Blog
-
Three Little Birds
Three Little Birds
Three Little Birds fly away from home
Three Little Birds out all on your own
Six tired wings flutter through the dark.
Will they quench the fire
Or will they set the spark?
Granny’s cage has broken
Little birds fly free
Keep your flock together
Roost in yonder tree
Be watchful of the falcon
Be watchful of the fox
Be watchful of the children
with their slings and rocks.
Ch
Keep the good book near you
Read the word it holds
Keep your faith in family
No matter what unfolds
Find wisdom in the letters
Find wisdom in the words
Find wisdom in the secrets
That protect three little birds.
Ch
Hush now little baby
Hush now don’t you cry
If you catch a mockingbird
Release it to the sky.
Twelve claws will defend you
Six bright eyes will see
Three little birds will sing a tune
Made for family.
Ch
Ch
-
St Bridgid stand before me
St Bridgid Stand Before Me
Lyrics
St Bridgid stand before me
St Bridgid stand behind
Illuminate the darkness
Illuminate my mind
Bring comfort to the mother
bring comfort to the child
Lay blessings on our conflicts
‘Till all be reconciled.
She gave the lepers apples
And fed the starving man
By trading great treasures
Her healing she began
She hung upon a sunbeam
The cloak that got the land
And made the great oak holy
Touched by her pure hand
Give in love’s equality
For failings come atone
That all will have their needs met
Strike silver against stone.
Grant kindness to your neighbor
Forgiveness to your kin
That the winter cold be broken
And the sunlight ushered in.
St Bridgid stand before me
St Bridgid stand behind
Illuminate the darkness
Illuminate my mind
Bring comfort to the mother
bring comfort to the child
Lay blessings on our conflicts
‘Till all be reconciled.
Leave out a fine silk ribbon
the night that heralds spring
that the lady when she’s walking
Lay hands upon the string
To bring us protection
and to keep us from ill
Through her feast day passes
she is with us still
Brigid bring us bounty
Of milk and butter gold
Generosity to creatures
Protection from the cold
Thankfulness for water
From which will come the beer
And patience with each other
Throughout the growing year.
St Bridgid stand before me
St Bridgid stand behind
Illuminate the darkness
Illuminate my mind
Bring comfort to the mother
bring comfort to the child
Lay blessings on our conflicts
‘Till all be reconciled.
Unsure where to start, I decided to lean into the day, which is the Feast of St. Brigid and Imbolc. This modern prayer to St. Brigid includes references to many of the miracles attributed to her.
Here’s a translation of a document which contains all over her miracles if anyone is interested. It’s pretty entertaining.
https://brigitssparklingflame.blogspot.com/2015/01/vita-sanctae-brigitae-cogitosuss-life.html
I accompanied myself on a reproduction of an Anglo-Saxon style six-string #acoustic #lyre, which would have been an instrument played in the time of the original St. Brigid, 451 – 525 CEE. (The oldest lyre found in England dates before 450 CE.) The tune is, of course, modern #folk and not remotely medieval, even if the subject is.
I am just learning to play this instrument, and I’m still not comfortable with it yet, especially when strumming it, rather than plucking like playing the harp.
My voice is recovering from being in a very large indoor event a few days ago, so it’s rougher than I prefer, but it’s FAWM, so I gotta just do what can be done! #firstfruits must come from somewhere!
This was darn near a #folk #acoustic_one_take – I had to edit out one section that I really made a mess of, so it’s a one-point-five take.
