This is a more personal song, so it was tough.
Last year I took a pilgrimage to Rhode Island where I was born, where my dad was stationed, Navy Seabees, we left when I was two. I peppered my mom with questions and looked at photos and went back. I used this experience to write it from my mom's perspective if she had gone back herself and tried to distance myself as much as I could. The structure is unlike any song I have written because it came out as a story. I did this from one of the BOAT NAME CHALLENGE names, the challenge that I am running, so I felt obligated and I also challenged my songwriting group and the meeting is tomorrow...so...there it is, all in the emotional, obligational nutshell that made this a bit more work than I intended........
The Last Time I Was Here
by Tammy Jann
© 2022
I remember, I remember the breeze
off of the ocean in my distant memories
I remember, white sails on the waves
sun sparkling off of the sea glass landscape
I know the spot where we had to say goodbye
as you left for war I tried not to cry
and the bridge that stretched across the land
I drove it in awe every weekend
I took this trip back in time
I didn't know what I would find
it has been too many years
since the last time I was here
I remember, I remember the park
riding round until it closed and went dark
I remember strolling the historic town
with gates and fences and flowers all around
men in uniform, happy to be home
the women left waiting, shopping all alone
My beautiful apartment on the third floor
with windows to see the town and the shore
I can't remember more than that
it's still so good to be back
it has been too many years
since the last time I was here
bridge/outro
why should it have stayed same
even I have grown and changed
The barracks have moved
and the park is gone
apartments are there
can't tell which one
the town and the bridge
and beautiful sea
the white sail boats
were welcoming me
it has been too many years
since the last time I was here
The last time I was here
@mikeskliar Mar 2022
nice one! very emotional and affecting and those background vocals really add a lot- . Love that rushing cadence when the memories come flooding back. and the whole way its structured works well. great recording of a great song- a really enjoyable listen!
@wacha Mar 2022
This is a beautiful and truly moving song about days gone by. Your delivery of the powerful lyrics is really stunning.
@mitchmash Feb 2022
Another beautiful song! I love how you worked the idea of going home - all the memories, loved the lyric repetition "since the last time I was here" to wrap it all up each time. Beautiful vocals, as always.
@johnstaples Feb 2022
Tammy, this is so very beautiful! Such a touching story told so very well! Your vocals are stunning! And the various layering you do is so powerful! That bridge really got me. So many times I have returned to formerly familiar places and been disappointed that time had marched on and nothing remained the same. This is truly beautiful work and it hit me right in the feels!
@eas3637 Feb 2022
Wonderful images in this song - there's such a strong narrative thread through the verses and you've done an amazing job of taking on the perspective of your mom. There are so many great lines here; I loved "The barracks have moved/and the park is gone/apartments are there/can't tell which one."
@tageule Feb 2022
Beautifully melancholic. I like how the music follows the story, instead of the story been made to fit the music. And again, your voice is amazing.
@audrey Feb 2022
Sweet song. Brings on nostalgic feelings for the past. Sweetly sung too.
This is a good take on the boat name challenge.
@arthurrossi Feb 2022
The imagery in these words is brilliant, I love it! Great lyrics and even more so, as it is a truly personal song. There are some laces on my mind that I visited many, many years and decades ago, but that left a persisting impression on me, and it feels very strange when you return back to them... I cannot describe the feel, it is something that "bitter sweetness" suits the best way, I guess. The melody is beautiful and your voice is so gorgeous!
@bethdesombre Feb 2022
Such an impressive representation of memory -- and it's a good sign that I got so sucked into the memories as reported that when the song then made clear that that was a different moment (pulled us back into the present) I was surprised. Beautiful melody, too.
@headfirstonly Feb 2022
This is just beautiful. Your vocals on this are so good!
And what great writing. I was born in a coastal town here in the UK and there's most definitely a very specific feeling associated with going back there. The sounds of lines clattering against the masts in the yacht club's mooring, the call of the gulls, the smell of the beach... This brings all those sensations flooding back, even though many of those things only exist in memory these days.
@mikeb Feb 2022
This came out great, the backing harmonies add a nice touch.
@cindyrella Feb 2022
I hope this has been therapeutic in some way for you. This seems to come straight from your beautiful soul. So sad, but incredibly beautiful. Wonderful!
@karan Feb 2022
Oh Tammy, this is heartbreakingly beautiful! What a story, and you performed it with such clarity and deep emotion. Your voice is SO gorgeous!
@jyllian Feb 2022
More personal suits you well! This song is beautiful! Love the repetition of “I remember.”
@kahlo2013 Feb 2022
Fabulous, Tammy! The nostalgic feel and introspection are beautifully captured. The images are vivid. Your music on this with your gorgeous vocals gives me chills. Brilliant write and performance.
@wolfkier Feb 2022
Wow. The echoes make the memory even more poignant. Well done. No, very well done. Love it. Thank you. :)