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Ted Leo
Ted Leo

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DELIVERING LETTERS FOR VIVIAN

I’m into this idea of putting my thoughts for these posts at the bottom, hoping you can have your own experience with the song first, and so that’s what I’ll do here again.

DELIVERING LETTERS FOR VIVIAN

I was working for a roofing crew ’til back in ’94

Somebody took my roofing tools and threw them

Off of the roof, right down to the floor

Cover blown, I know what they’re thinking

All alone, on this roof I’m sinking

And now I’m

Delivering letters for Vivian

Delivering letters for Vivian

Delivering letters for Vivian

It’s a good union job and I’m having fun

It’s a good union job and I’m having

For a while I was a Kelly Girl, I was working wherever they sent me

Every day I had a different twirl, and though the money was good

In the end, ooh, it spent me

Walking near, driving far

Trying to cop time for my guitar

And now I’m

Delivering letters for Vivian

Delivering letters for Vivian

Delivering letters for Vivian

It’s a good union job and I’m having fun

It’s a good union job and I’m

I just want to make an honest living

People giving their time to a song

Sometimes I think I’m headed for oblivion

But then there’s Vivian to show me I’m wrong

I guess I’m lucky to have a vocation

Actualization of life goes on

But I’m still thinking about sanitation

Oooh, I’m still thinking about sanitation

I’m still thinking about sanitation

I’m still thinking about sanitation

For now I’m

Delivering letters for Vivian

Delivering letters for Vivian

Delivering letters for Vivian

It’s a good union job and I’m having fun

It’s a good union job and I’m

Delivering letters for Vivian

Delivering letters for Vivian

Delivering letters for Vivian

It’s a good union job and I’m having fun

It’s a good union job and I’m having fun

It’s a good union job and I’m having

Having fun

Not too much to say about this one - THE ELABORATE PRODUCTION VALUES SHOULD SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES - but as I mentioned during the intro video post a little while back wherein I played an acoustic version of this live, coming up with the chorus to this song in the midst of one of the darker times I had during the depths of the second year of covid and first year of parenting really helped me keep my head above the quicksand. I think because I definitely enjoyed it as a SOLID HOOK, but also found it funny in a “life is absurd, and the fact that I’m half-serious about what I’m saying here means I have options” way, and it just made me laugh and took me out of the locked groove I’d been in. In some ways, it’s a bagatelle - cheek, humor, confection. In other ways, it’s deadly serious, and that’s probably why I lived with the chorus alone for the better part of three years before completing it last month. I had to find the right balance between those poles, lyrically, musically, arrangement-wise, etc. Impure power pop; bubblegum, but some weird too salty black licorice flavor someone brought back from the south of Sweden. Hope you enjoy!

Comments

Thank you!

Ted Leo

This has been stuck in my head a lot since I joined. Great tune!

Charlie Sallwasser

Love this. I like to imagine Vyvyan Basterd scowling at some of its turns.

d mayo-wells


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