( Anyway, this is actually kind of a bold start for me, because I’m in rough voice on an instrument I don’t play well, at 1am, and it’s my FAWM debut for 2024. Actually, I guess that’s a pretty good start after all for a #singer_songwriter . =) ) -
Lady, There is Nothing I Can Give You
Lady, there is nothing I can give you
I do not have castle
Or a field heavy with wheat
I haven’t any finery
Or tourney to compete
I cannot make a show of anything that I can’t do
I can make a show of loving youLady, there is nothing i can give you
That you cannot attain yourself
But give me leave to lavish you with love
Lady i am humble but I swear on all above
To treasure every hour I can take
To bring you every joy that I can make
Lady There is nothing i can give you but meI am no great warrior
I’ll never be a king
My lands don’t have a winery
Don’t even have a ring
Cannot make a show of everything I can’t do
But I can make a show of loving youBut I have fields of daisies
And more books than any mage
But I will sing you poetry
And lift words from the page
I will make a show of everything you do
Everythingch
I have job thats boring but leaves all my nights free
I can cook delightful things with honey from the bee
I will make a show of everything that you can do
Of everything to show how I love you.ch
Feb 2024 -
Hand at My Back
Hand at My Back
The wind blew hard
o’re tree and stone
I walked into the storm
The sky a bruise before me
The barley laying prone
Rows of gold
crushed in the cold
Its song a bitter moanPushing straight through
The endless drone
I wrestled with my thoughts
The path once laid before me
Snows long had overblown
My knees came down
on frozen ground
But I was not aloneI felt your
hand at my back
Like the warmth of the sun
It felt just like midsummer
as my strength was done
You brought me fire
When I was barely embers
Now my whole soul remembers
To what it can aspire
With your hand
at my back.The crystal spires
Were overgrown
I brought about the scythe
The glinting blade before me
Against the winter throne
Algific rite
Welcomed the blight.
I reaped what they had sown.
Beneath still stars
The curse was shown
I advanced as I watched
The silent host before me
Began to move and groan
Without remorse
Knowing the source
Like barley they were mown.I felt your
hand at my back
Like the warmth of the sun
It felt just like midsummer
as my strength was done
You brought me fire
When I was barely embers
Now my whole soul remembers
To what it can aspire
With your hand
at my back.I soon came to
‘Mid gelid bone
I sang prayers old and new
Rimy dead piled here before me
With no way to atone
Their sightless eyes
Answered the skies.
As green aurora shoneI felt your
hand at my back
Like the warmth of the sun
It felt just like midsummer
as my strength was done
You brought me fire
When I was barely embers
Now my whole soul remembers
To what it can aspire
With your hand
At my back——–
FAWM26 NOTES
This is a song about realizing who’s there for you, and knowing that they’re there for you, with you, even when you think that you’re alone.You can always draw on the strength of people who love you.
This song is about an adventurer who has to take care of a blight of bitter cold. She’s alone, but when she falters, she’s given strength from those who are far away from her, allowing her to carry on, do the work, and start back home.
It was initially inspired by a moment I had recently when my best friend literally had a hand on my back during an intense (in a good way) moment. The feeling of his huge hand giving me stability has been something I’ve continued to feel, long after that moment passed. I’ve always known that hand was there, but I’ve not had cause to think of it so literally before.
It’s also partly dedicated to my D&D group, who are currently on a freezing island hoping to save the world and not die in the process. So that setting was on my mind – the epic fields swept with snow, the places where there’s nothing but trickery and desperation. And as long as one of us is there, we’re all there. Characters develop interesting relationships, and one of our group has been traveling for work, and I really miss his character (and him too, of course!) My husband is our game master, and I know that I have his hand at my back too – both in and out of game.
#electronic #electropop #nerdfolk
I wanted to start it with a nod to some of the fantasy epic prog rock songs, so the little acoustic guitar riff seemed perfect. Ultimately, I wanted it to be more modern, because that’s how it felt it wanted to be. It’s all done in LogicX with a mix of stock loop bits and a little hand played midi.
