This is a song about letting off the raw, animalistic emotions and desires inside us, similar to the id I guess. It's a story, the first man is an amateur boxer (hence the punching bag), but he's an alcoholic and is prone to bouts of drunken rage, where he'll often call his ex-girlfriend, to set off his loose cannon. His ex doesn't care for him anymore, but she herself is vain, and has a superiority complex, where all of her friends must constantly be thinking about her, lest she sets of her loose cannon. The third loose cannon to be set off is our own, when the stress of life gets to us. I think it's safe to say that most of us succumb to this from time to time.
lyrics
This man's a mess
He's been drinking late again
Rubbing cheeks with the man in red
Slams a door
Finds his battered punching bag
The only way he can clear his head
He calls the girl he loves
He knows she once loved him too
Sets off his loose cannon, loose cannon
Sets off his loose cannon, loose cannon
She blocks the call
Sick of hearing drunken thoughts
He's not her responsibility
In later hours
She will dream of her close friends
And what they're thinking in their sleep
And she knows their thoughts are hers
And if not, well...
She'll set off her loose cannon, loose cannon
Set off her loose cannon, loose cannon
He sleeps as well
As any log
A broken limb
Newly cast off
His god's in drag
His mind in chains
He has no thoughts
He has no name
Let's man this ship
Send ports crashing to the ground
Take your share, for what it's worth
If the sea won't be our end
And our costumes still won't fade
And our masters still won't sleep
And our heads just still won't sleep
Then set off your loose cannon, loose cannon
Set off your loose cannon, loose cannon
Set off your loose cannon, loose cannon
Set off your loose cannon, loose cannon
Jeremy LaBove is not only a wonderful singer-songwriter with a knack for finding interesting acoustic chords, but has also worked with me in the past to create a wonderful song featured on this album. Sam Keogh
Released in 2001, “The Convincer” is a gentle gem in the Nick Lowe catalog; an anniversary edition provides opportunity for rediscovery. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 20, 2021