coastal alt/indie rock
cut the knot
Field Notes
"Cut the Knot" is a great example of a song written in "mad-lib" style.
The title and chorus was inspired by many of the coaching sessions I've had with employees at work. It sat in my notes folder for years.
Later, as often happens, I spent a winter weekend jamming on my guitar, while trying to uncover some cool new riffs and/or chord progressions. When I'm in one of these sessions, I rarely stop to convert the riff or progression into a song, unless the song just emerges and grabs me by the throat.
Most of the time, I play the riff over and over for about 15 minutes and then - if I have found the core, I record it on my iPhone and file away.
At a later date - eventually - I'll pull up my riffs folder, open up my titles and lyric scraps document, and start listening to the riffs.
While the riff is playing, I'll hum along - primarily to the chorus, which is where I like to start.
In this case, I knew the chorus needed a three-note, three-syllable opening for the first three lines.
I ran down my title list and after a bunch of misses in the A's and B's, found "Cut the Knot" in the C's.
Now matching three syllables to three notes isn't enough...
If the title had been, "I'm So Sad", then the emotion of the title would NOT have been a good match for the 70's rock energy of the riff.
In this case, however, it was a hand in glove match of music, melody, lyric, and emotion.
Musically, once I knew I was going to lean in on the 70s vibe, it was fun to layer in the (more) cowbell, synths, and gang vocals.
Lyrics
VERSE 1:
it’s a bad pattern that you’re clinging to
it’s a bad situation that you’re going through
you’re wearing handcuffs of your own design
and you’re imprisoned within your own mind
you’ve been stuck in place way too long
you’ve been singing this same sad song
i keep thinking you should turn and run
like a sprinter at the sound of the gun
CHORUS:
CUT THE KNOT, just walk away
CUT THE KNOT, you can make your play
CUT THE KNOT, no one can make you stay
another day
VERSE:
you say it’s hard when there’s no where to go
you say it’s hard when you feel alone
you think the unknown could be much worse, well
i know this song, yeah, i know each verse
cause i was trapped in my own hard place
yeah, i had my own fears to face
but i escaped after those dark years
so i’ll tell you what you need to hear…
CHORUS:
SOLO:
CHORUS:
 Cut the KnotCover Image (© glenn hughes) |  Cut the KnotAlternate Image (© glenn hughes) |  Cut the KnotAlternate Image (© glenn hughes) |
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Details
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key: D
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tempo: 125
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time: 4/4
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year: 2025
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location(s): San Jose, California
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mood: 70s rock
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theme(s): self-reliance, escape, courage, workplace
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instruments: electric guitars, bass, drums
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recording status: released
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registered: ℗ 2025, glenn cash hughes
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