Combining elements of both rock and folk music, along with disturbingly personal sentiments, dark humor, and a voice able to channel both the falsetto highs of Neil Young and the wavering raspy low tones of Leonard Cohen, Toronto's Hayden Desser has spent his career creating uniquely affecting music.
The critically-acclaimed musician first appeared in the early '90s armed with only his four-track tape recorder, his unexpectedly low vocal range, and an extremely detuned guitar. Going simply by the name Hayden, he recorded his self-released cassette, In September, in 1994, and much of the material included evolved into his first proper LP, 1995's Everything I Long For. Initially self-released on his own Hardwood Records, the debut disc toed the line between beautiful and horrifying, touching on simple details of human interaction as well as delving into macabre tales that still retained an oddly personal edge. After a year of touring Canada, E.T.I.L.F. was picked up by Outpost Recordings (Geffen) and was released worldwide in early 1996. Tours of the U.S., Europe and Japan took up most of 1996, as well as writing and recording the title track to the Steve Buscemi-directed Tree’s Lounge. Hayden’s second full-length record. The Closer I Get (1998) was recorded in Toronto, Bearsville, N.Y., Seattle and Los Angeles. After another year of touring, Hayden closed the book on chapter one of his musical endeavors.
The next couple of years went by without any performances, but during 2000, Hayden began writing and recording in his Toronto home. The self-produced collection of songs was titled Skyscraper National Park and was released in 2001 to world–wide critical acclaim.
The following year, a live concert double CD was released, Live at Convocation Hall, a glimpse, for the listener, into what makes Hayden’s appearances such a favourite among his ever devoted fan base. His natural rapport with the crowd, along with an honest demeanour, has continued Hayden’s reputation as a unique and charming performer.
In 2004, Hayden released his 4th studio album. Elk-Lake Serenade continued in the direction of Skyscraper with it’s collection of warm and memorable recordings. 2004 also heralded Hayden’s return to the road with several tours that took him as far as Australia and New Zealand.
After a long period of writing and recording, Hayden returned in early 2008 with his 5th full-length studio record. In Field & Town is his most musically diverse and textured record to date. It captures his penchant for self-referential fiction and emotionally heavy songs and laces them with sharp hooks and smart lyrics. After supporting The National in Europe in November of ‘07, Hayden completed a sold-out theatre tour of Canada as well as spring and fall North American tours supporting Feist. In Field & Town was released on Fat Possum in the U.S.A. and November saw the release in Europe via the Affairs of the Heart label, combined with Nov./Dec. dates in the UK, France, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium and Germany.
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We Don't Mind
Hayden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I slept at your house the night before
We couldn't wait to get up to go for
A big breakfast in an old fashioned diner
A full meal six coffee refills later
We both have to be at work in an hour
Let's call in sick I suggest to her
I'll call your boss and tell her that you're under
That I'm very sick and that
You're my mother
So we walk down the street
Looking for a phone booth we
Rehearse what we're going to say
So that we can have this day
Away
We find a phone booth with room for two
I call your boss and I don't speak the truth
They're pretty mad about you but they'll get through
You call my work in my mother's voice
They believe you
And it starts to rain outside
In our phone booth we hide
It doesn't let up until five
Squished together we don't mind
We don't mind
The song "We Don't Mind" by Hayden describes a mischievous and spontaneous day taken off from work by two lovers. The lyrics narrate how the singer and his partner decide to feign illness and play hooky to have a memorable day together. The song sets the scene on a Tuesday morning in November, and the lyrics describe how they both slept at each other's house the night before. They make a plan to share a big breakfast in an old-fashioned diner before going to work. They end up having six coffee refills and realize that they are going to be late. Then, one of them has an idea of calling in sick to their respective workplaces. They walk down the street rehearsing what to say and finally find a phone booth to make the call. They successfully trick their bosses by using different impersonations, and they decide to spend the whole day together, despite the rain that doesn't let up until 5. The song's chorus is a declaration of their love and how they don't mind the squished situation caused by the rain as long as they are together.
The song's lyrics display a playful and carefree attitude towards work and societal norms. The song's message is that life is short, and one should take advantage of every opportunity to live in the moment and enjoy it. The song suggests that people should prioritize relationships and experiences over career obligations. It also conveys a sense of rebellion against the monotony and control of work schedules. In some ways, the song represents a fantasy of what life would be like if we did not have to work.
Line by Line Meaning
It was a Tuesday morning, November
The particular day and month when the story being recounted occurred.
I slept at your house the night before
The proximity of the two characters on the day about to be described.
We couldn't wait to get up to go forth
Their enthusiasm for the day ahead.
A big breakfast in an old-fashioned diner
Their shared decision to start their day with a hearty meal.
A full meal, six coffee refills later
The extent to which they savored their breakfast.
We both have to be at work in an hour
The imminent limit on how much longer they could be together.
Let's call in sick, I suggest to her
The singer's desire to extend their time together.
I'll call your boss and tell her that you're under
The specifics of the artist's plan to keep them together.
the weather, you'll call mine, you will tell her
The plan's impact on both characters.
that I am very sick and that you're my mother
The elaborate lie they concoct to skip work together.
So we walk down the street
Their shared move toward execution of the plan.
Looking for a phone booth, we
Their move toward finding a secure and private space to execute the deception.
Rehearse what we're gong to say
Their preparation to ensure the liar appears convincing.
So that we can have this day
Their ultimate goal of having more time together.
Away...
An interjection to segue to the next stage of the story.
We find a phone booth with room for two
Their success in finding an adequately private space.
I call your boss and I don't speak the truth
Their successful execution of the plan.
They're pretty mad about you but they'll get through
The immediate repercussion of their deception.
You call my work, in my mother's voice, they believe you
The successful deception of the other character's employer.
And it starts to rain outside
An atmospheric detail that sets the scene.
In the phone booth we hide
Their physical position at this point in the story.
It doesn't let up until 5,
The duration of the rain.
squished together we don't mind
Their implicit, physical proximity during the rain.
we don't mind
Their implicit emotional resignation to the shift in circumstances caused by their deception and the weather, respectively.
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Paul Hayden Desser
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind