By Jenny Biddle.
When I was 8 years old, the old lady across the street came over and introduced herself, handing us a plate full of cupcakes. Understandably, from that day she’d found her way into my heart. I’d run across the road to her place, bare feet, carrying stale bread as my offering for her chickens (people had chickens as pets in suburban Sydney in the 90s), we’d drink cups of tea, talk till the sun went down, and I’d eat way too many biscuits. As the years went by, our tea rituals continued, but she’d occasionally give me gifts of old crockery sets, kitchenware, domestic appliances, and more, telling me to keep it for my for my “Glory Box” (I wondered if I was the only person born in the 80s who had a Glory Box, let alone knew what was one). She became like a grandmother to me and we shared many fond memories. But by the time I was in my 20s, she sadly developed dementia and became increasingly anxious, paranoid and unhappy. She spoke of seeing men dressed in black, holding machine guns, climbing over her fence trying to steal her lemons. She demanded her son go to the police. In an attempt to protect her, her son began to respond to her anxiety by putting security bars across windows and doors, and installing CCTV cameras. But things deteriorated further more, as they inevitably do with such a rotten illness as dementia.
In part, my song “Big Bad World” stemmed from witnessing the ever-growing anxiety of my adopted grandmother. But it also parallels the anxiety I felt in myself. Around the same time, I began to realize how much TV, the news and the media negatively influenced my mental health. The news was on TV in our house daily, and it was training me to fixate on all the bad things happening in the world all the time, over time sending me into a futile cycle of unproductive anxiety and sense of doom, much like my dear friend across the street. This song was a reminder to myself that I perhaps shouldn’t invest as much as I do in sensationalised news stories and horror films. As cliché as it sounds, perhaps I should find beautiful things to be grateful for every day… and maybe tip the balance in my mind to see there is good in the world. It’s a battle I’m still perfecting.
I don’t know if I hit the nail on the head with this song, or whether I’d write it differently today, but an article came out some while after I wrote the song, called “News is bad for you – and giving up reading it will make you happier” by Rolf Dobelli. I thought his piece articulated the essence of what I was singing about, and I couldn’t agree more.
I wonder what you think about the news and media influences/impacts your life.
Banjo:
I played banjo in my studio recording of this song! I fell in love with the banjo when I heard Liz Stringer’s “Sinking Like a Stone”, and decided I’d learn to play. I still play the banjo like a guitarist, but I utterly loved laying down some banjo in my song “Big Bad World”. It was so fun, I decided to let the banjo shine with its own designated solo in this song.
Guitar Tuning: EGDGBE (capo 3)
Although there’s some banjo throughout, this song is predominantly a guitar song with a country flavour to it. I don’t remember how I came up with this guitar tuning, or stumbled across it - I had used it for other songs of mine previously. It creates an opening G sounding tuning when playing 5 strings, but the E bass allows some deeper E minor flavours.
If you like guitar tips & tricks, check out my Patreon page for mini guitar tutes: www.patreon.com/jennybiddle
Spotify:
Here are two versions of the song for you to enjoy on Spotify - one band version, one acoustic version. Also available on other streaming platforms.
Big Bad World (Full Band, Studio Version - 2013): open.spotify.com/track/4y5togonPhCAbpV34u5BXy
Big Bad World (Full Band, Studio Version - 2013):
Lyrics:
TV screens, nipping at your ears
Planting seeds and imagery, telling you what to fear
Cos it’s just around your corner; it’s just there in your street
If you don’t shut the gate they’ll be nipping at your feet
So we put up walls and we put up bars
The extra-ordinary ain’t quite so far
Cos it’s just around your corner, yeah it’s just there in your street
If you don’t lock the doors they’ll be nipping at your feet
But I know that I am skin and bones
And I know my time will come and go
But I don’t believe this big bad world will follow you where you go
But if it’s tapping at your door
Ask it to come back no more
Kids these days can’t go outside to play
There’s too many predators to shake up their days
So we lock ourselves inside while the criminals run free
We’re imprisoned in our minds by what we think we see
But I know that I am skin and bones
And I know my time will come and go
But I don’t believe this big bad world will follow you where you go
But if it’s tapping at your door
Ask it to come back no more
It’s a big bad world, a big bad world outside
You don’t wanna be, you don’t wanna be going outside
It’s a big bad world, a big bad world outside
But do you wanna be, do you wanna be locked inside?
But I know that I am skin and bones
And I know my time will come and go
But I don’t believe this big bad world will follow you where you go
But if it’s tapping at your door
Ask it to come back no more
Credits:
Song written by Jenny Biddle
Recorded, Mixed & Produced by Sean Carey at Trackdown Studios, Camperdown, NSW, Australia 2012 Mastered by Don Bartley, Blaxland, NSW, Australia
Album Art by Katrina Leighton
Album Photograph by Raditya Fadilla
Released 2013
Banjo Photos by Matt Hawke
Jenny Biddle: vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo
Sean Carey: bass, percussion
Michael Quigley: drums
Read more from Jenny...
Track 1 - Hero In Me
Track 2 - Across The Nullarbor
Track 3 - Pockets
Track 4 - Running Out Of Lies
Track 5 - Chasing Stars
Track 6 - Somebody To Love
Jenny Biddle is an Australian, Folk, Blues & Roots musician, she is a well seasoned guitarist, witty storyteller, poignant songwriter and winner of the Blues & Roots Radio International Song Contest 2020. Jenny fashions an infectious mix of down to earth modern folk for the wandering soul. Her 8th album 'Hoping For A Hero' is out now..