“All I can do is be me, whoever that is.” Bob Dylan
I’ve been trying to push myself to move beyond familiar musical solutions this round. With this approach there are no wrong chords, wrong notes, wrong rhythms, etc. I understand there is a limited appetite for this kind of thing with listeners and still I persist. I’ve always been this way, and since I’m doing this for my own self care reasons rather than serving a fan base, I feel free to indulge this peculiar aspect of my nature. Hence the Bob quote above.
I had a song in this vein starting to take shape this week, then I got sick with COVID. I’m vaccinated but I still got the Delta variant. After a couple days of sleeping and eating chicken noodle soup I wasn’t sure I’d turn in a song this week. I didn’t have the voice or the energy to follow through on my song full of unlikely choices. Then this little tune showed up today. It’s the sonic equivalent of chicken noodle soup for me, gentle and folky and simple as can be. At first I thought it was out of sync with the quote and concept but after a little more consideration it seemed like it worked just as well as my original intention.
lyrics
I round the corner for the big reveal
Another street, another hill
A calico cat sits on a window sill
Still as a statue
Honeysuckle climbs up the red brick
Perfumes the air with its tender scent
There’s a chalk heart fading on the pavement
Under a broken dandelion
Beneath this quiet is a gentle sound
Murmurs and humming and rustling around
It’s the perfect soundtrack for the hear and now
And the sun on the horizon
My feet keep moving at a steady pace
Nowhere to be but I’m running late
Soaking in the scene, thinking about the gate
Soon enough it’ll be closing
The sun’s kiss and the tingle in the air
Is usually enough to quiet the despair
But I can’t stop wishing that I could to share
This walk with you
It feels so young and foolish all this kicking and screaming
I know it’s time to cool it with all this whining and dreaming
So I’m settling back into this quiet evening
One step, one step, at a time
I round the corner for the big reveal
Another street, another hill
A calico cat sits on the window sill
Still as a statue
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