Here's the back story:

Nick of Time is a letter of support to a friend struggling with life changes. It's hard for anyone to be available all the time, but a friend who is there for you in the nick of time is a treasure. The song is deeply optimistic, which reflects my philosophy.

I wrote Nick shortly after the Silicon Valley bubble burst in 2000; the Flying Other Brothers played it, most often connected by a long jam to a song called Devil's Kitchen. Moonalice has played Nick of Time 183 times, beginning at our seventh show (Black River Falls, WI) back in August 2007. We have played several different arrangements, including 3 verses with a jam at the end, 3 verses with the jam after the 2nd verse, and two verses followed by a jam into another song. The song translates particularly well to acoustic performances.

I wrote Nick of Time with a capo at the seventh fret. That allows me to make an A chord using the hand position of a D chord, enabling the notes to ring like a chime as I play the walk down arpeggios that define the song.