Tunesday : It's All Been Done

 

It's All Been Done

(Written by Steven Page, Performed by Barenaked Ladies)

I met you before the fall of Rome
And I begged you to let me take you home
You were wrong, I was right
You said goodbye, I said goodnight

(Ooh-ooh-ooh) It's all been done
(Ooh-ooh-ooh) It's all been done
(Ooh-ooh-ooh) It's all been done before

I knew you before the west was won
And I heard you say the past was much more fun
You go your way, I go mine
But I'll see you next time

(Ooh-ooh-ooh) It's all been done
(Ooh-ooh-ooh) It's all been done
(Ooh-ooh-ooh) It's all been done before

And if I put my fingers here
And if I say, "I love you, dear"
And if I play the same three chords
Will you just yawn and say
'Ah, I hate it'

(Ooh-ooh-ooh) It's all been done
(Ooh-ooh-ooh) It's all been done
(Ooh-ooh-ooh) It's all been done before

Alone and bored on a thirtieth-century night
Will I see you on The Price Is Right?
Will I cry? Will I smile?
As you run down the aisle?

(Ooh-ooh-ooh) It's all been done
(Ooh-ooh-ooh) It's all been done
(Ooh-ooh-ooh) It's all been done before
(Ooh-ooh-ooh) It's all been done
(Ooh-ooh-ooh) It's all been done
(Ooh-ooh-ooh) It's all been done
(Ooh) It's all been done
(Ooh-ooh-ooh) It's all been done
(Ooh-ooh-ooh) It's all been done before

Months ago, Mal told me that the Trans-Canada Highwaymen were coming to a local small venue, and as Steven Page (formerly of Barenaked Ladies, a band we've seen as a family several times over the years) is one of the members of this Canadian supergroup (along with Chris Murphy of Sloan, Craig Northey of Odds, and Moe Berg of The Pursuit of Happiness), I agreed that this would be a great night out for us (with the addition of Dan and Rudy).

As an aside: There was a headsup on the event information that seating would be limited, so we arrived early to stand in line — only to be let inside and discover that "limited" means "nonexistent", save for some benches on the wall off to one side. We were able to secure a standup table, though (of which there were only two or three, so that was a win for our drinks and ability to stake out an unmovable area in the growing crowd), and as hundreds of others pushed and surged around us, it was agreed that arriving early was definitely worth it.

I chose this song because it was the opener, but also to note that every song was familiar and "done before": from Page belting out Brian Wilson to Moe Berg bringing down the house with I'm an Adult Now in the encore (Mal told the table, "I've heard this song exactly two other times in my life: when Mom sang it to Kennedy on her 18th birthday and when she sang it to me on my 18th birthday"), we at least knew the chorus to every song. And I have to say: for a "supergroup" formed of basically famous-in-Canada-indy acts, Trans-Canada Highwaymen are incredibly talented and perform together with what looks like ease and joy; it was a fantastically fun and nostalgic evening and I was so glad to be out, singing and dancing along, with all of my favourite people.

And further to my aside: As we were out walking in the parking lot afterwards, I said to Rudy, "Well, I guess what we learned this evening is that we're too old for general admission seating; that crowd was brutal." And a man of about our age upon overhearing me said, "Nah, you just have to know how to handle them," and then he did a front kick in demonstration. I laughed and nodded and added, "Chairs would have been nice." And despite the recent bravado, he quietly said, "Yeah, chairs would have been nice."

Great music, great company; the year of interesting experiences is proceeding nicely.