Rocktober Day Eighteen: Buy Now, Pay Later

There was a time in 1997/8 when The Whitlam's Eternal Nightcap did not come out of my car CD player, not for weeks or possibly months on end. I could listen from start to finish and then start all over again.

Their big hit at the time was No Aphrodisiac (Like Lonliness) and while that song was HUGE and also beautiful and totally wonderful, it was the gorgeous, funny, sweet I Make Hamburgers from an earlier album which made me fall in love with Tim Freedman and this band in the first place.

Like all their songs, Buy Now, Pay Later is personal storytelling, a small song with big feelings.

Buy Now, Pay Later (Tim Freedman live at The Basement in Sydney)

Charlie you're not my Charlie anymore
You're screwing it up
You're killing your soul with an audience looking on
If I hadn't left early last night
I would have made a speech to you
How you're not the only one you're going to hurt

If you don't believe me I don't believe in you
If you don't believe me I don't believe in you

Makes it all feel better does it?
Makes you feel like heaven does it?
You loved it and you spent accordingly

You can't afford it now
You'll try and you'll fail
And love it like a little dog
And feed it on the scraps you find
And kiss it while you're still asleep
You buy now and pay later

So where's the problem you can ask if you keep your head up
But the road is long and you're falling asleep at the wheel
There's a girl going crazy about you and I'm not far behind
Can you care about your friends anymore?
You buy now and pay later