Well I don't think of myself as a "fight song" kind of songwriter, but I saw the body part challenge and that got me started. Also: harmonies are dangerously fun and I'm doing what I can to hold back and not overdo it.
You can take it on the chin, be meek and then be blessed
You can stay on higher ground and never mind the rest
You can let the banshees scream, watch the jackals stalk their prey
And tell yourself that good will always have its day
But sometimes giving way is just like giving in
So it’s kind of like a sin to take it on the chin
You can swallow all your pride, you can look the other way
Find a quiet place to hide, duck out of the fray
Block the buzzing of the bees, push away the swarm
Or sail for calmer seas and stay out of the storm
But sometimes standing still is just being petrified
It will make you die inside to swallow all your pride
Or you can rise up, let fly
Shut it down, ask why
Shine light
Shout your conviction at the top of your lungs
You can boom like thunder
Never worry if they wonder if you’re
Speaking the truth
Or speaking in tongues
Speaking in tongues
You can turn the other cheek and decide to wait it out
Try to stay afloat as they drown you with their doubt
Let them till your lands with salt so your seeds will never grow
Let the sages say why it never can be so
But sometimes holding strong will leave you worn and weak
It’s better that you speak than turn the other cheek
Or you can rise up, let fly
Shut it down, ask why
Shine light
Shout your conviction at the top of your lungs
You can boom like thunder
Never worry if they wonder if you’re
Speaking the truth
Or speaking in tongues
Speaking in tongues
Well you can take it on the chin but you are made of sterner stuff
Draw the curtains on the play, tell them you have had enough
If your courage starts to thin
Just stand up and begin
Don’t be left with might have been
Don’t you take it on the chin
@christmascard Feb 2022
Holy moly your lyric writing ability is simply wonderful. Beautiful song.
@suehaney Feb 2022
I also upvote the excessive sumptuous harmonies!
@paulharrison Feb 2022
This is fabulous! So much to like...the strong, well-maintained focus on the consequences of taking it on the chin, the great lines that stick with an analogy (till your lands/seeds; stay afloat/drown, etc.)...brilliant writing! Musically, I like how the chorus picks up the pace on delivering the lyrics, which breaks things up nicely in a song with a lot (but not too many) lyrics. You seem to have absorbed well the songwriting skills that seem to abound in the Boston area!
@mikedebenham Feb 2022
That in/chin couplet is perfect after the first verse buildup. The easy route would have been to argue one side of the chin debate, but you hold on to nuance and show the pitfalls on both sides, which is why I admire you as a songwriter. Gorgeous harmonies too.
@andygetch Feb 2022
I'm really liking all of those nature references in the first several verses, then the switch to human behavior. Lovely singing, harmonies, and guitar.
@ekunyi Feb 2022
I love the message in this, and your structure to each verse is just... so very thoughtful in how it circles back around, not really moving anywhere, in contrast with the chorus that truly does seem to "let fly!" Beautiful. <3
@stephentanner Feb 2022
Gorgeous chorus. Clever lyrics throughout too. I love it.
@tseaver Feb 2022
Good write: "its kind of like a sin to take it on the chin" is a message we need to hear in this day and age. The lift into the chorus, along with the vocal harmony, is spendid.
@kiffa Feb 2022
Very impressive. Your voice has a wonderfully honest quality and sounds great in the harmony sections. I especially like the sections that end with the 'speaking in tongues' line. I see that you managed to work several different body parts in there, and it's done in a way that feels very natural and unforced. Kudos!
@analogj Feb 2022
Erin, your writing is so lovely in so many ways. You have a lovely sense of phrasing. It helps to hook me as a listener. And you also write lovely imagery, creating wonderful mind pictures and moods. And your sense of rhyme is also lovely.
Real professional level stuff. Applause.
@mk2021 Feb 2022
What a delightful tune. Love the harmonies which as you said are there but not overpowering the main melody vocal. Positive message and really infectiously catchy chorus.
@tukayandryan Feb 2022
I love this! Super harmonies in the chorus and such a brilliant message. You are so clever with words Erin. Love the rhythm changes vocally in the chorus so much. I so hope we can come and see you in Harvard one day and have a mammoth songwriting session xxx
@richaaaay Feb 2022
You've given a gift and you have a gift. Quite the eloquent wordsmith. Such solid guitar and vocals.
@bethdesombre Feb 2022
Way to make something serious of a quirky prompt. I'm impressed! This song sneaks up on us to be slowly beautiful and powerful. I love the nature metaphors throughout and how you use them to slide in profundity without hitting us over the head. Also, extremely cool rhyme scheme and excellent alliteration (and the dramatic difference between verse and chorus). I love it!
@corinnelucy Feb 2022
Hot damn, I love this. I just love the contrast from short sparse lines in the verse to that barrage of rapid-fire imperatives in the chorus, the harmonies are sweet as heck, the guitar is just the right accompaniment. Shawn Colvin who?
@davidtaro Feb 2022
Ok… so I apologise if this is out of whack with how you envisage the song, but I can really hear this with proper pop-country-rock production. Let me know if it’s something you’d be willing to let me work on (maybe post-FAWM) because it’s a really brilliant song with an instantly catchy and compelling melody, great lyrics and message, just fab! Love it as you’ve done it, but as I say, my producer brain just started whirring the minute it started playing :) (Ps you can never overdo it with the harmonies - a rule for life!)
@liz561 Feb 2022
This is really beautiful-great fight song!! Why isn't this on the radio (oh-because the radio plays shit like Justin Bieber). The harmony was really lovely.
@kenmattsson Feb 2022
How do you come up with these so fast? Great story telling here, and the word play is just amazing. I love love love the chorus and how it changes from the verses. Just wow.
@jennakole Feb 2022
Okay, one: I hope you rip out the governor for this “too many harmonies” concept.
Also, this line and its subsequent clever bookending couplets struck me:
“But sometimes giving way is just like giving in/So it’s kind of like a sin to take it on the chin“
Beautiful!
@majordanby Feb 2022
This is lovely, really well performed and the chorus is especially strong. It really picks everything up. Great write and a lovely song.
@leslie333 Feb 2022
Ooh, another really substantive message in this song (awesome lyrics) and a delight to listen to!
@erbaer Feb 2022
Wonderful song. Everything structurally about the song is solid. The singing and harmonies are perfectly matched to the message. But the message and the call to be more than a bystander in these troubled days... so true. Beautifully done.
@tomslatter Feb 2022
This is a great song. I'm always a sucker for the chord progression you've used in your verses, so this was always going to work for me, but the vocals are great. Really strong harmonies, nice and tight and expressive. I really enjoyed this.