Feb 5 folk collab americana pedal-steel acoustic piano guitar
Artist Favorite 
Feast Liner Notes
I was lurking over at @crisp1 page and came across some of the best lyrics I've read in a long time. Luckily no one had snagged them yet , so I did! Thanks so much for letting me add the music to this amazing piece! I hope I've done you well.
Doug: I believe in magic now. Thank you, Sonya!
Lyrics
The smoke is moving down the hallways
I’m not sure when the fire began
There’s nothing left to do now
Let’s get out while we can
It must’ve started in the kitchen
Please don’t go wasting any tears
It couldn’t be the bedroom
No sparks in there for years
The flames just got our photos
There goes my wedding gown
But give me one last kiss
As the house burns down
Give me one last kiss
As the house burns down
It sounds like windows are exploding
The two of us are paralyzed
It soon will all be ashes
We shouldn’t be surprised
You said that I’m a cynic
Though I feel like a clown
But give me one last kiss
As the house burns down
Give me one last kiss
As the house burns down
We couldn’t be content with contentment
Too much in this home was combustible
You stoked the embers of resentment
Since way back when I stopped being lovable
I lost the art of smiling
My face could only frown
But give me one last kiss
As the house burns down
Give me one last kiss
As the house burns down
@caseewilson 5 weeks
Oooh this is beautiful. I loved the lyrics but this just takes it all to a whole new level! Gorgeous guitar and the vocals are so emotive and powerful. Blown away by this.
@sherrycanary 5 weeks
Definitely a magic collab.
What a great story .The images are so sad, but they really weave a solid story. No spark in the bedroom, the picture of the wedding dress in flames. The one last kiss...tragic.
Beautifully performed by Sonya.The music has just the right feel.
Fab collab
@kadmad202 6 weeks
I just happened across this song and I'm blown away! There's really nothing I can add to the comments below - I agree with them all. Masterful interpretation of these poignant lyrics. Truly wonderful.
@nadine 7 weeks
Wow these lyrics are one of the best I read the past years. Strong images and storytelling. I wish I could write like this.
The arrangement is sparse and fitting sooo well to these lyrics. Voice and guitars are great. Oh just spotted a gentle piano.
What a good one!
@beat 7 weeks
I can wholly understand why you picked these words and I can also understand why Doug believes in magic!
@cellarrob 8 weeks
This is the perfect heartbreaker. Filled with loads of great lines, the music and performance is very fitting and helps with creating the right mood for them. Well done! Is it okay that such a sad song can make me smile? 😀
@stephenwordsmith 8 weeks
I'd trust someone named 'Crisp' to write about a house burning down with feeling.
That out of the way, I am a very big fan of the lyrical dissonance here. The words seem quite self-explanatory at face value, offering a little romance in the last moments of a Shakespearean tragedy, but the vocals uncover the metaphor beneath very well. It feels very much like the narrator has reached the 'acceptance' stage of grieving over a relationship that ignited in all the wrong ways.
@quork 8 weeks
Very nice. I especially like “Give me one last kiss as the house burns down”. And “I stopped being lovabl”. Wow.
@rshakesp 8 weeks
Really well crafted song, lots of lyrical and musical imagery combined. A thoroughly enjoyable and engaging listen. Nice job
@mikedebenham Feb 18
Strong lyric, exploring all the potential of that main image. Lovely setting too, with that pedal steel blowing in like an autumn breeze. Teasing out the lovable line is a nice touch. Great work from both of you.
@meadows Feb 16
Wow, really good collab. That song hit me. It's a very well crafted folk song that touched me. Congrats to such an amazing song! Love it!
@zeekle1998 Feb 16
Amazing lyrics (Albeit rather tragic) combined with such gorgeous vocals and music. What a lovely collaboration.
@sheslin Feb 12
I love how your turned Doug's crazy good lyrics into this awesome song. Beautiful arrangement and guitar playing. I love your melodies and your soulful singing. The tender bridge was a really special moment. Loved what you did with the last verse also. Great collab!
