A cruel, cruel song. I always seem to have one tune on every album from the perspective of a despicable misogynist. This is a soon-to-be father who knows he won't be sticking around much longer, while a lesbian couple next door pines for their own child. I think I got that line A vague notion of nothing much in my head first, apropos of nothing. And then rather than the song being about an idea, which would be the obvious continuation of a notion, it became about a person... or baby. The baby in your belly is a vague notion of nothing much.

Then I thought, God!, what a terrible thing to say. But it'd be even more terrible if it were the father talking to the mother. So I guess I think of these things first and then wonder how I can make them the most potently cruel. My friends think I should start a contest for folks who'd be willing to write new songs based on mine to save my sad characters. It happened once. Maybe someone will eventually save the deadbeat dad in Vague Notion and they'll end up a happy family one day. Or maybe just a functional family would be okay.