Day 14: Heat Check (My Fingers Are So Cold) (written with Peggy Kolaga)

Day 14: Heat Check (My Fingers Are So Cold)
By Peggy Kolaga & David Coile
Part of my daily songwriting project for January 2025
Lyrics:
Standing at the door
Hey! Don't look away
Oh, you're talking on the phone
My fingers are so cold!
Come out here
Let's have a chat
I have three jackets on
My fingers are so cold!
How many times do I have to ask?
You're just a yes man to shut me up
You've got no follow through
This doesn't have to be a fight
Just let me sing my song
This is a heat check!
Been asking for weeks
When the trees still had leaves
Now it's 10 degrees
My fingers are so cold!
"I'll put in a request"
That's what you always say
Nothing ever gets done
How can you be so cold?
How many times do I have to ask?
You're just a yes man to shut me up
You've got no follow through
This doesn't have to be a fight
Just let me sing my song
This is a heat check!
That thermostat is in a box
Behind many doors and many locks
You have no control, no authority
Just give me the keys-- this is my destiny!
You have been told
My fingers are so cold!
You have been told
My fingers are so cold!
How many times do I have to ask?
You're just a yes man to shut me up
You've got no follow through
This doesn't have to be a fight
Just let me sing my song
This is a heat check!
This is a heat check!
***
Details:
Peggy and I met at Song School last summer, and for the last several months, she's been giving me some diet and fitness coaching in exchange for some music coaching from me. I've given her support and feedback for songs she's been writing, but this is the first time we've actually written a song together.
Turns out Peggy and I are both fans of Ani DiFranco, so we tried to capture her aggressive vibe. The verse guitar part was my attempt at doing DiFranco's percussive style of guitar playing, though I can't hold a candle to her. The rest of the guitar arrangement was simply trying to provide variation without killing the energy.
Earlier in the day, Peggy had had a confrontation with one of her bosses over the temperature at her workplace. A lot of us know how frustrating it can be to adjust the thermostat in large buildings-- it can get downright absurd. As Peggy was describing things, I felt like a lot of what she was saying could make catchy song lyrics, so we went that direction.
This song was super fun to write, and we rolled it out pretty quickly, too. Peggy writes a lot of unique and very catchy songs, so I'm happy to now have one of my songs as part of her repertoire.

[@JamesHannah-q7l]

You go Dave!

[@DavidCoile]

Yes, sir!