about
The Stylistics had a song in the 70s called "Love Won't Let Me Wait" that used to stick in my head a lot. Just the chorus. I can't remember at all what the rest of the song goes like. The last thing I expected when I twisted it up into redundancy by switching out "love" for "impatience" was a beautiful little song like "Impatience."
I wrote it for a girl I was in love with, while my awful marriage was crumbling. In those situations, it's hard to know whether to wait for an opportune moment to leave or just jet and let the pieces fall where they may. Usually, it's a given that the new love won't conquer all, but that it will provide at least a few more hours of relief every day, existentially.
The character singing "Impatience" seems to be saying, "I really want this love, I believe in it, but I know I've fucked up relationships before by leaping before I looked...but...I'm impatient, so here I go again."
This song is almost Police-like in its simple complexity, all by accident. First off, Eric didn't play the beat I wanted him to. I think I wanted a fast beat, but I wasn't playing along to it nicely, so I suggest making this one a slowie. And he started playing that beat, with whatever odd time signature that is, 6/8 maybe?
I thought, "Well, this isn't gonna work. Too slow. But I'll go along with it so I don't hurt his feelings and just throw it out later when no one's looking..." I struggled my way through and moved on.
But when I came back to it later, on my own, my fingers played that riff to it with no input from me and made sense of everything. SO beautiful! I'm really, really proud of this one, too. I'm doing things here with the guitar and bass that I need a music theory major to describe for me.
Extra credit in this one goes for the plays-on-words and the Supremes song reference.
lyrics
"Impatience"
[vonHummer]
I could hang around this town another week or two cos I know so totally you were meant for me and I was meant for you
and it’s just a matter of time til we can go on our final first date,
but impatience won’t let me wait, impatience won’t let me wait, impatience won’t let me wait, better never than late…
I could lay the foundations fascination builds skyscrapers onto,
well before I do, I’ll have to call in a wrecking crew
To raze the eyes and cross the tease, left by the last erection spate,
but impatience won’t let me wait, impatience won’t let me wait, impatience won’t let me wait, better never than late…
You can see that I’m eager to go, that I’m ready to step and fetch, those three words jump out of my throat (where we both know there’s a catch…)
Momma said you can’t hurry love, that’s the thing about love I hate,
but impatience won’t let me wait, impatience won’t let me wait, impatience won’t let me wait, better never than late…
credits
from
6Noons,
released December 2, 2002
Drone bass, high drone guitar, vocals: vonHummer
Drums: Eric Olsen
license