-
The Clock in the Hall is Always Running
Tick tok
The clock
In the hall
Is always running
Its been
Unlocked
Because it
Isn’t running
Time is long
But isn’t very cunning
So she waits
And she waits
Sometimes I hear
I hear her hummingShe walked a million miles
Pacing through halls
Going through the years
Watching all the stars
As they came and went
She passed
Passed throught all the memories
Forgotten memories
I know
Inknow
What it’s like to be forgotten
Memories
I know
I know
What it’s like to be
ForgottenTick tok
The clock
In the hall
Is always running
Its been
Unlocked
Because it
Isn’t running
Time is long
But isn’t very cunning
So she waits
And she waits
Sometimes I hear
I hear her hummingShe lived here
When everything was grand
When the beach in front of the manor had sand
She walked an alligator on a chain
And she danced and made love in the rain
But now
She’s stuck here
Going nowhere
Nowhere
But I know a thing or two
About going
going nowhere
I know
going nowhere
TooTick tok
The clock
In the hall
Is always running
Its been
Unlocked
Because it
Isn’t running
Time is long
But isn’t very cunning
So she waits
And she waits
Sometimes I hear
I hear her humming
Liner Notes
So I’m super late to this skirmish since I only saw it tonight, but it inspired this song, the song that is number 14. The theme was supernatural, and I started thinking about the ghosts in houses in New England (where I live) and what that must be like, how tedious, really, when they probably had exciting lives (to some degree at least) before they were trapped being ghosts. So this song is about that.
I like this demo more than I expected. I may refine lyrics on a future pass, and tighten up the verses, though I kind of like their musing quality…like what you say when nobody can hear you.
#songskirmish, #SuperSkirmish, #022623F, #Supernatural
“THEME/TITLE: SUPERNATURAL
Use in the title, or lyric or any way you interpret the word – witch, ghost, psychic, superpowers, esoteric, occult…”It’s made with loops and snippets from the Garageband library and a handful of effects.
-
Into the Woods We Follow
The king’s man took into the wood
to catch some coneys, fleet and good
He caught a flicker in his eye
as flash of gold went bounding by.
It was a stag with antlers tall,
surely the lord of wood stags all.
He left his hounds in thicket green
Catch this creature he had seenWith a hey ho to the wood we go
for to catch him with the bolt and bow.
With a hey hei watch him fly
as the lord of the wood we follow.The king’s Lady on her palfrey white
went a-riding in the sunshine bright.
when came a sound upon the trail
as doe of silver past did sail.
To see the doe made her heart bloom
and so she took off through the broom
to touch with her own gentle hand
this hind most lovely in the land.With a hey ho to the wood we go
to see the hart in the summer’s glow.
With a hey hei watch them fly
as through the wood we follow.Into a clearing verdant green
the golden stag ran, clearly seen.
The silver doe met his stride
as the Lady and king’s man did ride
The king’s man poised to bring them down
as gift to serve before the crown.
The Lady saw his bolt on high
and galloped ‘ere where the bold would flyWith a hey ho to the wood we go
though the hunt we now forgo.
With a hey hei watch them fly
as into the wood we follow.The lady’s hands rushed to her breast
where now the bolt did redly rest.
The yoman looked where the Lady fell
amid the leaves of mossy dell,
The golden hind did lift her head,
and then his sliver lady lead
the bold young hunter unto her side
to pull the bolt ere lady die.With a hey ho to the wood we go
to find them in a thicket low.
With a hey hei watch them fly
as into the wood we follow.Though it broke his heart in two
He tore the wounding arrow through.
as the Lady weakly swooned
The doe’s kiss staunched the bleeding wound
With queen, yet living, in his arms,
the king’s man fled the clearing’s charms.
At the charger’s side the palfrey ran
from this kingdom not of man.With a hey ho to the wood we go to
the realm of stag and merry doe.
With a hey hei watch them fly
as into the wood we follow.As the noble stag walked with his mate
In the greeny wood with a steady gait
The sun sank down and the bright moon shone
And the clearing was once more alone.
Liner Notes
#harp #acoustic #folk #medieval #fantasy
This is an old set of lyrics that needed work, as it was written as an exhaustively long ballad. I rediscovered them earlier in February, and I realized that with some editing, I could have a nice little “trad” folk song that would be good around a fire some cold evening.
