#shakespeare #blues #dobro Yesterday I saw the new movie "Hamnet" and there was something about it that bothered me.... thought I'd express it in song, and a blues seemed the way to go. I think the 'problem' such that it is, is endemic these days to any depiction of artists and that whole 'tortured geniuses produce masterpieces'... anyway, hope you enjoy. Played my acoustic Taylor guitar and sang, live. Then added bass guitar, then added a resonator/dobro track (a semi-old cheap Regal copy, with a slide, tuned to open G, (song is in E) and there ya have it.

Saw a movie called Hamnet About Shakespeare and his son they claim when he wrote Hamlet Grief got the job done And it got me thinking About how we look at art Is it all born of trauma Is that where we now start That’s what they’d have you thinking The wound becomes the art

Hamlet’s a tale of revenge Shakespeare borrowed the plot But in this Hollywood film They try to make it what it’s not Lazy writers quoting ‘to be or not to be’ Like that’s a shorthand for misery They wrap it up neatly But the whole thing’s a long shot

Not everything is confessional Not every wound is intentional Not every play autobiographical Sometimes a skull is just a skull

Just like ‘Shakespeare in Love’ They reduce inspiration to a trope The illusion great art comes When an artist cannot cope They rarely show hard work and sweat Just say he had a breakup, wrote Romeo and Juliet They try to tie up all the pieces With imaginary rope