I wrote this song after possibly the worst string of gigs I’ve ever experienced! It was a residency at a local pub but very few people came to listen. Occasionally someone would clap. One night I was asked to turn it down because “I want to hear the football commentary, mate!” Another night there were perhaps 3 or 4 people there, and as I started singing a song, a man at the bar turned up the volume on his phone so he could listen to some utterly shite chart music. 6 months I did that!
I lost the love for it. It coincided with (or at least added to) an ego death of epic proportions! In short, I noticed that I had been playing this ‘Mike’ character all my life, when it actual fact he was moulded to appease others and wasn’t actually ‘me’. That might seem obscure as fuck but it has profoundly changed everything.
The lyrics end with “take it away, leave it as nothing, or make my day and give me something.” Both requests came true! I didn’t see that coming!