Song Notes: Good to be Alive

Peter talks about the lyrics:
I was out walking late one night on a deserted street when I came across a guy all by himself playing Stevie Wonder on a ghetto blaster. I love Stevie Wonder and that moment is forever imprinted on my brain. This is a funny song because after all the angst and gnashing of teeth that is portrayed on this album, this guy wants to convince everybody that life is a joyful thing. At the end of the song, though, it sounds like he might have gone off his rocker. Even though he says "I don't tell no lies," I don't know if I believe him.

Peter talks about the music:
Greg wrote the music for this one. I think he said that he comes up with a tune every five years or so. When we originally worked on this song it became an instrumental that sounded like something from "Dark Side of the Moon," which just goes to show how much a song can mutate. We actually recorded that original version at the CHRW studio along with the version of Cool Mother that has the "You're a cool motherfucker line." So there is recorded evidence out there of how these songs progressed to their present form.

Chorus
I say it's good - good to be alive
Yeh I say it's good, good, good to be alive

I saw Stevie Wonder on the corner today
I said hey Stevie - what you got to say?
He said it's good - good to be alive
Yeh he said it's good, good, good to be alive

Bridge
Oooooooooooooooooooooh I don't tell no lies
Oooooooooooooooooooooh I don't tell no lies
Oooooooooooooooooooooh I don't tell no lies
It's good - good to be alive

Some people like to get high
Some people like to get low
Some people don't care - which way the wind will blow

Chorus
Well I say it's good - good to be alive
Yeh I say it's good, good, good to be alive