@mikegtz Feb 11
Very nice and powerfully rendered. And a great collab!
@kevinmason Feb 10
What a beautiful musical painting. Solemn and tragic, the words are gorgeous and the music captures their spirit so well. Nice, minimal instrumentation lets the lyrics tell the story. Great collaboration.
@tawny249 Feb 10
This has a very classic folk sound to it, both lyrically and in the melody. Definite emotion in the vocals, that really came through. It does seem like a very natural combination of words and music, kudos to Sonya for nailing the vibe.
@johncrossman Feb 9
The pedal steel jumped immediately into my ear. Are you pedal steeling? I'm really liking the build, adding as it goes. I don't have anything to add except one more note of appreciation for the top notch interpretation of @crisp1's smoldering lyric. And this lyric. It's an image/metaphor I've heard but never done as well. The bridge got me, especially that last line which is designed to press a little harder on the ol' heart, and then you went ahead and squeezed again by repeating it. Once you did, I thought, how could you not have. Geez, so good.
@klaus Feb 8
Great allegorical lyrics, the house as a metaphor for the relationship. Very passionate and romantic too, the last kiss before everything burns down.
Sonya has done a fantastic job with the music and demo. Great vocals full of emotion and tenderness. Steel guitar adding a lovely longing feel. Great collab you two.
@bethdesombre Feb 8
Oh my goodness -- this is sublime. The music fits the feeling of the lyrics perfectly (I'm always impressed when that happens when they arrive separately.). I love "give me one last kiss as the house burns down" and, of course, the central metaphor. The bridge is a thing of glorious. What a great song.
@sph Feb 8
Great collab. You created a wonderful musical setting for Doug's amazing lyrics.
@squeakmouse73 Feb 8
That was a well-written song, and your voice fit it perfectly.
@bitshred Feb 8
Wow, this is great. LOVE those lyrics. Great collab, thank you for getting this out and sharing.
@aflinner Feb 8
Wow....really outstanding collab. Lyrics are seriously amazing, and the arrangement fit them perfectly. Gold star.
@natalie Feb 8
@crisp1 What powerful imagery and metaphor. Consistent and coherent from beginning to end. I can almost smell and taste the sadness and regret, acrid like smoke. @sunnymae Your lower register is so rich and emotional, really lovely, yet somehow I love those high, soul-piercing notes in the chorus even more. 💙
@lenigmusx1 Feb 8
Oh yes! This is all perfect. What a great voice and a delivery. The lyrics are amazing. What a great recording. The piano is so nice and warm. Man so so good! This needs to be a release. Bravo my favorite so far this FAWM. 2nd listen is even better than the first.
@bandybum Feb 6
What an amazing lyric, beautifully delivered. Fabulous collab, guys!
@oswlek Feb 6
Lovely. The pedal steel adds the perfect haunting touch and your vocal is full of feeling. Doug's lyrics are stellar, like always. 🙂
@julesbf Feb 6
Stunning arrangement and vocal delivery. Powerful set of lyrics with some cracking imagery and it has all been brought to life in a cracking collab. You should both be really pleased. Loved this bit: 'I lost the art of smiling
My face could only frown
But give me one last kiss
As the house burns down'
@gwyn1234 Feb 6
"We couldn’t be content with contentment" is a brilliant line and the whole collab is fabulous!
@jorh Feb 6
I’m not surprised you snagged these lyrics @sunnymae - they’re absolutely fantastic!! The imagery is strong and striking, and it’s a fantastic innovative metaphor for lost love. I love the clarity in your vocal and the simple delicate guitar playing to let us focus in on the story. Great great collab 😀
@matthew62 Feb 6
This is a brilliant collaboration! Truly well-crafted lyrics. Those last two lines of the second verse really put the metaphor front and center and it just gets better from there. The musical interpretation and vocal are perfect. The whole thing is saturated with a wistful ache. Beautiful.
