28. Gotta squeeze the juice

I quite like the phrase ‘Gotta squeeze the juice’ – not sure where I got it from. It’s the title of my ‘splitting up song’. From my point of view, writing a song is about being honest, getting to the truth and knowing what to leave out. Also ‘leaving space’ as someone once told me. It's also very easy to make use of cliches and well-known sayings to take short cuts. Then the song would sound like any of the 130,00 new tracks loaded on to streaming platforms every day and the 500,000 on there already ! Getting to the truth is all about describing practically what's happening, for example in my song  ( she wants to split up ), hinting at the emotional dimension ( she is very unhappy ) , the social implications (don’t care if they like her) and finally what needs to be done about it ( move on or at least see a therapist).Some of the over used phrases in this area include ‘got for it’, ‘make it happen’, ‘get it done’ ‘full speed ahead’ and ‘seize the day’. Or even ‘screw it, let do it (by Richard Branson). It all adds up to ‘taking that first step, biting the bullet, take the bull by the horns’ and ‘you can do this’ – I could on ! It turns out that ‘gotta squeeze the juice’ comes form the saying ‘the juice is worth the squeeze’, i.e. ‘ its worth carrying on’. Apparently, it's been around since the 20th Century  and in this form has been used in films and songs. Its also has an explicit sexual meaning in modern slang meaning male ejaculation. I can’t say I've heard this before – not where I live ! Anyway,  I have either made it up, stolen it or adapted it. I guess we are all magpies when it comes to words. There are 700,000 words in the English dictionary with 30-billion-word combinations. The 2021 song by Jasmine Thomspon claims ‘love, there’s nothing more to say, every word has already been written’. Overall,  about 100m love songs have been released in the modern era. So, writing an original song is a bit of a task – I think

I make no apology for repeating some of the first verses by way of an introduction to this song. It sets the mood with no further words from me. This is about two women splitting up because one wants to go her own way.’ Don’t care, if they like her. She’s deep as an ocean. Unhappy for years. Signing papers, is certain’ and then ,’Find a girl, to do nothing with. Not a fake, perfect relationship. Couldn't, afford to ever leave. Just existing, on a one-way trip. I'm going mad with rage ’, then worst still, 'I'm at a WAR, yeah, I’ll enlist. She's brought me, to tears. Might need a good, therapist’ . Crikey that’s a lot to unpick, I guess I like lots of these lines ( I would say that !) like ‘fake perfect relationship’ and ‘might need a good therapist’. The key massage from the song is ‘What matters, is to be happy. Gotta squeeze the juice’ She sings that ‘Need my  lights back on, baby’ and ‘I’m taking a step back. The honeymoon is over. Gotta learn from looking back. Somehow, to get sober’ She then sets out what needs to be done about it, ‘It won’t take a lot. To wipe the slate clean. To untie the knot. To leave the scene’. Her justification for such action is described in detail , ‘Dying like this, is for fools. Been the same for so long. Following, no-go zone rules. Happiness. It ain’ t wrong’

The song ends with a rousing chorus, that sums up everything and what needs to be done, 

‘What matters, is to be happy. Gotta squeeze the juice. Need lights back on, baby. Gotta, call a truce. What matters, is to be happy .Gotta squeeze the juice ’ To me the song is raw and honest. I wrote it whilst staying in Seville for a month. But remarkably, it does seem to have followed a well-worn path- I hope its not formulaic ! Let me know please.