Eponymous 4

About this track

“Silver Sting” is another song dating back from the late ’80s, and it should sound like a product of that era. I was essentially trying to rewrite Tears for Fears’ “The Working Hour”.

As a novice songwriter, I thought I was being smart using a whole bunch of key changes. I think there are about five of them in this song. The transition from chorus to verse is incredibly dissonant, with an E in the bass clashing with an E-flat in the piano and an F in the melody. It’s pretty clumsy, but I was being precocious.

Back in high school, I hung out with guys who loved their superhero comics, sci-fi movies and computer games. And I wasn’t into any of that, but I couldn’t avoid the influence either. The lyrics of “Silver Sting” imagine some superhero that doesn’t live up to expectations, pretty much a variation on “Promises”.

Lyrics

In a world of insecurities
Where we can't be sure of our names
Strong beliefs in Prince Charming
Cloud our sights and make us blind

Just when you thought you found the answer
Just when you knew the phone would ring
We wait for another question
We wait for the Silver Sting

Here he was a saint, a hero
Here he is in truth's true light
Here you were so ever believing
Here you are feeling so betrayed

Just when you thought you found the answer
Just when you knew the phone would ring
We wait for another question
We wait for the Silver Sting

And we wait ... and we wait ...
And we wait for the Silver Silver
Here we wait ... still we wait ...
And we wait for the Silver Sting

When the scars have healed the wounds
When everything is said and done
Love is tough, and yet so fragile
Can we learn to trust again?

Just when you thought you found the answer
Just when you knew the phone would ring
We wait for another question
We wait for the Silver Sting

And we wait ... and we wait ...
And we wait for the Silver Silver
Here we wait ... still we wait ...
And we wait for the Silver Sting

We wait for the Silver Sting ...
We wait for the Silver Sting ...
We wait for the Silver Sting