There’s a little mystical sense – the stag and his doe are clearly supernatural creatures — and the story has a happier ending than it could have. I’ve enjoyed spending time with this piece, setting it, and then making a more workable song from it.
That greeny wood is a good place, especially in the bitter winter.
-
Moonfalling
He says I love you in reflected sunlight
When the evening / arrives so brightly
In ebbs and flows he is calling
The rhythm of love in the tides is a MoonfallingHe watched with one eye
As the world was growing
Observed the islands
In their fire exploding
A being of time
And reflecting dust
Covets the vast water
With a gentle lustThe day that he saw
Her dark, dancing form
He would ever follow her
Whether still or storm
She broke through the waves
Of the shining deep
Her spray shone like the stars
And Made him feel completeHe says I love you in reflected sunlight
When the evening / arrives so brightly
In ebbs and flows he is calling
The rhythm of love in the tides is a MoonfallingHer vast graceful form
Caught his brilliant gaze
Now he searches for her
In the storm’s thick haze
Their great grey eyes met
Only once by chance
Now the dark waters pull
In a steady slow danceThose strong rolling tides
Are his songs of love
Drawn from a stony heart
Set vast leagues above
Her echoes in the earth
So far down below
Ripple out for miles
Beneath his silvery glowHe says I love you in reflected sunlight
When the evening arrives so bright
In ebbs and flows he is calling
The rhythm of love in the tides is a MoonfallingTwo souls bound as if by tether
Both sending glitter to the aether
One lost in pale starlight
One lost in plankton bright
This love so very rare
A love that reaches everywhere…
Whether there’s an atmosphere
Love reaches everywhere…
Whether there’s an atmosphere
Love can reach you everywhere…
Whether there’s an atmosphere
Love can reach you everywhere…He says I love you in reflected sunlight
When the evening arrives so bright
In ebbs and flows he is calling
The rhythm of love in the tides is a Moonfalling
The rhythm of love in the tides is a Moonfalling
Liner Notes
A friend of mine posted on Twitter a long time ago this statement, “If Moonfall isn’t about The Man In The Moon falling in love with a Humpback Whale and using his control of the tides to express affection, I ain’t watching it.”
I’ve wanted to write this song for ages, and now I finally have. About 70% of the lyrics were complete a week ago (it’s the 28th now) and I had an idea for the tune. Fortunately, I had these beautiful loops of soft guitar by Hamood that nearly perfectly matched my vision for this piece
https://www.looperman.com/loops?mid=hamood
looperman-l-0893366-0245028-cm-nylon-guitar.7
looperman-l-0893366-0245028-cm-nylon-guitar.10The sea sounds and chimes are both straight from garageband loops.
-
Tinderbox
My self-control
is hanging by a thread
Replaced by something
demanding to be fed
I feel the connection
That we make when we touch
I don’t know what I’m doing
But I know
That I’m not
thinking muchOut all night prowling in the dark
Yea I’m breaking in, I’m picking locks
I can tell you’ve really left a mark
Baby every fire needs a spark
Is it arson when I know that you’re a tinderbox?You look so sharp
you could be made of knives
I’m like like a cat
using all its lives
I burn like convection
Your radiance is hot
I don’t know what I’m doing
But I know
that I can’t
hold a thought.Out all night prowling in the dark
Yea I’m breaking in, I’m picking locks
I can tell you’ve really left a mark
Baby every fire needs a spark
Is it arson when I know that you’re a tinderbox?You sublimate
Me directly to steam
That scalding glance
I saw in a dream
Your gaze a dissection
When you meet my eyes
I don’t know what I’m doing
But I know
That it’s not
A surprise.Out all night prowling in the dark
Yea I’m breaking in, I’m picking locks
I can tell you’ve really left a mark
Baby every fire needs a spark
Is it arson when I know that you’re a tinderbox?
