what we talked about when we talked about love

 based on a short story by Raymond Carver.

i wrote this song in 2015. recorded this version 3 years ago, i think. baritone uke and voice. the paintings are older. the lyrics are based on Carver's story of the same title. the story is about these 2 couples who sat around the table one night, drinking and talking about love. the scenerios below are 2 different stories that were shared that night. the beauty of this story, is that Carver also conveyed the underlying distance, yearning and dissatisfaction that seem to exist between these 4 different people, each with their own partner, and with their friend's partner, as they sat and talked about love. my lyrics don't mention that part of Carver's story. i just focused on the 2 stories that were shared. the one about the old man feeling so utterly broken hearted because he could not turn his head to look at his beloved wife, who was lying on the bed beside him at the hospital, because his body was so badly damaged from the car accident, that one moved me a lot. Terri had a lover he tried to kill her he dragged her around the living room by her poor ankles her head kept knocking on things as he went on saying : I Love Her what we talk about when we talk about love the old couple had a car accident multiple fractures, concussions but what was hurting the old man the most was that he couldn't turn his goddamn head to look at his goddamn wife - He Loved her what we talk about when we talk about love