I found this song in one of my journals while looking for Black & Blue, as song that had been requested for this project that I couldn't remember how to sing.
While going through my journals, I found a track list for a proposed album that I was going to record, entitled "New Shoes". On that track list was the title Stage Fright. I looked at it and thought, "That looks so familiar! But what is that song? Stage Fright? Stage Fright..."
I kept flipping through my journals and soon found the entire song. Instantly it came back to me. I really, really like this song. I think I only stopped playing it all the time because it didn't feel as true for me as it once had. I stopped feeling mostly anxious both as a performer and in my life. And therefore, the song dropped out of frequent play.
A couple of notes on the lyrics
I'm pretty sure that when I borrowed the first part of the line: "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned," I thought it was written by Shakespeare, though I realized subsequently that that line was written by William Congreve.I still don't know where I heard the line "Freedom is picking your cage," but I did hear it somewhere. A google search has not given me any clues. Anyone have any insights about where I might have heard this (deeply cynical) line sometime prior to 2002?
I still think it's a really good song. It makes me want to feel anxious and cynical again just so I can feel more authentic when I play it. (Kidding. I kid.)
As usual, the lyrics are on YouTube. Click on the YouTube logo at the bottom right of the embedded video to visit the song on YouTube and see the typed, final lyrics.