Is it arson when I know that you’re a tinderbox?
Liner Notes
#rock #badboys #electronic #fire
UPDATE: I re-did it.
I cut out the center double chorus because it didn’t move anything forward. I redid the lyrics, dumped the placeholder guitar solo thing, and added a big drum piece in its place. Added a backup vocal to the end of the chorus to give it a little more sparkle.
Still not sure I’m sold on the fuzzy amp vocal effect, but it may be that I’m not skilled at adjusting it. Eh, it’s ok.
Revised demo above; original link provided below.
***
This one hit quickly, based on a few lines that I sang into the phone while on vacation. I am not super happy with the demo, so I’ll probably redo it in March. 😉Original demo: https://mbouchard.com/FAWM/tinderbox-demo.mp3
-
The Snow Is Stars Around Us
Low clouds fumble the rain.
Low clouds fumble the rain.Lo see there –
The snow is stars around us
Is bones
Is hearts
Around usDoes this space
Does this space
Where the stars don’t exist
Does this space
Does it bring you
Bliss?As the clouds fumble the rain.
Low clouds fumble the rain
The snow is stars around us,
Is bones,
Is hearts,
Does it bring you?Liner Notes
#ambient #spoken_word #fusion #expansive #space #electronic #vocal
This poem was one that I sang last week into my phone, except it was basically completely different. It’s engineered in Garageband using midi instruments I played and layered effects through. It’s gone much more “wall of sound” than I anticipated, given that it started out spooky, acoustic, and delicate.
I’m always amazed at where some of these things go sometimes – they seem almost independent.
It didn’t go anywhere near where I expected it to either, becoming this echoing, swirling thing that could very well be my FAWM end title this year.
-
Never Give It Up
Never give it up for the girls
You’re just a thing like diamonds, emeralds, pearls
When their perfume and all their coyness round you swirls
You’ll just be waiting for the end as it unfurls
You never give it up for the girlsNever give it up for the boys
Don’t give in to satisfy their petty joys
They’ll only see you then as one of their toys
You’ll be waiting while they’re following the noise
Never give it up for the boysWhy do we do what we do when we do the things that we do to each other
Why do we do what we do when we do the things that we do to with a lover
Why do we do all the things that we do
Why do we do what we doNever give it up for the one
It’s just a story told, an old tale spun
Ever-after can look so fun
Until the book is closed and the verse is done
Never give it up for the oneWhy do we do what we do when we do what we do to the one?
Liner Notes
#AntiLoveSong #Vocal #Bass #jazz #Noir
This came to me in a moment of need, since I had a vacation that was rescheduled and I knew that I wouldn’t make my FAWM goal this year. This kind of bitter little thing came in at the end to give me another one.
I’ll take it, even if the mix is pretty messy, a #demo is a demo, especially at this point in the game.
-
What’ll you do tomorrow?
What’ll you do tomorrow?
What’ll you do tonight?
What’ll you do tomorrow
to make things right?
I don’t know.I know I’ve got tomorrow
I know I’ve got tonight
I know I’ve got you with me
And everything is gonna be alrightThe thing about tomorrow
Is that it comes so fast
How can I know what happens tomorrow
Is going to last?
I don’t knowWill you be there tomorrow?
Or is tonight our past?
I can’t worry ‘bout tomorrow
If the die is already cast….I’m afraid
As the bells start to ring
I won’t know anymore
Anything
I’m afraid
You will go
And after that
There’s no point
In tomorrow.Maybe it will be alright.
Maybe I’ll wake and the sun
Will be there shining bright and
You’ll be
here beside me.What’ll you do tomorrow?
What I’ll do tonight?
What will we do tomorrow
To make things, make things right?I don’t know
But I’ve got tomorrow…We know we’ve got tomorrow
So let’s make up tonight
And maybe our tomorrows
Will be alright.
