I've been working hard to not overthink my songs this FAWM, so my goal with this one was to start and finish in one day (which is hard for me). Putting it down here and moving right along...
I don’t know the ground rules for this visit
Where to put my bags or park my car along the street
You say that this is easygoing living but I see the sign beside the door
That says to rinse the sand off of my feet
And yes I will admit your call surprised me
And I could not believe that you would let me in
Now that we are standing with our toes against the surf
I will confess I hardly know how to begin
Do we wade in together
Face the swells by standing side by side
Risk the pull that promises to drag us deep
Hope that holding hands will hold us up against the tide
Against the undertow
Against the undertow
My feet are firmly planted but I’m sinking
These waves erode my sense of what I thought was true
Sunlight on the water throws the shore into relief
Sharp like words, like salt inside a wound
Then your words flow like the water, it’s relentless
I fear this bitter drink will never satisfy your thirst
I haven’t thought what I will do if this should pull us under
Save myself, or throw the lifeline to you first
Do we wade in together
Face the swells by standing side by side
Risk the pull that promises to drag us deep
Hope that holding hands will hold us up against the tide
Against the undertow
Against the undertow
This water doesn’t want us
It crashes on the shore but still we stay
And I can’t tell if it’s the cold that makes me catch my breath
Or finding out that up to now
I only have been listening
to the edge of what you say
Do we wade in together
Face the swells by standing side by side
Risk the pull that promises to drag us deep
Hope that holding hands will hold us up against the tide
Against the undertow
Against the undertow
@greengrassgirl Feb 2022
I love these lyrics! Can't believe you did all this in one day! Nice job!
@seemanski Feb 2022
Great words very well performed. I thought the line about do I save you or me pretty damn striking. Love the listen.
@danvaillancourt Feb 2022
Wow. This is really beautiful. Love the way the story and the metaphor evolve and reveal throughout the verses. The whole lyric is filled with beautiful and well-crafted lines. Great melody in verses and chorus and solid picking throughout.
@tukayandryan Feb 2022
Beautiful use of metaphor. Emotive and gorgeous vocal as always. Love this.
@tamsnumber4 Feb 2022
I love the photo with this song. Amazing phrasing, especially if this is a one day song....I mean..Amazing! This write and story is so touching, seems so thoughtful and slightly hypnotic. Love the hook, which is what brought me in. the question "do we wade in together"...that is magical writing and your beautiful vocal is the cherry on top of this lovely song!
@leslie333 Feb 2022
This is so lovely but it also has such meatiness in the lyrics. I too love that 'only have been listening to the edge of what you say'. It really draws the listener in.
@prsongsmith Feb 2022
You have a lovely way with a melody, Erin. I felt the aching truth of these lyrics in every word. The chorus is just marvelous, and I love the line "The water doesn't want us..." (And thank you for listening to "Betty's Getting Ready"! I had fun with that one!)
@analogj Feb 2022
Ooooh. A fade-in. Fancy.
I've said this before, you have a great, fresh sense of phrasing. It's very conversational and pulls me in to listen to the words,
Also, you have such a lovely vocal instrument. You're a complete package (if you were to be packaged, that is).
@bethdesombre Feb 2022
Beautiful! I love the ambiguity (and how you lay that out in the opening details -- and also in "I only have been listening to the edge of what you say") and the central metaphor is effective on both levels. and one of the things I find magical in your songs is how the lines run (especially appropriate for this song). Excellent alliteration, too!
@mikedebenham Feb 2022
You don't really know how to write a bad song, do you? Work on that. In a lyric full of incisive lines, the one that really struck me in the gut here was 'I have only been listening to the edge of what you say'.
@majordanby Feb 2022
Wow, I just love how you throw so many words into your lyrics and your vocal skips beautifully along without any word feeling forced in. It allows for a story telling that is difficult to write. The lyrics are so good, very clever and thought provoking. The ‘only been listening to the edge of what you say’ is a fantastic line.
Beautifully written, played and sung. Such a great song. Really well done.
@analogj Feb 2022
Erin, one of your strong suits is your offbeat sense of phrasing. It's sort of conversational, and it keeps me listening more intently, as though you're talking to me (or singing to me).
And what a clear, almost bell-like voice you have.
@truetone Feb 2022
Very nice! Keep on writing! You don’t need to overthink this one. It’s a keeper.
@liz561 Feb 2022
So beautiful Erin. So conversational-I feel like you are taking me aside to talk to me privately.
@jennakole Feb 2022
Pulled me in from the first line. Love the anxiety/urgency of the whole rumination.
Not overthinking is the gift and necessity of fawm. If this is the result of embracing that then off ya go!
@stephentanner Feb 2022
This is so beautiful. You seem to have a way of making melodies that just roll over your music so perfectly. It's an absolute joy to listen to. Beautiful sentiment, so beautifully expressed.
@davidtaro Feb 2022
I've already gone on and on about your playing and your voice, so I'll focus on the words for this one. Because it's a lovely overall metaphor for a relationship, such a perfectly judged image. And I love how you draw the listener in. You hold things back - that first verse is pretty opaque, the second too. So the song kind of unfurls like a flower. Really great write, Erin!
@fonte Feb 2022
Fantastic song. Love the picking. But your voice is the start, so good. For all in one day this is incredible. Sounds done to me!
@coolparadiso Feb 2022
I like the clever way simple words link each verse together, nice use of the whole beach life to frame the song top lyric and of course your delivery is always so good!
@blainev83 Feb 2022
Absolutely beautiful. Such deeply thought provoking lyrics. Flawless vocal. Loved it.
@richaaaay Feb 2022
Beautiful singing and guitar playing. Nice crisp recording. Favorite lines:
Or finding out that up to know (typo - now)
I only have been listening
to the edge of what you say
Nice job writing and recording this in a day.
@jaydaniels Feb 2022
Beautiful. Your vocal delivery is superb, and the emotion of the song comes right on through.
@kenmattsson Feb 2022
Another stellar song Erin. Good that you did this in a day, now onto doing a skirmish!
I love the line "I only have been listening to the edge of what you say". Everything else is the same amazing quality that I have expected from you and never been disappointed in.
@sheslin Feb 2022
Your voice is clear as a bell as you ding the beautiful melody. Love the vivid imagery in your lyrics. Awesome one day write! Sometimes staying in the zone until you are done yields a beautiful song like this.