Feb 2022 folk fearless longing loss
Today's fearless songwriter prompt was "never thought I'd ever." This is a story I've been trying to figure out how to tell for a long time.
If I Could Tell You
I guess it’s been awhile
Since I spoke to you in whispers
And I’ve barely cried
In the seasons you’ve been gone
If I could tell you
What I’ve figured since that summer
That the moment I was hoping for
Would not have come along
oo
I’m rarely certain
If my memory betrays me
But I’m pretty sure
That this time the picture’s right
If I could tell you
What it meant that you could see me
Made an awkward, shy, and tender girl
Feel perfect for a night
oo
Never thought I’d ever feel the way I felt that day
When I found out that the waves had pulled you under
I still don’t know if it was choice or chance that drew you to the water
There was nothing anyone could say
I still think of you
Rearranging each September
What I thought I knew
But the trail is growing cold
If I could tell you
I’ve forgiven you for leaving
But not for keeping me a secret
You would not have told
oo
I guess it’s been awhile
Since I spoke to you in whispers
And I’ve barely cried
In the seasons you’ve been gone
© Beth DeSombre 2022 (FAWM #8)(Fearless #6: Never thought I’d ever”)
@audrey Mar 2022
What a sweet melody and vocal. I also like your gentle guitar playing. Lovely song!
@siebass Mar 2022
Bittersweet nostalgic take on this, great guitar work. What a rough topic of a conversation with a lost loved one gone too soon. But the trail is growing cold, and but not for keeping me a secret you would not have told were my favorite lines.
@berty38 Mar 2022
Stunning imagery in the lyrics, and the fingerpicking is so smooth to accompany your emotional vocals. I thinks there’s a wonderful ambiguity that you (or the narrator) might not be telling the truth that you’ve barely cried. #tit4tat
@kahlo2013 Mar 2022
This gorgeously performed song really tugs at my heart and dwells within once the music stops. The lyrics feel so honest with a vulnerability that evokes empathy. The idea of rearranging September speaks volumes….
@davidtaro Mar 2022
A really heart breaking song, delivered beautifully. The lyrics are incredibly well-written, they have a great flow to them too. I love how pragmatic and nuanced they are. The guitar playing is fab once again, I was really moved by this one, brilliant write! #tit4tat
@celineellis Mar 2022
devastating loss captured in a beautiful melodic cocoon - the ooo section melody is particularly delightful! some delightful phrasing on some of the 'wordy' lines, means it never sounds cluttered. gorgeous
@mariekevinkmusic Mar 2022
OK. I am crying now. Like, for real and not just saying it to mean this is a good song. Loss is just.... ugh. I bloody hate it. Beautiful song.
@mikedelaney Feb 2022
wow! Got me wondering if the water was metaphorical. I was puzzled by "rearranging each September". my favorite line was "sing I spoke to you in whispers".
@rayboneor Feb 2022
Let me add that it's a very memorable song, too. I've been walking around the house singing and humming, "It's been a while..."
@rayboneor Feb 2022
Ooh...this is lovely. I've been trying to listen without reading, leaning in and waiting for what happens next. It's all gorgeous. I love the "ooh ooh" parts. And I love how you bookend the song with those "it's been a while." Top notch song and performance in every respect
@colgoo Feb 2022
Wow! What a story….this is delivered so beautifully. The grief over loss is so palpable.
@lmr Feb 2022
Beth, thanks so much for stopping by and checking out "These Feet". I have to say "If I could tell you" is an incredible song. It's a devastatingly, beautiful and brave piece: "I still think of you
Rearranging each September
What I thought I knew
But the trail is growing cold"
Wow, your poetry is breathtaking, congrats!
@eas3637 Feb 2022
Beth, this is heartbreaking and beautiful. Such good storytelling - I literally gasped when I got to the bridge. The ambiguity about the narrator’s feelings for the lost loved one brings an extra level of intensity to the story - it makes you want to listen over and over again to try to parse the meaning of what actually happened.
@tseaver Feb 2022
Nice write: the contrast between the fading memory, and the recap of the last verse, is wonderfully ambiguous.
@kenmattsson Feb 2022
Wow, I was riding along listening and, BAM, you hit me with the bridge. That's effective songwriting. Great job.
@mikegtz Feb 2022
Man, this level of vulnerability is impressive. That heartbreak experience that you want to forget about but it won't let itself be forgotten. Very much a keeper, Beth. It will be nice to hear it in its produced form.
@risbon Feb 2022
Really great!
@matthijs Feb 2022
The lyrics are really touching and your voice conveys the emotions very well. I enjoyed it quite a lot. thank you