Initially, this song was to be about the trials of learning to play guitar late in life. As i got into it, though, i decided instead to write a narrative about my decision to learn to play guitar and the steps that i took and the progress that i made toward achieving that goal (to the extent that i have). I think that it is one of my better songs — at least, it’s among those i like the best.
For example, i like the internal rhymes that i put in the second to last line of each verse and the chorus. I also like the rhymes on the second and fourth and sixth and eighth lines of the verses rather than using rhyming couplets (which are easier to write). My favorite line pairs are the last two lines of the verses, particularly the following:
But to sing a song and play along, highland pipes won’t do.
But i got a book and had a look, and soon had fingers sore.
I used my thumb and a fingernail strum, and only halfway sucked.