Liner Notes
#Lovesong #Musical #UntunedPiano #Vocals #StageProduction #Hope #Acoustic #Cheerful #off-off-broadway
This came really quickly today, as I played around on the piano we keep thinking of giving away, because we never tune it (you will be able to tell. If you have perfect pitch, this is not the piece for you my friend.)
The lyrics “what will you do tomorrow” were in my head as I played the main chords. As I wrote tonight, I had to remember that not every song has to be deep and meaningful — sometimes it’s just a person who has left their lover in bed and walks to the center of the stage where the spotlight is bright and they sing about uncertainty and vulnerability and hope…with an out of tune piano because the show is still in rehearsal.
And there we are. That’s this song.
I think there is solid potential for harmonies in this piece.
-
Everything Happens at Once
Everything Happens at Once
I’ll watch you auger out fifteen feet of line
While I’ll sit and imagine fifteen bottles of wine
We’ll break up the walkway just for a start
But we’re here together, no matter what else falls apart(chorus)
Everything happens at once it seems
Layers and layers of warped sitcom dreams
But the lights are still on in this hurricane
And I guess if I had to
I think if I had to
I know if I had to,
With you
with you,
with you,
I’d do it again.The roof saw me cryin’ and it joined right in
Now two rooms are weeping down on buckets of tin
Raindrops are falling right here next to my head
At least you’re beside me in this soggy bed(chorus)
Even when it pours, I guess the well can run dry
I can’t even raise my voice to the ironic sky
I’ve started to laugh ‘cause what else could we do
It’s never too much though when
It’s never too much though when I’m here
when I’m here with you.(bridge)
I know the roots we’ve grown are strong,
I can’t let this one string us along
All these reminders are in the wrong places
But everywhere I look are traces
Of your love of our love#Updated #pop #adultcontemporary #love_song #mellow
Everything Happens at Once is a love song that doesn’t sound like a love song. A friend is going through serious medical stuff and shared today that all at once the septic flooded the house )they had a huge tree root right through it), the roof is leaking in two rooms (including beside her head), the well ran dry (they had to have it dug deeper)…and through it all her partner is holding down the fort with real love.
-
12 Live Frogs
Improvised vocal based on the following answer to the question, “What are you going to do with the 12 live frogs?”
Open box
Be delighted
Watch frogs escape
Cue Boots Randolph
Frantically try to contain frogs
Watch frogs jump around house
Capture frogs
Put back in box
Go to barn
Drag in giant unused aquarium
Create frog habitat
Put frogs in habitat
Go to pet store
Buy more habitat items
Buy food for frogs
Watch frogs in habitat
Watch frogs eat
Complain about having to buy food for frogs
Take out frogs for occasional “enrichment”
Enjoy frogs
Get attached
Observe circle of life
Conduct occasional frog funeral servicesGet more frogs.
Comments
#vocals #frogs #beats #experimental #femalevocal #vocals #frogs #beats #improvisation
Ever since I saw that one could get a box of 12 Live Frogs from a scientific company catalog, I’ve been somewhat obsessed with the idea. I’ve joked to my family that it’s what I wanted for Christmas, and then for Valentine’s Day. (I did not get a box of 12 live frogs.)
Someone asked what I’d DO with them. I made a list.
Then I made a song out of that list.
So, um, here’s like five and a half minutes of what I’d do with a box of 12 live frogs. With cowbell.
I based this off these fabulous bass riffs
looperman-l-4228984-0310471-disco-bass-groove
looperman-l-4228984-0310628-disco-bass-2
by MarloeDK: https://www.looperman.com/loops?mid=MarloweDK -
Exhaustion
#instrumental #electronic #electropop #electric_piano #harp
There may be lyrics added at some point, but for the moment, it’s an instrumental.
I was feeling pensive and fell in love with this piano loop by DeepKode: looperman-l-0862877-0062654-deepkode-deepkode-piano-1 merged
This is constructed of a mix of midi instruments and loops from Garage Band.