@wolfkier Feb 6
Great collab. This is one of the real points FAWM excells at, in my opinion; magical, impossible to foresee, serendipitous collab connections. And here is proof positive
Some wonderful imagery perfectly delivery on a tragic end to love.
Moving. Very special. Enjoyed much.
Thanks, Sonya, for your lovely comment on my #1. Appreciated. 😀
@bradbrubaker Feb 5
Holy moly, this is good. I can't believe it's a collab. It all seems so perfectly matched. Wonderful work.
@leslie Feb 5
You have found the heart and soul of the story in this melody. Beautiful, both of you. I love that downward pause on "when I stopped being lovable". And your cadence throughout is so engaging. Wonderful collaboration, Doug and Sonya.
@mikeb Feb 5
Wonderful treatment of Doug's lyrics! You definitely having a Tracy Chapman thing going, but the steel guitar really imparts a more Americana feel.
@kahlo2013 Feb 5
This sounds fantastic! The lyrics are powerful - what a strong metaphor. The music is perfect. That break down works beautifully for the bridge. Love everything about this! The first FAWM song I’ve had a chance to listen to this year and what a way to start!
@dreamscuba Feb 5
Great collaboration. I love the pedal steel. Lovely feel to this song.
@berni1954 Feb 5
I love the "Tracey Chapman / Joan Armatrading" feel you get going here.
You have done those lyrics proud.
I had sketched out a melody for this in my head as I read it, but yours is far superior to where I would have taken it. These lyrics needed YOU 👏👏👏
@ayehahmur Feb 5
Ahhhh. I was really hoping someone would do something with these lyrics, and you've done a great job. Lovely arrangement, just enough of the piano and pedal steel(?) for colour and texture behind the guitar. And that vocal performance is just full of emotion.
@tukayandryan Feb 5
Lovely melody. Great collab. Loved listening to this this morning 😊
@dock Feb 5
And your vocals add fuel to the fire! Really Hot. And yes great lyrics.
@audrey Feb 5
What a perfect match, these lyrics with your melody and vocal. Wow! Great performance that brings to life the desperation and sadness in these words. Kudos to both of you.
@coolparadiso Feb 5
excellent lyrics and i love the way your vocals just pour out some killer lines "No sparks in there for years" i like the way musically it doesn't go exactly where you think it will - nice
like this a lot! arrrr Crisp lyrics of course
@zecoop Feb 5
Wow, those lyrics are completely visual, painting the bleak picture which retains all the emotion in the loss. Your guitar is lovely and the vocal only amplifies the emotions. My parent’s house flooded long ago and they had the same experience of figuring out what to save and seeing things destroyed. This is a wonderful collaboration!!!
@colgoo Feb 5
Fantastic collaboration! Doug’s lyrics here are of the highest quality and the production value on this! Phenomenal! This sounds like it should be on the radio. WOW!
@tseaver Feb 5
Great collab! Devastating lyric given a powerful kick with your melody and delivery.
@jeffwhitmire47 Feb 5
Damn!!! This is why I love the FAWM! I saw these lyrics show up this morning and knew it would be a killer song! Within a day you've both created one of the most beautiful metaphors for love lost I've heard in a long time! Hell of a song!!
@haim Feb 5
Hi Sonya hope all is well! Great singing. Love your spirit while singing it. Your voice is powerful and very touching. great work on putting music to those beautiful lyrics. I like the music you've added other than the acoustic guitar, that background ambience guitar. I wonder what kind of sound is it, do you play it live or is it some kind a sample? It sounds beautiful. Great job, enjoyed listening.
About the lyrics - very well written, first perfectly to the singers voice and to become a song with music.
@dudachris Feb 5
Wow!!
The title grabbed me and I'm SO SO GLAD!!
This is going in the recommended thread. People need to hear this amazing collab!