FAWM: "Wasted"

Wasted

Liner Notes

Pitchy falsetto warning! (Ouch)

I've been in mid-life crisis mode for a good few years now, and it hasn't been helped by being unemployed for the past 11 months. I keep thinking about how my life has crashed in ways I could never have imagined, and now that I'm in my late 30s, I feel like the opportunity to make something of it has gone (I'm sure others would say otherwise). I know they say you can't go back, but boy if I could. I waste too much time ruminating over the choices I made that have led me to where I am today. "What if...?" And as a result, I've grown resentful towards younger generations due to my own self-perpetuated jealousy of their youth. Not in an outwardly cruel way, but more a silent seething, perhaps? I don't know. I just hope they don't reach a similar point I have. Living with regrets is torturous.

This song had very heavy Sarah McLachlan vibes in my head when I was writing it. It doesn't necessarily have much of a hook, but I'm letting the sentiment do the heavy lifting.

#singersongwriter #piano #acoustic #acousticonetake #ballad #sad

Lyrics

I thought you were born in the 90s Turns out you’re a 21st century baby In a couple of years I’ll be turning 40 Double your age and thinking I’ve lost it

I too once had the world at my feet I too once had a head full of dreams Now I’m all burnt out from the realisation That “once” was a time when I should have taken

My chance to make my Dreams become real life

Yes, I’d go back Try it again Be someone braver Stand up for myself Do what everyone else did Not let my youth go wasted

I look at your face and feel such an envy Can’t believe that you’re not even twenty I always feel like my life’s at an ending Soon to be gone while yours is beginning to

Fly right over And leave me down here on the ground

Yes, I’d go back Try it again Be someone braver Stand up for myself Do what everyone else did Not let my youth go wasted

And I have clichés of time From a life that flew by in the blink of an eye So jump on board for the ride Everyone grows up regretting Don’t end up regretting everything

Yes, I’d go back Try it again Be someone braver Stand up for myself Do what everyone else did Not let my youth go wasted

I wish I could go back But oh, here I am Faking a promise To not live in the past But you have future aplenty So don’t grow up regretting Wishing that you could go back and Stop your youth going wasted

Comments

@mattwdunn 1w

I’m sorry you are feeling this way. But I get it. The song is beautiful, heartbreaking and melodically stunning. You always impress me so much with your ear for melody and the emotion you get across in your lyrics and performance. This is another brilliant, brilliant song and you should be proud of that. Great stuff

@berni1954 1w

"Now I’m all burnt out from the realisation That “once” was a time when I should have taken" Great couplet!

Given your circumstance, I can appreciate a song of regrets.

When I had some disastrous relationship and/or work related crash and burn, my Dad always used to say: "You now have a choice; you can wallow in self-pity, or else you can choose to change direction and look for new possibilities!"

I always saw the logic in his statement - but usually only after a good deal of wallowing 😉.

The best thing I ever did was to throw up a steady job in the UK and start a whole new life in Catalonia. It was a terrifying prospect, but I have no regrets. If you were to ask me for advice I would say: "I recommend a complete break with what you know!"