I Lied

**"I Lied"** is a song by Donny and Midge about a long relationship mutually ending as the subjects become aware the promises they made are not ones they can keep.

This song is not intended to be about Donny and Midge directly, rather a story they are sharing. Donny sings the part of man trying to be better for his lover, that he swore he would change his ways, but in reality he lied and could not. He sings "I told you I'd be coming back for you but I'm not, going way out where the world will never find me." Midge sings about how her character in the song read his letter by the lake, and cried tears of joy because she was finally free of the relationship. She had vowed to stand beside him forever, but she found that it was a lie when she told him she could never live without his love. Presumably Donny's part is the letter, from the man who has already left.

This song is the first track cut at Tubbs Tarbell's Whispering Pines Studios. He first heard Donny and Midge perform at The Broken Bottle and was so inspired by their music that he founded the studio.

## Background and influences

The single cover art and music video of "Long Lost" directly mirror the visual of a performance by Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty. Ben Schneider painted the art for these based on colourful old country record covers he loves.

For this song Schneider drew inspiration from his favorite country duets from the 60's and 70's including Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty, Tammy White and George Jones. He wanted the song to tell both sides of the story of an end of a relationship, with a twist when the second voice comes in.

The song is a duet with Allison Ponthier.

## Music Video

The music video depicts an on-air recording session at Whispering Pines Studios of Donny and Midge's "I Lied". In the video, it is initially broadcast on color television sets in a shop window, while Ponthier and Schneider sing and the band play on different screens. Donny and Midge are separately shown affected by time's blur but the other performers are not. A sign in the window reads "I saw it on WBUB." Near the end of the video, the camera immerses the viewer in Whispering Pines Studios, focusing on Midge's hand moving down the wire of her microphone, and Donny holding his, before showing a perspective of Tarbell in the control room, and the transmission of the song from the WBUB tower. The video the cuts to a scene showing a woman and a man on a rooftop. They are watching the performance on a tiny portable black and white television set while the woman hangs laundry on a line. The video ends on a scene of possibly the same woman and man, but much younger, listening to the song on their car radio in what looks like a wilderness setting.

### Music video trivia and fan theories

* On another television screen in the window, there is a WBUB metro news newscaster also affected by time's blur who reads a headline about a "neighbourhood blaze," "ancient remains" and "lost out at sea," possible references to "The World Ender", "Drops in the Lake" or "Ancient Names" and "At Sea" respectively.

* A sign above one of the televisions reads "New from Dandy Tech." This could be connected to the Dandy Corp who produced the "Dandy Karaoke Club" video in episode 426 of Alive From Whispering Pines.

* Ponthier has scenes in The Broken Bottle near the Cosmic Selector before she comes in with her side of the duet.

* There is a missing poster of a cat on a pole outside the shop. Studio Cat walks by the shop at the end of the video.

* There are also posters for Quentin King and Handsome Scott on the wall to the left of the window.

## "Lee's Song"

In *Vide Noir*, Lee Green and Buck Vernon record a version of "I Lied" with Lee vocalizing wordlessly and Buck accompanying her on guitar. Since Tubbs Tarbell discovered Donny and Midge performing the song and Whispering Pines Studio was already well-established by the events of the film, it's likely that Green and Vernon are simply performing a melody they know. Given the events of the film, it would seem to imply that the song's inclusion is at least a comment on their relationship as subtext.

## Annotated lyrics

I swore that I'd become a better man for you and I tried

I tried to change my ways and walk the line you follow

I bore a flame that burned a thousand suns for you but it died

Told you I could never love somebody else but I lied

(Mmm, I lied)

(Mmm, I lied)

I told you I'd be coming back again for you but I'm not

Going way out where the world will never find me

I made a claim that I would dance until we're bones with my bride

Told you I would never leave you all alone but I lied

I read your letter in the morning by the lake and I cried

They were tears of joy, my chains are finally broken

I made a vow to stand beside you 'til the day that I die

Told you I could never live without your love but I lied

(Mmm, I lied)

(Mmm, I lied)

(Mmm, I lied)

(Mmm, I lied)

(Mmm, I lied)

(Mmm, I lied)

## Potential lyrical references

Frequently, Lord Huron's songs explore similar themes. Sometimes they have stories that are covered by more than one song. These lyrical connections are merely for reference:

1. ↑ Remy Fusil's "La Belle Fleur Sauvage" - "And when I die I want her lying by my side/In my grave"
2. ↑ Meet Me in the City" - "Tell your ball and chain you won't be back around"

## Sources

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1  Southern Craft Radio - Joy Williams interviews Ben Schneider - "One thing I’ve been thinking a lot about is just kind of like show biz personas and what they present on stage is not necessarily the truth of what’s happening backstage and on and on, We all know a lot about that. With this story, I was just thinking about the end of a relationship and for once I wanted to hear from both parties, you know? And to make it somehow surprising."
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Spotify storyline for "Long Lost": "This song chronicles the end of a long relationship, but this time I wanted to hear from both parties. To try to get some of the nuance involved in such a thing. At first the story seems pretty one-sided , but after the bridge the other voice enters. Who twists the tale around from the other perspective. She isn't so sad to see him go after all. I knew we needed the right type of voice to tell this story. I was thinking of some of my favorite country duets from the 60's and 70's. Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty, Tammy White and George Jones. At first we were thinking of asking some more established singers, but then a friend introduced me to Allison Ponthier. She hadn't released any music at the time, but I heard some demos and loved her voice. We met up and were fast friends. She's a helluva person and that voice of hers really adds a lot to the song."

"The Moon Doesn't Mind" (Roy Casey)
"**Mine Forever**"
"(One Hellava Performer)" (Tubbs Tarbell)
"Love Me Like You Used To"
"Meet Me in the City"
"(Sing for Us Tonight)"(Tubbs Tarbell)

"**Long Lost**" (Leigh Green and Hauser Godwin)
"Twenty Long Years"
"Drops in the Lake" (*Drops in the Lake (film)*)
"Where Did the Time Go"
"**Not Dead Yet**" (The Phantom Riders)
"(Deep Down Inside Ya)"(Tubbs Tarbell)

"**I Lied**"(with Allison Ponthier) (Donnie and Midge)
"At Sea"(*L’Île Cosmique*)
"What Do It Mean"(Quentin King)
"Time's Blur"
**Bonus tracks:**
"Your Other Life" and "Ton Autre Vie"