Beautiful Doubt w/ Rough Recording

[Swingfinger]

 

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=555167&songID=12339642

The quality of the recording is pretty low but any ideas on how the lyrics melody or song structure could be improved would be appreciated

Beautiful Doubt

 

Verse 1

It's human nature to seek

and question the truths that we hold so deeply

When easy answers turn to steel

That spark of curiousity is killed

 

Chorus

The more we know

The less we know

It is beautiful to doubt

So let your walls

Crumble and Fall

and the truth will be let out

It is beautiful to doubt

 

Verse 2

Ideas that can't be scrutinized are weak

They promote division without fear of critique

and minds built with stone and painted glass

Give refuge to ideas best left in the past

 

Chorus

The more we know

The less we know

It is beautiful to doubt

So let your walls

Crumble and Fall

and the truth will be let out

It is beautiful to doubt

 

Bridge

That's not to say 

I can't understand

Why you believe what you believe

It's comfortable 

such confidence

don't want to see

but look inside 

that rising doubt

shall set you free

Those trembling words

a fledgling bird

a planted seed

 

Chorus

The more we know

The less we know

It is beautiful to doubt

So let your walls

Crumble and Fall

and the truth will be let out

It is beautiful to doubt

 

[Oswlek]

Am I missing the link?

[Swingfinger]

oops... added link

[Oswlek]

I like it.  I wasn't as bothered as Nat by the bridge/chorus transition, though I can hear a quick three note ascending guitar line that might smooth the connection.

Personally, I wanted more of this:

and minds built with stone and painted glass

Give refuge to ideas best left in the past

and less of this:

Ideas that can't be scrutinized are weak

They promote division without fear of critique

Even though the latter is less opaque, it is more on the nose and doesn't inspire me as much.  It could just be my preferences getting in the way, of course.  

 

[LCK]

 

---

Oswlek wrote:

 

 

I like it.  I wasn't as bothered as Nat by the bridge/chorus transition, though I can hear a quick three note ascending guitar line that might smooth the connection.

 

Personally, I wanted more of this:

and minds built with stone and painted glass

Give refuge to ideas best left in the past

and less of this:

Ideas that can't be scrutinized are weak

They promote division without fear of critique

Even though the latter is less opaque, it is more on the nose and doesn't inspire me as much.  It could just be my preferences getting in the way, of course.  

---

 

Yeah, I see it as a difference between concrete images and thought-based concepts. Though the song is a "thought-piece," I think it's still best to use concrete examples for your intellectual argument, a la "How many roads must a man walk down..." "How many seas must a white dove sail..." "How many times must the cannonballs fly..." and that sort of thing. Each of those sentences (lines/questions) contains 3 things: a powerful visual image, a metaphor, and a compelling bit of action.

I really like the feel of this, but think you should revise the lyric a little to wrap your message around more imagery.

I love the last line of the chorus, lyrically and melodically. It could stand being repeated.

[Lee Knight]

---

Swingfinger wrote:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=555167&songID=12339642

The quality of the recording is pretty low but any ideas on how the lyrics melody or song structure could be improved would be appreciated

Beautiful Doubt

 

Verse 1

 

It's human nature to seek

 

and question the truths

that we hold so deeply

When easy answers turn to steel

That spark of curiousity is killed

 

Chorus

The more we know

The less we know

It is beautiful to doubt

So let your walls

Crumble and Fall

and the truth will be let out

It is beautiful to doubt

 

Verse 2

Ideas that can't be scrutinized are weak

They promote division without fear of critique

and minds built with stone and painted glass

Give refuge to ideas best left in the past

 

Chorus

The more we know

 

The less we know

 

It is beautiful to doubt

 

So let your walls

 

Crumble and Fall

 

and the truth will be let out

 

It is beautiful to doubt

 

Bridge

That's not to say 

 

I can't understand

 

Why you believe what you believe

 

It's comfortable 

 

such confidence

 

don't want to see

 

but look inside 

 

that rising doubt

 

shall set you free

 

Those trembling words

 

a fledgling bird

 

a planted seed

 

 

Chorus

 

The more we know

 

The less we know

 

It is beautiful to doubt

 

So let your walls

 

Crumble and Fall

 

and the truth will be let out

 

It is beautiful to doubt

 

---

 

 

The quality of the recording is fine. Nice writing musically. Lyrically, it feels a little too precious in a Chad and Jeremy way. As mentioned, Bob would tell this story through allegory, but here you're taking the position of the seer. And that's fine, but it feels a bit dated for my taste.

 

If it were me, and it's not, but if it were... I'd make your hook line the same as your title for starters. Beautiful Doubt. Then sing a love song to doubt. Why you love doubt, what it does for you. It allows you to question your assumptions, etc. As it stands now, it works perfectly fine, but a bit too turtleneck, horn rims and shaggy haircut, book in one hand, coffee in the other preaching to the girls.

 

And then again, it absolutely works in that vein, so really... you might be on to something there. BTW, it has a little Tallest Man in the World vibe to it. That's a good thing in my book.

[Swingfinger]

If anyone wants to hear it.