Little embarrassed to put this up. I don't write semi-serious, personal, angsty stuff. It's just not my bag, I'm the guy who writes songs about blue aliens, or from the perspective of a funky persona, or something very genre-specific. I am not a "from the soul" songwriter.
But I wanted to take a shot at this challenge and when the lyrics started coming out, some were personal, some were just kinda clever, some were cliches, and some were all three. So I mostly let the chips fall where they fell and tried not to overthink them.
Mostly it's some vague feelings surrounding some common feelings of introversion, futility, and creeping pessimism, You know, the fun stuff! :-)
Anyway, I really wanted to make the verse and the chorus sound different despite only using 4 chords and I think I pulled that off with the melody and with playing dynamics. I didn't want to switch instruments to pull that off, personally. The chorus melody is pretty intricate and deceptively complicated (at least in the beginning) and that was tough to pull off but I'm happy with it.
I also discovered a new way to thicken up vocals before that I've never done, so yaaaaay learning!
You knock in a rhythm
familiar to most children
But if you want two bits
Sorry I’m not home
Any day done better is a better one
a drop of faith in a sea of none
the self gets closer
time runs the other way
I’ve always lied I never needed anybody else
Truth is that I still believe it in spite of myself
I’ve never seen a summer where I couldn’t find the gray
And I’ve never met a winter that I couldn’t bury away
I can’t isolate
what’s scripted and what’s improv
I say my brain
like my brain’s somehow not me
if you got my number you can ring me up
if I don’t respond please don’t give up
if I say I’m busy
go on and pretend that means something
I’ve always thought that I was good at making friends with strangers
But I all I made were scratch-off bets with small talk and soft danger
I’ve never seen a summer where I couldn’t find the gray
And I’ve never met a winter that I couldn’t bury away
I’ve never met a winter that I couldn’t bury away
bury away
bury away
@siebass Mar 2022
Really nice verby atmosphere on this. Intimate vocal. Grats on writing something about something you care about; I know that's always been a challenge; proud of you, duder. Great head bob here to the rhythm, and I really like the treatment on the vocal. Introspection is hard, but I think you got at that feeling of hiding, fake busy. Really enjoyed the hook line of I've never seen a summer where I couldn't find the gray.
@elainedimasi Feb 2022
This has everything. It's a great groove, it's hooky, lots to think about in the lyric. I really dig the way you use the falsetto parts in your songs I've just heard tonight. It sounds sweet and in terms of giving a lift to the song it's over and above what a lot of us can do! Whether with a four chord loop or not. Truly appreciated this track, thanks for writing it!
@nancyrost Feb 2022
Lots for me to appreciate and relate to here in the introversion and self-contradictions. I particularly like "I say my brain like my brain's somehow not me". The dynamics keep the four-chord loop fresh. And the thickened vocal sounds great.