Planted in the winter (video)

I picked this song to record next because it's the one I took to the songwriting workshop last week and I thought it would be nice if those folks could hear how it sounds when I can, you know, sort of pronounce words or sing notes or whatever. My stage nerves are the worst.

Also it's a good February song for a cloudy day.

Verse: C Em / Am Dm / F C / Dm G (G7)
Refrain: C Dm F G C
Chorus: F C / F C / Dm Am Dm Am / Dm G / F C / Dm Am
Bridge: C Am / Em Am / Dm Em

Buried under layers of moss, three deep, four deep
beneath the snow, held warm by clay I’ll keep
my eyes awake but my heart’s asleep, asleep
with the crocuses slumbering

It will hide below frost so thick, so thick
from winter darkness that hits like stones and sticks
It’s playing dead but it’s still a wee bit wick
to the drum beat the blood must sing
And like anything that’s planted in the winter, it may grow in the spring.

Like anything safe underground
Like anything waiting for the rains to come down
Like anything planted in the winter
and longing for the warmth to bring
green from this world of brown.
Like Persephone with her heavy crown
ready to leave the solemn king
And like anything that’s planted in the winter it may grow in the spring.

Daffodils sit deep underground so dark, so dark
unrecognizable stones just like the heart
but when the sun returns they’ll rise like larks
smell of grass and the sound of wings
And like anything that’s planted in the winter, it may grow in the spring.

Chorus

Oh don’t dig up the ground here, don’t give it up for lost
The seeds are only sleeping and the frost is only frost
The garden is our secret, it’s a silent living thing
And like anything that’s planted in the winter, it may grow in the spring.

Chorus
And like anything that’s planted in the winter may it grow in the spring (2x)

Songwriting workshop

Last Thursday I checked out a songwriting meetup up in San Francisco. Going to this was a sort of compromise—a few months ago, since I've been spending more time on writing songs, I'd been checking into taking one of the songwriting courses offered somewhere like Gryphon or Blue Bear. Ultimately I hadn't signed up for one. I wasn't sure if I was up for the time commitment of a weekly/biweekly course, or the cost, especially because I couldn't really predict how helpful it would be. While doing those searches I found that meetup group, and figured a once-a-month thing would be much more manageable, not to mention that it felt better not to have to commit to the whole series in advance. I could just go check out a meeting and go from there.

The meetup was super helpful and a lot of fun! I had originally meant to attend the first one without bringing a song just to see what it was like, but there ended up being a song I was just working on last week, so I scrambled to finish it up and get the chords settled before the evening of the meetup. I think it was the $25 meetup fee that tipped me over the edge, since I figured if I was paying for the event I might as well get a song critique out of it.

Good thing, though, because it turned out to be like fight club, the organizer made everyone sing.

The group was really supportive and gave great constructive criticism about what could be done better or more effectively. I got some awesome feedback on how to perform the song to bring more out of it (which I was impressed by, since I'm surprised anyone could get past the horrible nerves that made it so I couldn't really pronounce any words in a ridiculous way. Have I mentioned that I have some issues with performing in public?) Maybe more importantly, the organizer and the other attendees were super enthusiastic about the song itself, which was really nice to hear. It's so hard to tell if I'm conveying what I'm trying to convey with the words, so it meant a lot to hear people who are musicians, and not just being nice to me because they're my friends, getting what I was talking about :)

I'd definitely recommend the workshop to anyone who has a song they'd like a critique on, it was a great experience and I'm excited for next month's.

Happiness (video)

One of my friends asked for people to contemplate/discuss the meaning of happiness for his birthday instead of presents, so the obvious thing to do was to write a song.

Writing a song on a short deadline about a topic someone else chose was surprisingly different from writing a song about whatever happens to be on my mind at the time and then screwing around with the lyrics for the next six months. It was super educational.

intro: (G - C G D C G -)

verse 1:

You (Am) ask if happiness can be (G) discretely quantified

Does it (D) just live in the (C) moment does it (G/D) interact with (G) time

try to (Am) calculate the (D) math is it an (G) integral or (C) path

Well (Am) I'm still stuck on (C) finding if it’s (D) even well (D7) defined

chorus 1:

Cause (C) happiness is like magic, it’s (G) all just sleight of (D) hand

Or (C) happiness is like dancing, just a (G) different way to (D) stand

And (G / D) happiness is (C) just the (G) road or (Bm) it’s the (Am) destiny (C / D7)

Oh (G) honestly hell (C) if I (G) know, I was (D) hoping (C) you’d tell (G) me

verse 2:

I’ve (Am) read the koans but the answers (G) never come out clear

Can you (D) plan for future (C) happiness if (G) you’re just (D) now and (G) here

Is it (Am) this moment on (D) fire or the (G) marathon (C) entire

or (Am) just run the (C) odometer (D) until you’ve learned to (D7) steer

chorus 2:

Cause (C) happiness is like method acting, (G) you’ve just gotta (D) be it

Or (C) happiness is like porn, you’ve just gotta (G) know it when you (D) see it

And (G/D) happiness is the (C) words we (G) sing or (Bm) happiness is the (Am) key (C / D7)

Aw (G) hell if I know (C / G) anything, I was (D) hoping (C) you’d tell (G) me

bridge:

If I were (Em) looking for (Bm) wise men I (C) wouldn’t check the (Am) mirror

but (C) you might have more (Bm) luck if your (Am) reflection’s any (D) clearer

of (Em) course you may (Bm) outsource your (C) parables to the (G) blind

if you’re (Am) happy to (C) accept that (D) elephants are just like (D7) twine

chorus 3:

So (C) happiness is like macrame, (G) the content’s in the (D) knots

Or (C) happiness is like quipu, it’s the (G) math we all (D) forgot

And (G / D) happiness is (C) just the (G) loom, or (Bm) it’s what you must (Am) weave (C/ D7)

Ah (G) hell if I can (C) see what’s (G) true, I was (D) hoping (C) you’d tell (G) me

(C - - - G - D - / C - - - G - D - / G D C G Bm - D - / G - C G D C G - - -)
repeat verse 2
chorus 4:

Cause (C) happiness is coming home, it’s (G) finally being (D) found

Or (C) happiness is helping someone (G) else who’s run (D) aground

And (G / D) happiness is the (C) boat you (G) row or (Bm) happiness is the (Am) sea (C / D7)

Oh (G) honestly hell (C) if I (G) know, I was (D) hoping (C) you’d tell (G) me (D)

(G) Honestly hell (C) if I (G) know, (Am / C / D) I was hoping (C) you’d tell (G) me