SOMESONGS 2024 Round 5: "Stonewall"

[Mr. Blue]

The Idiot Kings - Stonewall

You love the immortality of being twenty two
When in this city, there’s so much to do
It’s one thing to drink and dance the nights away
But it’s something else entirely you’re putting in your veins

Where is the control?

And every time I tell you I think you need to stop
You agree then you’re out the door to cop
I’m only trying to help, but I’ve become a thorn to you
But I have to keep trying, it’s the only thing I can do

Every time I try, you stonewall me again
Every time I try, you stonewall me again
You stonewall me again
You stonewall me again

But I won’t give up
But I won’t give up



I originally, after the last song, wanted to kitchen sink this song. I wanted to have a weird song structure, tons of tracks, and basically overproduce to the point of nonsense. Originally my thinking was I can minimize the lyrics to achieve the challenge, but when the rather personal topic got into my head, I didn't want to follow that anymore. So I cut all of the underbrush to get the essential song, which works as a standard rock song without all of the extra synthesizers, pads, and drum machines. I've attached a screenshot showing the grayed out clutter removed from the song.

Screenshot 2024-11-09 at 11.12.40 AM.png (405.15 KiB) Viewed 1158 times

[Mr. Blonde]

Caravan Ray - Stonewall

Use a chisel
and mason's hammer
to chip away at the mortar joints
Between the stones, remove the mortar
It will weaken the wall's integrity
make it easier to break
To break the stones
Gotta use a sledgehammer
To break the stones
Into smaller bits
Break the stones
Tear down the wall
Make it easier to break
Break the stones
Remove the stones

Stone by stone we tear it down
Sledgehammer
Breaking what’s been holding ground
Sledgehammer
The walls they built, so high and strong,
Will crumble now
They don't belong
Stone by stone we tear it down
Sledgehammer
Break the stones

Remember Stonewall
They took a stand,
Fighting back with open hands
They broke down walls, both bricks and hate,
The cracks they made would liberate.
And there they stood
And the courage grew,
And they broke down walls for something true
An element of apparent non-importance
Built resilience with defiance

Break down the wall
Break down the stone wall.

[Mr. Pink]

Add - Stonewall

You thought you could break it and get away clean
You thought you could bargain with killers and thieves
But don't waste your breath I don't care what you heard
I won't say a word, I won't say a word but

Stone stonewall
Stone stone stone stonewall

A shadow cast over the land and the sea
A current is pulling us all underneath
And that's where you left us defeated and cursed
I won't say a word, I won't say a word but

Stone stonewall
Stone stone stone stonewall

You sold out your friends and you woke up alone
To make your excuses but never atone
If you side with the fascists, it's what you deserve
I won't say a word, I won't say a word but

Stone stonewall
Stone stone stone stonewall

Stone stonewall
Stone stone stone stone

If you stay on your side then I'll stay on mine

I think the bigger problem is the enemy from within, not even the people that have come in and destroying our country, by the way, totally destroying our country. The towns, the villages, they’re being inundated. But I don’t think they’re the problem in terms of Election Day. I think the bigger problem are the people from within. We have some very bad people. We have some sick people, radical left lunatics. And I think they’re the – and it should be very easily handled by – if necessary, by National Guard or, if really necessary, by the military, because they can’t let that happen.

Challenge: Didn't really do it. I wrote a lot of words and recorded a lot of organ noodling that got edited out. Not unusual, but take it if you want.

[Mr. Brown]

Stonewall by Tomorrow
(gang vocals in the bridge contributed by Huan-hua Chye and Tom Morton)

My country don't like changin
My country drags its feet
A tug of war to find out
What you're allowed to be

When the Stonewall goes up
And it all goes down

Are you wearin handcuffs?
Are you shoutin "hands up"?
Are you slingin drinks like mobsters?
Are you slingin bricks like Marsha?

My country has a problem
My country points its guns
At anyone who scares it
And there's a lot of us

When the Stonewall goes up
And it all goes down

Are you wearin handcuffs?
Are you shoutin "hands up"?
Are you slingin drinks like mobsters?
Are you slingin bricks like Marsha?

The time for silence is over
Time to come out of the inn
And remember
The first Pride was a riot

My country moves in stages
My country ebbs and flows
But in the long run progress
Seems to be where it goes

When the Stonewall goes up
And it all goes down

Are you wearin handcuffs?
Are you shoutin "hands up"?
Are you slingin drinks like mobsters?
Are you slingin bricks like Marsha?


Challenge: As hopefully is clear throughout the song, different parts of the arrangement leave, in order of "non-importance", or necessity to the effect we wanted to have in the song. So from the opening, the different guitar orchestra tracks only appear thru the first chorus, same with the big backing vocals. The second chorus has percussion elements leave. The final verse has the main distorted guitar leave, and finally the bass and drums leave in the outro, giving just a folky G+G song in the end, which felt appropriate for this sort of protest-ish song.

[Mr. White]

Glenn Case - Stonewall

I put up with too much
For much too long
You were living on borrowed time
And now that is gone

With information
That I know now
I'm out of patience
I'm shutting down

I put up with too much
Now I'm moving on

With information
That I know now
I'm out of patience
I'm shutting down

And in case you haven't guessed it yet
Here's what you can expect

From now on you're getting you're getting nothing out of me
Nothing at all

From now on you're getting you're getting nothing out of me
Nothing at all
From now on you're getting you're getting nothing out of me
I'm proceeding to stonewall

From now on you're getting you're getting nothing out of me
Nothing at all
From now on you're getting you're getting nothing out of me
I'm proceeding to stonewall

Challenge: Take away elements in order of apparent non-importance

Guitar drops out at :04
Egg drops out at :11
Shaker drops out at :22
Desk percussion drops out at :25
Keyboard part drops out at :34
Tambourine drops out at :45
Guitar drops out at :48
Kazoo drops out at :50
Keyboard part drops out at :58
Guitar part - Drops out at 1:08
Guitar part - Drops out at 1:19
Keyboard drops out at 1:28
Kick and snare layer drops out at 1:30
Acoustic guitar drops out at 1:46
Acoustic guitar drops out at 1:53
Hi-hat layer drops out 1:58
Snare layer drops out at 2:04
Harmony vocal drops out at 2:10
Keyboard drops out at 2:15
Guitar drops out at 2:21
Harmony vocal drops out at 2:23
Guitar drops out at 2:26
Doubled lead vocal drops out at 2:29
Bass drops out at 2:33