just Killing Time," so if you are able to donate something, anything, that will help us record "Just Killing Time" properly at professional studio.
Thank you for listening,
Jason Norman
lyrics
Gazing out the window
Into the empty street
Flutter of a crow
In a nearby tree
It turns to face my way
As if to speak to me…
Caw caw caw caw caw caw
Echoes throughout the street
I take another look outside
But the tree is empty
I chuckle to myself
A talking crow, you’re silly…
Commotion in the hall
Jars me from my dream
I wish someone would call
And tell me about their day
I guess I can write a song
And sing it all away
Yeah, I’m just killing time
Oh, I’m just killing time
Did I hear a sound?
Was my phone ringing?
Or was it the crow
Laughing at me?
Lying on the couch
Staring at the ceiling
Strum strum my guitar
I’m happy for the feeling
I wonder about the crow
I wonder how he’s doing…
I’m killing at killing time
But killing time might kill me
Oh, I’m just doing time
Oh, I’m just killing time
credits
released May 28, 2020
Vocals and guitar: Jason Norman
Mixed and mastered by Mikael Naramore
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