-
Neuer ic Yeve Away
The Lay of Richard Rollings, Troubadour and Poet d’Amore
THE LAY OF RICHARD ROLLINGS
(as told in Middle English by Aneleda Falconbridge)Forswear thy pledge, myn weneth
nat everich oon yeven thilke
I but mine thoughts unbinden
ant thou understandan mak.Neuer ic the ne yeve away
Neuer ic the nolde na doun
Neuer ic sette forth and forsake thee
Neuer ic yelde wepen mak
Neuer ic farewell spake
Neuer ic thee disceyve and peyneWe ken our leman mony a day
achen thou hart, thou fain would ne hit spake
we ken wot is now befalle
we wyste the sport and we wolde it play
Ant shoud thou ask mine heart,
are thee ne blind to ken?Neuer ic the ne yeve away
Neuer ic the nolde na doun
Neuer ic sette forth and forsake thee
Neuer ic yelde wepen mak
Neuer ic farewell spake
Neuer ic thee disceyve and peyneNeuer ic the ne yeve thou.
This performance was recorded at the East Kingdom Bardic Championship in February 2023.
lyric and arrangements © 2013 & 2023 Monique Bouchard (known in the #SCA as Aneleda Falconbridge) inspired by the immortal poet #rickastley
I’d long wanted to perform this piece, which I translated to Middle English many years ago. It was just a couple days ago, however, that I discovered how I would finally set it to harp and sing it. This is its debut performance, live, at a performance event Saturday.
The story our poet tells is one of great and enduring love. He speaks of faithfulness, loyalty, and perseverance–among the best of the chivalric virtues…you may recognize its inspiration.
-
Shan, You Can’t Take on the Ocean
Shan,
You can’t take on the ocean
You can’t try on others’ lives
You can’t forge emotions
Like you can forge a blade for knives.
Shan,
You can’t take on the ocean
You can’t take on the sea
You have to live with who you are
And who you’re meant to be. -
City Down
I never thought I’d be living in the city
Never thought it could be so gritty
I never thought that the lights
in the night would be so pretty
Never thought that the lights
in the night would be so prettyFeel the shove out the airlock
Just as damned as the cell block
It’s all ice on the skin shock
Memories of the boardwalk
There’s nothing I can see
And I know that its gunna be
a while
Be a while
Be a whileI never thought I’d be living in the city
Never thought it could be so gritty
I never thought that the lights
in the night would be so pretty
Never thought that the lights
in the night would be so prettyYou can feel all the new highs
That the void’s gunna baptize,
You’ll be born of your dark cries
Rainbow frost in your ice eyes.
There’s nothing I can see
And I know that its gunna be
a while
Be a while
Be a whileFeel the shove out the airlock
Just as damned as the cell block
It’s all ice on the skin shock
Memories of the boardwalk
There’s nothing I can see
And its gunna be a while
Be a whileCity
Be a whileFlying in hot and hoping for fair trial
Search the place, fronting for a real smile
Is this neutrality or is it something hostile?
See them glaring like you fit some kind of profile
Wooden gavel lands and gives it to us old style
Cameras flash then we’re walking down a dark aisle
Hope remains that they’re sending us to exile.
But I feel the pressure of a one way spinning turnstyleI never thought I’d be living in the city
Never thought it could be so gritty
I never thought that the lights
in the night would be so pretty
Never thought that the lights
in the night would be so prettyFeel the shove out the airlock
Just as damned as the cell block
It’s all ice on the skin shock
Memories of the boardwalk
There’s nothing I can see
And I know that its gunna be
a while
Be a while
Be a whileI never thought I’d be living in the city
Never thought it could be so gritty
I never thought that the lights
in the night would be so pretty
Never thought that the lights
in the night would be so prettyNever thought of the skin shock
Memories of the boardwalk…
#electropop #R&B #vocals #rock #experimental
I’ve been trying to stretch my production chops this FAWM, and I’m trying to be less afraid to experiment with all the tools at my disposal. Super out of my comfort zone.
