Life Is An Intermittent Fault
Lyrics by Chris Conway and Robert Wynne
Music by Chris Conway
© 1998

I woke one night thinking that I suffered from a cough
But soon after, found that I had once more switched myself off
I don’t know why it happens, It’s not the life i’d choose
I’ve tried to play a different way, but just found different ways to lose

Some lead lives of wonder, lives of joy and song
Some live out their days content that nothing will go wrong
Some lead lives of merriment, and get all that they ought
But alas for me, I fear my life is an intermittent fault

What will become of me? – as if anybody cared
It’s not a lot to ask to be ocassionally repaired
They tell me that I am the latest model on the charts
But that’s no consolation when you’re made out of spare parts

(chorus)

Bridge:
I’m completely irregular
Intermittent to the letter
Whenever I’m sent for fixing
I suddenly get better
Some folk seek the Holy Grail
And some a single malt
But I seek the cause and truth behind
Life’s intermittent fault

Robots are for serving men, and not for contemplations
We’re not expected to grow wise or build human relations
But a living mind exists inside this metal mastodon
Dreaming dreams where off is off, and on definitely on!

(chorus)

I wrote this song in a chatroom with British musician Chris Conway back on the original TalkCity incarnation of #filkhaven. I think it wasn’t until the very last verse that we were really sure what we were writing the song about, but I love the idea of a neurotic robot who just desperately wants his circuits to work properly. Back when we wrote this, I’d suggested Chris write music for it, since he’s a far, far better tunesmith than me, and some years later he did.

Check out Chris’s webpage, btw, and buy his albums. He’s truly talented, and a nice guy to boot