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about
If you're reading this, I hope you're managing. It's been a while! And not because I didn't have time. With everything happening now I considered quitting recording and releasing music - actually.
But I forced myself to enter a songwriting competition and write a song that had to be based on this year thematically, unfortunately. I absolutely did not want to write about or even think about this year (!) but I also wanted to challenge myself. I wondered if I could still write after not having done so in months and write with constraints at that.
The last few songs I worked on before this have bent slightly towards the positive. Positive for me at least. And I'm happy about that. I think hope is precious, a remarkable, singular possession of intelligent beings. And yet, groundless optimism is wishful thinking and ultimately a disservice. I assumed that songwriting competition would prefer something saccharine and uplifting. But I don't intend to sing hopeful songs about terrible situations. There's simply been too much unfounded hope. So this is not a Happy Story. And it is not in C Major.
*This song is largely inspired by a response Khalil Gibran Muhammad gave to a question following a lecture which quite subverted the usual motivating call to action for a particular cause that closes most lectures. It addressed the hope bubble and the idea of exceptionalism which I reference in the song. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmq2Mlp4k38)
So thanks to him for that and thank you for reading this and listening and supporting!
Be well,
f
lyrics
death don't lose a wink of rest over intent,
don't care even a bit about regret
green and vigorous, certain you're different,
better than the rest, the ones before and next
you can save your hope
hold the aspirations
they're so old
I've lost my
too-late love and rage bound up
what a curious union
little wars in everyone
little wonder it has come
to the screaming of words
we've only recently learned
rare to display or observe
true human concern
you can save your hope
hold the aspirations
they're so old
I can't take it
save your hope
hold the aspirations
they're so old
I've lost my patience
names on a page
face on a screen
good if it's dead
best if it bleeds
machine gun in the produce section
feet run over intellection
customary hurting
carrot to keep up
some might say it's working
but I have had enough.
//
credits
released October 11, 2020
guitar, vox, triangle, chair, lap, snaps, writing, recording, production, engineering, art - florid
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