This song is one of the most intimate lyrics I've ever written back in the early 90ies. And I still feel the same way. Fred and I composed this song together for our band called AlFred &the ASC at that time. The string arrangement was made a few years after the original recording by Alain Caron, famous keyboard player of canadian band UZEB, we met in a recording studio near Montréal. It was an awesome experience.
So for most people who always see me smile, this is who I am most of the time. When I smile, it's because I'm happy to see your faces that tear me out of my sadness. Thank you for that ;)
PS: the painting was made by one of my mother's best friends right after my mom had her first cancer relapse. Her name is Christa, and she said. "I was expecting a colourful picture full of joy, the way I experience you when we sit and talk, but strangely this melancholy and deep sadness imposed while I was painting" She saw right trough me....