"Karmalita" was originally titled "Squabbelita." It was the best I could do as a love song for my wife in the last years of our awful marriage. It's a lament, really, of all the squabbles and nagging and...

By the time the song was recorded and finished, so was the marriage. At that point, with freedom and independence shining a light on me, I felt more charitably towards her and changed the name to "Karmalita," in a nod to the perhaps karmic reasons for the lousy relationship. That would change a bit when dealing with her as an ex-wife had me writing "Madame Impossible," but that's another album.

This song is horribly true. I used to sneak right out of bed in the morning and get dressed, silent as a ninja. Didn't want to wake her up, in the hope that I could have a peaceful morning of reading the paper and breakfast. Her nagging would start bang at consciousness, so I let her get as much sleep as she could.

The song's "happy" ending isn't really much more than a determination to deal with things as they are. I think that's about all that's left to any ailing marriage, short of divorce.

"Karmalita" would make a good Grateful Dead song, (Jerry or Bobby) I think, with it's gulpy shuffle, odd female name title, and good for nuthin protagonist.