I was looking through some loops and hit on this old-school grind piano riff by JoeFunktastic on Looperman. As it played, a few phrases started to materialize and then there was this concept. It’s kind of adjacent to the space pieces that I seem to be pulled toward every FAWM. I’m also feeling tension in a lot of places about people casting really harsh judgements at each other, and some days it feels like everyone is on trial. I realize that’s reflected here too. Kinda cheerful for a “pushed out the airlock” kind of song I guess?
With samples and a little keyboard synth work, it came together.
-
Hit It Till We Drift
Hit It Till We Drift
You’re like a smooth road after the rain
The surface of you drives me insane
Take over my senses with every turn
Feeling nothing but the afterburnHug every corner, flirt with the edge
I want to push it right to the ledge
Come on race me down the thruway
You’re driving me crazy like a clicheI feel the shift we’ve got to
Settle this crush together
Settle this crush together
Settle this crush together-her
Come on boy Lean in and
settle this crush together
Or we’ll crash together so
Hit it till we drift boy
Hit it till we drift
Hit it till we drift boyI know the sound of that throaty growl,
See you in leather faking a scowl
Like you don’t care, but it’s not true
But I’ve never let on that I knewRev your engine, pull up beside mine
You’re not too shiny, might make the line
Lay it down hard and off we’ll go
Give everybody a big damn showI feel the shift we’ve got to
Settle this crush together
Settle this crush together
Settle this crush together-her
Come on boy Lean in and
settle this crush together
Or we’ll crash together so
Hit it till we drift boy
Hit it till we drift
Hit it till we drift boyRed light flashing Drive right on through
Chrome and steel crashing What could we do
Scream through the dark
Slam on the brake
How many times
Is this gonna take?
Scream through the dark
Slam on the brake
How many times
Is this gunna take?I feel the shift we’ve got to
Settle this crush together
Settle this crush together
Settle this crush together-her
Come on boy Lean in and
settle this crush together
Or we’ll crash together so
Hit it till we drift boy
Hit it till we drift
Hit it till we drift boy
Hit it till we drift boy
Hit it till we drift
Hit it till we drift boy
This first FAWM represents how fast I have to race this year, because I have a pile of traveling to do during FAWM, and I’m worried about the deadline!
This tune is constructed in GarageBand, with a digital percussionist, bass riff, and loops from Looperman:
– looperman-l-5998492-0318853-maybe-juice-wrld-style-acoustic-guitar-part-1
https://www.looperman.com/loops?mid=CharlieDanso
– looperman-l-5383014-0294273-iamroofa-your-eyes
https://www.looperman.com/loops?mid=iamroofa
– looperman-l-2595245-0315928-counter-piano https://www.looperman.com/loops?mid=ProdSuzukisan -
Age of Worry (cover)
I only recently learned about this song by John Mayer, and immediately fell in love with it. I don’t usually record covers, but this was one I just had to.
I’m also proud that I created the entire background track from scratch, which is a skill I’m slowly building.
Age of Worry – John Mayer
Close your eyes and clone yourselfBuild your heart and armyTo defend your innocenceWhile you do everything wrongDon’t be scared to walk aloneDon’t be scared to like itThere’s no time that you must be homeSo sleep where your darkness fallsAlive in the age of worrySmile in the age of worryGo wild in the age of worryAnd sing Worry, why should I care?No your fight is not with themYours is with your time hereDream your dreams but don’t pretendMake friends with who you areGive your heart and change your mindYou’re allowed to do it‘Cause God knows it’s been done to youAnd somehow, you got through itAlive in the age of worrySmile in the age of worryGo wild in the age of worryAnd sing Worry, why should I care?Rage in the age of worryAct your age in the age of worryRage in the age of worryAnd sing, Worry, get out of here!
Worry, get out of here.
Worry, get out of here.