Best to Pretend

The phone rings and you’re asking (Can I crash?)
I say, “Of course”
After all we’ve been through and gotten into
You know my home is yours
We stay up, you pour a cup
Of something strong and soothing
Now our soft words are no longer heard
But our mouths are still moving

As you kiss me again
I’ll do my best to pretend
You’re not really with him

The day breaks and my chest aches
So I’ll call up a friend (Hey man)
So much to say but your secret’s safe
You know, I’ll never tell them (You better not)
’Cause every blissful night that is full
Of everything I miss
Is followed by a morning we deny
That it ever did exist

If you kiss me again
I’ll do my best to pretend
You’re not really with him

This takes me back all those years
To when you found new boys at school and all I found were tears
All of a sudden, your familiar laugh hurt my ears
I took for granted everything that was handed to me
Still right now I’m shaking like the start of a train wreck
I shut my eyes and I can feel you kissing on my neck
But when I open them, it’s nothing but a lonely room
Full of things and memories of days when I held you

So when you kiss me again
I’ll do my best to pretend
You’re not really with him
No, you’re not really with him

And we can drink to the time
When I could once call you mine
But all good things come to an end
So I’ll do my best to pretend

I’ll do my best
I’ll do my best
I’ll try my best?

This song was originally called “Stray the Rail” from Dear Indugu.

Musicians
Jesse Strickman - vocals, acoustic and electric guitars
McKay Garner - drums, percussion and keyboard/sound design
Rocio Marron - violin and viola
Joshua Michael - grand piano
Michael “MG” Grate - acoustic upright bass
Maya Balachandran - violin plucks

Recorded by
McKay Garner at McKay Mix (San Francisco and Oakland, CA), Maryam Qudus at Tiny Telephone (San Francisco, CA), Terrence Watkin at Perk’s Place (Westlake Village, CA), and Nixie Davidsohn and Jesse Strickman at Music Barn (Nipomo, CA) and in Jesse’s parents’ attic (Oakland, CA)

Mixed & Mastered by
McKay Garner

Produced & Arranged by
Jesse Strickman
McKay Garner

Additional harmony vocal arrangement by Joshua Michael
Additional string arrangement by Rocio Marron

Written by
Jesse Strickman

Intro / Verse:
(Ska chords)
E B/D# | C#m B | A | B

B/D#: x x x 8 9 7

Chorus:
(Ska chords)
A | B | E | B
A | E/B | A | B

E/B: D shape on 4th fret, avoiding all open strings

Transition:
(Bar chords)
A | B | E B/D# | C#m
A | B

B/D#: x 6 9 8 7 x

Bridge:
C#m | C#m | A | A (Bar chords)
B | B | E | B/D# (Bar chords)
C#m | C#m | A | A (Standard A chord)
E | E | B | B (Standard E chord)

Final chorus:
(Bar chords)
A | B | E | B
A | E/G# | A | B
E | B/D# | C#m | B
A | E/G# | A | B

E/G#: 4 7 6 4 5 4

Outro:
(Ska chords)
Verse chords 3x
A, B, C#m