Similar to what I’ve mentioned for another song, I'm a white guy, and this is a song heavily influenced by the Black gospel tradition. Historically, white folks have gotten the money and the credit for the music they learned from Black folks and performed/recorded. I'm still learning about cultural appropriation in music, but this sort of disclaimer is what I know best to do to make people aware of this history and to recognize the musicians I am indebted to for my sound.
With that said, here are some more notes: I wrote this song about the aftermath of leaving my job this past October. Though I was miserable at my job, it was a known place and a place of stability. Leaving without anything to go to was certainly like “cutting cables” or jumping off a ledge. It took trust and guts and just being sick and tired of it all. The past few months have definitely felt like a time of floating and aimlessness – falling, really. I used the image to try to make sense of it all and imagine what that might look like in the years ahead. I’m optimistic.
V1
I was standing on a solid surface
Wondering if it was worth it to stick around here
‘Cause, though I was standing, I was tripping on self-doubt
I poured myself out until I didn’t care
Pre-Chorus:
Cut the cables, take the leap
Don’t hold too tightly to glory or grief
Chorus:
On the way down, on the way down
The wind and your sorrows are the only sound
On the way down, you pray you don’t hit the ground
I hope I find a way out when I’m on the way down
V2
I said my farewells, it’s been good to know ya
But I’d feel like a failure if I hung around
So I turned in my t-shirts, anything with a logo
I went to rescue my ego and go all the way down
(Pre-chorus/Chorus)
V3
I’ve been falling for what seems like forever
But I would never go back to the shit I was in
Though it feels like waiting, I’ve been working
To heal my hurting, step back into my skin
(Pre-chorus/Chorus)
@hoppiern Feb 2022
I’ve done that thing of leaving a bad job with nothing concrete to go to, so this resonated with me! This is really well done - the prechorus and chorus are strong melodies, I really like the harmonies you added, and the last verse really hits home, Love the glimmer of hope at the end.
@angelinapowersuit Feb 2022
So nice, a song of earnestness and vulnerability, searching, fear and hope. The pre-chorus stands out for both the lyrics and the melody, but I think I like every line. Sounds like you’re making progress and there’s nowhere to go but up :-)