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What Do You Say (Guitar Version)

by Ronney Clement

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about

“What Do You Say” is about how I felt when visiting my step-father in the hospital, knowing he didn’t have much time left. Everything I could think to talk about seemed really shallow, but I didn’t know what else I could say. In the end, I realized that it didn’t matter if I said anything. What mattered was being present.

The song speaks about specific details about his life, (Daytona, the pits at the racetrack), but also to the bigger picture of facing the end of life with someone you love.

lyrics

I was living the life of suburbanite, big house, white fence, and all
Had the weekend sports, with the kids at the courts
And that’s when we got the call
The voice on the end had the tone of impending
News I didn’t want to hear
By the end of the talk, we were racing the clock
As the facts were all too clear
So we jumped in the car
And we drove pretty far
Until we came upon the place
And when we opened the door
I hadn’t seen it before
But I could read it in his face
He’d been sick for a while
But it wasn’t his style
To talk anything about it
Instead its “How’s work going?” or
“The kids sure are growing” or
Some other mindlessness
What do you say to a man at the end
Does he know he’s dying too?
Tell him he’ll be fine
Or feed him some other line
Even though you know the truth?
What do you say to a man at the end
As he’s looking up at you?
With his pale gray eyes
Can he see all the lies
I just held his hand cause I didn’t know what else to do
He had lived out his life
A suburbanite
Only on a smaller scale
In a good neighborhood
He did all that he could
‘til his organs finally failed
At the funeral service
I was just a bit nervous
As I looked about the place
There was mist in my eyes
As I started to rise
To share his final race
He was such a big fan
In the pits that he ran
For more than 30 years
“They had led at Daytona
‘till they had to pull over…”
I was fighting back the tears
When I was done
“Thank you, my son,” said Father Ann to me
And without furthermore
We bowed our heads to the floor
And we set his soul free
What do you say to a man at the end
Does he know he’s dying too?
Tell him he’ll be fine
Or feed him some other line
Even though you know the truth?
What do you say to a man at the end
As he’s looking up at you?
With his pale gray eyes
Can he see all the lies
I just held his hand cause I didn’t know what else to do
And I stood at the edge of his hospital bed looking ‘round
Afraid of what I’d see
Staring back at me
If I were to look down
What do you say to a man at the end
Does he know he’s dying too?
Tell him he’ll be fine
Or feed him some other line
Even though you know the truth?
What do you say to a man at the end
As he’s looking up at you?
With his pale gray eyes
Can he see all the lies
I just held his hand, I held his hand.
What do you say to a man at the end
Does he know he’s dying too?
Tell him he’ll be fine
Or feed him some other line
Even though you know the truth?
What do you say to a man at the end
As he’s looking up at you?
With his pale gray eyes, can he see all the lies
I just held his hand cause I didn’t know what else to do

credits

released February 20, 2022
Lyrics by Ronney Clement
Music by Ronney Clement
Produced by Ronney Clement
Mixed by Ronney Clement
Mastered by Ronney Clement
Member of ColonBlow: Ronney Clement
Member of Samuel Jack Tea: Ronney Clement
Chief Cook: Ronney Clement
Bottle Washer: Ronney Clement

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all rights reserved

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about

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Ronney Clement Monmouth, Maine

Audio has been a constant in my life. From listening to my favorite bands as a kid to recording my own music to this day, music has been there for me. In 2012, I had an opportunity to branch out from music background to get involved with the sound of the film world. Since then, I have divided my time between the two domains. ... more

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