Let's Make a Den

(Partridge)

back cover of #\#i#/#The Meeting Place#\#/i#/# 12" single Recordings
Art
Lyrics
Chords and Tablature
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Recordings

Originally entitled “Let's Make a Din”.

  1. Demo version.
    Recorded in the attic of Andy Partridge's current house, Swindon, in June 1985.
    Engineered by Andy Partridge.
    Released on 2 February 1987 as a B-side to the The Meeting Place 12" single in the U.K.
    Also released on Coat of Many Cupboards.
    Also released on the reissue of Skylarking on 14 October 2016 in the U.K.
    Andy Partridge - All instruments and Vocals

    Andy: “This is the demo of the song that Todd Rundgren had decreed should open side two of the album Skylarking. We started it in his studio near Woodstock in the U.S., but it got argued to death. He didn't like the 7/4 time signature in the verses, I insisted they were essential to the ‘young kids, full of energy, falling over themselves’ feel. He pulled, I pulled, the song fell apart, we buried the pieces and chose to work on ‘Earn Enough For Us’ instead.

    “This is very related to Colin's ‘Grass’, both he and I could tell you where that den would have been, either near the ‘Logs’ or ‘Rocket’ in the Minety Hill ‘Rec’, or more likely, down the ‘Dumps’, south of Winterslow Road. Making a den was one of the chief occupations of young kids. They'd be built with whatever came to hand, grass, hay, twigs, cardboard, branches or corrugated metal and inside boys would plot to attack another den somewhere. Perhaps you'd be even luckier and you'd convince a young girl to cast her giggling eyes over some torn scrap of girlie mag, usually found with cigarette burn mutilations, in the hope that she would double dare to copy some of the poses for you or your mates.”

  2. 2016 stereo mix.
    Recorded during sessions for Skylarking.
    Mixed and produced by Steven Wilson from the original multi-track tapes.
    Released on the reissue of Skylarking on 14 October 2016 in the U.K.
  3. 2016 5.1 mix.
    Recorded during sessions for Skylarking.
    Mixed and produced by Steven Wilson from the original multi-track tapes.
    Released on the reissue of Skylarking on 14 October 2016 in the U.K.
  4. 2016 instrumental mix.
    Mixed and produced by Steven Wilson from the original multi-track tapes.
    Released on the reissue of Skylarking on 14 October 2016 in the U.K.
  5. Early Idea.
    Released on the reissue of Skylarking on 14 October 2016 in the U.K.

[Thanks to R. Stevie Moore]

Art

[THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

Lyrics

Let's make a den
    What shall we use?
Make it out of hay
    Who will be leader?
In it we can play at both being mothers and fathers until we have
  children of our own.

Let's make a den
    What shall we use?
Make it out of wood
    Who will be leader?
Wouldn't it be good if we could fight off rival gangs and take total
  possession of the hill
For the rest of our days?

Isn't that what we can all look forward to when we grow up?
Isn't that what we can all look forward to?
Behind the door, women and men
Love and war inside of our den.

Let's make a den
    What shall we use?
Make it out of bricks
    Who will be leader?
In it how the sticks and stones will fly but my oh my won't we have
  fun when later on we patch it up?

Let's make a den
    What shall we use?
Make it from cement
    Who will be leader?
In it we can pent up all of our fears but give presents each Christmas
  like there was nothing ever wrong
For the rest of our days.

Isn't that what we can all look forward to when we grow up?
Isn't that what we can all look forward to?
Behind the door, women and men
Love and war inside of their den.

Well you can wear your brand new nurse's outfit,
And I can wear my brand new cowboy suit.
Everything unchanging
Just furniture arranging

Let's make a den
    What shall we use?
Make it underground
    Who will be leader?
Protect us from the flash and sound of the big stick they drop just
  to stop us from cuddling and hanging on
For the rest of our days.

Chords and Tablature

Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2001 11:00:44 +0100
From: christer liljegren <kokerskan.3 (at) telia dot com>
Subject: Chords to Let's make a den
Message-ID: <B7AFD8DC.B22%kokerskan.3 (at) telia dot com>


   Let's make a den (Andy Partridge demo)


   Chords:

       G      Am   F#/A#    D      C    Gadd4  E7sus4   E      A
   E---3------5------x------5------3------3------0------0------0---
   B---3------5------7------7------5------3------0------0------2---
   G---4------5------6------7------5------4------2------1------2---
   D---5------7------8------7------5------5------0------2------2---
   A---5------7------x------5------3------3------2------2------0---
   E---3------5------6------x------x------3------0------0------x---
                   thumb
       C#    D#m    G#7sus4 G#7    G#m7    D#   G#   Bb7add4  Bbm
   E---4------6------4-------4------4------6----4-----6--------6---
   B---6------7------4-------4------4------8----4-----6--------6---
   G---6------8------6-------5------4------8----5-----7--------6---
   D---6------8------4-------4------4------8----6-----6--------8---
   A---4------6------6-------6------6------6----6-----6--------8---
   E---x------x------4-------4------4------x----4-----6--------6---




   G      /       /    /     /         /     /
   Let's make a den    -    What shall we use?
   Am      /      /     /     /        /    /
   Make it out of hay   -     Who will be leader?
   F#/A#                D          C           Gadd4      D
   In it we can play at both being mothers and fathers until we have
   E7sus4   /      /     /   E     /      /
   children of our own.


    G      /       /    /     /         /     /
   Let's make a den    -    What shall we use?
   Am      /      /     /     /      /    /
   Make it out of wood -    Who will be leader?
   F#/A#                  D              C         Gadd4          D
   Wouldn't it be good if we could fight off rival gangs and take total
      E7sus4  /      /     /   E     /      /       /   A     /   /   /
   possession of the hill,          for the rest of our days?

       A     /    /     /
   E-----------------------
   B---2--3--4----5--7--8--
   G---2--2--2----6--6--6--
   D---2--2--2----7--7--7--
   A---0-------------------
   E-----------------------

 C#                D#m             G#7sus4 G#7     G#m7    G#7
   Isn't that what we can all look forward to when we grow up?
 C#                D#m             G#7sus4 G#7  /  G#m7  /  G#7  /
   Isn't that what we can all look forward to?
 C#                 D#m
   Behind the door, women and men
   D#            G#   /   /   /   /   /   /   /   /   /   /   /
   Love and war inside of our den.


   Let's make a den - What shall we use?
   Make it out of bricks - Who will be leader?
   In it how the sticks and stones will fly but my oh my won't we have
   fun when later on we patch it up?

   Let's make a den - What shall we use?
   Make it from cement - Who will be leader?
   In it we can pent up all of our fears but give presents each Christmas
   like there was nothing ever wrong for the rest of our days.

   Isn't that what we can all look forward to when we grow up?
   Isn't that what we can all look forward to?
   Behind the door, women and men
   Love and war inside of their den.

 D#                       Bb7add4            D#
   Well you can wear your brand new nurse's outfit,
                     Bb7add4           D#
   And I can wear my brand new cowboy suit.
                    Bb7add4
   Everything (everything) unchanging
 D#                     Bb7add4          Bbm
   Just furniture (furniture) arranging ah ah ah ah

   Let's make a den - What shall we use?
   Make it underground - Who will be leader?
   Protect us from the flash and sound of the big stick they drop just
   to stop us from cuddling and hanging on for the rest of our days.


   Enjoy!
   Christer
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